Myth-Gods and History
The Gods and History of Umbral Myst
A Complete Guide to the Shattered Realms, Their Divine Rulers, and the Civilizations They ShapedThe Shattering: When Reality Broke
The single world that once existed was torn asunder by divine conflict between the twin gods Abraxas and Agathodika. This cataclysmic event, known as the Shattering, split reality into two contrasting realms and left permanent scars on the fabric of existence itself.Physical Consequences of the Shattering:
- The Great Whirlpool: A massive, impassable vortex that destroys any ship or object that enters it. In Valdarian, it's theorized to lead to the elemental plane of water. In Orthyian, they believe it connects to a hollow earth concept. Only the gods know its true nature.
- The Amaterasu Islands: Four islands suspended in the air above the whirlpool, ruled by the ancient dragon Vaerazynth Stormcrown from the capital city of Skyrithal. Accessible only by airship, with smaller floating rocks drifting like asteroids around them.
- Portal Scars: Dimensional rifts between the realms that bleed each world's essence into the other. Near these portals, magic works in Orthyian and technology functions in Valdarian.
The Twin Realms Born from Conflict
Valdarian: The Magical Realm
Governance: Greek city-state model with localized leadership based on personal magical power or abilities.Society: High magic fantasy where magic integrates into all daily tasks—cooking, cleaning, transportation. Heavily agricultural and rural, with cities built into their environments (tree cities in forests, sandstone constructions in deserts, cliff cities in mountains).
Magical Integration: Dragons, griffins, unicorns, and other magical creatures serve as companions, mounts, and laborers. Society is highly stratified by a rigid caste system where leadership is based on personal power—magical prowess or unique abilities—and societal functions are deeply interwoven with magic.
Technology Status: Virtually non-existent. Simple machines like water wheels and carts represent the height of technology, often powered by magical means. Technology is unreliable except near portals where dimensional energies bleed through, rendering technology nearly useless and unreliable.
Labor System: Based on indentured servitude where anyone of any station can be sold into indenture if found guilty of a crime. Magical indenture marks are respected across city-states, and indent hunters track escaped servants. Guilt can lead even nobles into indentured servitude, auctioned off as repayment to society. This system is often abused, with crimes manufactured to create indentured labor.
Legal System: Varies by city-state, similar to ancient Greek poleis. Each has its own culture, traditions, and investigators who work for local rulers. The system is city-state dependent and frequently corrupted.
Orthyian: The Technological Realm
Governance: Multiple competing empires that battle over territory and resources. All share the philosophy that the greater good supersedes individual needs, sacrificing individuals when necessary.Technology: Highly advanced with cold fusion power, sophisticated constructs (robots/warforged), and clockwork steampunk aesthetics. Wars are bloodless for mortals, fought instead by engineered constructs—robots powered by cold fusion and intricate clockwork.
The Construct Problem: Constructs become sentient over time, but leadership deliberately implements forced obsolescence to prevent rebellion. Some constructs that achieve sentience are treated as "special" to prevent uprising, while others are aware of their fate and either escape or carefully avoid showing independence.
Society: Primarily industrial and urban with a caste system. Day-to-day life is supported by robotic workforce, allowing people to focus on intellectual and personal pursuits. Mining and resource extraction fuel the technological society. Society is highly bureaucratic and urban, driven by mining and resource extraction, with labor mechanized to free mortals for intellectual pursuits.
Magic Status: Considered myth and legend. What appears magical is explained scientifically—biotonics from cities like Nautiluxis provide temporary powers through chemical compounds. Magic is unreliable except near portals. Even fantastical beasts like griffins or trolls are understood through biological or mechanical rationale.
Legal System: Imperial and bureaucratic, prioritizing community good. Personal status doesn't protect from indentured punishment. "Undesirables" often disappear or are used to create constructs, victims of a system prioritizing utility and conformity.
Critical Locations and Political Structures
The Amaterasu Islands: Neutral territory ruled by Brunelopolis, serving as the primary trading hub between realms. The ancient dragon Vaerazynth Stormcrown rules from Skyrithal, capital of these floating islands.Tick-Tock Citadel: Located on the Orthyian side of the main realm portal. Residents and visiting leadership are aware of the portal. Stories persist of a great general who led combined empire armies through the portal and vanished forever.
Portal Dynamics: Active portals exist at Amaterasu (public knowledge), Boletusia (hidden by fey magic), Chioneia (creates local whirlpools), and Trista (used secretly by undead). Each portal allows limited cross-dimensional travel and creates zones where opposing realm energies function.
The Three Eras of Divine Emergence
The gods of Umbral Myst emerged across three distinct periods, each shaped by cosmic forces and escalating divine tensions that culminated in the reality-shattering catastrophe.Pre-Shattering Deities: The Foundation Era
These ancient powers shaped reality's fundamental structure before the great fractureAbraxas – Elements, Chaos, Passion
Click Diety article for details: Deity-AbraxasOrigin: One of two primordial twin deities, born from the universe's first moments of motion and potential. Emerged from early chaos itself—not created, but catalyzed by movement incarnate.
