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Gladrandys: A Worldbuilding Topic.

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    January 11, 2017 1:39 PM EST

     

    The Creation of Gladrandys

    In the beginning, before the world was, Merinu tore asunder the mist of uncertainty and forever banished it to the boundaries of the Void. Her voice singing a hymn of sorrow and of joy, of dark and of light, of despair and of hope that shaped the Emptiness and gave it being, henceforth the Emptiness was the base for Gladrandys, the plane of being. From her chest she brought forth a ruby wreathed in the flames of which the hymn she sang was birthed; the ruby was cast far above all else in Gladrandys where it was known as Mayor Solis, later called the Sun; and it spread its radiance to all corners of Gladrandys, the cinders that scattered from the inferno of Mayor Solis rooted deep in the mist, they were named the Menor Solis, and later the Stars. Then from the shadows cast by the brilliance of Mayor Solis she placed its sibling, Muru Nenkos, later known as the Moon; the soft, dim glow of Muru Nenkos complimented Mayor Solis and was its equal and opposite.

     

    Merinu’s hymn echoed across Gladrandys and from the echoes the steadfast stone was wrought with gold and silver, iron and copper, the Pillars of Gladrandys that kept the world rooted upon its foundations. From the stone she carved the mountains that scraped the sky, tall and proud and they were kissed with frost upon their peaks. Her tears, lamenting the end of her creation before it had even truly begun, became the seas, about the lands of Gladrandys that churned and rose and fell like a dance of foam and fury. From ‘Neath the twisting seas she raised the land that nestled betwixt stone, mountain and sea. She painted the sky with hues of purple and pink, blue and black from her own mind and where her feet graced the land bloomed flowers, grass and trees that spread like the fires of Mayor Solis across the surface of the world. Her breath became the winds that whispered through the trees and grass and that would later carry the birds upon the heavens above the land with the mountains that scraped against the sky.

     

    Merinu reflected upon her the product of her labours but she was not content with her creation yet. She stood on the horizon with Mayor Solis over her head like a radiant crown of brilliant light and begged of its flames to lend themselves to her once more; they did, and with the cinders of Mayor Solis she cast them upon the winds and where they touched was formed the beasts and birds of the earth, sea, snow, mountain and sky. Merinu said unto them

    “I, who am the howling of the wind, the whispering of the trees, the crashing of the sea, the rumble of the earth and the silence of the snow do grant thee life upon Gladrandys, by means of my song and of Mayor Solis, thou shalt prosper until the days of Gladrandys are done and the skies are covered by darkness eternal. So it shall be, as I decree as the one that came before all else and all else came.” And so it was, and amongst all creatures she made her throne of interwoven trees and vines and her minstrels were the insects that chirped and the birds that tweeted their song.

     

    The Birth of the Gods

    Not long after shaping her throne, Merinu brought forth from her mind her five offspring.

    They were Fulmen, who was the eldest; he was the rumble of thunder and the roar of lightning and was born of the sky. His sphere was storms, wind and judgment. Fulmen was king over the Gods and his word is held in high respect by all beings on Gladrandys.

    Unda who was second in age to Fulmen, he was the crashing of the water and the dark waves upon the sea from which he was borne. His sphere was healing, purification and wisdom. Unda was as wise as the sea deep; he was the adviser of the Gods and lord of healing rituals.

    The middlemost in age was Petra, she was the rumble of the mountains and the iron will of the stone she was wrought of. Her sphere was forging, labour and mercy. She was merciful when Fulmen was wrathful, but when betrayed was twice as wrathful.

    Younger than Petra was Nix who was the quietest of the five, she was the silence of the snow and was as cold as winter. Her sphere was death, guidance and prophecy. Nix was always quiet, but she knew things that only she could see and understood the cycle of life and death in a greater way than any being after Merinu.

    The youngest of the five was Everto, who Merinu made unlike the elements of Gladrandys and who was not birthed from anything but Merinu’s will. His sphere was to be forged by his own hands.

     

    Merinu bestowed her brood with dominion over the respective elements that they had been and to Everto she gave her greatest gift, freedom. She said unto Everto

    “You who are unique amongst thy kin I have bequeathed with freedom, for I made this world and your kin do rule over the elements of it, but it is thou who will shape the future of this land and as my time is almost upon me, for I have exhausted mine energy, I leave Gladrandys, youngest son of mine. Farewell, and prosper in thy way.” And as she finished this, she who came before all and before all came was naught but the trees, the grass and the flowers that stood all around Everto and his kinfolk.

