A Cosmic Adventures Awaits in Alfheim

“The Beginning Of The Tales Of Time”

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What can only be fathomed and described as a sentient jewel glistening in the dark, this is the earliest concept of what we think Adonai looked like, pure light, peace, love, and order. This is but just one of the ways we describe Adonai, the God of gods, and Lord of Light. For He was always, is always, and always will be.

     For the Great One sat in the vastness of what is known as the Aether and an idea came to Him. With the idea, came the thought of creation, so He spoke and at once in the dark, Light was born, for He Himself was the source, the Light and a beacon of hope and rest for all who came after. With His Light, He began to open the depths and within it He created a space in the Aether, shoring up the foundations of the deep. Within the space He set the sun and moons and spread the stars amongst it calling it the sky. For this was the birth of the cosmos and the beginning of the tales of time.

     After a time innumerable, Adonai decided there must be more, for He searched for a helper in the Aether, yet none was found. At once He spoke and there was the realm, a mere speck in the vastness of His presence. Atop the depths and under the sky He placed the land on its foundations. To ensure the development of the realm, Adonai created a being, large and immeasurable to cultivate and nourish the realm of His new creation. Thus the first of the lesser gods was born, the god of nature and healing, Yggdrasil.

     Eons past as Adonai and Yggdrasil made work of what was created. There in the realm a space was created to separate the Aether from the depths. In this expanse, Adonai had formed the earth and sea with it the sky high above. Great mountains, valleys, and planes met with surging oceans and seas, tied all together by the sky that stretched across them.

     A whisper from Adonai, then it came; rain, for Adonai knew what it took for life to thrive. With the coming of the rain, Yggdrasil birthed the mighty Greatwood, colossal forests with trees beyond imagining. The Greatwood was made of massive trees that towered high into the sky above with their trunks thick and strong like mountains. Their branches stretched across the realm bringing shade and solace to the inhabitants below and the fruit they bore created being of untold power. The bark of the legendary trees is said to be stronger than iron, yet, even still it is full of nutrients that help life flourish.

     As nature spread throughout the realm, over land and in the sea, Yggdrasil made a request of Adonai. He asked for a helper, for more complex life was needed to further nature’s development. Upon this request, Adonai stretched out into the cosmos and pulled a third of the stars from it, joining them in His hands. He brought His hands to His lips and uttered a sound that reverberated throughout the Aether like that of a soft hum. At once a flash of purple light, and the peel of thunder echoed all around, for Vahagn was created. Towering and boundless, Vahagn walked the Aether collecting energies of Adonai storing and releasing them with charged bolts of Light, and he did so, far and wide. For wherever Vahagn went, the rain came with him, and when he used his bolts of Light, life would emerge and thrive.

     At this time it was necessary to expand the realm, so out of the depths of the earth, where fire and brimstone are found, Adonai created the gods of fire and earth, Dazhbog and Enki. Out from the depths they came, causing the sea to boil. The two gods from the deep arose bringing with them fertile land, ripe for nature to take hold. Although tasked with creating land far and wide, these two gods would find themselves getting lost in the seas, creating massive caverns deep in the earth below the waters above. These caverns were dark, only lit by the magma that would seep in from the rivers of lava. Enki and Dazhbog would spend time in these caverns creating massive crystals, some of which are imbued with magical energies, some may perhaps even be harnessed for great feats.

     With emergence of more land, as it grew from the seas, it stretched out fathoms beyond what was known, and with more land came the promise of more life. So Adonai then created both Namaka and Rudra from the Aether itself, for Namaka is the goddess of water, and Rudra the goddess of the sky. Namaka and Rudra used their divine powers to help spread the seeds of life both on land and in the sea so creation would thrive throughout the realm. Namaka could be found throughout the vastness of the seas using her prowess to drive currents up from the depths bringing with it the needed ingredients for diverse life in the depths of the seas. Rudra soared high above, sending whirlwinds far and wide that carried the seeds for life on land to thrive. This allowed the Greatwood to flourish and produce the fruit that is told of from legends of old.

