Ingulan Creation Myth [Bladebound Retainer]

THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS

At the Beginning of All Things, long before the first Songs and Dances, the whole of the universe was empty, save for the Void and the vastness of the Great Beyond. It was a cold and barren existence, lacking definition and form save for the trails of the aether, the coiling, primal energies of Creation. And for an untold number of eons, this would remain the status quo, spirals of aether trailing aimlessly and without direction through an indifferent and uncaring Void.

However, this would all come to an abrupt halt when three of these coils brushed against each other in a chance collision. The energies seized, drawn together at this point of impact, pulling their neigh-endless lengths of aether as they slowly began to fuse. From a single point, these coils would soon draw other tendrils of energy, lashing out and drawing them into what would become the center of the cosmos. And in the center of this cosmic maelstrom, a sphere of pure aether came into existence, shaped over eons as the energies merged and lapped at its surface like a celestial tide. But it would take eons more before the sphere began to pulsate with life.

This is the Cosmic Egg, the root from which all life in the universe would stem from.

THE PRIMORDIAL ONES

Brimming with aether and gestating for an eternity, it would not take long for the Egg to quicken. And when the energies reached a critical point, the first cracks began to appear along its surface. Then, in a single and powerful moment, the Cosmic Egg hatched, and unleashed its contents upon the whole of Creation in a cataclysmic display of power. In an instant, the cosmos was flooded with the quickened aether, the foundations from which the very first stars and celestial bodies would be born. Yet, even in that exhilarating rush, the Egg still had much more to offer.

Long before the very first stars had even achieved their flickering brightness, the very first sentient beings emerged from the shell of the Cosmic Egg as its remnants lay cooling from the Hatching. These were existences of pure aether, creatures of limited sapience that wielded power over the very foundation of Creation itself. In time, they would attain further degrees of sentience, but in these early days, their motives and actions were born out of nothing more than pure instinct. For this, they are known as the Primordial Ones, the first inhabitants and masters of the universe.

The first to emerge from the shell's husk was Ghathyed, Master of the Void and Primordial of Creation. In the infancy of its existence, it was content to sup upon the aether, feasting upon the shell that gestated and birthed it into the world. However, it would gaze upon the emptiness of the universe, eventually desiring to tend, prune and foster the growth of the cosmos as its gardener and master.

The second was Ushoklanc, the Silent One and Primordial of Fate. It is an entity that exists beyond the reach of space and time, residing within its realm of persistence. Blind to its own destiny, its role is to forever observe the skeins of fate for all living beings in the universe. It its realm, it has only sporadic urges to feed, and is seemingly content to live out the eternity away from the presence of its siblings.

Many more would come in the wake of the Hatching: Iavga, Primordial of Time; Kathgriorg, Primordial of Paths; Veldu, Primordial of Space. These and all of the Primordials lorded over some aspect of the cosmos as the embodiment of these concepts. And like their elder siblings, they were content to feast upon the remnants of the Egg until achieving higher sentience. From that point, they dispersed across the cosmos, pursuing their own interests and designs each to their discretion. Though not particularly adverse of each other, they simply wished to be alone and solitary. Seldom would two or more come together and remain in long-lasting partnership.

But this would all change. Last to emerge from the egg and depart from the shell of the egg was Aetherion, the Beast of Chaos and Primordial of Destruction. While its siblings attained higher thought, Aetherion remained little more than a ravenous beast with a cruel and cunning intellect. Where others sought to create or merely wander, it craved destruction, to feed a bottomless hunger and slake an unquenchable thirst for carnage and chaos. Its sole contribution to the cosmos is the siring of the five primordial offspring, excised from out of its bloated body: Aguilen, Primordial of Fire; Agwealan, Primordial of Water; Kiduln, Primordial of Stone; Habulon, Primordial of Air; and Erithion, Primordial of Beasts.

With its spawn, it seemed that the Beast of Chaos would easily overwhelm the rest of the Primordials if their destruction crossed its mind. However, Ghathyed was shrewd, and knew of a method to keep its youngest sibling in check. For every ten heavenly bodies it created and brought into existence, Aetherion and its children could consume a single one of its choosing. Star or moon, barren or teeming with life, the choice of what to destroy would lay solely on Aetherion. And should the Master of the Void find some flaw, dissatisfaction or simple boredom in its creations, then it would be consigned to its sibling's maw without hesitation so that the process would start anew. The Beast agreed, and for eons, the two Primordials worked together as an unending cycle of Creation and Destruction upon the myriad worlds of the universe.