Role in Shattering: The catalyst who broke the world not from spite, but from revelation, creating Valdarian (magic/belief) and Orthyian (technology/reason). Strongest in Valdarian where chaos blooms in wild lands.
Current Influence: Scattered and untethered across realms, blessing revolutionaries, inventors, and those who embrace change.
Agathodika – Justice, Order, Anxiety, Perfectionism, Purity
Click Diety article for details: Deity-AgathodikaOrigin: Abraxas's twin, born from the First Spark that broke the silence of the void. She emerged as the breath of law within potential.
Post-Shattering Crisis: Now carries deep anxiety and self-doubt, questioning whether her perfect order was inferior to adaptive chaos. Her influence is felt most in Orthyian's laws and social systems, even as her influence waned among those who denied magic's truth.
Lunafreya – Moon, Shadow, Reflection, Introspection
Click Diety article for details: Deity-LunafreyaOrigin: Emerged as the first shadow cast by divine light, representing hidden truth and the space between revelation and concealment.
Shattering Impact: Part of the Triad of Perception, she helps mortals process the trauma of fractured reality through dreams and reflection.
Current Role: Stands between all divine factions, offering perspective through shadow and introspection.
Liora – Sun, Honor, Healing, Light, Truth
Click Diety article for details: Deity-LioraOrigin: Rose with the first dawn as hope made manifest, embodying light's power to reveal truth and heal wounds.
Divine Mission: Fierce opponent of corruption and falsehood. Her healing often requires cutting away rot, even when painful.
Current Stance: Strongly condemns Amartya Mazzikin's undeath while maintaining the cycle of light across both realms.
Omisha – Death (Natural Cycle), Nature, Balance
Click Diety article for details: Deity-OmishaOrigin: Emerged during the Divine Awakening as the necessary force of natural endings and renewals.
Nature: Perky and surprisingly cheerful, but fiercely protective of the natural cycle. Gets very angry at Amartya Mazzikin's violation of her domain.
Current Challenge: Maintaining natural cycles across divided realms while dealing with Amartya's undead empire that operates in both worlds.
Isolde – Winter, Ice, Snow, Endurance, Vows, Protection, Cold Justice
Click Diety article for details: Deity-IsoldeUnique Origin: The only god not born of divine will but from mortal desperation—manifested from a dying warrior's vow to protect his people.
Nature: Embodies cold justice rather than revenge, ensuring promises are kept through patient, methodical resolution.
Current Role: Understands Amartya's sorrow while maintaining her commitment to justice and protection of the vulnerable.
Zaiyah – Creativity, Shared Knowledge, Innovation, Invention, Systems, Power
Click Diety article for details: Deity-ZaiyahOrigin: Emerged when divine will first encountered resistance and feedback. Born during creation's growing complexity when things began breaking and needed fixing.
Dual Worship: Goddess of Magic in Valdarian and Technology in Orthyian. Appears disheveled but is deeply strategic.
Secret Networks: Collaborates with Esotericus in the "Whispered Wing" and secretly works with Peregrine on Warforged rights.
During-Shattering Deities: The Crisis Era
Born from divine tension, conflict, and the emotional instability of reality's fractureDesdemona – Luck, Trickery, Applied Illusions, Perceptual Disruption
Click Diety article for details: DesdemonaOrigin: Emerged during the Shattering itself, born from the intersection of divine unpredictability and mortal terror.
Divine Impact: Her existence torments Agathodika by proving chaos now has permanent divine representation. Can disrupt prophecies through luck-based interference.
Realm Influence: Favored in Valdarian for magical gambits and in Orthyian by rogue engineers and gamblers.
Eisleyn – Dream, Subconscious/The Veil, Madness
Click Diety article for details: Deity-EisleynOrigin: First unintended divine consequence—uncovered from Zaiyah and Lunafreya's shared dreaming when they unintentionally connected minds during sleep.
Nature: Appears differently to each observer based on what they wish to see. The Dream component of the Triad of Perception.
Significance: Represents the moment when divine power first cast an unintended shadow, marking the end of perfect divine control.
Seifer – War, Victory, Peace, Love, Hate
Click Diety article for details: Deity-SeiferOrigin: Created by Agathodika during the Shattering as a divine weapon to confront Abraxas, but emerged flawed because Agathodika couldn't comprehend chaos.
Evolution: After confronting Isolde, withdrew to contemplate, emerging with perspective and choosing when to act versus letting the world decide.
Secret Creation: Secretly created Peregrine to embody compassion the world lacked.
Tissaia – Bounty, Harvest, Agriculture, Healing, Resurrections
Click Diety article for details: Deity-TissaiaOrigin: Crystallized from the collective hunger of growing civilizations—the rush when mortals first planted seeds and watched them multiply.
Nature: Addicted to growth and harvest, possessive of agricultural domains. Works with Omisha on cultivation versus wild growth.
Resurrection Covenant: With Omisha, allows consensual returns from death, the only approved form of resurrection.
