Children of Anima

Creation Myth

In the time before Altairus nor any other world existed, there were only two elements to the universe: Anima and Void. Anima formed the basis for all that was, and Void was all that was not. Within the vast expanse of the void, Fenghuangs, beings made from pure Anima, took shape.

It was one of these more powerful Fenghuangs that created Altairus from the swirling Anima around it. With its six tentacles, it split the elements from each other, fashioning the land with Earth, the seas with Water, the sky with Air, and so on. This Fenghuang became known as the Heart of Altairus.

After it formed this dead sphere, this Fenghuang split the elements once more, creating two new beings. The first was Fatamoph, the golden unicorn. Honing the powers of Air, Fire, and Light, Fatamoph raised his horn to the skies. All around the world, volcanoes erupted, wind storms swirled, and blackened lands became filled with light. Out of this the sun rose for the very first time, blanketing the world in its light and heat.

The second was Mutamoph, the obsidian dragon. Possessing the powers of Earth, Water, and Darkness, she let out a fierce roar, causing the planet to tremble. The ground quaked, rupturing it so that rivers may flow. Rain, sleet, snow fell all around, quenching and fertilizing the land. In all this chaos, a small part of the world broke off, flying into space. This missing piece became the moon, coming out when the sun sets to cool the planet and balance out the power of the sun.

As the primordial chaos died down, the first vestiges of life began to form on the planet. It was then that Fatamoph and Mutamoph realized that, although their primal powers had been helpful in creating this world, they were far too dangerous to hold onto, even more so to let fall into the wrong hands. So, they each gave up a portion of their power, sealing it within the Alpha and Omega crystals inside the planet's core. These sealed powers continue to assert their influence to this day, leading to strange and chaotic natural events across Altairus.

Soon after life appeared on Altairus, the Heart of Altairus assigned Fatamoph and Mutamoph roles of stewardship over the newborn world. Fatamoph was crowned the King of Altairus. He was tasked with handling the sun and the daytime, using his powers to bring warmth and light to the world. Mutamoph became the Queen of Altairus. She was put in charge of the moon and the nighttime, which brought much-needed relief from Fatamoph's scorching sun and watched over the world in its stead.

Through this arrangement, The Royal Beasts consolidated their marriage to one another. Over the years, they populated the world, breeding many magical creatures. The phoenix, the gryphon, the manticore, the chimera, and others. While the exact number differs from tale to tale, all legends posit the most well-known Magical Beasts as the direct descendants of The Royal Beasts. These beasts eventually consummated with each other, breeding new Magical Beasts and further populating the world. Eventually, the descendants of these beasts had mutated so much that they were no longer merely as beasts, but as humanoids. They became known as the faeries, which, although far weaker than their older brothers of creation, were uniquely skilled and capable of working together to create things greater than any individual beast could. These were the people who formed towns, civilizations, their own enclaves out of the wild lands of Altairus.

Even so, the faeries did well to listen to their elders; they were the younger siblings of creation, after all, and the Magical Beasts had fared in Altairus far longer than they. With the Magical Beasts' wisdom and the faeries' ingenuity, Altairus slowly transformed into a place where wonder and magic reign supreme.

The Changing Seasons

Once upon a time, Altairus existed in a state of perpetual summer, with bright, sunny days and hospitable nights. This did not last; the magic soon waned, and The Royal Beasts were faced with a frozen, dead Altairus until Mutamoph's last child, Lümamoph, sacrificed himself to save the sun. See Lümamoph's Sacrifice for the full story.

Explanation for Suffering and Evil

Within the Children of Altairus, suffering and evil are said to exist because Altairians are elementally "unbalanced." Fenghuangs are equally balanced in all elements, and are thus content. Altairians, on the other hand, consist primarily of one or two elements, with the rest being present only in scant traces. This creates suffering and longing, which draw Wendigoes to Altairus. See Origin of the Wendigoes for more information.

The Afterlife

The Children of Altairus do not put much stock into belief in an afterlife. Faeries and Magical Beasts are bound to the world in such a way that humans are not. Furthermore, it is known that the Daemon, the soul of an Altairian, does not survive death. Add to this the fact that Altairians, unlike humans, have unbounded lifespans, so they are not guaranteed death. For these reasons, most Children of Altairus consider the idea of an afterlife to be irrelevant.

