The Trickster Spirits of Caventoca

Long ago when storms began to ravage the lands, the servants of Chaos were chased from the world. They did not wish to leave, and so they hid among the cracks of the earth and the deep ravines of the sea. Nine of these spirits made their travelled to the remote jungles of Caventoca seeking to hide from the storm and the wrath of gods. But they were not alone in their hiding place. The great ancestors, the Omuans, had also sought out the island as a refuge from storms and oppression, and a land of new beginnings.   The Omuans built the great City of Omu, but they built it without temples, for their gods had failed them and they did not trust the divine. The nine creatures of Chaos, watched from shadows as the Omu grew, and each plotted in their own ways how to use the Omuans' lack of faith for their own machinications. One of these spirits, Moa, appeared to the people of Omu, not as god or demon, but as an ancient spirit of the island seeking accord with its new inhabitants. Wary at first, the Omuans soon came to trust the spirit Moa and her honest and calm demeanor. The Omuans Though Moa descended from Chaos, she had renounced his former ways and sought to help and enlighten the people of Omu.   But the other eight were not so inclined. They grew jealous of the influence of Moa, and soon revealed themselves to the Omuans, one by one, each according its own ways. The spirits opposed one another, seeking each to be the sole being worshipped on the island. However, since they lacked the true power of gods and feared retribution should they directly use their powers, they concocted schemes with their followers to divide them against each other. Each granted their followers power, and directed them to oppose the follower of another spirit which they hated the most. These are the true names of the spirits, their powers and sworn enemies:   The swift-footed I'jin, the almiraj, was the most elusive of all. To those she favored, she granted unmatched dexterity, allowing them to dance through battle and slip away from any danger. But I'jin was flighty and mischievous, ever wary of her bitter foe, Obo'laka.   Kubazan, the mighty froghemoth, was a force of raw strength. He bestowed his followers with the power to wrestle beast of the jungle and shatter stone with their bare hands. Yet his strength was always tested by Papazotl, the cunning eblis, whose keen eyes never missed a weakness.   The serpent Moa carried the secret of invisibility, allowing her chosen to vanish at will. But the trick came with a burden—Moa demanded truthfulness, for only the honest could wield her gift. Her eternal rival, Wongo, the mad su-monster wielded strange psionic powers to twist the minds of mortals.   The greedy Nangnang, the grung, sought to rise above her station. She granted her followers the power to cling to walls and ceilings, scurrying where others could not. But her ambitions angered Shagambi, the noble kamadan, whose gift was swift and relentless strikes, punishing those who climbed too high without honor.   Wise Obo'laka, the zorbo, was wary of all the others, for she knew their tricks too well. She granted her chosen the ability to wield more magic than any other, though her blessing came with caution. She despised I'jin most of all, for the almiraj was too reckless and wild for her liking.   Sharp-eyed Papazotl saw everything, his piercing gaze turning his chosen into masters of perception, able to sense the smallest tremor or hear a whispered secret. He considered Kubazan nothing more than a brute and sought to outwit him at every turn.   Shagambi, the kamadan allowed the host to make attacks in rapid procession. Shagambi opposed Nangnang.   Wongo, the mad su-monster was a master of mind manipulation and magic and hated Moa and the Omuans.   Unkh, the flail snail, was unlike the others. Unkh had no enemies, for none could match her patience and endurance. Those who bore her blessing became nearly unbreakable, with bodies that could withstand the harshest trials.   Thus, the Omuans, once united in purpose and place, became a people divided by the spirits and their powers. Each group of blamed the followers of another spirit; whether for the lack of rain, or the flooding, or the eruptions of the great Peaks of Flame. The Omuans splintered the city of Omu, each dedicated a district with a temple to the spirit they served. Though abandoned by their god, they forsook their heritage of independence and reason for sourjourning to this island. They sought to worship these spirits as gods.   For a time, Omu continued to thrive, and the Omuans demanded more from their spirits, asking for more significant boons and gifts. First, Wongo obliged and in the constant competition of the spirits, others followed soon after. As the spirits granted Omuans more and more power in a bid to outdo one another, the Omuans built great monuments and sacred temples. But the great rise in power and magic did not go unnoticed. A creature from the deep seas of the stars and rushing current of darkness took noticed of the the trickster spirits and the Omuans.   This creature is called Murmurak, the Rune-tide Leviathan. Murmurak judged the Trickster Spirits for remaining in the world when they were to have fled, and exercising their power. For this offense, he stripped them of their physical form, reducing them to the spirits they impersonated, and imprisoned those spirits deep within a tomb. Murmurak also saw the Omuans as prideful and foolish, falling for the schemes of the Trickster Spirits and treating the profane as divine. For this offense, he cursed them as slaves forcing them to build the tomb to house their trickster gods. The mark of their enslavement was to be a tail, granted to them in the likeness of Murmurak so that all may see their shame. Then he scattered them across Caventoca, destroying and hiding away the city and its tomb, before withdrawing to watch from beyond.