THE ELDER GODS

If the Primordial Ones were created within the gestation of the Cosmic Egg, then the Elder Gods came into existence from the remnants of the Hatching. These were the shells left adrift in the Void, the shards of the Egg composed from pure aether. In time, these individual shards would awaken on their own, and become sentient beings with their own power. To the Primordial Ones, these shards were a primary source of food for them to feast upon, and many of these shards were denied a chance to awaken. Worst yet, the infantile gods who did awaken were similarly easy prey, helpless before the might of their forbears.

Yet there were some who awakened and survived to live on in the cosmos when the Primordial Ones dispersed. There are several of these gods, some with names, some nameless, and those who have been lost to the sands of time. Yet among these deities, there are two who would go on to a greater destiny.

From a single fragment of aether, two gods came into existence. These were Ingur and Ingul, the Twins of the Void. There is neither elder nor younger sibling, as both awakened simultaneously with the other. The two spent their infancy in the shadows of the Primordial Ones, hiding from the lesser beings while negotiating with those of higher thought. As a shared existence from a single spark of power, both could not exist without the other, and were wholly dependent on each other's powers to survive. In time, they would not only travel the cosmos as siblings, but as lovers as well.

They were content to wander through the seemingly endless boundaries of Ghathyed's garden, reveling in the adventures that befell them. Sometimes, they would journey in the company of other gods, battling strange creatures and monsters in the dark spaces between the stars, or feasting upon the rich bounty of a verdant world. Still, there were times when the twins would sojourn on their own, or take the unexpected company of a Primordial One. Perhaps the highest point of their travels was the meeting with Ghathyed and Aetherion, as they lay in the middle of their cycle. The Twins were in awe, enraptured by the creation of a new world, and terrified at another's destruction. At that, they resolved to remain as far away from the cycle as they could, content to explore the further corners of the garden of Creation.

But this period of bliss would not last forever, and would come to a violent end that none could have predicted.

THE BETRAYAL
It was in the latest cycle that Aetherion's jealousy of its eldest sibling came to a boiling fruition. Where Ghathyed could create without end, all the Beast of Chaos could do was destroy that which was no longer of any use. Even his spawn, the Primordial Elementals, were forces of destruction, little better than savage beasts cowed by the power of their progenitor. It loathed the worlds that worshiped Ghathyed, took a dark pleasure in snuffing out their wails and listening to their pleas for their creator. It was in its nature to be a force of destruction, but it desperately yearned to be worshiped by lesser beings, to have the acknowledgment of its peers beyond loathing and disgust. It no longer sought to be viewed as the existence that only devoured what Ghathyed no longer valued.

It's loathing reached a breaking point when Ghathyed had it devour a series of its oldest worlds in rapid succession, simply because the Master needed more room to create and had little desire to prune on its own. Even as Aetherion committed the deed, silently obeying its sibling's wishes, it already had fostered thoughts of betrayal. And when it was done, and Ghathyed began to work once more, the Beast quietly departed, traveling to the furthest reaches of the cosmos, a space between the stars were nothing existed...save for the first step to attaining sovereignty over creation.

When Ushocklanc, Primordial of Fate, emerged from his realm beyond space and time to momentarily feed, the Aetherion had set a deadly trap. Caught unprepared, the Primordial of Fate was gravely injured, almost entirely consumed by the Beast of Chaos. Its cries for help resonated through the universe, and the rest of the Primordials came as fast as they could. But when they came, it was too late. Ushocklanc was little more than a pale shadow of its former form, and Aetherion had absorbed a significant portion of its power. Within the beast's head, a colossal eye sprouted from its bulbous flesh, the manifestation of the stolen power. This was the Eye of Aetherion, that which could see the paths of fate that all living things were bound to walk.

Even as the Primordials and their servants fought the Beast, they quickly realized that they were no match for it. Even without the Eye foreseeing every possible action and movement of its enemies, Aetherion was already a terrible existence. In its years of supping on Ghathyhed's creations, it had not shown any loss of its original and terrifying strength. It's maw was large enough to engulf a moon, and its breath could snuff out the light of a star. Where attacks both physical and magical struck, those that managed to score damage did not last long, as these wounds closed too quickly to have a long-lasting effect.

