Legends of Amb

A'a Creates the World - The First Darkness - The Time of Second Darkness - Sosen's Six Pillars Aviva Creates the Night Sky - Kar's Web - Suteja Creates Marriage - Gavan and Garan

A'a Creates the World

The Creation of Amb

A'a the creator lived in the Void. The Void was just that, a void. It was full of nothingness and others, similar to A'a. A'a sprang from nothing, created by nothing. The others were the same. A'a was different from the others though, he thought that there could be more than nothing; more than thought and the Void. He believed he could create something. However, he was unsure what something was. In a void of nothing, he held onto his belief in something.

In the void, there is no time, no space, only nothing. There is not even darkness or light. So, the very thought of something was difficult enough to even have. Forming the thought into that something was more difficult still.

Eventually, A'a thought of what that something should be and he created Time. With this creation, the void moved forward and A'a was able to create more things. After time, he created darkness. A'a liked the darkness, it made him feel safe, but, the darkness soon grew boring and within the darkness he couldn't tell that he had created time, so, he created light. He liked Light as well. Light made him feel happiness.

His creations began to attract the others to him. Sosen was the first to find A'a sitting in these new things, this light and darkness. Then came Minol. Minol liked the light and darkness so much, he asked A'a if he could have it. A'a gave it to him because he had already thought of something new he could make.

A'a created Earth and Rock. A large ball of earth and rock now hung in the Void. Inside the light and the darkness that had started to fill up the void as Minol spread it around, putting something into the nothing. Sosen was becoming jealous of A'a creations, but could not think of the right something of his own to add into the nothing. The Earth attracted Arin who looked on it for some time. Arin knew what had to be added to the ball of Earth and Rock. And thus, water came to be.

Vermi came next. He liked the blue of the water, but he too wanted to add something of his own into the something. Vermi added plants and trees, giving this ball of Earth and Rock and Water something else- color. Vermi was please and he retreated into the darkness and the light that Minol was spreading and created more.

Alos looks at the thing the others had put together and gave it air and sky. He gave it wind and lightning and cloud. He gave it rain to help the things of color grow.

Others came, but they too had nothing to add to this thing. Sosen stared at the new things and created more of them and spread them out in the landscape of light and darkness Minol was painting on the void. However, Sosen wanted something of his own. Something that would provide entertainment in the thing that was no longer the Void, but something. Then Sosen knew what to create.

Sosen created Life. Shan saw this life and nodded in approval, but thought that life was missing something, so he gave those living things a soul. And then, he gave those living things death so the soul could move from one living thing to the next. Gira thought that this was good and that the living things needed something more, so Gira gave them sex. Decaturn smiled at Gira's gift and gave those living things the ability to create more living things- she gave them fertility. Shan liked this, it would give people a choice when moving their soul around, which until then had simply been switching the existing bodies.

A'a liked these things and three more of the other came to see him. Aviva, Kar and Suteja. They wished to add their own things to the something as well. A'a said to give it time and they would be allowed to add something, until then, they should make more of this something and spread them around the light and darkness that Minol was spreading.

When A'a looked upon his something he realized that it needed something more. It took him a very long time to decide what it was it needed.

Then, A'a gave it what it needed. A name.

Amb.

The First Darkness

The First Return of the Void to Amb

Long ago, before history was written, Amb was at peace. People fought of course, but the wars were trifling. During it's creation, A'a had painted the void in darkness and light, then handed his brush to Minol. Minol too painted darkness and light within the void, to cover up the nothingness.

But the void was still there, outside the darkness and light it lingered, slowly creeping through holes and cracks. The void found a crack that led it to Amb. The void brought with it nothingness. The crack opened and nothing leaked through. A vast emptiness and vast void.

Nothing and Something could not mix and so chaos was caused between the two. Not the chaos of change, but the chaos of oil trying to mix with water. In this Void where Something and Nothing formed a quagmire, a new sort of darkness formed. A darkness that could not be seen and could not be felt. The Gods saw this new sort of darkness and they did not have a name for it. They watched it curiously, unsure what would happen.

From this quagmire, the Something filled with Nothing and this forced mixture exploded. High into the sky, the Void and Creation exploded. Everything turned to Black. Life upon Amb did not know what to do. When the Black Darkness touched them, they too turned to nothing. When the Void entered them, their lost their soul and became part of the Black Darkness.

They became something new. Not like A'a and the Gods, not like mortals, not like the void either. They became Dæmons. The Dæmons feasted on Amb, eating away at the people and life. The people fought back, but they could do nothing against these creatures who were powerful as Gods, yet not Gods. So, A'a and the Gods fought the Dæmons. Sosen fought the dæmons back from the cities, but could not save them all. Aviva fought the dæmons who attacked the children, but could not save them all. Together the Gods fought this new something.

