A Brief History of the Vesmír

For eons after creation, there was nothing but a vast expanse of nebulous void in the Vesmír; but then, ten distinct entities emerged, each driven and directed by a primal force of will. Through the innate similarities of their dispositions, these early gods, known as The Ten, gravitated towards three distinct cohorts: Natural Order, Universal Law, and Sentience. Only the god Inevitability existed outside of this structure.   The ten gods began to exude their influence over the vesmír, each establishing a distinctive realm that existed in perfect alignment with the others. The structure of the cosmos took shape, built upon each god’s divine inspiration, until a new realm was created, the perfect merger of the visions of each: the mortal realm.   At its center was the Ten's greatest communal creation - the planet of Seori, which existed at the exact intersection of each of the thirteen other realms. Here, the veil between the realms was thinnest, allowing the entities to move and communicate with each other with the greatest of ease. And far to the north of this planet, a great structure was built, from which all of life in the world would be seeded.   From the Intersection, the Ten sent great beings of creation into the mortal plane to lay the groundwork for beings that may one day enjoy their work. These creatures, the Titans, took many forms, and each was gifted with the power of Free Will, and the faith of the Thirteen to form the mortal plane to their liking. Mountains, oceans, plants, animals - beautiful, natural landscapes flourished under the Titans’ influence. And for many thousands of years, the mortal plane prospered, with new life appearing throughout each habitable world in the vesmír.   But as life began to flourish, the works of the Ten did not go unnoticed. Three outside gods, envious of the beauty and balance of the Vesmír, invaded, launching a war to overpower the Ten, the Titans, and the mortal races. Fiends, eldirtch monsters, and other devious entities of Destruction began terrorizing and enslaving the peoples of the mortal plane, destroying the beloved creations of the Ten. As mortal lands began to burn, falling to the power of Chaos, the Ten set aside their differences and staunchly independent natures long enough to banish Chaos, and their lieutenants, to another plane of existence, sealing the gate running through the Intersection with all of their cosmic might.   Life on the mortal plane was refreshed. The original mortal races - giants, elves, dwarves, and reptiles expanded their civilizations in deep reverence to the Ten. As their empires rose and expanded, new races, new religions, new cultures began to form and spread throughout the mortal world, triggering a surge in diversity and knowledge and growth. And as time passed, even the world itself seemed to achieve some degree of sentience and curiosity, creating its own spirits and divine entities to explore and understand their being.   It was Inevitability who first sensed the truth - the inevitable downfall of the Ten. Now widely revered as gods throughout the Vesmír, the others had become complacent in their power, content to reside fully in their individual realms while their mortal avatars traversed the mortal plane on their behalf. Inevitability and Change formed a plan - the only hope for the survival of the realms and their inhabitants.   Far in the north of Seori, a sparsely inhabited land near the Intersection, Change destroyed its own consciousness, distributing its power among the peoples of Seori. Manifesting as arcane magic, Change’s power quickly became a deeply revered aspect of every culture and religion throughout the world. The earliest mages, guided by Change’s mortal avatar, Orrick, quickly began to master the art of magic, and learned how to channel it towards both great and terrible things.   For his part, Orrick did not know the details of the plan - and, alas, he never would. Inevitability and its avatar, Orrick's brother Galadar, vanished without a trace, and all hope and understanding for a long-term plan for the survival of the Vesmír was lost. But life in the mortal plane continued to prosper, and the remaining eight deities seemed content with the results of their creation, happy to respond to the wishes and whims of their mortal worshippers, so long as their reverence prevailed.   Many thousands of years passed before Inevitability’s vision came to pass. Driven by their nature, Ambition betrayed the others, breaking the seal that had held Chaos at bay, and releasing their influence back into the mortal world. By the time that the Gods took notice, the invasion had already begun. And deep within the Human Empire of Feigria, the depth of Ambition’s betrayal came to fruition, as its influence over the mind of the Feigrian emperor sparked a war that would bring about the end of life in the Serpent’s Spine mountains, and, they hoped, destroy the Intersection.   Using the combined powers of Change and Ambition, the Feigrian Empire attacked from the sea, creating horrific abominations with Ambition’s power - part human, part monstrous entities that could easily lay waste to the human Kingdom of Braka, a former ally of Feigria. But, unbeknownst to Ambition and its forces, the mortal empires of the Serpent’s Spine had been united by an unlikely hero - a small forest spirit of Seori, who had orchestrated the first unified force of men, elves, and dwarves to hold back the invasion.   This coordinated response allowed Orrick the Archmage and the great magic users of the Serpent’s Spine the time to create the Celestial Orbs - great items of magic that could, in theory, contain the powers of a God. As the battle raged on, and the mortal forces began to fall rapidly to the strength and power of Ambition’s assault, the Orb failed, and all hope was lost - for a time.   As the mortal armies prepared to mount their final attack, Siri, the forest spirit, returned to the battlefield, Orb in hand. By giving her life, Ambition and its allies were captured, their will sealed within the Orb for all time.   With this knowledge, the Gods of Seori and the newly founded Sirian Watch, a world-wide network of individuals dedicated to the preservation of the mortal plane, were able to combat the spirits of Chaos, now collectively known as The Óvættrs. Alas, Inevitability’s vision proved true, and over the next five thousand years, each of the remaining Gods was destroyed in the battle against the forces of Chaos.   In total, five Orbs were used to contain the spirits and will of the Óvættrs and their agents: the Orb of the Earth, which contained Ambition; the Orb of the Stars, which bound the Hive, the lord and hivemind of eldritch beings; the Orb of the Sun, which contained The Master of Fiends; and the Orb of the Moon, which contained The Mistress of Fiends. Finally, the Orb of the Void, which contained the spirit of Nalrek'alor, the first necromancer, first lich, and first god of Death, who rose to power during the turmoil of the War of Destruction.   The Orbs were divided, each entrusted to a great kingdom of Seori, where they were displayed as deeply holy relics to be revered, thus ensuring their long-term survival, and minimal use by those unaware of their power. A sixth, unused Orb was entrusted to Boadicea, Queen of The Alvan Empire. Many agents of the Old Gods, Titans with immense power, took it upon themselves to fill the void that was left behind; within a generation, the peoples of the mortal plane forgot the power of the Gods, and gave reverence to these celestial beings, whose power was far weaker than any of the divine entities, but who could still ensure the continued survival of the mortal world.   But as happens with the passage of time, the stories of the Ten, the Óvættrs, and the Orbs were lost; and the Orbs themselves fell into obscurity. Twenty thousand years later, in the hands of hapless adventurers and those hungry for power, the Orbs are beginning to stir, and with them comes the inevitable destruction of the Vesmír.