Talezim’s Travelogues: Concerning Creation
In the beginning was the Void. Pure. Silent. Empty. Nothing. And then Zabar the Discerning sang into the Void, breaking the silence and filling the emptiness with the Immeasurable Song.
The Song stretched and lengthened, changing in tempo, tone, volume, and key as it traveled. In its wake, it unleashed the Forces of Intent by which the universe was created: Psyche, or that which desires to be; Dunatos, or that which may become; and Aether, or that which is.
Often, the Forces were in harmony, creating life and the natural world. At other times they clashed, discordant and disjointed, forming rifts between the planes of existence. The genesis of reality was a beautiful, turbulent time. All manner of matter and energy were spawned, destroyed, and transformed during this First Awakening.
All the while, Zabar listened intently but avoided interfering. He waited patiently for a moment eons in the making. And at last his patience was rewarded. At last he heard that for which he had long hoped but not created: the Unechoed Response.
The Response intermingled with the Song, tentatively, tremulously at first. But before long its notes came crashing in, around, and through the Song as it grew bolder, louder, more confident. The Song adjusted, shifted, balanced and tipped, countering the Response in return. The interplay produced the Wild Dream, a neogenesis marked by frantic periods of chaos and disorder amidst rather lengthy lulls of stagnant inactivity.
But Zabar had not wasted this opportunity. He sought out and found the source of that other voice, Mehdani the Undaunted, for she also had been seeking him. Known to each other through their vocalizations, the two were joined in sublime dance, enraptured in their unity.
As Zabar and Mehdani settled into rhythmic cadence, both Song and Response subsided, fading into noiseless vibrations, still humming with creative power but undetectable above the background din of the living world. During this time, Zabar and Mehdani spawned many children, deities and daemons in their own rights. These young immortals flourished and set about creating, destroying, and bending reality to their whims, giving rise to many dwelling places and their denizens. Each claimed domains according to their natures, and conflict among these Children of Creation has never ceased.
Stirring from within the Wild Dream, a fourth Force of Intent came into being: Thanatos, or that which once was. As such it ultimately brought about the end of the era, ushering in the Dawn of Recorded Time. As the Children of Creation waged their wars upon one another, the peoples and creatures of the world became their exalted champions, loyal followers, and even expendable pawns. Yet in their hubris (or in some cases gracious humility), the Children granted gifts to their mortal worshippers and access to wield powers born of the Forces...
- excerpt from The Song of Creation (an oral tradition)
The Chords (and Discords) of Creation
A brief primer on the pantheon of Somna.
The mortal beings of Somna find what little comfort they can during their brief and cursed lives. One such comfort lies in the belief that beyond all the temporary sufferings they might endure, entities greater and more powerful than themselves watch over, guide, and protect them in mysterious ways.
The world of Somna was originally, and continues to be, shaped by the Forces of Intent: Psyche, Dunatos, Aether, and Thanatos. These Forces were set into motion by Zabar and Mehdani, the Sources of Creation, while the Children of Creation govern the many aspects of the universe.
The Sources of Creation
Zabar and Mehdani are infinite and unknowable in their fullness. The Immeasurable Song and the Unechoed Response issued from them, bringing all of creation into being.
Zabar, the Discerning
Patron of Truth Seeking and Primal Harmony
Domains music, destiny, wisdom
Affinity Bards, Wizards, Planetouched
Gifts Any
Symbols the Infinite Eye, divining rod
Native Plane Allspace
Despite being more of an immortal presence than a physical entity, Zabar is often referred to as masculine, the “father” to Mehdani’s “mother.” Zabar is characterized as patient, visionary, and observant. Worshippers often turn to him for guidance when making important decisions or seeking creative inspiration.
Mehdani, the Undaunted
Patron of Discovery and Untamed Passion
Domains courage, discovery, dance
Affinity Berzerkers, Sorcerers, Orcs
Gifts Any
Symbols the Astral Wave, hand drum
Native Plane Allspace
Medahni is fearlessness personified. She is characterized as intuitive, daring, and persistent. Those that pray to her seek courage and strength of will. Like Zabar, Mehdani rarely interferes directly in mortal affairs, but she has many supernatural intermediaries that conduct themselves according to her wishes.
The Forces of Intent
The Forces of Intent are not beings as such, but rather fonts of raw power through which all things are made and unmade. The Children of Creation make use of and may gift their followers with access to the Forces of Intent, but many Somnans who have lost faith in the gods place their trust directly in the Forces themselves.
Psyche, Force of Will
Psyche, that which desires to be, is most closely described as a force of thought, will, and drive.
Dunatos, Force of Might
Dunatos, that which may become, is rightly called a force of might, imagination, and possibility.