     Thus all the lesser gods were made and to them were given the power to create for the purpose to please Adonai. They all went to work creating all forms of life on the land and in the sea. Animals large and small filled the realm and sang praise to the Most High, Adonai. The realm had birds fill the air fish in the sea, and land animals across the earth. Vahagn saw all of this and thought to himself, “Something greater could be.” So he charged one of his mighty bolts of life and power and aimed for the Greatwood forests. This burst of powerful, life-giving energy made the Greatwood produce the legendary fruit known only in stories as the great Mana. For the Mana were life bearing fruits, of brilliant colors and shapes, born of magik and power and produced some of the most powerful creatures from whom the rumored sages descended from. As the fruit would ripen and fall to the ground, beings from myth were loosed including the Great Wryms, the Ettin, the Dwarves, and the beastmen races like Dragonborn, Lizardfolk, and Kobolds. Mightiest and firstborn of the Mana-born were the Great Wryms, most terrible among them was the Twin Two; Boreas and Nidhogg.

     As time went on, peace thrived as the inhabitants of the realm grew in number, filling the land, the sea, and the sky. For a period of time, songs of praise and worship filled the realm for Adonai, because of His greatness and His love. For even though there was light from the stars, moons, and sun above, it was the Light of Adonai that gave warmth needed for the soul to thrive. Now that the gods were made, the realm created, and seeded with life, Adonai enjoyed His creation. Though He was content with His creation, He desired a being worthy to worship Him. He wanted an entity that He could find companionship with, and thus He created the ‘intelligent’ races of men. This brought Adonai and the lesser gods’ great joy and His new creation was given the privilege to name the realm, and the name chosen was Alfheim, for Alfheim is the realm we live in.

     With the pleasure of His creation and with the joy and praise that filled the realm, Adonai decided to take a rest. In His rest, he transfigured Himself into one of the races of men, for they were created in His image, in His image and likeness of Adonai Himself. He did this to live amongst and to get to know His creation personally like family and loves ones, full of love in close relationships. With the Great One at rest, the Great Dreadwrym, Nidhogg began to feel a desire for power. For he saw the praise and worship Adonai received, and he coveted this in his heart, turning his souls dark with jealousy and envy. Nidhogg and Boreas would converse in secret as how they could be, how they deserve to be the object of the realms praises. For being the first of the Mana-born and first of the Great Wryms, Nidhogg felt entitled to a great inheritance. Boreas, the dreadwrym twin, knew the folly in his brethren’s desires and urged Nidhogg not to act, for the wrath from the Most High would be swift and without mercy.

      Boreas instead devised a plan, for he suggested a way to create their own life, but it must be away from what Adonai had created. For they wanted to create in the land of shadows, far to the west that did not yet exist. Nidhogg agreed but needed help and so the great deception and the turning of the gods had begun. Nidhogg moved swiftly and quietly through Alfheim planting seeds of spite and rebellion in the hearts of men. His lies even reached the ears of the god of fire, Dazhbog, and the god of earth, Enki, for they were in the lowest of places and able to create land from the sea. Boreas knew this was what Nidhogg needed for his grand design to take hold. With their meeting, Nidhogg convinced Dazhbog and Enki to call froth from the sea a land, desolate and full of smoke and fire, at the far reaches of the realm beyond the fathomed deep.

     This new land was beautiful in the eyes of Nidhogg, but jealousy filled the heart of Boreas, for he too had a plan and a desire to be worshiped. In secret Boreas would gather minions among the races of men. He would promise them great power along with powers far beyond the capabilities of the common man only to then imbue them with his own blood. This gave the men great gifts with a devastating side effect. With immense strength and speed, the new followers of Boreas thrived, however, a great curse befouled them. The curse ravaged their bodies for they were cursed to drink the blood of the pure races that had not been tainted by Boreas’ lies. For there is a life force in their blood that comes from the Light of the Most High, Adonai, and by drinking it, the followers of Boreas keep a part of the breath of life in them, but for a short time. For now they were undead and the Light of life would not stay with them and thus they were called the Vrykolaks as it is known in the ancient tongues, more commonly known as the Shtriaga amongst the forces of darkness, but also Vampires to those of the Light. For if they do not feed, or if they find themselves in the Twilight Moons’ light, they become something even more vile and dangerous, for they would shift into a demonic beasts full of hunger and rage, likening to a ravenous wolf.

