Latest revision as of 02:38, 1 February 2008

The Creation

A Tale of the Wold

Maybe you find the Pixie Lord riding a magic swan on a lake in the lands beyond Dragon Bay, like the Windhorn Hamleteers did once upon a time. Or maybe you meet him at his house in the clouds, from which he often travels to harvest beams of light from the moons and stars. Or maybe you only meet him in what you think must be a dream. Well, this time you find him nostalgic, and glad to talk about ages long gone.

"Oh yes," the Pixie Lord tells you, "I remember those days! I didn’t see the very start of it all, of course, but I heard the story from some djinni who did. They told me that Eberyon was the bastard grandchild of four elemental lords, but he was not at home in fire, earth, water or air. Having no true home, he got his hands on the Four Rings of Creation and made the Fey Realm for himself, above the elemental planes. That was the start of it all."

"You mortals call that the First Creation, but at the time, it was the birth of everything! You see, Eberyon was not content to make a home. He also made friends to share it with. That was the founding of his court, of my brothers and sisters, the noble fey."

"And Eberyon was not always proud. He shared his power, and together we made the flora and the fauna, the rivers and streams, the vales and stars. I myself helped to make the aquatic birds, as well as many rainbows and sunsets."

"But the one he took to be his Queen was the most gifted crafter of all. Maab made many animals and plants, especially trees with broad leaves, flowers, creatures with fur, butterflies, and moths. At the wedding of Eberyon and Maab, they walked on beds of petals, and wore gowns of silk and felt."

"Then the Jericho created the Wold above the Fey Realm, just as Eberyon had created his kingdom above the elements. That was the Second Creation, as you mortals say, although the fey call it the Invasion."

"Suddenly the Wold was crowding the Fey Realm. now called the Wold's Cradle. And we did cradle the Wold, but does anyone ask a cradle if the child is too heavy, or smells bad, or leaks?"

"First the Jericho created the elves, and maybe he modeled them on the fey, for they had much in common. Had that been it, maybe conflict could have been avoided. But he also made heavy dwarves, stinking humans, foul orcs, and worse. Some say he did not create the ignoble races, the goblins and ogres, but I do not know the truth of it. Maybe the Elder Gods had a hand in it, of whom only Pantheon remains."

"Then the biggest insult -- elevating mere mortals to gods! The Jericho's pets -- Alemi and the others -- had no right to be put so high! Is it any wonder that Eberyon disagreed? But it does not matter now. Eberyon's war was lost when Maab turned on him, and he was put into the long sleep."

"Then the Jericho created the Lands of Rest for the souls of the dead to await rebirth. And he created the Vales of Twilight there for Maab to rule over. He also made the Realm of Shadows, through which souls travel when they leave their bodies. This was the Third Creation."

"Then came the rise of the Cult Gods, especially Marteus, who was ambitious. Originally a servant of Death, he found or took the Rings of Creation and tried to rule the Wold. Eventually he was beaten back, but he created the Shadow Kingdoms of Koshe Marr as a last refuge if all else was lost. Some scholars call this the Fourth Creation, but others do not think it rises to the level of the other acts of Creation."

"Then Eberyon awoke, and with him, the Wold's Cradle. You know the rest -- how the Mortal Heroes of the Wold faced the Fae King's avatars and forced him to kneel. But the Heroes were wise, and they saw the good in Eberyon. The King has sworn to reform, to leave aside his anger, and to make all the Wold a better place."

"What's that? You still don't understand the way that the parts of creation relate to each other? Well, it is tricky. Let's see ... think of the universe as a chrysalis. No, of a rain forest. Well ..."

"Here, in terms a "civilized" mortal can understand. The universe is a house. The Elemental Planes are the foundations. The Wold's Cradle is the basement and the exterior walls. The Wold itself is the floor, interior walls, and fixtures. The Realm of Shadows is the staircase to the attic. The Lands of Rest are the attic and roof. Koshe Marr is the black mold growing under the attic floorboards."

"What? Windows? Are there windows? Huh. Well, if you ever find a window, look outside and then come tell me what you see. Maybe the house next door?"

"Now get out of here, pesky mortals! I've got too many pots of gold to bury under rainbows, and not enough moonbeams to go around!"

Another Creation Tale, As Told By Eberyon At His Rebirth

Eberyon, King of the Fey (although called Ebryon when first we met him at his rebirth), gave this version, focusing on the creation of the Halfling race:

In the beginning, in the time of the second creation, the one known as the Jericko separated the sky from the lands. He was alone and felt lonely, so he created all forms of people to grow and florish. But he didn't create all at the same time. He wanted to admire his creations and the creator walked among them in the Wold.

The creator first saw the fey folk - satyrs, sprites, dryads and other dwellers in the woodlands. They exhibited a zest for life and a curiosity about things new. They were slight and elusive which kept them safe from danger. However they were not sensible and feared those larger than they. So the creator moved on.

Next the creator visited the elves. They were frail and oh so beautiful. But they tended to be haughty. They had freedom of spirit which the creator much admired, but they were slow to act and took too long to do anything. The creator again moved on.

The creator came to visit the dwarves. They kept homes beneath the earth. They were strong and hardy folk. They had great pride in family and lived by a strict moral code. However the creator quickly grew tired of their relentless and repetitive toil with the elements of the earth and moved on.

Next the creator found himself among the hordes of the orcs. They were dreadful and fierce warriors. They feared no one and filled their short lives with rage and combat. Their boldness was fascinating. The creator could not look upon their cruelty and brutality and soon left them.

With the humans the creator found much to admire. They were quick to learn and adapt to all types of environments. They multiplied quickly and occupied all the lands of Wold. However, they were prone to war with themselves. They had an obsessive need to feed their endless desire for riches and power.

After the creator finished his journey, he pondered about creating another race that had all the positive aspects of all his other races. A group he could be content with ... a race that pleased him completely. So the creator began his journey again and visited the fey in the forests. He seized a sprite and bound her with magic. The creator then revisited each race again and took from them a portion of what they were. From the elves he took agility and grace. He added it to the fey and it grew. From the dwarves he took devotion to family and added it to the sprite and she began to grow and change. Boldness and fearlessness he took from the orcs, and the fey grew even larger. The creator visited the humans once again and took from them the spark of creativity and the ability to adapt. After all these thing are collected, the creator added them to the fey, and the hobbit was born. A tall, strong, formidable creature that knew no fear. Who had bold ambitions and the creativity to do what they would.

The creator stood back and admired his craftsmanship. So very pleased he was. And great favor he bestowed on his beloved hobbits. The other races grew jealous and fearful of such a race and made war against them. The creator, in his ultimate wisdom, sought to halt the hostility by making his beloved hobbits smaller in size to lessen the threat they imposed on others. This made the hobbits more elusive to their enemies. It taught them to hide and use the shadows for cover. He gave them patience and cunning. Peace was soon restored, and the creator was satisfied. After deciding that his work was complete, the Jericko stepped away from the Wold and rested.

-- From the Crescent Valley archives -- The Story! (DM Stephen) Wednesday April 27, 2005.

Note that though Eberyon himself told this story, it is possible that aspects of it were designed to flatter the halflings, and thus some regard it with suspicion. It can be found in the writings of the halfling bard, Kendry Leafwin Pipewood (originally of Humble's Ford in Crescent Valley), published on a limited scale by the Woldian League of Adventurers