     

     

    The City of Coronam

    The Gods built themselves a grand city upon the tallest mountain of Gladrandys, which was called Cacumine in their tongue, and later, the Jagged Peak by the tongues of Men. They constructed the city of an azure mineral found deep underground and the city was named Coronam, the Crown of the World. The great city ascended far above the summit of Cacumine and had four tall towers for each of the Gods as their living quarters, in the Throne Room stood a pane of enchanted glass made by Petra that allowed them to scry upon the world from their perch.

    There also stood the four thrones of the Gods, one of Skysteel, a metal wrought from frozen lightning, for Fulmen who was their leader, one of silver for Unda that was adorned with pearls, one of iron for Petra which was set with glittering emeralds and one of ice for Nix that was charmed to never melt. There was space preserved for the throne of Everto, should he ever rise to own an element of his own making and he would live there amongst his kin.Then Gods wrought life from their elements, birthing the Anima, who were their servants and assistants and who kept the balance of the elements, the heaving rolls of the tides, the patterns of the wind and clouds, the strength of steel and stone and the freezing of water in the bitter snow.

     

    The Rise of the First Lord of Metuere

    Everto looked upon Mayor Solis and saw the roaring flames upon its surface and was consumed with a great and deep longing, a lust for the fiery jewel. He scoured Gladrandys for a gem of its ilk, but found none; naught was nor resembled the great eye of day that graced the deep blue of the heavens, giving light to the lands.

     

    It was not until a storm, an odd one on behalf of Fulmen as there was only lightning and no rain fell upon the trees that night, when a stray bolt of lightning struck upon the forest and brought down a tall tree, which screamed its anguish as it fell to the forest floor in flames. Everto beheld the fires that consumed the forests and was filled with a dark and malicious sense of satisfaction; he waded to the heart of the flame and mantled its destructive beauty with eager hands as the forest blazed around him. The fire filled him with sinister purpose, his cunning, his envy and his ravenousness for the powers of Mayor Solis; he felt his siblings approaching and hid the cinders of the fire within his breast and greeted them with feigned panic and frantic gestures, as though he had been summoning them all along. The other siblings quenched the flames and herded the quivering animals that had taken fright, in the commotion, Everto fled.

     

    Everto absconded deep below the surface of the land, concealing himself far from his brethren in the darkest bowels of Gladrandys. There he obsessed over the flickers of light and cinder in his palm, the shadows cast by the flames grew ever darker within his heart, twisting his mind into boughs of darkness that filled his head with visions of conquest and of war and of the world beneath his thumb. He wrought the stone about him to his own image, a great and mighty cavern, where he placed an impenetrable fortress as dark as the night and the shadows that now dwelt in his mind from where could later command his armies; the great towered fortress was named Metuere. About Metuere he raised his city, fortified by walls of twisted black iron.

     

    Within his bastion Everto carved a great goblet of gold to hold his ever-burning flame, which was not tainted by his blackened influence. From the shadows of the bastardised flame crawled forth the Dragons, whom became allies of Everto that served his besmirched purpose. Other creatures of the deep revelled in the unhallowed blackness of the fire’s shade and became the Murkserpents and the Deathburrowers, amongst other foul beasts, that would plague the deep places of Gladrandys. The beasts fed Everto’s desire for lordship over life with sweet words and mighty titles, they named him as Dark Father, and as Fire Lord, and as Shadow-Shaper, and as Sovereign of the Void. The venom from Everto’s bitter heart bled into the earth, causing all manner of ills: plague, dark beasts that prowled in search of flesh and the curses that would later afflict the mortals of Gladrandys. And so it came to be that Everto was Lord of Ruin and master of the black halls of Metuere and the goblet became his symbol that was emblazoned upon the fiery flag of the fortress.

     

    The Battle of Metuere

    Everto peopled his city, which was called Metuere Umbra, with beings borne of the same manner as Merinu birthed him, giving them freedom, his people were called Man, though many of them were too intensely tainted by his dark heart and became the Goblins. He rallied his people, arming and armouring them with steel forged in the Ferr-Forge that was filled with the liquid fires that ran deep below the ground. Amidst the sound of ringing steel and preparation for war Everto mantled his brow with a silver crown, set with sinister diamonds, which were like his black and malevolent eyes.