     Nidhogg took notice of the treacherous ways of his brethren, Boreas, and he took flight. Across Alfheim he flew, soaring high through the sky preaching blasphemous tales of grandeur. With this, Nidhogg recruited a large following for the hearts of men were poisoned by Nidhogg promises. One of these men, devoted himself entirely to Nidhogg. His name is one we do not speak of, for Faust is his name, and with him comes darkness and death, and on his back, the undead giant Azuul who poisons the ground he walks on, bring plague and sickness wherever he goes. Together they took their armies to the lands to the west, the lands Nidhogg had created and this caught the attention of Vahagn, Dazhbog, and Enki; for they too were seduced by Nidhogg’s psalms.

     It started with a whisper out of the deep, for even though Nidhogg found favor from some of the races of men, he still coveted the thought of creating life of his own. So together, in the presence of Vahagn, Dazhbog, and Enki, Nidhogg enacted his grand design. Wings outstretched, beating through the air causing windstorms that leveled groves of trees exposing sharp, lifeless stones below. He soared high beyond the sky into the Aether above. He raised his heads on high and began to bellow from the depths of his breast a spell of grave intent. Like many things Nidhogg did, it mirrored Adonai’s will, however, it lacked His Light, and therefore was tainted with darkness, corrupt full of malice and lies. In his spirit was spite, jealousy, and hatred on a scale not yet imagined. The spell went out, filling the lands to the west with a low vibration. It reached the ears of Dazhbog and Enki, corrupting them completely, turning their minds to dark. Vahagn, though curious of Nidhogg’s spell, knew something was amiss, for he then went to tell Adonai of the treachery Nidhogg was participating in. On his way, Boreas made his move and struck at the heel of Vahagn, crippling him inflicting him with a poisonous heart convincing him to help Nidhogg in his quest. He arose and approached the Great Dreadwrym laying his bolt of power into the land. Corruption spread in all directions distorting and changing everything it touched with rage and darkness. The races of men that followed Nidhogg west ran in fear, however were soon overtaken by this power, their minds, hearts, and bodies changed forever. The corruption was complete and out of it an entire manifestation of evil was born. Creatures of the Abyss, dark, and menacing, the races of Devils, Orcs, and Fiends were loosed. The manipulation of evil and the control of the dead also came into existence then…..necromancy in all its vileness. As the land to the west was now under the complete dominion of Nidhogg, his followers called this new land the Shadowlands. Nidhogg’s influences started to spread, far beyond the Shadowlands into the rest of Alfheim and his armies laid siege to all that Adonai had created.

     In a giant battle for life itself, creation cried out to Adonai for succor and for the lesser gods that had not yet been corrupted, for a reprieve from the evil. At this, Adonai came out of His rest and filled the realm with His Light once more. As He swept His hands across the Aether, He struck Nidhogg from his throne on high, knocking him back down to the Alfheim. Now corrupt, Vahagn stretched out his arms and shot Nidhogg with a bolt of his power while uttering a profane spell. Nidhogg’s body shattered into pieces like black obsidian glass as it fell down from the Aether. His body was torn asunder and fell as countless pieces imbued with Nidhogg’s corruption and evil. At this, Adonai divided the Aether revealing a radiant luminosity. From that luminescence, tendrils of light came forth and ensnared Vahagn, pulling him within, the Aether closing behind, imprisoning Vahagn in a maelstrom of darkness. Adonai said, “For he is too powerful to be let loose in the realm and forevermore he will stay. But how shall he stay, for now he must be shut away.” And thus Vahagn was banished. The cosmos shuttered at Adonai’s decree. Adonai reached out and dispatched Boreas from the deep to a place of twilight, for Boreas is now the great Goal Moon, luminous and dark, for inside of him is the whirlwind darkness ensnaring Vahagn. Boreas has now been silent, not being heard by his followers for eons, but is now known as the Twilight god. In utter fear, Dazhbog and Enki ran into the depths to escape and hide from the Light of Adonai, for any reprieve from His wrath. This led to their great shame and sadness which filled their minds with madness. These events are known as the Sundering, for it is the old world, before time was cataloged.