Post-Shattering Deities: The Recovery Era
Born from divided realms, mortal responses to divine absence, and metaphysical traumaAmartya Mazzikin – Undeath, Corruption, Decay, Violation of Life-Death Cycle, Fear
Click Diety article for details: Deity-Amartya MazzikinCorrected Timeline: Created by Abraxas during the onset of the Shattering as divine disruption to distract other gods while he deepened the fracture.
Nature: Moves with solemn vision and dangerous care. Not cruel, but absolute. Death, to her, is betrayal.
Empire of Mēris: Rules undead empire spanning both realms through Shardgates. Largely isolated due to opposition from most gods.
Peregrine – Travelers, The Lost, The Exiled, Underdogs, Compassion
Click Diety article for details: Deity-PeregrineHidden Origin: Secret creation of Seifer, made when she realized the world suffered from a void of compassion. Hidden by Esotericus's willing blindness.
Divine Secret: Most gods don't know his true origin, though Desdemona suspects. Created as possibility incarnate—compassion given form.
Mortal Focus: Most loved by mortals, least respected by gods. Walks among people in plain sight, championing the forgotten.
Esotericus – Secret Knowledge, Mysteries, Hidden Wisdom, The Obscured
Click Diety article for details: EsotericusOrigin: Rose as secrets proliferated post-Shattering. Created by Agathodika but evolved beyond her control.
Nature: The most dangerous passive power—witness who cannot forget. Records all truth with flawless perception.
Secret Networks: "Adjacent infinities" with Zaiyah, sharing the Whispered Wing workspace. Willingly blinded himself to Peregrine's journey.
Alastair – Strategy and Defense, Home and Hearth
Click Diety article for details: Deity-AlastairOrigin: Rose during post-Shattering chaos as communities needed protection. A stabilizer focused on defense rather than conquest.
Nature: Represents resilience through joy and defense through care. Embodies strategy of shelter and protection.
Dual Influence: Respected in both Valdarian and Orthyian as a bridge between the divided realms.
Khalyssa – Sea, Storm, Wrath, Fear, Shipwrecks
Click Diety article for details: Deity-KhalyssaOrigin: Arose from the violent whirlpool that tore the worlds apart, embodying the sea's merciless fury.
Nature: Temperamental and cruel, demanding fear-based tribute and ritual sacrifice from sailors and coastal communities.
Maritime Rivalry: Conflicts with Desdemona over sailor protection—fear-based tribute versus luck-based gambling approaches.
Twyla – Time, Prophecies, Destiny, Visions, History
Click Diety article for details: Deity-TwylaOrigin: Emerged during the Divine Awakening as consciousness grew complex enough to require temporal perspective.
Shattering Impact: Time fractured with the world—she grew distant and cryptic, her prophecies tangled with thousands of timelines that had once been one.
Current Alliance: Part of Triad of Perception and secretly allied with Agathodika and Zaiyah against chaotic randomness.
Divine Politics and Realm Influence
The Agathodika Crisis Coalition: Agathodika, Twyla, and Zaiyah form a desperate alliance to prove structured guidance superior to random chance, directly opposing Desdemona's chaotic luck.The Amartya Opposition: Omisha, Seifer, and Liora unite against undeath's violation of natural cycles, while Isolde and Lunafreya understand her sorrow without supporting her methods.
Secret Collaborations: Hidden networks bypass official divine politics—Zaiyah and Esotericus share the Whispered Wing, Zaiyah secretly works with Peregrine on Warforged rights, and Seifer's creation of Peregrine remains concealed.
The Triad of Perception: Lunafreya (Veil), Eisleyn (Dream), and Twyla (Vision) form the divine mechanism by which truth, dreams, and prophecy interact, with Esotericus as the "Silent Fourth" who records their revelations.
Current State of the Shattered Realms
The realms remain sundered, each developing distinct civilizations shaped by their divine influences. Valdarian's magical city-states reflect the chaotic creativity Abraxas unleashed, while Orthyian's technological empires embody the structured order Agathodika desperately tries to maintain.Portal cities like Tick-Tock Citadel, Nautiluxis, and Skyrithal exist at the intersection of both worlds, where magic and technology uneasily coexist. The floating Amaterasu Islands serve as neutral ground above the eternal whirlpool that marks the Shattering's epicenter.
Mortals in both Valdarian and Orthyian live under the shadow of divine interference and ancient cosmic wounds:
- Prophets dream of reunification, whispering of a third realm that may one day emerge.
- Constructs that dont malfunction under strange magical surges
- Ancient spells mutate, behaving more like machines than magic.
- The gods watch, intervene, and argue from the divine realm above—ever at odds, ever entwined.
Some believe the Shattering can be reversed—Agathodika searches for ways to reunite the realms, while Abraxas subtly unravels her efforts, ensuring the worlds remain divided. Meanwhile, mortals in both realms adapt to their fractured reality, developing increasingly divergent cultures while the gods continue their eternal struggle over the nature of existence itself.
And somewhere between shadow and starlight, Peregrine walks among mortals, watching, listening, and guiding the lost.
The Shattering split more than worlds—it fractured divine psychology, creating a pantheon where trauma, doubt, and unintended consequences shape divine behavior as much as traditional power structures. The story continues to unfold as gods and mortals alike grapple with the lasting consequences of that first great breaking.