It did not take them too long to realize that battling it was folly. They fled, but not before suffering heavy losses from both the Beast and the Primordial Elements. After slaughtering its siblings and turning their servants into little more than cosmic dust, Aetherion proclaimed itself to be the master of creation. The cosmos would be its to rule and dictate as it saw fit, according to its desires. But first, Ghathyed would have to be brought to kneel before the new Master of the Void. Its new role would be that of the scorned, endlessly doomed to creating according to the whims of the Beast.

THE WAR FOR CREATION

When Ghathyed had heard what had happened, it was infuriated. It rallied the remnants of the Primordials. There were those who answered, vengeful and loathing, and those who refused, fleeing instead beyond the corners of the cosmos. Even as it cursed the names of those who had fled, Ghathyed already gathered the sapients of its myriad worlds. And as a single army, they launched a counter-attack on the Beast of Destruction.

Already, it knew what had to be done. Even among the other Primordials, Ghathyed and Aetherion were pillars of the very cosmos themselves. Though they could suffer grievous injuries and even sundering, they could not truly die. The Primordial of Destruction would need to be sealed away, for the remainder of all time.

And then there were those who refused to fight, both Primordials and Elder Gods alike, out of fear or a desire to flee. Kathgriorg, Primordial of Paths, had opened doors to realms beyond the cosmos, where not even Aetherion could hope to penetrate. So long as there were those who would flee and agree to pay its prices or swear subservience, it would hold the doors open before slipping in itself.

Ingur and Ingul were among those who had not gone out to fight. In the midst of one of their adventures, they had heard the news, and were desperately trying to reach Kathgriorg. However, just as they came in sight of the doors, they found them under attack. Erithion, the Primordial of Beasts, had been sent by its progenitor to ensure that no one would escape. Even though it was the youngest of Aetherion's spawn, it still overwhelmed the doors' defenders, savaging its way towards Kathgriorg.

Panicked, the Primordial closed the paths, leaving hundreds of remnants trapped on the wrong side of existence. Erithion then set its sights on the survivors, tearing though them with minimal effort. The Elder Gods struggled, only now choosing to fight to survive. It was all futile, and too late for the Twins to tell anyone to flee. By the time they had even gotten within shouting distance, Erithion had torn them all to shreds and bloody pieces.

Then, the Primordial of Beasts turned its eyes to the Twins. Ingul told his sister to run, that he would use his life to purchase her escape. She naturally refused:

"We are twins, brother, two born from one, bound closer than any of our kind. We are nothing without each other, both of power and in our destiny. If this is your moment of death, where you return the aether of a cold and uncaring universe, then my existence lasts no longer than yours. If you wish to fight and live, then it is my struggle as well."

There was nothing he could do to dissuade her. Reluctantly, he drew his weapon, and she readied her magics. Hand-in-hand, the Twins faced their destiny and charged Erithion.

THE END OF ALL THINGS

The forces of Creation and Destruction met in a fiery clash, in a terrible battle said to have lasted for eons. The number of souls consigned to the Void are uncountable, as are the number of planets and stars said to have been obliterated in the crossfire. Though the numbers of Creation were neigh infinite and those of Destruction only five, what led the forces of Destruction to victory was the Eye of Aetherion. All the numbers in the cosmos could not hope to match that which could read fate.

But Ghathyed would not be taken prisoner and made an eternal slave. In its final act of defiance, it detonated itself in a fiery conflagration, reducing its body into cosmic dust scattered throughout the universe. Neither dead nor alive, the Master of the Void continued to uphold a pillar of existence even in its reduced form.

Denied its prisoner, or even a scrap of flesh to devour and absorb, Aetherion raged, swearing to bring the End of All Things to the remnants of Ghathyed's cosmos. It no longer cared about being worshiped or respected. All of Creation would come crashing down.

Ever so slowly, the garden of Ghathyed succumbed to the tide of destruction. The cosmos burned as Aetherion's path left ruin in its wake, and it made sure to see that nothing would survive. Stars and moons, planets and their life, all would be destroyed, all would be consumed. Nothing could stand in its way, the Beast of Chaos and its terrible spawn-

As Aetherion reached one of the last holdouts of creation, it only then realized that its youngest spawn was missing. Erithion had not returned from its hunt of Kathgriorg, and the rest who had fled when Ghathyed summoned them to battle. Something had gone wrong, and it urged the rest of its children to search for their sibling. The Primordial Elements were swift to obey. When they were but distant stars on the horizon, Aetherion returned his attention to the task at hand, ready once more to despoil and raze the area to ruin.