     In the times after the Sundering, Yggdrasil, Namaka, and Rudra were tasked by Adonai to reset the Alfheim, for He created a hero to save his people and to banish the darkness from the land. A mighty fortress was constructed over the place of sealing, for the hero vanquished the darkness, sealing it below into the depths. As the darkness was sealed up under the fortress, the peoples of the land gathered together inside to await the rebirth of the realm. Namaka, with all her power, spread herself throughout the waters of the realm, stirring up the currents of the deep. Rudra filled the sky releasing the mighty four winds, wreaking havoc on the realm from above. Death and rebirth through water and wind, as the two goddesses carried out the will of the Most High, laying waste to all things. This was to cleanse Alfheim of the darkness in the realm, while the inhabitants of Alfheim took refuge in the fortress of sealing with the great hero of Adonai. Thus the realm was remade anew and life was loosed from the fortress to spread across the realm once more.

     Adonai’s people once again spread across the land praying and worshiping Him in all they did. But far off, beyond the fathoms of the deep, the Dark One had also found refuge when the realm was to be reset, for in their madness, Dazhbog and Enki saved Nidhogg’s creations from destruction. In that place was gathered obsidian shards of the Dreadwrym for the darkness was all but wiped from the realm. “The Great Dreadwrym has fallen!” the monstrosities of Nidhogg proclaimed as shards of his body fell across the land. Followers of Adonai locked away or buried the shards deep in tombs underground, however, the forces of darkness coveted them, using them for nefarious purposes. The forces of darkness now known as the races of chaos were transformed by Nidhogg’s evil, enhancing their physical prowess into even more grotesque beings of hatred. Eventually most would forget about the Dreadwrym, instead worshiping Dazhbog with his rage and malice fueling their hatred for Adonai and His creation. They also worshiped Enki, giving into his lies enhancing their abilities to trick and deceive those around them. Some of the agents of chaos even fell to worship the banished one, Vahagn. With being worshiped, Dazhbog and Enki came out of hiding, reveling in their new stature lusting after more praise and power, channeling their hatred and madness into and through their followers. The followers of Boreas, the Twilight Moon, feared Adonai’s further wrath, so they hid in the shadows, keeping out of spot light. They used their stealth to integrate themselves into society on the outskirts and behind closed doors, swaying their influence among the races of men while staying in secret.

     At the end of the Sundering, the Heart of Nidhogg had fallen and was found and brought to his most devoted follower, Faust, for he was wise and a powerful necromancer. Faust desired Nidhogg’s heart and slowly his mind was split and his heart turned to ash. His flesh began to rot and his spirit had grown dark. In this, the heart of Nidhogg began to beat once more and so Faust ate of it filling himself with Nidhogg’s essence. Adonai felt this disturbance throughout the Aether and knew the darkness, once thought to be wiped from the realm, has returned and was starting to make a foothold in the realm once more. So Adonai created five beings of immense magiks, known as the five guardians: Shen, Qin, Kuang, Ruin, and Kouryu. He entrusted them with the five pieces of Nidhogg’s soul, for they should never be gathered and let the Dreadwrym rise again. Before Nidhogg fell, he placed some of his scales paired with wine skins full of the great Mana nectar throughout his land, the Shadowlands. He encased them in tombs under strongholds filled with vile creatures devoted wholly to the darkness, and though the tombs have never been found, but for one, the hearts of men cold to think of the destruction that would be if they were freed.

     Faust knew of this and after the Sundering and partaking in essence of Nidhogg, had his most trusted knight open the dreaded tomb of Takhisis. Deep within that dark and perilous tomb laid a young girl, looking to be of the age of 13, and though she looked innocent and pure, her heart was as black as the Abyss, for she ate the flesh of men and desired profane things. Faust took her and with Nidhogg’s essence inside him, they conceived a child in Takhisis’ womb. This child is meant to be born, the reincarnation of the Dreadwrym himself. Although the fetus was conceived by “natural” means, the magiks involved made it wholly unnatural and thus the child is devoid of life. It is said that only by sacrificing and partaking in cannibalism of a pure being, can the Dreadwrym’s spawn be born. So they wait in secret and darkness for the appointed time.

