“And who can tell me who the God of Life is?” I asked, looking back and forth at the children arranged in the front row. Karse, one of the youngest at three, obediently raised his hand, practically bouncing in his seat. At least he was until his twin, Kellen, grabbed his hand and pulled it down.
“Shhh!”
“But I know it!” Karse insisted, glaring at his sister.
“I know you do, but if you answer then Father Tomas won’t tell us the story!” Kellen hissed. Shaking my head gently, I knelt between the two.
“Kellen, it’s not nice to hide the truth so you can get something you want.” I said in a quiet but stern voice.
“Even if it’s just a story?”
“Even if it’s just a story.” I confirmed. “How about this. What if I told you guys the story one more time, and you six call out the names of the gods and goddesses when I get to that part?”
“OKAY!” The little kids all shouted, before slinking their shoulders.
“It’s fine.” I waved off their shame at being loud. “It’s nice to be quiet in church, but the gods above don’t mind if you get excited when talking about them.” I noticed a few smiling nods in the back from the adults, and knew they would gently remind the kids to reign it in in the future.
“Well, now that we have that settled, let’s hear how things came to be! For ages untold, wo ruled the Chaos Realms?”
“Callumen!”
“Exactly! It was Callumen who ruled the Chaos Realms. He drifted along, content with how things were. Until one day, a shining beacon of Order intruded in the realms. Silver strands of hair billowed in the chaos drafts, reflecting the golden light from her skin. Callumen was shocked, unable to move as he watched this creature flit to and fro in his realm, smiling as she watched everything. But the creature couldn’t last in his realm, as it was the opposite of her, and soon she departed. It was then, for the first time in so long even Callumen couldn’t remember, that he felt something new. A heaviness in his chest, a longing for the creature that no longer was in his realm.”
“So Callumen decided to find the creature. He gathered his strength, and forced his way into the realms beyond. As he searched, he came upon countless new experiences. Heart full of wonder, he observed this realm and all its varieties. Things that could never exist in the formless chaos he had only known. And finally, he came upon that which he sought. From afar he watched as she danced among the stars, her laugh full of joy as she watched life flourish. Feeling the weight of his gaze, she turned to him. Hello! My name is. . .”
“LORELI!”
“Exactly! My name is Callumen. Might I join you on your journey? He asked, heart full of hope. With her agreement, they traveled to the far reaches of the realm, enjoying everything that there was to offer. And at the end of the realm, they decided that they wanted to create their own life. From their merged essences came the god of the sun and flames. His name?
“AARON!”
“Indeed. From the chaos he took formlessness and change, and order gave him a steadfast position as the core of worlds. Second was the goddess of earth and nature.”
“REAGAN!”
“Correct! She gave birth to our planet, Terra. She clings to order, letting the chaos build within her until it can’t be contained anymore, for she knows what would happen to those living upon her. But a world cannot be only land, thus the god of the seas was born seconds after his twin.”
“LACHLAN!”
“Lachlan. Unlike his sister, he clings to the chaos, allowing his currents to twist and churn, ever in motion. But these three alone were unable to support life, and so Callumen and Loreli came together once more to create the god of the air.”
“TIAN!”
“Yes, little Tian. His childlike demeanor flits across our world, bringing the breath of life and joy to every living thing. Beware his rage however, for his storms have laid waste to mountains before. Looking at what they created, Callumen and Loreli were happy. However, they knew that even diminished as they were from creating so much, they still had too much power within to stay for too long. So together they cast off their mantles, sacrificing their power to become the God of Life and the Goddess of Death. Callumen would invoke a bit of chaos into life to forever entertain his wife, and when they reached their end she would bring them into her loving embrace. Her order was used to grant them peace until they were ready to enter the world once more. Yet as with all things possessing Chaos, something unexpected occurred. Their cast off power combined to create a third, the goddess of undeath.”
“ENNORIAH!” The kids all hissed.
“Children.” I scolded. “All the gods and goddesses are deserving of respect, especially Ennoriah. For hers is the saddest tale. See, when life passes, an energy is released. Left unchecked, this death energy would choke the world like the weeds that choke your parents’ gardens. Ennoriah took this energy, and allowed it to create once again. Will o wisps born from bogs that lure the unwary to further the cycle of life and death. Skeletons, zombies, and mummies. Ghosts and specters that cry out for the justice denied them. All of them have a place in the cycle of life.”
“Along with Ennoriah, also came the monsters. Great beasts with untold power. And their god king, who rules over them with mythril claws and fangs.”
“OZMANDA!” Karse was the only one to shout this time.
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“Close. His name is Ozzymandia, and none dare challenge his power. He lays claim to the Monstrous Continent, and he sends his minions to test us as part of life.”
“Father Tomas, what happened to Ennoriah?” Karse asked.
“Well, are you sure you want to hear it? It’s rather sad.” At the nods from the kids, I continued. “Very well. Long ago, Ennoriah was beloved by humans. Her priests and paladins roamed far and wide, using their powers to solve crimes and bring justice to those denied it. All their services were free, as they were paid for by the nobles. One day, there was a rising star within her priesthood. Melnon had great power and a pure heart. Able to effortlessly move between the strata of society and fit in, he traveled far across the world setting wrongs to right. On his travels, he met Camilla. The third born of seven children, she was resigned to a simple life of marrying and raising a family. But in her heart burned a fierce fire for knowledge and an unquenchable thirst to see the world. Much like all of you, every Sunsday she would sit and listen to the preacher tell stories, peppering him with questions afterward.”
“One day on his travels, Melnon came across Camilla and much like Callumen, he was instantly smitten. Camilla was taken with him as well, and it didn’t take long for the happy couple to wed and journey together.”