Aether, Force of Being
Aether, that which is, is a force of life, holistic existence, and inertia.
Thanatos, Force of Death
Thanatos, that which once was, is a force of endings and beginnings, death, and cycles of change.
The Children of Creation
Gods and Daemons of the Outerplanes (Upper and Lower), these immortals impress their wills upon the world both directly and indirectly. While there exist many lesser gods and demigods, fiends and devils, foremost among the Children of Creation are the Elders, listed hereafter from eldest to youngest (as traditionally ascribed by learned scholars).
The Elders
Wailruth, the Deep Beyond
Patron of Arcane Secrets and the Ocean Depths
Domains fear, forbidden knowledge, oceans
Affinity Warlocks, Merfolk, Corsavi
Gifts Psyche, Thanatos
Symbols the Downward Spiral, walrus tusk
Native Plane The Deep Beyond (far realm)
Considered the most ancient of the Elders, Wailruth is also the most obscure. Though its native plane is the far realm with which it shares a moniker, Wailruth often lurks in the most profound depths of the Astral Current, yet when it reaches out, it can instantly touch the most hidden parts of a mortal’s mind. Fear and unspoken desires are formidable weapons in its many-tentacled grasp, and the promise of deep and powerful knowledge is enough to attract many to its cause.
Requies Cat, the Trickster
Patron of Thieving and the Performing Arts
Domains trickery, falsehoods, pranks, humor
Affinity Bards, Rogues, Fey
Gifts Dunatos, Psyche
Symbols the Incorporeal Grin, calico cat
Native Plane Boundless Delerium (plane of faerie)
Ever youthful in its outlook, Requies Cat is nevertheless the Second Elder. Perhaps in rebellion against the brooding darkness of its eldest sibling, Requies Cat maintains that a life lived eternally should be one filled with laughter. However, considering how many laughs come at another’s expense, only the foolish believe everything is a lighthearted joke with this shapechanging immortal.
Banded Wretch, the Soulless
Patron of the Risen Dead and Unmarked Graves
Domains undead, necromancy, evil
Affinity Vampires, Liches
Gifts Thanatos, Dunatos
Symbols the Many-Eyed Skull, raw sulfur
Native Plane River Between (plane of shadow)
Death is not enough for the Banded Wretch. It binds the corpses of those who cease to live with shackles of undeath, denying their souls access to the afterlife. Some are cursed to this existence; others seek it out, deeming any chance at immortality better than a natural end to life. Regardless, all undead ultimately serve one master, whether they acknowledge it or not.
Twindel Death, the Black Scythe
Patron of Last Rites and the Final Passage
Domains death, afterlife, funerals
Affinity Clerics, Tieflings
Gifts Thanatos, Psyche
Symbols the Shrouded Scythe, ash
Native Plane Last Gate (lower planes?)
To say Twindel Death is a much beloved goddess would be a lie. However, just as many Somnans fear the moment of her coming, so too do they warmly return her embrace when she actually arrives. The Black Scythe is a great equalizer, for all mortals are doomed to perish one day.
Twindel Doom, the Warrior
Patron of the Forge and Strife of War
Domains metalwork, weapons craft, battlefield
Affinity Marshals, Fighters, Dwarves
Gifts Aether, Thanatos
Symbols the Adamant Anvil, forge tongs
Native Plane Fields of Gold (upper plane of the victory feast)
On Twindel Doom’s account have many been sent to his sister’s realm of death. Some believe that the first time one creature killed another, the twins were born. But death is only one of many outcomes on the field of battle. Victory, glory, honor, conquest, noble sacrifice, and sharpened skill are all bequests sought after by the Warrior’s supplicants.
Lady Auliss, Finder of the Lost
Patron of Sunlight and Healing Rest
Domains travel, light, good
Affinity Heralds, Clerics, Halflings
Gifts Aether, Magick
Symbols the Morning Sun, astrolabe
Native Plane Sunlit Islands (upper planes of paradise)
Dark of complexion, features, and hair, Lady Auliss is surrounded by flowing, radiant garments and a shining aura that is blinding to look upon in its full splendor. The Sunlit Islands are a heaven of peace and tranquility unmarred by the travails of this world, but the Great Curse has closed off many of the passageways that once led there.
Madatyr, the Inquisitive
Patron of Invention and Philosophical Thought
Domains chaos, order, philosophy, experimentation
Affinity Artificers, Humans
Gifts Dunatos, Psyche
Symbols the Clockwork Gear, spanner wrench
Native Plane Logos Box (plane of logic)
“Chaos is the penultimate ordering of all things.” Or so goes the saying for those that study the teachings of Matadyr the Inquisitive. For Matadyr, Order and Chaos are but two sides of the same coin. Even more of a hermit than Wailruth, Matadyr is most often busy at his workshop tucked away in a forgotten corner of Logos, the Plane of Logic. His many divine constructs carry out his will to the best of their autonomic ability.
