[The Creation Story] [The Siege of Wuldagor]

The Creation Story
Of the coming of the Gods and the creation of the world.

Excerpts and paraphrase from the Galloreon, Book I:
          When the Triad returned from the beyond, they came upon the Chaos. Baelthor, the Stonehands, molded out of Chaos the land. Betshaba looked upon the stone of the land and let herself bleed upon the land. Her blood became the waters of the ocean. Lord Ptharos looked upon what his children had wrought and smiled. He blew upon the world, giving it air and wind. Where Baelthor's earth, Betshaba's waters, and Lord Ptharos' air touched, life sprang forth.
          It was then that the accursed Dagon returned from Beyond, and gazed at what his brother, nephew and niece had wrought. He became enraged at the beauty, and envious of its majesty. He tore his fury from his breast and threw it to their creation. Baelthor opened the earth, Betshaba parted the sea, and Ptharos pulled back the winds. Dagon's fury struck the center of the Triad's creation, and was enclosed under earth, water and wind. Still now, Dagon's fury can be seen erupting from the highest reaches of Baelthor's earth, in a vain attempt to strike back against the Triad's creation. Thus it was our world of Gollorea was created.
          Enraged further by his failure, Dagon created Taltos, the Deepdweller, to stir Betshaba's blood, Enosigaois to stir Baelthor's land, and Maelphegor, the Wyrm, to stir Ptharos' winds. Dagon then waged war upon the Triad. Ptharos held back, knowing that anything but his full fury would only incite his brother's rage even more. However, the children of Ptharos did engage Dagon's children. Though all were grievously injured, the battle was fought to stalemate. Each gained seven wounds before the battle was finished, and from these seven wounds sprung forth gods.
          From the wounds of Ptharos fell Tempus, Lord of Time; Paelemona, Goddess of Fate; Majestas, Goddess of Law; Galea, Goddess of Victory; Terpsichore, Goddess of Language; Aridnus, God of Judgement; and Zelos, God of the State. They would come to be known as the Ptharian Gods. From the wounds of Baelthor fell Mulciber, God of the Forge; Gyges, God of Thunder; Faunaros, God of Hunting; Evander, Guardian of the Gates; Innus, God of Friendship; Alcyoneus, God of Youth; and Virtus, God of Courage. They would come to be known as the Baelthoric Gods. From the wounds of Betshaba came Adrasteia, Goddess of Rivers and Feeder of Betshaba; Selene, Goddess of Beauty; Clementia, Goddess of Mercy; Podalirius, God of Vegetation; Cebren, God of Music; Orestea, Goddess of Rain; and Thea, Goddess of Art. These would come to be known as the Betshaban Gods. From the wounds of Dagon sprang Tethys, Goddess of the Undead; Kratos, God of War; Pothos, God of Vices; Ruminus, Bringer of Pestilence; Alcina, God of Drought; Alecto, Goddess of Pain; and Thanatos, the Dweller in the Darkness. These would come to be known as the Dagonian Gods. From the wounds of Maelphegor sprung forth Cottus, Lord of Lightning; Mania, Goddess of Madness; Pelactere, Goddess of Rage; Megarea, Goddess of Jealousy; Amphitritus, God of Greed; Nelestrix, the Insect Queen; and Themis, God of Mischief. These would come to be known as the Maelphegorian Deities. From the wounds of Enosigaois sprung Britomaris, God of Thieves; Bellona, Goddess of Wealth; Polydorus, Lord of the Wild Beasts; Thryope, God of Age and Infirmity; Mormo, God of Deception; Cardena, God of Lust; and Phlegethon, God of Tyranny. These would come to be known as the Enosian Deities. From the wounds of Taltos sprung forth Orthus, the Stormrider; Epimetheus, the Floodbringer; Tisiphone, Goddess of Vengeance; Fraus, the Icedweller; Empusa, Goddess of Poison; Stheno, God of Decay; and Podarge, God of Destruction and Drowning. These would come to be known as the Taltosian Deities.
          Though the battle was hard-fought, it achieved nothing for Dagon or his creations. Regardless of this fact, Dagon celebrated victory with his children and grandchildren, and Lord Ptharos called a Council to discuss further details on the defense of the world. Never again would Dagon be able to directly attack Lord Ptharos and his children.
