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Today I share the story of the Divine Deer, a group of ageless entities that existed as the bearers of all of nature’s sin and fortune, the ones who made nature the way it is, and how they forever molded our landscape...
It started with Zotha the Mother, who was born from the seed of a fallen apple. She embodies the good in nature, as the caregiver of prey and the hunted. From her the beginnings of nature sprouted
The Mother lived on, but with only prey growing and flourishing, nature grew over abundant. so from a fallen hair of the Mother, her opposite formed, Phiste the GodFather. As the trainer of predators, Phiste brought peace and order to nature by Zotha’s side
Nature’s cycle of predator and prey left something to be desired, and the Holy Parents understood this. So through bonding, they were able to birth children that brought diversity to a dull and predictable nature
The first of their children, Gortoth the Unseeable, was able to grant prey and predators a unique skill, stealth. This forever changed many environments, and helped prey evolve the 5th sense, hearing, to give them a sliver of hope against stealthy predators
Next were the Twins of Dexterity, Mophtres (right) and Nophtrom (left), who together gave prey the power to outrun and outmaneuver predators respectively. Prey often celebrate the existence of these divine creatures through a ritual dance (picture 2)
The fourth child and final child, Odam’olst the Invasive, eradicated the 27th law of nature by granting all animals freedom to invade habitats claimed by other animals.
With the fourth child birthed, the Holy Parents were made aware of the risk of reproducing, Odam’olst was proof of this. So in order to keep the balance of nature in check, they banished their children to the Desert of Judgement
This left the children feeling betrayed and upset, they didn’t understand why they had been cast out, and they feared that the Holy Parents wanted to be the only ones in control of nature. this thought angered the children, so they began to seek revenge.
During this time of solitude, some of the children sought to grow their numbers
And so the Twins of Dexterity, breaking the 5th rule of nature, had a child. This abomination became known as Ruthas the Mangled, and he would enable select creatures a skill of unmatched flexibility
And so the Twins of Dexterity, breaking the 5th rule of nature, had a child. This abomination became known as Ruthas the Mangled, and he would enable select creatures a skill of unmatched flexibility
This was not the only child the Twins brought into this world. Seroth the Lustful was their second hideous creation, who bred selfishness among the creatures of nature, forever ending the cooperative behavior so common in the wild
Odam’olst, as the youngest child and reason for everyone being cast out, was unable to properly bond with their siblings. In sulking alone, Odam’s tears wet the dry soil, and from those tears sprouted Urgleth the Sorrowed who gave to all creatures negative emotions
Gortoth, despite being cast out, remained loyal to the Holy Parents. As time passed and it was made clear they were forever abandoned, Gortoth gave up. In an attempt to end it all, they jumped off the edge of the desert, however this did not end it for them...
Upon falling into the void below, Gortoth’s soul left their body and, in the span of 4 days, arose back to the desert in the form of Gortaroth the Abandoned. This half spectral creature bound the souls of all creatures to this mortal plain, keeping them from ever rising to heaven
The children and their creations, whom in their suffering selfishly brought about hatred and despair to nature, prepared to overthrow the Holy Parents. Appalled and disgusted by what their children had created, the Holy Parents prepared to accept fate
In one final attempt to keep nature alive, the parents took their own lives and merged their souls into Zothaphis the End Bringer. With their newly combined power, they were able to eradicate their children, and their children’s children, at the expense of their own lives
With the Divine Deer no more, nature persisted as it was when they had been eradicated. Hateful, despairing, and hopeless, yet balanced.
A new era dawned, one without the divine, one that is destined to continue onwards until Zothaphis is reborn, in the next 4 million years...
A new era dawned, one without the divine, one that is destined to continue onwards until Zothaphis is reborn, in the next 4 million years...
