User:Ceros/History of Man: Before the Quake(edited)
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Summary
At the dawn of time, the Gods were created when an explosion of mana and energy breathed sentience into the mana. While some mana turned into spirits, four unique instances became something more. The Gods were born and they began to pull mana unto them, and came in time to control the elements and create the Universe. In all the Universe, the Gods favored the Mana World the most, because they saw themselves in the creatures that came to dwell there and because of the bond of mana they both shared.
The Gods found that in order to create change and effect worlds, they had to use their mana and it eventually began to wane. Over time, their divine knowledge began to fade away and for the first time they were vulnerable to human-like emotions. In a moment of weakness, the God Nu'rem reached down and shook the Mana World, causing great cataclysms and destruction below, extinguishing most life on the planet. In order to end the destruction, the other Gods drained him of his magic. But too much of his mana was spent, and with a groan he poured out over the world in a flood of mana, reinvigorating the Gods as he slowly faded away. Seeing the great wrong he had done, Nu'rem knew of one last thing he could do for the world he loved so much. With the last of his mana fading, he attached himself to the plane where the separated spirits of creatures came to reside, forever pledged to return those he deems worthy to the land of the living through a series of trials. Some would one day return to walk among the living, granted a resurrection by Nu'rem, Keeper of the Dead.
In the Mana World, despite the devastation, the creatures that inhabited the planet found a new energy danced within them and they began to learn to harness its power...
Gods and the Universe
Before the universe existed as it is known, there was only mana and a sphere of energy to which the mana was attracted. Mana surrounded the sphere in all directions.
Then, an anomaly. The sphere suddenly expanded with great force in all directions. In an instant, four elements were born from the explosion. The elements clashed and collided with each other as they were propelled into the universe.
Mana was strewn into chaos. It expanded, shifted, condensed, and dispersed to make way for the elements. As mana pushed into other mana, some condensed enough to become sentient, but the beings were undone just as quickly as the mana dispersed. These un-embodied flashes of life occurred a near infinite number of times in the first second as the universe cast outward. These were Spirits.
In this same instant, one condensation of mana compressed greatly enough to gain control of itself and its mind. It did not allow itself to expand again, as it reveled in its existence. It was the first God. The being watched as mana instinctively seeped into the elements of the expanding universe, creating a vacuum of space. As the God had this first thought, elsewhere three more Gods were born.
Mana was still abundant enough the Gods to know of the others' existence, but as mana streams spread into the growing universe and pooled among the elements, the Gods became detached from each other and were alone in their minds. They came together in resistance to the void created by their loneness.
With their power, the Gods could control the four elements, to which they were so attracted, and they instinctively began manipulating the mana within these elements in order to create worlds.
We call the Gods Jande, Nu'rem, Tal, and, Di'tal.
Man
As the universe settled, the Gods created worlds and beings out of the elements in a way that each world could maintain itself and its mana. The Gods knew that they were expending energy as they worked, and mana was slowly pouring from their beings, but they were so captivated by the elements that they could not stop, nor did they want to.
One particular world held such incredible amounts of mana that it flourished in life. The Gods felt the intense energy from this world, and held a special love for it. This world had evolved human life, in which the most incredible concentration of mana was invested. Nowhere else in the universe did mana manifest itself in such a way.
The Gods knew that as Man's population grew, more and more mana was pulled from the world and from the Gods themselves, who still felt such affinity for these creatures that they gave more of their own mana to this world than to any other. Early in Man's existence, when mana was plentiful, Man felt the Gods and appreciated their love, and loved the Gods in return. But as the mana grew thin, Man could no longer feel the Gods, and soon forgot them. Man flourished in his self interest. Hunting groups established villages, which grew into cities.
Plight of the Gods
Just as the Gods knew would happen, they began to lose their energy as mana escaped their beings. With the gradual loss of divine knowledge, the four Gods began feeling emotions of jealousy and self-interest.
A darkness grew in their minds. The God Nu'rem soon felt that humans had become too selfish, and sought to regain his mana through their slaughter. He used his power to agitate the elements, and the world shook so hard that it was almost destroyed. When the other Gods saw what Nu'rem was doing, Tal and Du'tal restrained Nu'rem with all of their might, while Jande settled the world.
It was too late. Many of the world's creatures had been destroyed. As the souls died, free mana spread and began to redistribute itself to the world. Jande drank hungrily at the energy. Tal and Du'tal releaesd Nu'rem and they drank as well. Slightly replenished, they stopped and saw the destruction that they had caused in their greed, and they remembered their beloved world from which they were now feeding.
In his remorse, the weakest of the Gods, Nu'rem, released his being, letting himself die. The remaining three Gods directed Nu'rem's spiling mana into the world and then they pulled away to mourn and to watch as the world rehabilitated itself under Nu'rem's sacrifice.
Man and Magic
Mana was now very thick on the world of mana. The Gods watched the mana tease at Man's senses. The best of men could feel the intensity of mana and felt that they had some control over its energy. All over the world, men gathered to study, discuss, and learn of the magic that they inherently possessed. Most men even found that they were capable of transmitting thoughts to one another all across the world. They learned of the great ways that they could control mana and its healing and empowering abilities. Man also learned of mana's destructive capabilities.
The Gods mused at Man's desire to manifest the mana as the other four elements. Some men who controlled the forces of mana gave it the appearance of water. Others attributed fire to their magic. As the kingdoms of men grew, the knowledge of magic spread.
Notes
Instead of Nu'rem just disappearing, what if he used some of his power to extend the afterlife and become it's watcher? I say extend so we can have some quake and pre-quake NPCs there too, but not many (only the best?). After he sacrifices himself, all men enter the afterlife when the die and have a chance to return to the mortal plane. This also gives us some possibilities for making the afterlife unique instead of using Christian beliefs. — Jaxad0127 02:39, 11 June 2009 (UTC)