          The second generation of Gods soon discovered the secret of procreation for themselves, and began spawning new deities, referred to as the Iuvenes. Evander and Majestas wed, and eventually gave birth to Sarpedon, God of Guardians. Soon thereafter, Majestas fell in love with the beauty of Laestrygones, and begat Veritas, Goddess of Marriage, by him, who quickly scolded her mother for her adulterous acts. Mormo tricked Clementia into lying with him and they begat Orchus, God of Luck. Selene, in a dalliance with Kratos, begat Erato, Goddess of Love. As punishment for willingly conspiring with a Dagonian Deity, she was forced to wed Podalirius, with whom she begat Drames, Goddess of Fertility. Clementia, taking pity on Zelos in his stoic state, laid with him, giving birth to Thalia, Goddess of the Hearth. In a similar manner, she laid with Alcyoneus, giving birth to Laestrygones, God of Health. Zelos, however, found kindness in the arms of Drames, who begat Taygete, Goddess of Childbirth. Virtus wed Adrasteia, and the two gave birth to Pavor, God of Travel. Pavor, in turn, fell for the beauty of Bellona, and begat upon her Minos, God of Commerce. Aridnus, finding no other mate suitable for him, wed Terpsichore, and they begat Abaris, Goddess of Magic. Alcina, searching for a means though which she could more easily bring about the destruction of water, captured Evander and forced him to lie with her, creating Ophion, God of the Sun. Gyges captured and raped Orestea, and she bore him Melpomene, Goddess of the Clouds. Melpomene was, in turn, captured and raped by Maelphegor, begetting Picus, God of Birds. Cebren wed Thea, giving birth to Himere, Goddess of Poetry, but he was then soon tricked into lying with Mania, begetting upon her Furinus, God of Wines. Thalia, seeing the loneliness in her father's heart, laid with Zelos, begetting Ladon, God of Work. Terpsichore, also noting the loneliness of her brother, laid with him, begetting Vitulus, God of Cities. Finally, Zelos found love in the arms of Majestas, and she begat him Meliboea, Goddess of Justice. Majestas, before marrying Zelos, however, had lain with Innus, and begat Fides, God of Oaths. Alcyoneus finally fell in love with Thea, and the two begat Phemos, God of Sport. Pelactere forced Virtus to beget upon her Thallos, God of Strength. Furinus filled Melpomene with drunkenness so that he could lie with her, and the two produced Hypnos, Goddess of Dreams. Seeing how the drunken Furinus had given the gift of dreams to humanity, Thanatos slept with Mania, at Dagon's command, and she begat Zephyrus, God of Nightmares. Furinus, however, was able to trick Lord Ptharos himself to fall into a drunken stupor, and he was seduced by Mania, while in this stupor, upon whom he begat Luna, Goddess of the Moon. Mania claimed rape, and, in compensation to the Dagonian Deities for the crime, Lord Ptharos enforced divorce on Aridnus and Terpsichore, and gave him over to Dagon, who forced him to wed Tethys, upon whom he begat Cthos, God of the Underworld. Finally, seeing how the rising population of the gods would only serve to harm the creation of the Triad, Lord Ptharos forbade any further births amongst the gods. Unfortunately, Fides had already laid with Meliboea and she was great with child upon the proclamation. Fearful of Lord Ptharos' wrath, the two fled, it is said by means of a flying ship. Finally, though, Lord Ptharos caught up with the two lovers, and was about to destroy them both when Meliboea began to give birth to the child. Ptharos paused long enough for her son, Vortumnus, God of Honor, to be born, and Lord Ptharos staid his hand. According to Koramic belief, it was at this time that Lord Ptharos realized that he had too much anger and vengeance built up inside of him after eons of war to continue as King of the Gods, and turned over his scepter, crown, and orb of rulership to Vortumnus, so that the Gods would have a King who was truly just and noble.
          Dagon, of course, tried to break the Law of Procreation by raping both Meliboea and Betshaba at the same time. Unfortunately for Dagon, Vortumnus discovered his treachery and pulled him from Meliboea and Betshaba in his final moments of ecstasy. Dagon's waters fell upon the Triad's creation, forming where they landed half-gods, known as Demons. They would become the army of Dagon, seeking to destroy the creation of the Triad. The first globule of Dagon's water to strike the creation struck at a seashore next to a lava flow, where Earth, Air, Fire, and Water met. He rose up the most powerful of all his fellow demons, and called himself Ashtoreth. His first lieutenants were Chemosh, who fell into a volcano; Lilith, who fell into the waters; Asmodeus, who fell into a tornado; and Mephistopheles, who fell into the earth. Literally thousands of other demons, of varying powers, rose up from the spilled waters of Dagon, and served as his generals in Hell. Unfortunately, Ashtoreth and his demons are a strong-headed lot, and do not take well to commands from Dagon. In fact, they have rebelled against him several times, each time Ashtoreth taking, for a time, the Broken Crown of Dagon.