Then, from behind the ruined core of a star, Aetherion's missing spawn returned to its father, bearing two Elder Gods on its back, armed and ready to wage war upon the Beast.

Ingur and Ingul had tamed Erithion, fashioning a rope out of the purest aether. For countless cycles, the Twins had mounted the Primordial, refusing to be shaken off its back, to let go of the rope. Only when they had exhausted the Beast did they begin the process of winning its loyalty. And in time, as its progenitor destroyed the cosmos, they had successfully tamed the Primordial of Beasts.

Seething with rage at its spawn's betrayal, Aetherion turned to the gods that had committed the act. Terrible thoughts and premonitions went through the monster's head. It would not make the Twins' death an swift and painless one. But as it gazed upon them, transfixing it with its baleful gaze and quivering Eye, it was unprepared for the first blow that struck it.

The Eye of Aetherion could see all the paths that lay before it, every single action across several different existences. But against the gods atop Erithion's back, wielding a club of dark energy, its owner could see nothing, save for the attacks that had now begun to cause pain.

In their travel to reach Aetherion, the Twins happened upon the shade of Ushocklanc, aimlessly wandering through the stars. The Primordial of Fate had endured the attack committed against it, but it had lost almost all of its power. However, its will to fight and attain revenge had not diminished, and as the Twins came closer, Ushocklanc had whispered the method of defeating the Primordial of Destruction.

"The Eye only sees things that have not yet happened, sees all possibilities in a single instant. Its owner cannot turn its gaze inward, or ever hope to tease the paths of the Beast of Chaos and its terrible spawn. However, the Eye is blind to events predetermined, events that cannot be changed or altered. The Eye is blind to Fate itself, Fate that dispels possibility and ensures events will happen."

Imbued within the great club, the shade of Ushocklanc, Primordial of Fate, howled in glee as the Twins brought it to bear against the Beast of Chaos. Even with its monstrous strength and fantastic abilities, Aetherion had become too reliant on the Eye. It could not hope to match the speed of Erithion, or see where Ingul's magic gouged craters along its body. The only blow it could see and predict coming, was the terrible swing of Ingur's club, racing towards the Eye of Aetherion with the vengeance of a Primordial One.

The blow had sundered the Eye, reducing it and the surrounding bone into a bloody mess. Aetherion writhed in pain, as an eternity of possibility and fate coursed through its mind, no longer held in check by the Eye. Its pained howls reached through all corners of the universe. Its spawn had heard the call, and just like the other Primordials so long ago, desperately raced towards the source of pain. But when they arrived, it was too late.

The cost was high - countless gods had perished, the Primordials were either dust or disappeared, and the whole of Creation was left in tatters. But in spite of it all, and with the aid of Ushocklanc, Ingur, Ingul and Erithion had accomplished what Ghathyed could not.

Aetherion had finally been defeated. And his spawn would not be far behind.

MOLDER OF EARTH, INFINITE SKY

In addition to the grievous wounds dealt unto it by the Twins and Erithion, Aetherion's mind had been destroyed by the skeins of fate, ground to oblivion from eons of abuse of the Eye. But even in its diminished state, Ushocklanc warned the Twins that no matter how many eternities came later, Aetherion's mind would return. And with it, an unstoppable thirst for vengeance. The Beast would have to be contained in an unbreakable prison, the likes of which Ghathyed had once designed before its downfall, one they had to build.

Ingur recalled the sight of the Primordial of Creation, shaping worlds and bringing existence from seemingly nothing. He was no Primordial. Powerful as he was, he was only an Elder God, and defeating Aetherion had been a gamble from the beginning. Even if he were to mimic Ghathyed and somehow attain enough power to create a world, it would not be a match for the Master of the Void.

But there was little choice in the matter. And even before the bodies of the Primordial Elements began to cool, the Twins had set to work, immediately.

Using Aetherion as the foundation, Ingur gathered the remnants of Ghathyed's creations and shaped the world around the Beast's corpse. Ingul gathered her power, unraveling her existence to spread as far across creation as she possibly could, searching for the coils of aether that once created the Cosmic Egg.

