PDA

View Full Version : Fall of Gods (working title)


SomeCanadianGuy
17-06-2004, 05:20
God it's been a long time since I've dropped by here to visit. But I figure I have to get back into my writing eventually, so what better than dragging up something old and trying to breathe new life to it? This is something that's roughly a year overdue. It would originally have been intended as an entry to last year's Summer FanFic Contest on TDL as a part of the Gods topic, but died before I could actually finish it. About a month or 2 ago, I picked it back up and started rereading and rewriting bits and pieces. At the moment, it's nowhere near done and more than half of this is still being edited, so I'll put up morsels as I finish them. Here we go with the first chunk. Hope it's worth your time. ;)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fall of Gods
Part 1

Her gaze fell upon Sanctuary.

The Universe contemplated the ball of molten rock as it slowly made its way through the cosmos. Bending its substance, she molded it to her desire. She wished it to be welcoming and beautiful to the beings she would sow upon it.

Looking upon the heavens surrounding it, she could see the lines of power, tied to Sanctuary, lying limp and disused. She had been molding the planet for millennia, a blink in her mind’s eye, but already she knew that she must move on elsewhere, lest her domain lie unattended.

Gathering up the two broadest strands of cosmic energies, she breathed consciousness to the very fibers of the planet. Within that breath, the two great Gods of Sanctuary awoke to their existence. Opening eyes that were not there to look upon the face of her children, an image of two beings entered her mind.

“Greetings, my children.” A soothing wave of serenity swept over the two infant Gods. Speaking to them, her mind would occasionally brush against theirs. The immensity of it made them teeter in the void. Sitting within what could have been the palm of her hand, they looked upon the portion of space from whence the voice seemed to be calling to them. Distant suns gleamed where her eyes might have been.

With a slight mental nudge, she drew their attention to the planet below them. “I have spent much time fashioning this planet for those who will inhabit it. One day, Man will rule this world, and he will eventually heed you no longer; then will your time have passed. But that time is still far away. I have awoken you both to maintain balance upon this world; you will be its keepers, its guardians and its architects. Though I have nearly completed it to the image I foresaw, I have endowed you both with the ability to mold it as you see fit. However, there is one place on this planet forbidden to you. High within a peek of this planet, Mount Arreat, resides the Worldstone; it is the very core of this world, the center of all being and existence; even your own. Tampering with it would mean risking the ruination of all life upon and around this planet. Other than that, you may rearrange this world as you wish. You will each be given dominion over a separate realm of Sanctuary to ensure that balance is never broken.”

Looking upon one of her children, she smiled, a vision of pristine, white teeth coming to his mind. “You will be the guardian of light. You shall reign over the portion of Sanctuary that is exposed to the sky. I will allow you to build an army of Angels, to safeguard Sanctuary and the High Heavens. You must protect it and continue to prepare it for the coming of Man. You are to be their savior. You are the Light.” Touching an image of her forefinger to his forehead, she bestowed upon him knowledge of humankind and enveloped him with the light of the Heavens.

Shifting her mind, she addressed his brother. Her voice, tainted with melancholy and sorrow, carried a myriad of excuses to the brother’s mind. “I wish it was not like this, my son, but I cannot change the workings of the world. I must remove you from my light and send you to the pits of Sanctuary, the nether-regions, to the Burning Hells. I have no choice in the matter, for this is the necessity of maintaining balance upon this planet. Your task is to overcome the Light and his undertakings, much as he will do to you and yours. You will be given much more freedom in your designs. Confined beneath Sanctuary, you will be allowed to create more powerful demons to compensate for your brother’s freedom, to forge them from the very living rock imprisoning if that is what you see fit. You are terror incarnate. You are destruction come to life. You are the embodiment of hatred. You are the Darkness.” Passing her hand over the form of the brother-god, a vast cloak of shadows covered his being and he too learnt of the coming of Man.

“I make this my final request to you both: you are not to intervene directly within the realm of Man, nor within each other’s domain. Your minions, these Angels and Demons, are to be your hands and tools. Now, go seek out your domains and commence your work. But never forget that my sight is unbounded by time and space, and my reach extends that of yours by infinity.” Waving her hand in a gesture of conclusion before the two Gods, they were both sent to their centers of power; Light came to the Crystal Arch in the High Heavens, and Darkness, to the Hellforge of the Underworld. With a final sigh, the Universe withdrew her consciousness from the void surrounding Sanctuary. A hesitant stalemate settled over the planet as both Gods contemplated the tasks set before them.

***

Several millennia had passed since the Universe had left Sanctuary. Slowly, both sides had gathered Angels and Demons to them in preparation for the coming war. Originally, both knew it to be inevitable, merely a question of time, but Darkness soon came to await the war with growing impatience.