The People fought when they could, some blessed by the Gods to aid in battle. But the dæmons were winning. Finally, the Gods met and decided they could not win, but they could remove the darkness from their creation if they created another one parallel, but separate for these new creatures. So they did. Together the Gods created a new place behind Amb. The same as Amb, yet different. Very different. They created a place no mortal could see and didn't touch Amb, but was there beside it.

The dæmons were moved into this new place along with the chaos that created them. With everything moved, the black darkness retreated from Amb along with the Void.

This was the First Darkness.

The Time of Second Darkness

The Rift Opens in Amb

The Second Darkness of Amb began when the two worlds that had sat beside each other touched and cracked. The mortals of Amb had lost and nearly forgotten the age of the First Darkness. It was only story, only myth. When the worlds touched, they touched in such a way that did not allow those of Amb through the crack to the other side, yet let those from the other side through to Amb.

In the countless years since the First Darkness the dæmons multiplied. Like on Amb, they had been given the same gifts as life there: sex, fertility, water etc. The dæmon no longer looked like dæmons and no longer held power equal to the Gods, though they still were more powerful than the mortals of Amb. When the worlds touched, the first thing that came through the crack was darkness.

Clouds covered the sky and day turned to night. The moons in the sky turned dark, the star lost their shine. The sky became nothing but darkness, the cloud, not a cloud, but something else, covering out the light. For a year, nothing came through the crack but darkness. The people worried. The people prayed. The people begged for a savior. The people got no word.

Then, the progeny of the dæmons began to come through the crack. A few at first who ravaged the people. You could hardly tell they were from the place behind Amb. But they were strong and they were hungry. They ate away at Amb. Only a few at first, then more. Many more.

They traveled quickly through the darkness that covered the land. For decades the people fought them back to no avail. For decades the people fought. For decades the people of Amb survived against the Second Darkness.

Then their prayers were answered. A child was born. A child was born under a lucky star. For the moment the child was born, the darkness in the sky cracked and light shone down upon him. A sign that the Gods had chosen him. Alos anointed the child with strength. Sosen gave the child wit. Kar gave the child magic. Arin gave him beauty. Shan gave him knowledge. Gira gave him the gift of charisma. In turn, each of the Gods gave the child a gift to help him live to defeat the second darkness. Finally, A'a came and gave him one more thing; a weapon.

The boy grew into a man. Wilhelm Arascon they called him. He grew and gathered to him people skilled and strong. People flocked to him. He was the boy born in the light. He fought. He fought and he won. He beat back the dæmon progeny that had spilled through the crack. He beat them back with his companions. When he got to the crack, he sealed it with a magical gate, so nothing could come through ever again.

When the gate was sealed, the Darkness broke, letting in the warm rays of the suns.

Sosen's Six Pillars

Sosen Gives Civilization to Amb

Before life was civilized, they wandered the land with no purpose and no direction. They were dirty and contributed nothing to making the world more than what it was. Sosen did not approve of this. He thought that the life capable of intelligent thought on the land should embrace something more. So, he thought long and hard about what those things should be.

First he talked to Kar, asking what would make people better. Then he talked to Alos. Then to Arin. He talked to every God in turn, looking for the answer to his quest. Finally, he decided on six things that he thought could hold people up and make them better. Six things that would let them leave a mark on the world. Six pillars to make them civilized.

So, Sosen went down to Amb and started announcing the six things. "I have come to show you a new and better way of doing things. I have come to show you how you can leave a mark and make the people who come next remember you. No longer will you wander aimlessly; no longer will you be like the animals you eat."

"First, you must stop wandering the lands. Lay down roots and build permanents places to live. When you have a place to rest, you can start to make great things. Build grand homes, build strong homes. Shelter yourselves from the elements within them. I will show you how." So, Sosen taught the people Architecture and Engineering.

"Next, since you are no longer wandering in search of food you must learn to create food where you live. I will teach you this. You will plant food and brings animals together." So, Sosen taught the people Farming and Herding. He continued with teaching them Government and Law, "Now that you are no longer moving, you must find ways to organize yourselves. Instead of fighting against the elements, you will find yourselves struggling against each other. You must have an organization to handle this and a belief to guide you."

"With these new bodies and organization, you will not all agree. You will fight each other, this is natural. Animals do it to show who is most powerful. You too, will tend to do these things. But, there is a way of doing these things." And so, Sosen taught them War. He thought a moment on war and decided to teach them Medicine and Healing as well. "There will be times when you are injured or sick. You must learn to cure yourselves and bind your wounds. To keep healthy is a sign of respect for your body."