     

    But, those men who were overwhelmed by fear of their master’s sinister cause escaped to the surface world and cried out about their creator’s scheme, which Fulmen heard echoing through the wind and alerted his siblings. They asked the band of men that had escaped Metuere Umbra what Everto was scheming and they told of the city far below them and of the mighty army that was being rallied and of their master’s wrath, should he discover of their betrayal.

    The Gods, who granted mercy to the men that betrayed Everto, marched upon Metuere Umbra with their legions of Anima and the Battle of Metuere, the first battle, ensued. The Dragons rained fire down upon them, the Murkserpent’s vile tendrils constricted the forces of Gladrandys, and the brutish Deathburrowers strode through the enemy lines like hellish juggernauts, all of this as Men and Goblin fought with mortal steel against the Anima. The battle was so mighty it tore a grand crevice into the skin of the ground, shedding the light of Mayor Solis down into Metuere Umbra, hissing and screeching at the divine brilliance, the Murkserpents and Deathburrowers fled into the deep. Everto, who knew his fate was upon him, commanded the Dragons and Goblins with his mind to disperse until he gave the order for their return and watched his groups of men retreating from the Anima. Then opened the doors of Metuere and stood before his siblings with a false smile, his jewelled crown glimmering in the light pouring in from above

    “Brothers, sisters, welcome to this humble abode of mine, you seem to have already been introduced to mine servants, prithee, would you take my flame?” he asked, his voice silky smooth to the ears of the Anima as he extended his arm in feigned comradery, the flickering embers in his palm that glowed and spat cinders. The Gods remained stoic, but the Anima were swayed by the offer, his words like sweet music to their ears, all but one resisted and came forward, grasping the flame and thus Everto’s hand.

     

    The Anima that took the flames in Everto’s hand, whose name was Manu and was a servant of Fulmen, fell to his knees. The accursed flames had kindled in his mind, twisting it as it had Everto’s before him. Manu writhed upon the ground, his form growing large and black as night. The Gods and the Anima stood back as they beheld Everto’s bastardisation of their children, Manu stood over them in a form of shadow and black haze with eyes like soldering metal that glowed in the half-light at Metuere Umbra’s gates, the beast he had become was known as Bellua, later called the Demon of Flames by Man, who was the foulest of the beasts that serve the Lords of Metuere. Bellua was surrounded in fires of malice and the once pure intentions of Manu were defiled beyond recognition, a mace was his weapon and it was called Cremator out of terror of the flaming thorns that jutted from the cruel weapon.

     

    It was then that Fulmen took up arms against the enemy and, wielding his sword, which was wreathed in a mighty thunderbolt in his hand, struck Bellua, who fell upon the gates of Metuere Umbra; the siblings of Fulmen and their children did nothing, for none wished to be caught in the crossfire of the God of Storms. Long was the battle between demon and God until neither could fight any longer and collapsed upon the ground which was red with the blood of man and dark beast, Bellua dissipated into dust. Then, as the dust settled on the battlefield, Petra used her mighty hammer and called forth chains of enchanted steel which detained Everto and the Gods took turns slicing along his middle, so that his deific organs hung to the ground, but were not severed. Then, Fulmen stood and declared divine judgment

    “Thou, who art a traitor to our mother’s lands, shalt be held below the world betwixt the Void and the stone in place of one of the Pillars of Gladrandys, where thou shalt be chained and cursed to carry all upon your back until the absolute darkness settles upon the skies of Gladrandys and Mayor Solis burns no more. With these four chains we, your kin, bind you forever!” he boomed and with a grand clap of thunder Everto was banished. Thus was ended the Battle of Metuere. What the Gods did not know, was that Everto could whisper from far beneath the ground and leak his sinister influence into the hearts and minds of Men, with the Murkserpents as his malevolent fingers.

     

    The First King of Men

    The Gods then gifted the humans, who had laid in wait whilst the Anima were warring with Everto, with a grand kingdom that was built beside the crevice that overlooked the smoking city of Metuere Umbra, which was named Inlustris by the Gods, but the men knew it as Mythstar and the land was named by Men as Velda.