Dormus, the Sleeper
Patron of Hidden Things and Eternal Perfection
Domains night, the moon, dreams, destruction
Affinity Adepts, Sorcerers, Elves
Gifts Dunatos, Psyche
Symbols the Moon Crescent, dormant seeds
Native Plane Undisturbed Core (elemental plane of earth)
Whether Dormus is a Scion of the First Awakening or an Elder Child of Creation remains in doubt. However, the destructive power wielded by the Tarrasque of Somna is indisputable. Even in sleep, its will dominates the world of dreams and nightmares, and the elves of Somna regard Dormus with respectful awe.
Red Queen, the Executioner
Patron of the Final Judgement and Fiery Death
Domains fire, justice, dragons
Affinity Heralds, Berzerkers, Dragonborn
Gifts Thanatos, Dunatos
Symbols the Dragon’s Claw, molten gold
Native Plane Desert Wastes (elemental plane of fire)
Worshipped by some and feared by all save the foolhardy, this ancient guardian stands watch at the Black Gate in the heart of the Desert Wastes, the final judge of all who perish and warden of the six hells. An enormous, ageless, six-headed dragon, her fire burns hotter than any forge, her teeth pierce deeper than any blade, her claws decapitate with a flick of the wrist.
Silverhare, the Timekeeper
Patron of the Timeline and Sacred Knowledge
Domains history, time, astrology
Affinity Wizards, Gnomes
Gifts Aether, Thanatos
Symbols the Chronosphere, sundial
Native Plane Infinite Perpendicular (ethereal plane)
The Timekeeper first awoke at the Dawn of Recorded Time, when the Wild Dream was at an end. Ironically one of the youngest of the Elders, he is oft depicted as a sage old man with long, flowing, white hair, beard, and moustache. At other times, he is said to manifest as a large, silver-furred hare moving so quickly he seems a blur. Keeping mostly to the ethereal plane, the Timekeeper watches over the universe, recording everything in the infinite stars of the cosmos.
Somna, the Land
Patron of the Elements and All Living Things
Domains nature, seasons, the elements, life, death, and rebirth
Affinity Druids, Rangers
Gifts Aether, Thanatos
Symbols the Holy Tree, vine circlet
Native Plane Elemental Chaos (all elemental planes)
Somna is the personification of the natural world, often called the Earth Mother or Matron of the Land. She is paradoxically both younger and older than her sibling Elders. For while her body and its composite elements were formed during the First Awakening, her spirit did not become fully self aware until well into the Age of Recorded Time. When appearing in physical form her avatar most often takes the guise of an elemental giantess enrobed in living foliage. Under the strain of the Great Curse, Somna now struggles to keep the natural world in balance.
To consider the origins of Somna is to consider the path that eventually led to the Great Curse, under which the whole of existence lives to this day. And though it seems superfluous to describe the effects of the curse since it is our daily lot in life, for the sake of posterity, I shall next attempt to summarize such (within the context relevant to this project) as best I can.
— Talezim
Religious Lore
Those proficient in Religion would know at least some information about each god in the pantheon and of the forces of intent. Others may only be familiar with the gods (or god) worshiped in the local area, but many will also have a basic knowledge of the 11 most commonly known and worshipped gods collectively known as the Elders:
Wailruth, the Deep Beyond. An eldritch aberration which sinks tendrils of fear directly into the minds of those with which it comes into contact.
Requies Cat, the Trickster. A shapeshifting feline whose guileless smile belies its mischievous intentions.
Banded Wretch, the Soulless. Puppetmaster of the undead who delights in reanimating lifeless corpses.
Twindel Death, the Black Scythe. The embodiment of the moment of death, overseer of the afterlife, and twin sister of the Warrior.
Twindel Doom, the Warrior. The father of metalwork, god of war, and twin brother of the Black Scythe.
Lady Auliss, Finder of the Lost. A light in the darkness who shines as the beacon of hope to those who have lost their way.
Madatyr, the Inquisitor. A feckless knave who asks and inspires questions but provides no answers.
Dormus, the Sleeper. The tarrasque that rises once an epoch to purge the world of impurities, breaker of dreams and dealer of nightmares.
Red Queen, the Executioner. An eternal six-headed red dragon, keeper of the planes of hell.
Silver Hair, the Timekeeper. The first celestial body, an ever-shooting star who has witnessed and remembers every event since the Dawn of Recorded Time.
Somna, the Land. An elemental giantess who monitors the seasons and safeguards all of nature.