The Burning Hells had set to work in corrupting his mind and twisting it to their own malicious designs. Such was the nature of the place; an evil so pure that even the Gods weren’t safe from its influence. Darkness’ very domain was trying to circumvent his sanity. And it was succeeding. His minions grew evermore deformed, and, slowly, more and more powerful. Darkness was losing control over his own realm and, more importantly, his own will. From the order that had been obeyed in the beginnings, the Hells fell into chaos, and the strong and cunning ruled.

Light witnessed the slow, spiraling downfall of his brother and, to ensure no such dissension amongst his own warriors, imposed strict militaristic discipline upon the Angels. Over time, he crafted his host of Angels into a fierce army of warriors, the Seraphim.

As the years passed, the rift between the realms of the two brothers continued to grow.

Nephilim
17-06-2004, 06:30
I really liked this. I LOVE reading and writing creation myths and this one was pretty good. It had a very David Eddings feel to it, I found. And that's a good thing, if you're not familiar with him.

SomeCanadianGuy
17-06-2004, 06:38
I really liked this. I LOVE reading and writing creation myths and this one was pretty good. It had a very David Eddings feel to it, I found. And that's a good thing, if you're not familiar with him.
Heh. Picked up on that, eh? Indeed, David Eddings is one of the few fantasy writers that have really influenced my writing. Went through 3 series in one summer, riding the bus for 30 minutes to work and 30 minutes back from it. Totaled somewhere around 3000 pages in like 4-5 weeks, I believe. Anyways, I'm working more on the rest as I write this. It won't so much be creation later on, though.. ;) Wouldn't be much fun if I laid out the story beforehand though, now would it? :drool:

kidonfire
18-06-2004, 05:54
Quite interesting. I like open ended endings. For example, I liked the way troy was made, with the constant action, but I wish I didn't know the ending.

SomeCanadianGuy
05-07-2004, 08:48
Alright, so I've been lazy. Sue me. :teeth: Here's the second part I've decided to post. There's more ready, but it doesn't quite have the tone I want it to yet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fall of Gods
Part 2

Overcome by rage and completely delirious from torment, Darkness rent the fabric of his being and drove his fists into the flames of the Hellforge. Howling in agony, he cast the charred mass to the floor. The God fell to his knees and sat staring at the mounds, plunged in a trance-like state. For more than a century, he nurtured the lifeless piles, infusing them with his very essence and binding their power to the Burning Hells; they were to be the generals of his army, the pinnacle of his creative energies. The lesser demons could often see him staring into the heaps with a warped and sadistic smile. Many, curiosity having drawn them in for a closer look, were torn to shreds and fed to the fleshy piles, which had begun to pulsate as if animated by some fey breath.

As the days, months and years wore on, the piles of oozing evil began to take shape and shift into massive bodies. Darkness favored them above all else in his domain; he would speak to them, his voice quivering with suppressed madness. One moment he would be crooning to them ever so softly, the next would be spent in a blind rage. But never once did he harm his throbbing creations; rather than dare raise a hand against his children, he would tear at his body and ravage his own existence. Tattered and torn, his folly would come to an end just as quickly as it had begun, and his mind would go blank. And his spirit would wander.

He awoke from his stupor to find a massive Demon staring balefully at him. This was the first of his great children to awake. Towering in the red glow of the Hellforge, the beast snarled at his creator. Spidery arms tipped by foot-long claws shot out from a thick torso and were covered in a pale and sickly hide, much as the rest of his body. Long, spiraling horns, nearly two and a half feet long at their peak, grew out the top of his deformed skull. It glared at Darkness through raven eyes, shot through with blood-red streaks. The god couldn’t tell whether the fire he could see in them was simply a reflection of the Hellforge, or whether it was in fact an image of the smoldering hatred that fueled the beast.

“You’ve finally come,” smirked Darkness. “I’ve awaited you and cared for your body for such a long time. The legions of Hell have grown disorderly and must be brought back to order. I’ve created you and your brothers to fulfill that purpose. You are the first to awaken and will be my greatest general. Go introduce yourself to your underlings. You are Mephisto, and, as my mother once called me, you are now the Lord of Hatred.”

Hesitating, the lumbering creature eyed the god defiantly. Growling fiercely at the order being given to him, he raised a clawed fist to strike the one who would dare command him. His arm froze and stiffened. “I would suggest that you do as I say, Demon,” warned Darkness, his fading sanity returning. “Even though you are the most powerful being I have created thus far, you are still nothing more than my creation, and can be dispatched far easier than you were created. Never forget that I am a god, that I am your creator, and that I am your ruler. You must give me the respect that I see fit. Do not as I demand and risk incurring my wrath. Now, go tear some hapless lesser Demon limb from limb. Return order and fear to the Hells. Worry not about your brothers; they will join you in your task soon.”

Howling his frustration, Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, strode away from the god of the Underworld.