     

    Fulmen appointed the man who told them of Everto’s uprising whose name was Alvis, as the first king of Mythstar, crowning him with a crown of black iron set with glittering rubies that gleamed brilliantly in the light of Mayor Solis by day and glowed softly by night under Muru Nenkos. Alvis was known as the Wiseman by his people, and he was a good and kind leader who was gracious towards the Gods for his stature and each dayhe would gather his subjects and together they would give praise to the Gods. He erected great towers upon the Argent Mountains that overlooked the north, where the Dragons resided, should they ever return.

     

    Fulmen, who favoured Alvis most of all amongst the Gods granted him a sword wrought of Skysteel, the blade was named Skysever in Man’s tongue and it was imbued with the wrath of Fulmen’s lightning with which he judged the wicked, it would be Alvis’ greatest symbol and one of the most treasured artefacts of Mythstar, though the blade was never used by Alvis in combat.

     

     

    The Scattering of Man

    Man prospered in Mythstar, under the magnificent rule of King Alvis and many sons and daughters were born in the coming years. Soon, the tall white walls of Mythstar grew tight and crowded and Man yearned for new settlements to build their lives, families bid their lord farewell and left together. In all directions Man dispersed, towards the sea they built villages for fishing, near the Argent Mountains they built their mining towns and about the forests hunting settlements thrived. Farther past Greywood, in the land of Holthens, the city of Silaford was erected and would later become allied with Mythstar, to which it was closest.

     

    Yet, some Men went farther North, into the bitter snow, enchanted by the rainbow hues above in the night sky and the soaring mountains taller even than the Argent Mountains  that they had seen so many times, here amid the icy peaks they built their grand white city, Northdale and named the northern lands Borea. And some Men journeyed farther to the south, where the swamps and marshes were thick and foggy and here, in this land of high reeds and sunken trees they built their city of great trees, Miregrove in the land they named Fenwood.

     

    But some Men, who had learned the tales of Everto and saw him as their father, lord and master went farther East and in what they named the Blacklands they built their city of iron, Thadreach, where fire was worshiped and the shadows were not feared, but were revelled in and used in great ceremonies to crown their kings. It was these Men that need not fear the Dragons, or the Deathburrowers, or the Murkserpents, for they were loyal to the shadows of their father and were absolved. Though these Men would be most willing to follow the evil whispers of Everto, they brought him no pleasure to carry his title, for they were already of the shadows and could not be defiled as men of the Gods could be, but instead he used them as his loyal servants upon the surface of the world.

     

    The War in the North

    Northdale soon fell under attack by the Dragons, who had dwelled in the snowy peaks ever since the Battle of Metuere. The Men of the North fought back in force, but their arrows were nothing to the scaled hide of the fiery worms.

     

    Many prayers were made and many lives were spent until at last, a great smith, Andor came forth with arrows blessed by Nix and contained the Goddess’ frigid wrath, with these arrows that bit like the snowstorms of the North, they struck back. The arrows tore at the wings and scales of the foul beasts, though the Dragons remained still fearsome, they could now be felled by mortal arms.

    But the Dragons did not take the small victory lightly. The attacks on Northdale ceased and there was a brief peace in Borea. A sinister shadow covered the horizon and an unearthly roar shook the very mountains themselves and so the great Dragon, Varalich, descended upon them. He was as tall as the mountains, his scales were as black as night and his eyes burned like red coals in the shadow he cast upon Borea.

     

    When all hope seemed faded, out of the mist that veiled the peaks of the mountains rode Freyja upon the back of a great snow wolf, a poisoned spear in her hand and determination in her heart. She bounded upon Varalich’s back; she knew her spear could not pierce the scales of the black Wyrm, but she knew what could. Varalich, irritated, raised a mighty claw and struck down, Freyja evaded the swipe by a finger’s breadth, and the great claw of the beast left a mighty gash in is torso, Varalich roared in anguish and Freyja, seeing her chance, struck the wound with her mighty spear and the deadly poison crept through the Wyrm’s blood. Varalich was dead in moments and Freyja was praised as a great hero of Borea forevermore.