The Siege of Wuldagor

Excerpts and paraphrase from the Gallorean:
          After the Rape of the Sisters by Dagon and the creation of demonkind, Baelthor came unto his father and told him that, should Dagon bring his petulant new children to bear against the Triad, victory over the Adversary would not be certain. Lord Ptharos listened, but did not heed his son’s words. The Father touched his chin, smiled into his face, and bade him build a gate before Hell itself that could not be pierced. Baelthor obeyed and struck a gate of pure adamantine from his forge and set it before Dagon’s Realm. He called this gate Wuldagor and made it his home.
          Baelthor then returned to his father and again told him that, should Dagon force the errant demons to obey his call, victory over the Adversary would be in doubt. Lord Ptharos listened, but did again did not heed his son’s words. The Father touched his chin, smiled into his face, and bade him to build a wall around the gate that could not be pierced. Baelthor obeyed and quarried stones of iron and granite, with which he built a wall so strong that even Dagon could not pierce it.
          Baelthor again came unto his father’s throne and told him that, should the children of Dagon, demons and gods alike, come together against the Triad, the children of the Father would certainly fall. Lord Ptharos listened, but did not heed his son’s words. The Father touched his chin, smiled into his face, and bade him build a weapon that could pierce even Dagon’s hide. Baelthor again obeyed and forged an axe of pure Mithryl. He named this axe Khraga and when he shook it, Dagon knew fear in his heart.
          Baelthor thought long on his Father’s words. He traveled the empty world for time beyond reckoning, pondering his tasks and how Dagon could still defeat them. He then heard a deafening crash come from far below. He ran to Wuldagor and saw cracks in his walls. He shook Khraga, but the clamor continued. Finally he came to the heights of his gate and looked down at who was knocking on his door. He saw below Ashtoreth, the First Demon, wearing upon his pate the Broken Crown of Dagon, which he had stolen, leading a mass of demons beyond counting against the gate. Baelthor called forth his children to defend Creation.
          Evander was first to heed the call. He came to his father’s side and threw rocks to break the skulls of the demons, but still the horde came. Virtus came rushing forward next; he leapt over his father’s walls into the mass of demons and twisted many a demon with his bare hands, but still the horde came. Alcyoneus and Innus were next to come, but they knew not how to fight and still the horde came. Watching as his brothers were overwhelmed, Evander leapt into battle to defend them as they fought. And still the horde came.
          Mulciber then came, carrying his forge still lit and, looking upon Khraga, came to know how the demons would be defeated. He forged three blades, each long as a man’s arm, to defeat the horde. He forged the sword known as Lifegiver for Alcyoneus out of coal. He forged the sword known as Alaresten for Innus out of copper. He forged the sword known as Clammerung for Virtus out of the hardest iron. Yet still the horde came.
          Baelthor watched with a steady eye as his children slowly met defeat at the hands of the Infernal Host. He listened as Ashtoreth’s crackling laugh echoed across hell and earth. He felt Wuldagor tremble before the might of Dagon’s seed. He tasted the air, thick with the dust of war. He smelled the blood of demons mixing with that of his children and pondered how Creation could be saved. Finally, looking upon Evander, who defended his brothers with his own flesh, Baelthor realized what must be done. He turned to Mulciber and bade him forge a wall that one could wield on the arm. Mulciber turned to his forge and created a shield of coal, which he gave to Evander. But the demonic host brought the fires of Hell upon brave Evander and the shield burned away. Mulciber then created a shield of copper, which he gave to Evander. But it proved too soft and the demons ripped the shield into ribbons. Mulciber then created a shield of the hardest iron, which he gave to Evander. But the shield was brittle and broke before the strength of the invaders.
          Mulciber then took up the still-burning pieces of the coal shield, the tatters of the copper shield and the shards of the iron shield and took them to his forge. For days he pounded the metals into one, the force of his arm combining them into a new metal.
          “Each is weak,” Mulciber said, as he gave unto Evander the shield known as Phaegis, “but joined their strengths are one.”
          The demons could not burn Phaegis. Their claws could not rend it. Their strength could not break it. Evander protected his brothers, who hewed into the Infernal Host until all were vanquished or fled. It was then that Faunaros came, late, to the battle. Baelthor scolded him for his tardiness and bade him enter Hell and punish each demon until all had felt the pain of their arrogance. Faunaros obeyed and spent many years in the Harrowing of Hell.
          Only Gyges had failed to heed his father’s summons and for this, Baelthor exiled his son to the sky, where the exiled son calls still for his father’s forgiveness.
          Baelthor turned to his other sons, but gave them no praise for their actions. Ptharos came unto the assembled sons of Earth and praised them for their bravery. Only Evander, he who deserved praise most, blushed at the kind words of his grandfather. Lord Ptharos gave only one reward. He bade Evander come to Grand Pantheon, where he would defend the meeting place of the Gods with as much fervor as he had defended the Gates of Hell.