“Sir?” Lewis asked. “I thought priests couldn’t marry? You aren’t.”
I chuckled and answered, “No, no. That’s silly. Priests are people too, no? We have desires as well, and aren’t immune from the trappings of love. I just have yet to meet that special someone for me. Now, back to Melnon and Camilla. For years they traveled, happy with each other. But like all good things, it must come to an end. Alas, this was no natural end. For a jealous princess demanded that Melnon cast aside Camilla and take her as his wife instead. Melnon refused, and rebuked the king for not taking his daughter in hand. However, the king doted on his only daughter, born late in life to his wife. His punishment was absurdly light, and was immediately lifted once Melnon left. The princess could not take being told no for the first time in her life, and thus ordered her guards to get rid of Camilla.” At this part, all the kids sucked in their breath.
“Indeed. A costly order, for the princess was not only spoiled but also naïve.”
“What’s naïve?” Several kids asked.
“It means she didn’t understand just what her order would cause. See, she thought the guards would just take away Camilla. Except the guards were all hardened warriors, those who never left an enemy behind them. So they kidnapped and slew Camilla, and burned her body so none would be able to find her. When they returned and told the princess what happened, she was distraught and immediately confessed to the king. Terrified and enraged at what his beloved daughter had done, he had Melnon brought before him. Where earlier Melnon was immaculately groomed, now he was a mess. His hair unkempt, his clothes wrinkled and unmatched, he had dark circles under his eyes exacerbated by his pale complexion. When informed of his beloved’s fate, he broke down. His howl of anguish echoed across the kingdom, causing countless people to burst into tears with him.”
I looked at this point, and saw most of the kids had tears in their eyes. “In his despair, he demanded the king execute the guards and the princess who gave the order. However, even now the king couldn’t bear to punish his daughter, despite what she had done. So he ordered the guards slain, but refused to punish his daughter aside from house arrest for three years. ‘How is this punishment’ Melnon cried out. ‘She never leaves the castle anyway!’ But the king remained firm in his decision. Melnon cried out to Ennoriah, asking her to remove her favor from the kingdom. But Ennoriah wouldn’t, for that would be punishing the people for the king’s mistake. Fuming, Melnon turned his back on Ennoriah and swore revenge, not realizing that she had taken what the princess coveted most: her looks and her ability to bear children. For his first betrayal, Melnon used the knowledge and power gifted to him from Ennoriah to try and raise Camilla. But without a body, she would forever be incorporeal. Still, Melnon bound her soul to a crystal he wore about his neck, forcing her to accompany him as he sought his own revenge.”
“Melnon traveled deep into the wilderness, and there he cast aside the light and delved deep into the depravity of darkness. For all humans have a bit of chaos in them, and Melnon failed his trial and gave in to the chaos. Abominations he created, of flesh and soul. Things this world had never and should never have seen. All created using the corrupted power of Ennoriah. At the end of three years, Melnon had created a vast army of nightmares. Riding at their head, he marched upon the kingdom that had done him such wrong. His creations never tired, never got sore, and never needed rest. They drove all life before them, and left desolation in their wake. Swiftly they arrived and surrounded the capital, and Melnon marched into the throne room once more.”
“There he found the king and princess who had so drastically changed his life. As he confronted them, he was interrupted as Ennoriah appeared. There she pleaded with him to return to the light, and let go his path of vengeance. But Melnon had long ago cast aside reason, and refused. Ennoriah tried to remove the power and skills she had gifted him, but found that Melnon had done the unthinkable. Not only did he experiment on others, but he had experimented on his own soul as well! Laughing, Melnon unleashed his corrupted magics against the goddess he had once worshipped, and she desperately tried to defend herself from this unexpected onslaught. Their fierce battle flattened the city and killed the land, and even today it remains a wasteland. For all her power, Ennoriah was a kind goddess and couldn’t bear to permanently strike down her wayward priest. Melnon, however, had no such feelings anymore and each strike went forth with unbridled ferocity. Even from his throne on a different continent, Ozzymandia could feel the killing intent within each blow.”
“As the battle wore on, Ennoriah noticed how Melnon seemed to never tire. At that moment, her eyes widened in horror for she realized that he was draining the souls that had lost their lives in the capital to empower himself. Her heart breaking, she took the greatest risk to bring the battle to a close as swiftly as she could. She left herself open to a strike, and while Melnon stabbed her, she grabbed his wrist. Unable to defend himself, he smiled at the goddess. ‘My wife now has justice. Go ahead and strike me down, but it won’t end. For I have trained others, and they will wait for me to once more tread across this world.’ With those final words, the goddess ended Melnon.”
“What happened to Ennoriah?” Kellen asked, struggling to get the words out between her tears.
“She was dealt a mighty blow by Melnon.” I said sadly. “Alas, she couldn’t maintain her position as a greater god and was diminished. That’s why there is a broken throne and the greater gods are referred to as the Nine. She couldn’t maintain control of the undead, and her priests and paladins are now much diminished in that regard as well, much to the detriment of this world. Now she is known as Norah, goddess of justice.”
Standing up, I looked over the congregation, noticing quite a few wet eyes. That was rather surprising, as these mountain folk were a rather tough bunch. They had to be, to live up here. “That’s all we have time for today. I’d like to thank weather witch Hazel for the warning about the upcoming blizzard. Make sure all your livestock are secured in their barns with enough food and water for several days. If you lack any supplies for either yourselves or your livestock, see me after this and we will make sure you are taken care of. Those that do not wish to weather this storm alone are free to come here as well, or to seek out your neighbors. Thank you all and have a blessed day.”
“Blessed day.” Everyone mumbled in response, before claiming their items and children and heading toward the door. I smiled as I watched them leave, happy I could live with a group that banded together.