     

    The Second Lord of Metuere

    Alvis ruled for fifty long years, before dying of natural causes with a single heir: his son Brandr, who was foolish and proud. Brandr was crowned shortly after the death of his father, as his mother had died some years before, and ruled for several long moons until a shadow grew above his head. Deep beneath the stone floors of Mythstar there echoed a voice that was only heard by Brandr, it whispered his name and filled his dreams, twisting them into nightmares of death and of torture that caused him to lose sleep; his eyes were weary and he slouched upon his throne like a corpse given life. Then, Brandr dreamed of a creature, a serpent that spoke to him with seductive words and draped him in its unusually warm, dark tendrils. It told him of a crown that lay deep beneath the ground, in Metuere Umbra where the oppressors slew the father of Man, that the crown would make him the greatest king of men, that his life would be long and he would have a long lineage of heirs worthy to the throne.

     

    Brandr forsook the worship of the Gods and demanded his men to take him to Metuere Umbra, despite his the warnings given to him by his adviser. The legion travelled deep below the ground in the dark caverns where they found dark creatures that had been forgotten or unseen since the creation of Man, It was there that they found the black gate of Metuere Umbra which lay unguarded, still dark and smouldering after all these years. Within the ruins of the city they found no being, only the remains of pitiless conditions where the first humans were prepared for battle. Upon arriving at the tall fortress that lay in the heart of the destroyed city the voice from his dreams called for Brandr to enter alone, despite the protests of his men Brandr commanded them to remain at the doors of the stronghold.

     

    Within the cold walls of the building lay a single pedestal before a black throne, upon the pedestal there was a crown of silver, set with black diamond’s that gleamed ominously in the light of the blazing torches above. From the dark corner of the throne room slithered a serpent, a large creature with ruby red eyes that pierced the dark with an eerie light of their own; the serpent told him to don the crown, to take his birthright and rise to his true strength. Brandr raised the crown above his head and slowly positioned it upon his brow, he felt a great and terrible presence and was filled with paranoia, the serpent looked to have a smirk upon its face as Brandr’s eyes rolled back in his head and a voice filled his head, an echoing, ominous voice with a single intent, a single command that blinded his senses with its hellish influence

    Destroy the Gods!” Brandr was surrounded by a cloak of shadow that fell to the floor and draped him in the darkness that had consumed his heart; Everto’s influence was within his mind as he exited the fortress and approached his men, who had been overtaken by the dark that held their master’s mind. The great flame within the goblet that had been but a glow of undying embers roared to life as it had a new master, from the flames burst Bellua with Cremator aglow with fresh fire, ready to serve his lord and from the shadows crept the Murkserpents and the Deathburrowers. Brandr’s power bestowed upon him by the darkness of Everto called forth the Goblin armies from hiding once more and they recognized him as their Lord and master and rallied behind him as they did Everto.

     

    The Attack on Coronam

    Brandr was foolish and lead his army of tainted men to march on Coronam several days after his coronation. They came with with great catapults they launched blazing hay into the azure city, the Gods called upon the great storms of Fulmen which were brought down in great wrath on the army. The remaining members of the army of Mythstar, which included a few of Alvis’ most trusted generals, who remained loyal, fought against the great army of the second Lord of Metuere. Although their strength was great, the Murkserpents and the Deathburrowers were strong and Bellua stronger, his mace devouring the essence of all it touched as Brandr watched with a malicious grin, his father’s sword, Skysever, in hand and the moon hanging above his head, just as the Silver Crown lay upon his brow.

     

    Far beneath the world, Everto watched through the black gems upon the Silver Crown and revelled in the suffering, he whispered to Brandr through the crown to bring the head of Fulmen to Metuere and he would be greatly rewarded with riches beyond his wildest dreams. Brandr sweeped enemies aside like meek insects as he approached the gate of Coronam, which Bellua demolished in a single blow from Cremator, the power of the crown was great and the promises of power and riches and fame were too alluring for Brandr not to take. The newly crowned Lord strode into the throne room of the Gods, as Bellua held their enemies at bay, where the four deities stood, Fulmen with his sword of skysteel, Unda with his great trident, Petra with her mighty warhammer and Nix with her scythe; they all beheld the son of the man they trusted the most and were taken by disbelief and anger, the air crackled in Fulmen’s rage, who was the most wrathful of the Gods and he walked forth, his blade wreathed with lightning, Unda held a hand out before him and begged for words and reason, Petra agreed, although her weapon was still ready.

