“You’ve never heard the entirety of our founding Saga?” The Bard asked. “What a travesty. Let me give you the full tale, as it's told in the Nexus.”
Molo thought it odd the Bard never showed his teeth when he spoke, but that was of little concern compared to his offer.
"When time dawned on Whaihri, the Sylvan Goddesses formed with it. Lehanna, eldest of the four, was born of the sky and winds. The second eldest, Galina emerged from the waters, and presided over the waves and corals. Next came Vocikam, she of the sun. Last came Pohohn, goddess of stone.
"When mortal life came to these islands, it was by the grace of Lehanna and Galina that they arrived safely. It was through the gifts of Galina and Vocikam that our ancestors were able to forage enough food to start a society. They were shown the bounty of the seas by Galina, and the secrets of agriculture were revealed by Vocikam. Much honor must be shown to these three goddesses, but our greatest thanks is due to Pohohn, for without her domain, our ancestors would have been forever doomed to drift on the seas, until all were lost.
"And so, under the auspices of the sylvan goddesses, our peoples lived in harmony with nature for a long time. Eventually, however, the Biomechanical Lords came from the East. At first, we islanders feared them, for they were a mighty people, and they came prepared for war. However, when the greatest of them, Ciktash, arrived at the Sylvan sky palace to deliver a challenge, he was struck by the beauty of Lehanna, and chose peace.
“Ciktash's brother, Thakonexus, was displeased by this change, as he was a deity of combat, but out of love for his brother, instead instituted the Ertix codes, by which we still settle disputes.
“Life continued for another age, until the Lord of Progress, Malmidroz, set his sights on the deep. He led several expeditions into the three oceans surrounding Whaihri, accompanied by Galina, despite her misgivings about leaving the shallower waters of her domain. On their second journey into the Northwestern ocean, they awoke something primal. With much of their company missing, they were chased to the surface by a great serpent. It, however, could not stand against the power of the combined pantheons, and its corpse was displayed as a wonder.
“Malmidroz, set out again with a larger and more prepared party, although notably, Galina did not go with him. They were not equal to the Leviathans. Malmidroz, alone, returned as a puppet of Atrubithax, the Swarm. The puppet claimed that a great host of the deep was preparing to wage war on the surface, and that the Sylvans and the Biomechanical Lords must prepare to defend from the West. Although a great host did indeed attack from that direction, it was but a distraction.
“Yagrictist the Tentacle, led a flanking force from the North, and between not only the two forces of the deep, but also a great many of their own Lords and soldiers that had been hollowed out and directed by the parasites contained in Malmidroz, the surface pantheon was thrust into a perilous battle, that they would have lost, if not for Vocikam, who was able to purge the infection from their ranks. Despite the eventual victory over the deep, and the death of Yagrictist, the battle was not a triumph. Noud'lloth the Veil had had free rein over Whaihri for the length of the battle, and most of both our ancestors, and the biomechs had been lost.
“This marked the beginning of a long and brutal war. Though the deities of the surface greatly outnumbered the Leviathans of the deep, they had great difficulty finishing most of the monsters off, for none of the surface could even reach the depths where the Leviathans laired. Eventually, however, Ciktash was able to construct several armor-beasts that would allow the greatest of his allies to fight to their fullest, no matter the depth. And so, the next time the Leviathans struck the surface, and were repulsed, Ciktash led his allies after them, and found the brood nests of the beasts.
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“Bolstered by this first true triumph of the war, Ciktash pressed deeper, and slew both the true body of Atrubithax, as well as Laungoctotl the Bane. Further, they fought until eventually they repeated the folly of Malmidroz. They entered the pit of Umhaioctolb, and awoke the Progenitor beast of the Leviathans, Octhaatloc the Maelstrom. Octhaatloc devoured both Thakonexus and Galina, forcing the rest of the Surface Pantheon to return to their domain.
“The remnants of the Sylvans and the Biomechanical Lords prepared for one last stand against the deep, on the northernmost island of Whaihri. When Octhaatloc surfaced, the deep came with it; only the highest peaks in the archipelago were spared the tide. The fight continued for a century, until finally, Ciktash and Lehanna together were able to pierce the defenses of Octhaatloc. As Octhaatloc’s corpse sunk back into the depths, so too, did the water fall, until Whaihri was livable once more.
“While the Surface could claim victory, it was incomplete. Noud’lloth had once more skirted around the main conflict. It exacted its toll, killing Pohohn, before slipping away to await its next opportunity.
“While Vocikam, and the two surviving minor Biomechanical Lords, Streiduroh and Vunixas, set about rebuilding, Lehanna and Ciktash retreated to the Sylvan Sky Palace to regain the strength that they had expended in killing Octhaatloc.”
The bard paused, evaluating his audience. The entire village had gathered to hear his tale, and night had struck, although it was still an hour early.
The village was far from any of the population centers, and while Boru, the town’s priest, did his best to educate the villagers, the town had had little contact with the outside for generations, and many details had been lost over the years.
“Now, that’s not quite how it happened, despite being the official tale,” The Bard said.
Boru frowned.
“The Leviathans are not so easily slain. Atrubithax does not have a true body, Yagrictist can regrow itself from only a small portion of a single tentacle, and if Octhaatloc was truly slain, there would be no deep ocean left. No, the Sylvans and the Biomech Lords merely delayed the inevitable.”
Molo suddenly realized he couldn’t hear the seas anymore. The Bard grinned, showing his teeth for the first time. They had been filed to points, reminiscent of some of the more common ocean beasts. Boru, who had started to approach the Bard, slowed at the sight of the teeth. No one else moved.
“In the eons since the last battle, the Leviathans have regained nearly their entire strength, while there are no tales of either Lehanna and Ciktash doing anything since they retreated to her palace.”
Molo glanced out the window to the beach, only to see a wall of water speeding towards the village from the horizon.
The bard followed Molo’s gaze.
“Yes, the Maelstrom is coming. I suggest you find what enjoyment you can, in your last few minutes.”
The rest of the village turned to see what Molo and the Bard had noticed. By the time Molo turned back to the Bard, he was gone.
The wall of water blended with the sky, making it difficult to tell both how close it was to the village, and where the sea stopped, and the sky started.
The bard’s voice whispered into Molo’s ears. “Can your three remaining gods prevent the drowning of the Sun and Seas once more?”