Together, with the husks of stars and the lengths of aether, Ingul bound Aetherion within the core of the earth, sealing it away within a prison of both impenetrable stone and the very essence of creation. The stone would take time to give way, but the aether was not so nearly as fragile. So long as the elder gods continued to exist, so would the coils that kept the Primordial of Destruction bound endure.

For seven cycles, Erithi and the Twins would create the prison to keep Aetherion in check. And at the end of every cycle, when another layer had been completed, Ingur would ascend to the Void, catching his sister in a passionate embrace. And she in turn would pull herself back together, breaking from the weaving of the aether to come into her brother's arms.

Laying on a bed of her unfinished coils, they would make love as the earth beneath them cooled. Ingul's tears of passion created the lakes, rivers and surface of the ocean, and the ice continents atop the north and southern poles. Where Ingur's seed fell and took root, mountains would grow, and the soil became a verdant green. And after every session spent, they marveled at the effects of their spent passion, resolving to continue for however long it took. If this was to be Aetherion's prison, and they were to be its wardens, then they would have complete and absolute control to decorate it as they saw fit.

For its services in battling against its predecessor, Erithion was spared, and renamed Erithi by the Twins. But for the rest of its brethren, the gods could not show mercy.

Every single Primordial Element would become an aspect of their progenitor's prison. Aguilen, Primordial of Fire, became the layer closest to the planet's core, a fiery barrier that nothing short of a god could enter. Next, came Kiduln, Primordial of Stone, forming the impenetrable bedrock of the earth. Agwealan, Primordial of Water, became the depths of the ocean that girdles the world, weighing down her siblings with an immeasurable force. Last, Kabulon, Primordial of Air, became the final seal, a barrier of winds to separate the void from the planet.

Shackled by the aether, and nursing their own injuries, all they could do was stare out in loathing as the Elder Gods chained them in their own prison. Even as they stand a reluctant guard over their sire's corpse, there are, in turn, four seals that keep the Primordial Elements in check: the Seal of the Sky, the Seal of the Ocean, the Seal of the Earth, and the Seal of the Flame. When all these seals are unlocked, the gates to the earth's core will open, and the path will be laid clear to the inner prison of Aetherion, where Ingur remains to maintain and forge the prison for all of time.

THE ELDER PANTHEON

Even the gods are not immune to lapses in judgement, or the effects of copious lovemaking. On the seventh cycle, Ingul had truly become pregnant. After lashing Kabulon in place, Ingur refrained from copulating, moving to aid her in the first stages of her delivery. Erithi stood watch, vigilant and alert, as Ingul gave birth to the chief deities of the pantheon.

First came Aldawi, Dawn's First Light, leaping from her mother's womb to take her place at her mother's shoulder. She is the sun, the celestial body that brings light to the world, and showers all, both those of good or evil will, in the warmth of her embrace. Shrouded in robes made of pure sunlight, she travels the domain of her mother, bringing the gift of life to all corners of the earth.

Next came Laptalu, the Lady in Green, taking to the cold earth with jubilant laughter. She is the goddess of spring and water, sowing the earth with her hair and crying tears of both sadness and amusement. From her hair, the first plants took root, and her tears nursed them into blooming maturity. Her rains can be signs of joy or sorrow.

Even in his mother's womb, Zethul was an unruly child. The Song of Storms and god of summer came stomping in the wake of his sister, wielding spears of lightning in all eight of his hands. His shout is the rumble of thunder, and the clarion call to war. But for his fickle and often discontent mood, his devotion to his family is unmatched, and his heart is just.

In her brother's path, Dulgora, the Bountiful Harvest, came in a wake of gold and red. The goddess of autumn watched over the plants her sister had sown, bringing each to the fullness of fruition. The bounty and soil of the earth is her domain, as is the realm of fertility and those who desire offspring.

Onganul shared none of the temperament of his siblings, exiting Ingul's womb in deliberate slowness so as to ease her pain. The Tender of Dreams made no rush of things, letting the hoarfrost of winter slowly engulf the land. His breath is that of the coldest air, and his ministry is over the sleep of all living beings, nurturing and harvesting both dream and nightmare alike.