     

    Brandr held aloft his blade and, in a voice that was not his own, he declared his scorn for the Gods, who he called his siblings and the Gods beheld that Everto lived on in man. Petra and Unda’s faces twisted into snarls of rage at the man before them and charged, their weapons radiating with all their power, only Nix remained silent and stood by her eldest brother, who stood wonder how man could have fallen to such darkness so easily. Unda and Petra fought long and hard with trident and hammer, but even their combined divine might could not hold forever against the darkness and tenacity of fire.

     

    Then Nix came forward and silently challenged Brandr. Brandr lunged forward, blade in hand, but his swipe landed only on falling frost where Nix had been, she appeared on the other side of the room and brought her mighty scythe towards the neck of Brandr, who parried the blow just in time and regained his balance. The two fought long and hard until Nix at last caught his head on her scythe and held it aloft, although dead, the head was still screaming and did so for a few moments, until the Silver Crown fell to the floor with a loud clang. The death of the Lord of Metuere was signalled with the clouds in the sky clearing and a mighty, unearthly roar of anguish exploding from the azure city, his army fled, any remaining survivors were found and killed.

     

    Fulmen lifted the crown in his hands and attempted to destroy it with his divine wrath, but to no avail, the crown could not be destroyed. The Gods kept the crown in Coronam, where it could do no more damage, or so they hoped, as they still did not know that the Murkserpents still resided deep below.

     

    The Coming of the Vanmer

    The Gods looked upon Mythstar with rage, though since Unda and Petra begged mercy, Fulmen’s judgment was not a punishment, but a warning, should one of their number ever rise up against them again humans would be condemned by the Gods and their prayers would not be answered. Fulmen, to make sure his word was followed, placed four great towers upon the land that scraped the sky with silver summits. Then Fulmen looked upon the Anima that remained in Coronam, the eldest of which were almost as old as the Gods themselves, he said unto the four eldest of the stone, sea, sky and snow

    “You, who are the eldest amongst your kindred, must watch over Man and be their Observers; should Man or a Man rebel against us, the Gods who rule on the height of the mountain, you must stand against them until mine judgement is passed and we forsake Mankind. However, you must defend them in their times of need, you shall be their guardians and their protectors from the evils wrought of Everto’s black heart.” Fulmen then placed them upon their towers, where they were named the Vanmer, and they could see far over the land and he taught them the tongue of the Gods, of their mother before them, a tongue that was incomprehensible to man, but could be learned by any of Vanmer blood; this speak was known by Men as Magic, or as Thaumaturgy, or, by the Men in Fenwood, the Black Art.

     

    Each of the Vanmer was proficient in their God’s associated magic; the Stone Vanmer was an enchanter and a sealer, one who binds spells and creatures to objects. The Vanmer of the Sky was a Weatherweaver and an Illusionist, one who casts the clouds and who creates unreal apparitions from the air. The Vanmer of the Sea was a Healer and a Scryer, one who cures and watches in places where their eyes are not. Finally, the Vanmer of the Snow was a Seer and a Guide, one who sees possible futures and offers guidance on these visions, though the latter may not be a great magical ability, it is no less assisting to the world of Men.

     

    The Vanmer earned the trust of Man by looking like them and were somewhat elderly, their eyes had no whites, only a single sparkling colour like a precious gem set with a pupil in their middle and their foreheads were adorned with tall white antlers engraved with the runes of the God’s Tongue that glowed faintly in the moonlight like the Muru Nenkos itself. They were Ragvala, who was wise, his hair was white and his eyes were deep sapphire, he had a beard that full a little below his breastbone and his antlers were tallest of the Vanmer. Tenen, who was strong, his hair was black and his eyes a glittering emerald, he had no beard and his antlers were wide and awe inspiring. Fendor, who was kindly, his hair grey and his eyes were a gleaming yellow, his beard reached to halfway down his front and his antlers were short and quaint. Finally, Andor, who was intelligent, his hair was brown and his eyes were stormy grey, his beard was short and tied into a knot halfway down and his antlers were both tall, though not as tall as Ragvala’s. and wide, but not as wide as Tenen’s.

     

    The people of the Blacklands scorned the Vanmer, for they hated the intervention of the Gods and would attempt overthrow them, if they had a Lord to lead them. The people in Fenwood loathed them for their practise of Magic, or the Black Art, as they called it. Those in Borea, Velda and Holthens accepted their guidance and their knowledge of the natural order and they were often called upon by these kingdoms for guidance or assistance.

