God Snakes Eating Mountains
During the Godkin Coup many thousands of years ago, it was believed that their winged god snakes were fed entire mountains, so they grew more powerful. This global catastrophe eventually wiped out the Godkin and almost all truth is forgotten, leaving people to speculate.
God snakes eating mountains were stories told by Godkin to adamnans, in order to intimidate them. The serpents were known to set fire to these mountains and wrapping around them in giant colonies, as a bonding exercise between conspecifics.
God Snakes & Godkin
Godkin have worshipped god snakes for millions of years. When Godkin first evolved, these legendary serpents were there to witness it. Myth and legend claims god snakes were put on the planet to serve Godkin, when they eventually found their way.
This entire time, god snakes served as mighty steeds for the Godkin. They were enslaved, forced to battle one another when the Godkin found themselves amidst yet another petty conflict.
When adamnans evolved, Godkin all found themselves a common enemy. Adamnans proved to be more intelligent, yet less powerful. They slowly took over the entire planet, forcing Godkin into sequestered corners of the globe.
Godkin Coup
The people of Adamne are vengeful, seeking comeuppance for the damage that the Godkins caused. The Godkins are ancient sophonts that date back millions of years. They lived at peace with the other people of the planet, but a few thousand years ago they decided to take control of the planet, as they believed it was their natural right as the strongest people on Adamne.
The Godkin Coup took place around five thousand years ago. Tired of being forced into the shadows, Godkin rose against adamnans who had taken over the planet that was once theirs. They rode into battle on these gigantic creatures, setting entire forests ablaze and tearing chasms into the ground with their steel wings.
The people did not like that at all. One by one, the godkins were slaughtered, and their cold, dead bodies were placed in the Silent Library, a necropolis worshipped by all. Every single person of Adamne are subjected to an arduous pilgrimage to the Middle of Adamne, where this necropolis lies.
While the Godkin had many physical advantages, being far stronger and having thousands of god snakes under their control. These serpents are benevolent creatures, unwilling to intentionally harm any creature. Godkin were able to take psychological control of these creatures, forcing them to betray their own morals in favour of the Godkin's desires.
Legends say the god snakes were not nearly powerful enough to fight adamnans and their incredible weapons. Godkin forced them to light mountains on fire and swallow them in a single bite, to grow stronger for battle. Despite this, each and every Godkin were slaughtered, alongside the majority of their serpentine steeds.
After the Godkin Coup life on Adamne has been a struggle. Oases of life lie amongst the sea of death, toxic sludge and water running through the cracked lands, caving in to form valleys where almost no life lives. Tourists are few and far between - the native people are not very welcoming.
Adamnan Mountains & Plateaus
Collect a Sticker!
A nomad approaches you on your journey to the Silent Library, offering you a small sticker. Better add it to Your Stickerbook! Click to collect sticker: AdamneWhile god snakes cannot realistically consume mountains, the evidence of something chewing on these geological megastructures is overwhelming.
To the north and south of the Adamnan Mountains are flat plateaus. Tiny fragments of fossilised teeth and bones are littered throughout the silty soil, as well as neatly organised trenches. While these can be explained by simple geological processes, some believe in the stories of these serpents eating the mountains.
There is living proof that these mountains could have been consumed by elder god snakes. These variants of the species are over a thousand years old, over two hundred metres long, and are known to gnaw on solid ground. Only around ten have ever been recorded in history, just one used in the Godkin Coup.
99% of existing god snakes now call Norrab home, around the Sian Lowlands, Looming Desert, and the Algol Mountains. There is no evidence of these creatures consuming rock, soil, and certainly not entire mountains.
Studies on Norrab have shown elevated dopamine levels in god snakes, as compared to those struggling to survive on Adamne. Scientists theorise god snakes might actually consume rock as a form of stress relief, boredom, or simply starvation. These serpents feed on spiritual magic, and on a dying planet such as Adamne, there is little to consume.
Gather around, everyone! Stay quiet for a few minutes. Look up at this titan trunk. See that tail dangling down? That's a juvenile god snake. They nest on these trunceritans until they're too big for them. It's perfect for getting sunlight.
I enjoyed this one a whole lot, especially focusing less directly on the food like most did, but the connection of food--->what ate it. That's a great way to approach this and certainly allows a broader scope. The idea of some sort of elder god snake capable of eating mountains feels very 'World-Serpent' like, which as a fan of those stories and myths I do enjoy a lot. Well written Mochi, certainly another one I'm tucking away in my collection!
Thank you so much! I struggle with myth articles, I just don't click with them, but I liked the concept and I really wanted to explore it as much as I could <3