     At this time the races of men began to spread further across Alfheim and they started to build settlements, villages, towns, cities, and kingdoms. Twelve great kingdoms were built and they all honored Adonai with praise and worship. Sensing the growing darkness, however, Adonai gathered the lesser gods Yggdrasil, Namaka, and Rudra and forged great shrines from the fallen Greatwood. For the cycle of life continues, so does the fight between the dark and the Light. For Adonai knew He would need to free His people once again. He sent Namaka and Rudra out into the land prophesying and instilling knowledge of what was going to come. At this time the Great War had begun.

     The Great War was a war from the firstborn or Mana-born. The great races battled for dominance; Dragons, Ettin, and Behemoths of all kinds all battled without consequence. The battle between dark and Light seemed a distant thought as these massive creatures marched across the land and in the sea battling to the death, causing the cosmos to shift in ways the sages still don’t understand. This war lasted a multitude of millennia causing destruction on a scale that is hither to undreamt of. To stop the war, Adonai embodied himself into a war hero, The Hero of Light, the physical manifestation of the Most High, come to Alfheim to save His people from yet another calamity. He, again, was a savior to His people, drawing His physical prowess from the great shrines constructed in the times past. He fought in the Great War and held off the giants of old ending their terror in the land. Around this same time Faust and Takhisis were trying to devise a plan to overthrow and kill Adonai, but He is wise and banished him and his armies in an icy tomb. He also chained Takhisis deep in the earth to keep Nidhogg’s brood from ever being born. Rudra gathered her mighty winds from across Alfheim and extinguished all knowledge of Faust, Takhisis, Nidhogg and his brood from the hearts and minds of men. This drained her life force and can now be only seen through her devoted follower’s rituals, dance, and song, as well as her rune stones across the realm that are filled with her power and wisdom. Defeated again, Dazhbog and Enki ran back to the Shadowlands far to the west as Namaka called forth icy waters from the depths and raised a tsunami whose heights reached the heavens. This, she sent after them, then freezing them behind a wall of ice, thicker than any creature or god could penetrate. Yggdrasil used much of his power to restore the balance of nature as he set himself in the remnants of the Greatwood.

     This is when the races of men started to document their past, as this is where the origin of most races began…..from the telling of oral history. The Dwarves came out from within the earth, with amnesia of what lies beneath and of their true origins. The beastmen races born of the Mana lost all knowledge of their birth instead believing they were created from the elements themselves, most worshiping false gods and idols. The races of men including, Humans, Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, etc. only know that Adonai created all, but still some choose to worship idols and false deities, being led astray. The races of chaos can still be found throughout the land, however, they appear to have most of the malice and hate bred from their lineages. Creatures such as Kobolds, Goblins, Tieflings, Bugbears, and Lizardfolk have found ways to interact with the races of men. Though most still tend to worship some forms of chaos, other set up shop, or hire themselves out for mercenary work.

     Life thrived for eons as civilizations rose and fell, however, the great kingdoms remain to this day. Eventually the knowledge of the true past has been all but forgotten, found only in ancient tomes lost in libraries across Alfheim or the legendary rune stones of Rudra. Sailors still worship Namaka and tell tales of leviathans of the deep or raids on coastal villages by monstrosities from the deep. It seems Enki has been loosed for his trickery and lies have found their way into the hearts of men, and the rage and malice of Dazhbog burns bright as wars continue to ravage the land and plague the nations. Although things still generally seem calm and peaceful, tales from shipwrecked sailors of a land far off to the west covered in fog and surrounded by death. Oracles tell tales of a Dark One rising once again. Bards in taverns sing of toil and trouble on the open roads as bandits take root, preying on the weak and defenseless. Whispers on the roads tell of hordes of undead that are sweeping through the land, for if there is any merit to these rumors, the realm would surely be in peril once more. Yet not all is lost, for Adonai has created new beings, agents of Light. These Watchers are set across Alfheim and are only to observe the peoples of the realm, for they watch intently and their eyes seem to be everywhere, but also they are not the only beings watching. Entities ravage the land and the masses call for heroes to save them. Honor and glory await those who heed the call, because an adventure stirs, as seers speak of a child of Light, born to save us from a coming apocalypse. Though ancient secrets wake, and five guardians stand resolute, it seems the battle between the dark and the Light for Alfheim begins anew.