     

     

    The Offspring of Man and Vanmer

    The Vanmer took several human wives each, who were worshipers of Gods and resided in Varda and Holthens. Their wives bore them many children, who were known as the Fey, these children had the tongues of both Man and God, though their blood was thinner than their Father’s, therefore they could not perform acts of Magic as easily as them, so it is that the thinner the blood of the Vanmer is within a Fey, the weaker their grip of Magic. The Fey grew antlers, but they could never be as majestic or great or as their forefathers, their eyes were those of Men, though they shone far more brilliantly and their lives were longer than any mortal man’s.

     

    Several of the Fey would go on to become the great Wizards of Gladrandys or the court wizards of Northdale, Silaford and Mythstar. Those in the Blacklands and Fenwood scorned the Fey twice as much as their Fathers, as the former saw them as a bastardization of Everto’s children and the latter damned them for use of the Black Art.

     

    The Vanmer housed their children for several years, where they honed their Magical talents, until they came of age – Fey take half as long as Men to mature. The Fey were somewhat accepted into the communities of Mythstar and Silaford, where their mothers had been born and raised, in Northdale they were treated as second-class citizens, as they did not hail from that land, however, should they wander into the Blacklands or Fenwood they would be executed on sight.

     

    Index

    Events:

    The Creation of Gladrandys - When Merinu carved, sang, breathed and weeped Gladrandys into existence.

    The Battle of Metuere - The first battle beneath Gladrandys in the city of Metuere Umbra.

    The War in the North - The war against the Dragons in Borea.

     

    Deities:

    Merinu - The Allmother who spent all of her divine spark making the world and spent the last of it on her children.

    Fulmen - Firstborn of Merinu who was given the sky. God of Storms, Wind and Judgment.

    Unda - Second in age to Fulmen, he was given the sea. God of Healing, Purification and Wisdom.

    Petra - Middlemost in age, she was given stone. Goddess of Forging, Labour and Mercy.

    Nix - Second youngest in age, she was given snow. Goddess of Death, Prophecy and Guidance.

    Everto - Youngest child of Merinu, he was given freedom to find his own sphere and became the First Lord of Metuere.

     

    Artefacts:

    The Silver Crown - The crown forged by Everto and set with black diamonds to make his rule over Metuere more legitimate, none can be considered a Lord of Metuere without wearing it set with all five diamonds. Everto speaks through the crown, making false promises and defiling the minds of Men.

    Skysever - King Alvis the Wiseman's sword, bestowed upon him by Fulmen. The blade contains the strength of Fulmen's storms.

    The Chains of Everto - The four chains that keep Everto bound to the bottom of Gladrandys.

     

    Countries:

    Varda - Mostly hills and grasslands with the Greywood to the south, the Argent Mountains to the north and the sea to the west. 

    Borea - Mountainous and covered in snow, the Snowood to the east, the Argent Mountains and Whitehills in the south and the Dragonpeaks in the North, bordered in the east, north and west by the sea.

    Holthens - Forests and hilly land, Greywood to the north.

    The Blacklands - Hills and grasslands, south of Whitehills and east of the Argent Mountains.

    Fenwood - Marshlands and forests, hills in the south.

     

    Capitals:

    Mythstar - Capital of Varda, first City of Man.

    Northdale - Capital of Borea.

    Silaford - Capital of Holthens.

    Thadreach - Capital of the Blacklands, City of Iron.

    Miregrove - Capital of Fenwood, City of Trees.

     

    Races:

    Goblins - Failed attempts at making humans, they are mischevious scavenger folk that love to trick Men into often fatal traps. They are scrawny and slender and often ugly and covered in warts and boils, whilst not strong they can prove dangerous in large groups.

    Ogres - Vastly larger, less intelligent goblins. They have thick skin and overwhelming strength, they are too stupid to lead Goblins, but do well with manual labour and being juggernauts.

    Humans - Borne of fire, they are the free folk and children of Everto, who they betrayed and thus are loathed by the other beasts spawned by Everto.

    Anima - Spirits that are servants to the Gods and keep the natural balance.

    Vanmer - The four eldest of the Anima, given living form.