Last to come from Ingul, Tdulok, the Shadow of Night, took his place at the other side of his mother, opposite of Aldawi. He is the moon, the solitary pearl of twilight, and his existence is antithetical to his sister's. If she is the light, then he the darkness, and he is both the master and harbinger of death. Young or old, man or woman, all souls stand equal before his cold, merciless gaze.

After the delivery of her children, Ingul fell into a deep and heavy slumber, and nothing Ingur did could rouse her from her sleep. After several attempts, he surrendered, and lay down beside his wife to join her rest. It would not be until they roused themselves, three hundred and sixty five cycles later, would they find their children at their side, awaiting their parents' orders. Though they had initially quarreled about their roles in the world, they ultimately waited for their sires to rise and give them their orders.

For Aldawi and Tdulok, Ingur and Ingul were content to remain where they were, traveling along the body of their mother to divide the cycle into day and night. The rest of the siblings were given mastery over the seasons. For four months, each sibling would have mastery of the world. As the eldest of the seasons, Laptalu would herald the start of the year, a quarter of the length of cycles that Ingur and Ingul had rested. And in turn, the domain would pass from one sibling to the next: Zethul, Dulgora, and Onganul would have their time to do as they saw fit before the year would start once more.

THE CHILDREN OF THE GODDESS

It would not take long for the gods to realize that they were alone. Though they had created a world upon which they could rest and revel in atop the prison of Aetherion, it was an empty place, populated with little more than vegetation. And there were seldom any others to share in their joy. What little survivors remained in the aftermath of the War had not answered their invitations to come and join them on the earth, or refused outright out of fear for the Beast of Chaos. Likewise, the Primordials had all but disappeared, vanishing into realms beyond space and time to nurse their wounds and heal. No, the Elder Pantheon was truly alone in this little remnant of Ghathyhed's creation.

This would not do. Ingur gathered the gods and ordered them to create worthy inheritors of the world they had created. Had they not, after all, created a planet and set the natural order of things into motion? But Ingur had only seen Ghathyhed create worlds and stars. He had not seen the Master of the Void create the life that would inhabit the infinite worlds within the whole of Creation.

It would be Erithi who created the first creatures of the world. With its permission, Ingul carved pieces of its body, burying them across the continents. Using a portion of Erithi's teeth and bones, he cast them across the world, atop mountains and the deepest parts of the ocean. And with a boiling cauldron of the Primordial's blood, he watered the places where he had sown his crop. From these remnants, the first animals would be born. From its flesh, the creatures of the earth would be born, emerging from the ground to wander across the lands. And where its teeth had fallen, the ancestors of the birds and fish would hold rule over their respective kingdoms. No longer were the gods alone.

Yet it still was not enough. Grateful as they were to Erithi, the gods desired something to be created in their own image, not that of a Primordial. The only question was how they would accomplish this plan. They could not create anything else from the stuff they were made of. The aether in the universe was nigh-depleted, either used to create the earth itself or consumed in the war. It would take an eternity for enough of the energy to return before they could create even a single being truly like them.

It would ultimately be Ingul who reached a conclusion. The first men and women were created in the image of the Elder Gods, and to give them life, Ingul nurtured them in her womb, expending her own energies to infuse them with the tiniest sliver of aether and spark of sentience. Ingur had lent his blood and seed, and Ingul used her own flesh, but the bodies of mankind were little more than clay and dirt. In time, even though they would be given life, they would die, they would return the dust from which they were made. Even as they were made of a god's seed, blood and flesh, created in the image of the gods and birthed from the womb of a deity, they were lesser beings, comprised more of mundane than divine materials that would fail to withstand the test of time.

But even then, the gods would love them. Theirs was the stewardship of the earth, for them and their descendants until the world ended. In return for this gift, they would worship the gods, offer sacrifices in their names, and safeguard the world from any threats that Aetherion posed. And upon their deaths, the aether of their souls would be reunited with their creators, and embraced by the mother that had created and loved them. In her name, the first men and women named themselves the Ingulans, and with the will of the gods on their shoulders, set about to impose their will upon the earth.

This is the creation myth of the Ingulans, passed down the countless years and generations. It is told to little children, sung in sacred ritual, and brought to life through the dances of Skysingers. Though their numbers have diminished across the long annals of history, and some have turned away from the embrace of the gods, there are still those who cling to the old ways, singing and dancing and worshiping until the day where they are reunited with their gods and their beloved Mother.