"Finally, there will be times of peace when you are not fighting, times of prosperity when you are not working and times of health when you are not healing. In these times you must find ways to entertain yourselves, so I will teach you the thing dearest to my heart. I will teach you art." And finally, Sosen taught the people art and entertainment.

Some people embraced all the pillars, others did not. Thus, life separated on Amb into the civilized High Races and the uncivilized Low Races. Some of the high Races disappeared from the lands because of the pillars, but some thrived with them. Even today, the mark of a civilized society is one that can embrace all Six Pillars of Civilization.

Aviva Creates the Night Sky

Aviva places the stars

Aviva looked up at the sky on day and found that is was dreadfully dull. Suns and moons made at the beginning of time were becoming boring. She decided that it needed something new. She liked new things as she liked change. When the sky stayed the same, the thought that people would grow bored with it.

So, she created stars- shimmering lights to dance across the sky. At first, she placed them into the sky carefully arranging them into shapes and patterns.

Over time she grew bored with that, so she made them different shapes and colors. She liked that very much for a time. Placing these colorful large stars in places where she thought they looked right and the teeny tiny little ones to fill in spaces that just needed a little something. Still she arranged them in shapes and patterns, naming them as she arranged her stars on the sky.

But, Aviva being the fickle, ever changing creature that she is, grew bored with the patterns again. Since they were all named and ordered, there was nothing new to see in the sky. This displeased her and she grew frustrated with it. So, she created handfuls of stars all at once and simply tossed them into the sky, one handful after another. She didn't care where they landed or the size or shape. She threw and threw until her arms grew tired.

She leaned back and looked at the sky. She could still find her patterns and shapes, but now, there was so much more; countless shimmering lights in the heavens. Then, for one last laugh, she gave the sky a push, making it rotate around. Now the sky would be ever changing and Aviva could be happy.

Kar's Web

Kar shows Mortals Magic

Kar was sitting in his kingdom bored and weaving threads. He had been busy laying red threads to connect everything, the idea had amused him on evening and he had nothing better to do. He had been toying with something new. Something different. Something similar to what he and the others had done in creation.

As he wove things together, he began to play with the threads. He could change things, create things and do things without using his powers, but rather by using energy and these threads. Both did something a little differently.

One day, someone spied him toying with the threads and the energy. "What are you doing? Can I learn it too?" Kar was asked. He thought on this for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. I will teach you."

Soon, others joined the first person in learning to do what Kar was doing. Kar taught them about the thread and energy. He taught them how to change things. He had finished his web throughout the world, binding and weaving everything together. He had found that some places many threads crossed. He told people about these places and how to find them.

Soon, Kar had taught the people everything he could show them about what he had created and what he had done. " Teach others. None of you knows everything, but if you work together, you will be able to learn more. I leave this in your hands. I will keep the web and make sure nothing breaks." Then Kar paused a moment, "I will call this magic. There are two kinds I think. Energy Casting and Thread Weaving. Yes, it is so." With that, Kar went back to weaving his web.

Suteja Creates Marriage

Suteja shows mortals the bonds between two people

Suteja was sitting one day spying on people who were enjoying Gira's gift to them. Then he Spied on people who were enjoying Decaturn's gift. He decided that something was missing from this. There was no loyalty. Children and sex- there was something missing. Children had no male figure to look to. They were bound only to their mother.

Some time later, he and Minol were sitting back talking on the matter. "It is unbalanced and uneven. You are right. Children need many influences upon them I think." Minol commented to Suteja. Suteja thought a moment, "But, when can I do to make sure these children have a female and a male influence to watch out for them and teach them?" He and Minol talked some more, but came to no conclusions.

One day, Suteja was watching people trading. They used this thing called law and contract to go into agreement. Then he thought of it. A contract to bind to people together. That would be it. So, Suteja thought about it some more. A union would be perfect, something to create a family and a home. He went to Decaturn and spoke to her about it.

"My friend, I think people need to be bound together under one roof," he said. Decaturn thought on this, then nodded. "Yes, let us try it ourselves." So, they bound to each other. Aviva spied this and laughed, "What are you doing?" "We are living together to try this new thing out. Come, live with us and we will care for you." Aviva, thought this would be amusing, at least for a time, so she did.

Together they learned many things and came to enjoy each other's company. "This is good." Aviva said and they all agreed. So, Suteja went down to Amb and showed the people what it meant to be bound together as a family. The people liked this. So Suteja showed them the contract of marriage.

Gavan and Garan

The Story of the Stork and the Eagle

Long ago, before the first darkness when life was new, a mother screamed into the night. Something had happened that had never been heard of, something had happened that had never happened before. The birth of the child had been difficult, but the pains did not stop, there was still something else trying to escape her womb. A few moments later, a second child was born.