    Giants - Tall, monstrously strong humanoids, their skin is tough and their tempers short. They prefer to keep away from humans, though humans fear their wrath.

     

    Creatures:

    Murkserpents - Snake creatures that live in the deep places of Gladrandys, they act as Everto's fingers, seducing Men in their dreams to take up the mantle of Lord of Metuere.

    Dragons - Winged reptiles that breathe fire, they are highly intelligent and almost invincible.

    Deathburrowers - Abominations with long, hard claws made for tunnelling, they are the juggernauts of Everto's army.

    Greatwolves - Large wolves ranging from the size of a grown man to double the size.

     


    This post was edited by Mortiferous at January 27, 2017 4:40 AM EST
    • 585 posts
    January 11, 2017 1:56 PM EST

    Wow this is long. I don't have the time to look at this now but I'll come back tomorrow and have a gander. I love worldbuilding type stuff, though, have you checked out the subreddit of it?

    • 273 posts
    January 11, 2017 1:58 PM EST

    Zonnonn said:

    Wow this is long. I don't have the time to look at this now but I'll come back tomorrow and have a gander. I love worldbuilding type stuff, though, have you checked out the subreddit of it?

    Not much of a Redditer (Is that the word?) myself, I'll have a look in the near future though. Thank you, Zonnonn.

    • 585 posts
    January 12, 2017 11:32 AM EST
    I think it might be Redditor? I'm not much of one myself, I just stumbled onto the sub Reddit one day and thought it was pretty cool.

    Your writing style is brilliant in my opinion, it sounds like a proper origin myth, it's flowery enough to sound legit but it's still understandable, so all good there.

    The story of Merinu and her children is also really intriguing. Very reminiscent of the gods of ancient civilisations, but with a nice fantasy flair in terms of what they can do and how they're portrayed. Everto especially fits really well, and about him...

    Am I right in assuming that he's the precursor/founding father of humanity? The whole fire deal, greed etc is very similar to cavemen and Adam and Eve respectively, so it only makes sense to me that's he's human - I was even expecting some vaguely humanoid form to spew out of the goblet. And that's the only issue I have with this, where do the typical fantasy races come in (Humans, Elves etc)? I'm assuming they'd play a part, the name Gladrandys sounds like Tolkien Elvish to me, which is also similar to ES lore as Tamriel is elvish, so I assume the elves play a part sometime in the worlds future. If I'm wrong apologies, it would be interesting if a fantasy world didn't have humanoid races in, but definitely still cool.
    • 273 posts
    January 12, 2017 12:25 PM EST

    Everto himself isn't human, but rather the one that made humans in the same image that Merinu made him, which just so happens to mean that they rebel against his plan as he did his mother's. Honestly, I made up "Gladrandys" on a whim, maybe the Silmarillion (Which I've been reading recently) just had that much of an influence on me; I'm planning to have some race remniscient of Elves, but I'd like to try my best to keep Tolkien's races out of this for the most part.

    • 273 posts
    January 12, 2017 12:29 PM EST

    Added the events of the Battle of Metuere, the First Battle.

    • 273 posts
    January 12, 2017 6:15 PM EST

    Added titles for major events, may make a list of events in the future.

    • 273 posts
    January 13, 2017 6:12 AM EST

    Added the events after the Battle of Metuere.

    • 273 posts
    January 15, 2017 10:25 AM EST

    Removed gnomes and added ant people, changed sequence of events slightly.

    • 273 posts
    January 23, 2017 12:07 PM EST

    Minor changes in language, removed all races except humans, named all the countries, named capitals of said countries, added the Vanmer (Name may be subject to change), added the War in the North, added the Attack on Coronam and made the Anima older than Man.

    • 273 posts
    January 23, 2017 2:20 PM EST

    Added index.

    • 273 posts
    January 25, 2017 5:38 PM EST

    Added the Fey and the Goblins. Added a more detailed description of the Vanmer, added Offspring of Man and Vanmer section. 

    • 39 posts
    March 3, 2017 4:54 AM EST
    Wow, Mort... Staggering amounts of detail. I dabble in writing myself and have been wanting to post something like for this for a while. The amount of work you have put into this is incredible. Even though my stories are more... I don't know, they are mostly set in medival times and don't have any magic or stuff except dragons. Any ways, really great world you've got here. Well done :-)