The gods had shaped the world, forged their realms, and waged their first war, but Aethera was not yet complete. The seas roared, the winds howled, the fires burned, and the earth stood firm, yet something was missing. In the endless cycle of creation and destruction, there was no one to witness, no beings to worship the gods or marvel at the beauty of their work.
The gods, though mighty, desired more than dominion over the elements. They longed for something that would reflect their power, something that would remember their names. And so, they turned their eyes toward the land and began to shape the first mortals—creatures of flesh and spirit, bound to the world they walked upon yet touched by divine hands.
The Children of Pyrrhos
In the volcanic lands where the earth split and the lava flowed freely, Pyrrhos, God of Flame and Fury, looked upon the molten rivers and the smoldering mountains. His fires had raged unchecked for centuries, carving the landscape into jagged peaks and barren wastelands. But Pyrrhos was not content with mere destruction. He wanted beings who would carry his flame within them, who would conquer the land with fire in their veins.
From the molten rock, Pyrrhos forged the Ignarri, the first race of mortals. Their skin was the color of cooling lava, dark and cracked, with veins of molten fire pulsing beneath the surface. Their eyes glowed with the embers of Pyrrhos' fury, and their blood was hot like magma. The Ignarri were fierce and warlike, born with a love of battle and conquest. They built their cities near volcanoes, drawing power from the earth's fire and worshiping Pyrrhos as their divine father.
The Ignarri were not content to remain within their fiery lands. As they grew in number, they sought to expand, pushing their borders into the cooler regions of Aethera. They burned forests, razed mountains, and clashed with other creatures that had begun to emerge. Their conquest was swift and brutal, for they carried with them the unstoppable fury of the flame.
Pyrrhos watched with pride as his children spread his influence across the land, setting fire to the world in his name.
The People of Rheia
Far from the burning lands of the Ignarri, in the depths of the sea, Rheia, Goddess of Tides and Mysteries, looked upon her oceanic realm. Though the sea teemed with life—great creatures that swam in her dark waters, strange beings that lived in the deep—none of them could speak her name, none could comprehend her vastness. She desired children of her own, mortals who would live by the rhythm of the tides and serve her in ways the creatures of the sea could not.
And so, from the sea foam and the deepest currents, Rheia crafted the Undini, a race of mortals who were bound to the water. The Undini were ethereal, with bodies that shimmered like water in the sun. Their skin was cool and translucent, their hair flowing like seaweed, and their eyes were as dark and endless as the ocean depths. They lived in great cities beneath the waves, far from the reach of Pyrrhos' flames, and worshiped Rheia as their protector and guide.
The Undini were peaceful by nature, but they were not without their secrets. Rheia had gifted them with knowledge of the deep currents, the hidden tides, and the mysteries of the ocean floor. They knew how to summon the storms and control the seas, and they kept this power close, hidden from the other races of Aethera. For though the Undini lived in peace, they were always prepared to defend their watery realm from those who would seek to disturb it.
The Skyward Children
In the high heavens where the winds blew freely, Zephyros, God of the Skies, looked down upon the world and saw the mortals rising. The Ignarri burned the land, and the Undini swam beneath the waves, but there were no creatures to soar through the skies, to live within the freedom of the air as he did. Zephyros wanted children of his own, mortals who would revel in the freedom of the wind and pay homage to the sky.
He gathered the clouds and the winds and shaped the Aeriads, a race of mortals who could fly. The Aeriads were light and graceful, with wings of gossamer and feathers that shimmered in the sunlight. Their bodies were built for speed and agility, their eyes sharp and piercing like the falcons that flew alongside them. The Aeriads built their cities high in the mountains, in places unreachable by those bound to the earth or sea.
Zephyros delighted in their freedom, and the Aeriads worshiped him with joyous dances in the sky, their wings catching the winds he sent to lift them higher. They were explorers, always seeking new lands and new heights, driven by a thirst for knowledge and adventure. Though they did not crave war like the Ignarri, they were fierce in battle when threatened, using the winds and their flight to outmaneuver any enemy.
The Aeriads lived in harmony with the sky, but they never forgot that the land below them was full of danger. They watched the growing tensions between the Ignarri and the other races with wary eyes, knowing that one day, even the skies might not be safe from the fires of war.
The Children of Stone and Wood
While the fires of Pyrrhos and the waters of Rheia shaped their own races, Gaethra, the Stone Mother, remained silent and patient. Her children were not born in haste, nor were they shaped by any single element. Instead, they came from the very bones of the earth itself, carved from stone and shaped from the forests that grew upon her skin.
The first of Gaethra's children were the Drahl, a race of stone and earth, strong and unyielding. The Drahl were born from the mountains, their skin like granite, their eyes like polished gems. They lived deep within the earth, in great underground cities, where they mined the riches of the earth and crafted wonders from stone and metal. The Drahl were a patient people, slow to anger and deliberate in their actions. They cared little for the wars of the surface, for they knew that the earth would endure long after the flames had burned out and the seas had dried up.
But Gaethra did not only create the Drahl. From the forests that grew upon her surface, she shaped the Sylvans, a race of beings tied to the trees and the earth's surface. The Sylvans were tall and graceful, their skin the color of bark, their hair like leaves. They lived in harmony with the forests, nurturing the land and ensuring that life continued to flourish. The Sylvans were peaceful by nature, but they were fierce protectors of the natural world. Any who sought to harm the forests would face their wrath, for they were the guardians of life itself.
Gaethra's children, the Drahl and the Sylvans, lived in harmony with the earth. They respected the balance that Gaethra had decreed, and they worked to maintain that balance, even as the other races of Aethera grew more ambitious and restless.
The Gathering Storm
As the mortals spread across the world, building their cities and claiming their lands, the tensions between them began to grow. The Ignarri, driven by their desire to conquer, clashed with the Sylvans, whose forests they sought to burn. The Aeriads, flying high above the world, watched as the fires spread and the seas rose in response, knowing that their own peaceful existence might soon be threatened. And the Drahl, deep in their mountain cities, sensed the tremors of conflict growing closer.
The gods, too, watched their creations with a mixture of pride and concern. Pyrrhos reveled in the destruction his children wrought, while Rheia grew wary of the fires spreading too close to her oceans. Zephyros, ever the mediator, sought to maintain balance, but even he could feel the winds shifting toward war. Only Gaethra remained silent, her children content to live in peace, though she knew that even the earth could not escape the coming storm.
And in the shadows, where none could see, Nytheris, the Forgotten One, watched with a cold, silent smile. The mortals were fragile, their lives fleeting, and their gods even more so. She knew that in time, all would come to her, for death was the only true certainty. And as the world of Aethera stood on the brink of its first great conflict, Nytheris prepared to claim her first victims.
For the age of the gods was just beginning, but the age of mortals would bring with it both greatness and ruin. And in the end, only the strongest would survive.