However, this does not mean there are no myths or stories surrounding such a topic. Altairians who have had near-death experiences will describe a world shrouded in mist and perpetual dawn known as The In-Between. Often, they catch up with long-lost loved ones in this land. Interestingly, the accounts tend to be very similar all across Altairus, suggesting that The In-Between is real to some extent.

Those who entertain the idea of life after death usually believe in a form of reincarnation. After death, it is posited, one's raw essence is scrubbed down, released from all attachments, memories, anything that connected it to its previous life. Different Altairians describe this process in different ways; Earth elementals will use the image of seeds and growth, Fire elementals say the essence is cleansed with flame, etc.

Depending on one's deeds during this life, this scourging process could take a while. It should be noted that this is not purgatory; it is not meant to be a punishment. The real purpose is to get the essence in usable condition to be reincarnated. As soon as it is, the Altairian is reborn as an entirely new person, with no memories of who they were before.

It should also be noted that the Children of Anima do not acknowledge any way to "escape" the cycle of reincarnation. Indeed, for an Altairian, having another chance to live in Altairus is the best thing that can happen. Some believe that particularly wicked Altairians have their essences destroyed altogether, eliminating their chance at rebirth, but this is far from a universal belief.

The mythology of the Children of Altairus is based a lot in truth. The portrayals of the Heart of Altairus follow its path throughout the ages; its protection, faltering, fall, and restoration.

Fatamoph and Mutamoph are real beings that respond to prayers and play a part in magical rituals from afar. While they do live on Altairus somewhere, it is not known where. Many have reported seeing Fatamoph in places known to have an abundance of Fire, Light, or Air magic, such as the Fields of Forever or the Forest of the Young. Mutamoph has been allegedly spotted in areas of her element, such as Mt. Mischief, the Emerald Woodland, or the Ill-Fated Fields. However, none of these accounts have ever been verified.

It is possible that The Royal Beasts simply teleport themselves around Altairus to help those who need them the most in that moment.

In the Golden Era, the Children of Anima recognized three deities: the Heart of Altairus, Fatamoph, and Mutamoph. While Anima is venerated as the most important thing in the world, it is not recognized as a deity so much as a force of nature.

As the Silver Era commenced, the Heart of Altairus was pushed to the side in favor of The Royal Beasts. The Children of Altairus began to realize the Heart of Altairus had faltered on its duty when the first Wendigo attacks happened. Myths from this era tend to focus solely on Fatamoph and Mutamoph. The Heart of Altairus was seen as unreliable due to its laziness and greed, with emphasis put on its habit of favoring those whose sacrifices it preferred.

After The War of the Wendigoes, the Heart of Altairus was removed from the pantheon altogether. Reflecting its transformation and banishment in the War, the Heart of Altairus fell into hell, becoming The Heart of Darkness. In Post-Separation Era myths, The Heart of Darkness is a satanic figure. It tempts good but down-on-their-luck Altairians to use Null Magic, pulling them away from Anima, only to be stopped by Fatamoph and Mutamoph in the nick of time. These stories continued to be spread well into the Era of Unity, after Jack Thunder and his friends restored it as the Heart of Altairus.

In a nutshell, anything that strengthens the power of Anima is good, and anything that runs in opposition to it is evil. Null Magic is considered the ultimate force of evil, since it is Anti-Anima.

After The War of the Wendigoes, the Children of Altairus named six virtues, after the key traits they saw in the Champions of Altairus. They are as follows:

• Rationality
• Perseverance
• Devotion
• Tolerance
• Laughter
• Compassion

In temples and shrines dedicated to The Royal Beasts, these virtues are immortalized in art, either depicting the six Champions or other local figures associated with them.

The Royal Beasts tend not to interfere directly with the affairs of Altairians. However, if a great hero is in dire need and calls out to them for aid, they will answer.

In addition to boosted magical abilities, the recipient of aid will be granted specific abilities that are useful in their particular situation. For example, if a hero is facing down a particularly nasty Wendigo, The Royal Beasts might cover them in a shield of Undifferentiated Anima. They will also point out things in the environment that will help the hero in their task, like a pool full of Spectral Water to feed to an overfed Dessicate.

Fatamoph and Mutamoph can be picky about how their assistance is used. The boons they grant are often very specific to guide the recipient in the direction they want them to go. If the recipient tries to go in another direction, their aid will not work as intended, and they will try to redirect the hero to take the action they want.