Rhune: The Goddess, Guardians, and Guilty
Chapter 1: The True Genesis
Long ago, in a land of absolutely no mayhem and magic, a Goddess was reborn and instilled into the veins of the Earth's very own blood; mana. This pure mana, was a type of rare magic. It was said that pure mana could heal the deepest wounds, cure the ill, and lift the worst curses. With the power of mana and her wisdom, the self-proclaimed Goddess, created the World of Rhune. With the wave of a hand, mountains arose into the sky, seas raged for eons, forests sprung up, and soon life would be created as well. It was the Goddess' will.
The Goddess awaited the time of reckoning, when the first life-forms would be born from her own hands. It was during this period, that she started to endure strange dreams and bewildering nightmares. In an instance, darkness and chaos were formed from her illusions and confused mind. This would make way for the breeding grounds, a world of mischief, creatures, nightmares, and opposition. Unaware of what she had done, she continued on and created more life. This time however, she wanted to be more diverse. With her right hand, she moved each of her fingers, and began pointing in different regions of the world. The first finger would create the humanoid race, the neutral beings of free will and creation, her plans for this race were in spite of herself. The second finger would create the elven race, favored by the goddess herself, these creatures were born with the ability to harness magic on their own. The third finger would create the dwarven race, merchants of the free world, they would use their craft and wit to earn a reputation as tradesmen. The fourth finger would create the orc race, the powerful and ignorant race, who were supposed to strive for suffering and their own needs. The fifth and final finger would create the goblin race, the mischievous and agile race of sub-humans and wondrous creatures. After the initial life was endeavored, other creatures and animals soon followed the same fate. The World of Rhune could now breathe, live, and act out the Goddess' intentions. Whatever those were supposed to be.
Chapter 2: Enchanting The Enchanted
Day by day, the Moon would rise and then hide itself away from the events it would witness. The Moon was wise, the Sun was eager, and the Earth was a playground for the Goddess. This was her world, she could do as she pleased and no one could stop her. One day, the Moon and Sun began to speak of prophecies and warned the Rhunians of these bad omens. They foretold of mana disappearing from the land, great evils, and other futuristic events. The citizens believed every world. It all started with a few races, but then everyone rebelled and began to plot against the Goddess, forming factions, guilds, and other alliances, now in spite of her past deeds. They seen how she was using them, as if they were toy soldiers in a simple game of war, everyone, even the children. She was only a child, trapped inside her own dream, hopes, and creation. Alone alas, her people had betrayed her and a war against her waged on. The races she created, had built kingdoms, cities, towns, villages, and other establishments, they had the motivation and desire, they would not let her destroy what they had created with their own hands. The Goddess was angered, she confronted the Moon and Sun. They only replied with, "The Earth is no longer one of ours, it is your hands now Goddess."
This deeply saddened her, moonstruck and sunburned, she was truly alone now. This is when she created the "Floating Island," a continent in the sky, were she created her own Sky Shrine. Years passed, she watched the days go by, seconds pass, and time stopped momentarily for the Goddess. Outside of her shrine, pandemonium had risen into destruction. A great war, known throughout our history as the "War of the Magi" had just begun. This was another prophecy of the Sun and Moon. The people of all nations prepared to fight to save their homes, their lives, and their freedom. Ironic enough, the races would eventually be divided by hatred and prejudice. They had almost forgotten about the Goddess, when she made her most extravagant appearance. With the last of what pure mana she had left, she called upon six powerful and obedient Guardians to serve her and consult with her on important matters, such as ruling over the people of Rhune.
These were the Guardians as I recall. The Guardian of Earth, also known as Phawa. The Guardian of Water, also known as Epuna. The Guardian of Fire, also known as Ursamu. The Guardian of Lightning, also known as Tetroch. The Guardian of Dark, also known as Arkus. The Guardian of Light, also known as Myden. With the new Guardians of Rhune, order soon fell into place. Each Guardian protected their element at any cost, no matter what the circumstances were. These were the only protectors of the elemental essences, the last of the pure mana. The Goddess gave each of them an offering or artifact to cherish, as a token of her appreciation. There were adventurers and brave warriors who tried to recover the mana shards and only failed and befell gruesome deaths. Time continued on, until one day the Goddess began to change into something dark and mysterious.
Chapter 3: The Lost Equilibrium
The World of Rhune was not balanced yet, evil was shifting and good was as well. The Goddess thought she was limitless, but found out the hard way. It was her other half, the dark side of the Goddess, taking over her emotions, thoughts, and body. The Goddess spoke with the Guardians on the Floating Island one evening, the short peace between the races and kingdoms was broken when she suddenly snapped and transformed each of these majestic beings into statue, sending them whirling into the sky. The disarray led to warring and panic, the Goddess had became a demon, changed by the guilt and selfishness she lusted for. The lands became ravaged, empty, and ruins were nothing new by now, the Goddess was destroying everything she created. Some kingdoms tried to oppose her, but only failed and died in defeat. Then it happened, she broke down and began to cry. The villagers could see it in her eyes, it was the same Goddess that they had known so long ago, before all of this torture. Seizing the opportunity, the Moon and God used their combined power to drain her of any power she still had, and then sealed her away in the Realm of Evil. This was the last they would ever see of her, or so they thought. Everything was destroyed, except for the hope of the ancient Rhunians.
Chapter 4: An Awakening of Heroes
Gathering their strength and honor, they fought to restore the legacy of the Goddess, what she was and who she was, before this Era of Pain. After all, she had created this world and gave them life. Not everyone agreed though, races were driven underground and into other areas of the world after the final confrontation with the Goddess. With the Guardians petrified and lost, the essences were free to be taken. The original essences have since been modified, copied, and sold in smaller sets. Young adventurers and even battle-hardened warriors have made their way into the ancient ruins, depicting the harsh history that Rhune has underwent. The cities were rebuilt, kingdoms fortified, and soon everything began to fall into place again. Slowly, very slowly, the world was balancing itself. Just as Rhune had conceived the Goddess, it had taken her away in an instant. This was the lesson that the Rhunians had learned and would do their best to keep this world balanced forever, but nothing remains balanced.
That was back then, the prophecies were all but true. I can assure you, the Great Oracle does not lie, but speaks only the truth. I've seen the darkness change into the light, and the Goddess rise into the Sun and fall into the fiery inferno deep in our Earth. The time has come, when warriors will have to battle again, restore the lost time and balance that once flourished throughout the forests, mountains, and rivers. That time is now, our mana is growing weak and the monsters are growing much stronger. It is up to you to decide, fate has chosen you though. That is all I know. Choose your path wisely, for it may be the last path you ever travel.
The above is an ancient scripture from an ancient book, just recently discovered in a crypt, outside of Jehm. The bookcover is titled, "The Great Oracle."
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