The story of Esfera is older than the planet itself. It began long before any of the Ancient Ones can remember. The history we have was given to the Ancient Ones by the gods themselves, so that we may know our origins and know our purpose. Many thousands of years ago, Daman, father of all that is, awoke. He found himself without light, without darkness, without sensation, pleasurable or no. Daman lived, but experienced nothing except what was in his own mind. Daman wandered and in this vast, senseless prison for many years, but as he wandered he began to feel that he lacked something. For the first time in his existence he had experienced sensation and this consumed him. He became obsessed with the idea of what he lacked.
The first and most driving lack that he identified was companionship. He felt alone. He recognized the ability to imagine and started to imagine what it would be like to have a companion with whom he could share his existence. His imagination swelled with the idea of his perfect companion until one day he experienced the first sensation that came from outside of his own mind. He was aware of another being; like him, but somehow different. He named her Baya, and then there were two. These two, the high gods of Esfera, communicated mind to mind and soon realized that Daman had called Baya from out of the nothingness, the complete lack that surrounded them both.
This ability to create, to call into existence that which was not there, intrigued Daman and Baya. As a result of their communication, their ability to feel began to increase, but they still existed in a state of lack: no form, no sound, no sight, only vague sensations that did not satisfy them. They started looking for ways that they could make their experiences more poignant and lasting. Just as Daman had imagined Baya and she came into existence, both started to imagine and classify the ways that they could experience each other. It is impossible to know whether the form or the sense of touch came first, possibly they came at the same time, but they did come. They were vague at first, like the other sensations and experiences, but they grew stronger with the passage of time; their forms became more definite as their sense of touch grew more sensitive and intense. In a like fashion, hearing followed, as a result of desire for better communication. Like touch, hearing had a companion: voice. Which one came first not even the Ancient Ones know, but they did come. These two were known as the high senses or the high wits, because they are the purest and the hardest to deceive.
The low senses (or wits) came later, only as a result of the creation. As with form and touch, hearing and voice, it is impossible to know whether the low senses or the creation came first, but they did come. The desire to experience the totality of form gave birth to sight, and with it came its companions: light and dark. The desire to experience the combination of forms gave birth to smell, and with it came its companions: fragrance and stench. The desire to experience the concentration of form gave birth to taste, and with it came its companions: sweet and bitter. These are known as the low senses because they are impure and easy to deceive.
With the advent of the wits came perception, and with perception came the desire for variety. This desire coupled with the ability to create is how Esfera was born from the nothingness that preceded existence. Through sheer will Esfera was formed, a globe in the void; lit only by the presence of the father and the mother of all that is. They created the suns and the moons; the lands and the seas; each with its partner, each with its opposite.
The flora and the fauna came next and in great variety. Baya took responsibility for the flora. She created trees and bushes; grass and weeds; flowers and herbs; each with its partner, each with its opposite. Forests covered the land, their branches laden with ripe and succulent fruits and nuts; the margins between the forests were filled with rolling verdant hills; fields were covered in golden grains; swamps were a haven of twisting vines; each of these were crafted with attention to the new senses Daman and Baya had access to. The feel of the grass was pleasing to the touch. The wind through the bushes was pleasing to the ears. The immense stature of the trees was pleasing to the eyes. The scent of the herbs was pleasing the nose. The taste of fruit was pleasing to the tongue. But the flowers were Baya’s crowning achievement and were pleasing to all of the five wits. The flowers were, and still are, Baya’s children; each painstakingly crafted, each new flower loved more than the last. The greatest and most loved of the flowers is the lily, which remains the symbol of Baya to this day.
Daman took responsibility for the fauna of Esfera. Each of the beasts was placed into one of two groups: those of the hunt and those of the grain. He created the falcon and the finch and all other creatures of the air. He created the bear and the horse and all other creatures of the earth. He created the shark and the whale and all other creatures of the sea. The fauna were also created with attention to the new senses Daman and Baya had access to. The howl of the wolf and the song of the bird were pleasing to the ears. The fur of the rabbit and the skin of the dolphin were pleasing to the touch. The stature of the mighty elephant and the miniscule mouse were pleasing to the eye. The taste of the succulent pig and tender salmon were pleasing to the taste. The odor of the bees hive and even the stench of the skunk were pleasing to the nose. But Daman’s crowning achievement was the Sate whose combination of so many forms, sounds, scents, textures and tastes pleased all the senses. The sate was, and still is, the most beloved creature created by Daman, and remains his symbol to this day.
The creation complete, Daman and Baya rested from their labors and enjoyed their fruits. For many years they did nothing but wander their majestic mountains, roam their dense forests, swim their endless oceans, float through their azure skies, and enjoy the greatness of their many creations. But eventually the lack, which was at once their muse and their weakness, returned. They felt no deficiency in each other’s company, but again they felt the lack of companionship and the need to create. Again they tried to identify the nature of the lack that they felt. It was not a need to satisfy one of the senses. It was not a need to satisfy curiosity. It was not a need to satisfy loneliness. They did not know what the need was, but they knew that it was something different.
It was Baya who first identified what the need was. She remembered the first time she showed her lily to Daman. She remembered the look of wonder and awe in his eyes, the look of ecstasy on his face as he held the blossom to his nose and inhaled, the gentle caress of his fingers as he felt the petals of the delicate flower. She also remembered the first time that he did not stand in amazement of the green hills of the plains. She remembered the first time that he failed to smile at the massive trees of the forest. She remembered the first time that she had failed to admire the grace and beauty of the running deer and the swimming swan. She remembered the joy of showing these new creations to Daman and she identified the need to share. She explained this need to Daman, and they quickly decided that in order to fulfill this need they would make more beings like themselves with whom they could share their creations. This was the advent of the low gods, the first of Daman and Baya’s children together.
Daman and Baya started planning their children. They decided that the sharing would start with the creation of their children. The high gods created their seed with their own form and image, but in wondrous combination and variety; some had brown eyes some had blue, some had black hair some had blonde, some had dark skin some had light, some were male some were female, but each was unique and each was known to their parents intimately. Each of their children was also blessed with the five wits that their parents had struggled so long and hard to develop, but they were not given their parents knowledge. Daman and Baya determined that their children should be have the ability to reason, to comprehend, to decide, to discern, and most of all to learn; this could not be accomplished if they had to worry about their parents preconceptions.
The children grew in knowledge and personality. Some loved the plants, some loved the beasts some loved the ground or ocean, some loved interaction with their siblings and parents, and all loved something. After many years, a hierarchy started to develop where certain of the low gods established themselves as rulers over specific areas.