Two children in one womb. The mother was weak, but the other women looked upon them with murmurs. "She must have been cursed. Two children in one womb." "No, no, those things must be demons that ate her baby and then crawled out of her womb." "This cannot be. They look the same." "They are not the same, see, that one is a girl and that one is a boy." "They look the same" "They are not the same." Late into the night, the women argued over the two screaming children.

Finally, one picked them up, cleaned them and swaddled them. "Two or one, they are still babies," she said, handing them to their mother. Their mother was very weak from the birth, but she fed them and their screams subsided.

When the elders heard about the odd birth, they met. "We must throw them out. They are demons who ate her baby." "No, they are children. Brother and sister." "Demons." "Children." The men argued late into the night. Finally, they decided what must be done.

"The children cannot stay here. It is unnatural for two children to be born of one womb. They can stay until they come of age, then they must leave. They must not be kept together during this time for if they are demons, they will surely have strength together." The Elders had spoken. But, before the end, he added one more thing, "These children will have no name."

The twin's mother grew weaker and weaker until she died. Blame was set upon the children for draining her strength. The twins were separated; one went to their mother's husband and the other to her sister. At night, you could hear the children cry out at the same time. When one was struck, the other wept. The villagers knew these children had to leave.

The nameless children grew up, every day one looking more like the other. People would not speak to them except to strike them. Their dark skin was marred by bruises, their golden eyes dull with sadness. Despite being torn apart, the twins knew everything about each other. They spoke in a strange language to one another convincing everyone that they must be demons from another world.

When they came of age, they were stripped of their clothing and their things and sent away.

For twelve days and twelve nights, the twins wandered in the wilderness with only each other, hand in hand. At every village they passed, they were turned away. At some, people threw stones at them. They were nameless, they were strange, they were two people with the same face.

On the twelfth night, the twins shivered in the woods, huddled together for warmth. Their small fire flickered against the cold of night. "Sister, our death is near." "No brother, it is not. We will live. I can feel it." "I am tired and need to sleep. I feel like I will sleep a thousand years. Is not that death?" "I do not know." They held each other and fell asleep. In their dream, they were visited by Aviva.

"I am Aviva and you are the suffering children born from the same womb. You are not demons, but you are special. Walk to the red star for twelve days and meet me." Aviva said to them in the dream.

The twins awoke and started to walk, following the red star. For twelve days and twelve nights they walked in the direction of the red star. People still spit upon them when they passed villages and they were still hungry and naked. On the twelfth night, the twins slept and Aviva visited them in a second dream. "Good, you have walked toward the red star. Now, look into the sky and find the brightest star and walk toward it for another twelve days." The twins did so.

At the end of the next twelve days, they found some clothes to wear and a warm meal an old hermit was willing to share. "I knew you were coming. I had a dream of you. Eat and sleep comfortably tonight. When the sun rises, I will take you to where you must go." The old hermit brushed their hair and plaited it. He washed their faces and cared for their bruises and their blisters. Then the twins slept warm in their bed. When morning broke, the hermit took the twins to a pool. In the pool stood a tall, elegant stork. Perched on a rock above the pool was a golden eagle. The birds looked to the two, their eyes were golden like the twins. "From now on, you are Gavan," he said to the girl child, "And you are Garan." he said to the boy child. He touched the boy's shoulder, "The stork," he touched the girl's shoulder, "And the eagle."

The twins held hands, now they had names. Now they were someone. Individuals, yet the same. The hermit gave each of them a weapon. A stone dagger for the girl and a bow for the boy. "You must protect each other with strength and with wisdom. Soon, Aviva will come to you again. Practice with your gifts a while, I must sit and rest." The hermit sat and watched the pair practice with their weapons. He sat and watched and died. His purpose was complete.

The twins cried when the hermit died. He had been the only person who had ever shown them warmth and compassion. They cried over his dead body. They washed it and then built it a pyre. Finally, that evening, they burned it. As the ashes of the hermit drifted into the air, they wept again, mourning his passing. As the sun set, they saw Aviva standing in the flames of the pyre. "That was my last Avatar on this land. You two are special to me. You are my children and children you will forever be, never aging past where you are now. You will adventure across this world by my side. You will be my sword and my bow, my strength and my wisdom. You will be My Children forever. Come, let me teach you how to smile and how to laugh. Let me teach you joy."

Gavan and Garan took Aviva's outstretched hands. At that moment, they became immortal children. With Aviva, they protected the children of the land from harm and suffering. When a stone was thrown at a child, they acted as the child's strength. When the twins became tired of adventure and had seen all there was to see, when they had learned to laugh and learned to smile, they asked Aviva to rest. Aviva smiled and nodded and turned them into stars in the sky. "When you wish to return, simply ask." So, Gavan and Garan watch Amb from the night sky. They were the first twins, the immortal twins. They are the Stork and the Eagle.