User:Killianpb86

The World of Baast

Baast’s Creation Myth

In the beginning there was nothing, and from the nothingness grew the great old one’s boredom. From the Great Old One’s boredom grew an idea. The Great Old One slung a rock of imbued with fire down to Baast. It was from this seemingly meaningless that the first humanoids came to Baast. The people of Baast could not see for there was no sun. The Great Old One split himself into three parts. From the desire came the light. From the desire to destroy came the darkness. And in the Great Old one’s body remained the knowledge of the ancients. Anywhere light went the darkness was forced away from, and out of this arrangement grew the darkness’ resentment.

The light would discover many things in the nothing as her presence brought the ability to see through the nothing. Out of this discovery grew the darkness‘ jealousy. When the light would leave the darkness would attempt to make contact with those the light had discovered, but all the darkness would Encounter was fear, and rejection. Out of this fear and rejection grew the darkness’ anger.

As the light encountered many primitive beings in her travels she began to take on their traits. She would give herself a new name The Arch Fey. The Arch Fey brought light and knowledge to all she came into contact with. As she began to return to places she had visited at the beginning of the journey she began to hear stories of an evil force that would call to them from the void of the nothingness and would try and do harm to them when the people grew fearful. The Arch Fey bestowed upon these first humanoids the gift of nature magic. These were the Elves. Eventually it came time for The Arch Fey to move on but unlike before when she left her light did not. With the light now permanently dwelling in the elven village the darkness had no way to make contact with the Elves and was forced to live in the forest outside the village.

The second place that the Arch Fey returned to was the village in the mountain where the first men dwelt. The Arch Fey taught the first men the secrets of Fire and thus brought the light to the first men. When the darkness came to the village of the first men he was unable enter. This angered the darkness as he was forced to stay in the wilderness a second time.

While dwelling in the mountains the darkness came upon a cave. In this cave the darkness came across an elf who had been transformed by the nature magic bestowed on her people by the Arch Fey as she had not warned the elves that not all of its secrets were of a benevolent nature. These dark secrets had transformed the elf’s skin to a dark grey instead of a supple blush pink. In this Elf the darkness found an ally as the light bestowed by the Arch Fey burned her eyes. Her name was Lolth and she was the first of the Drow.

The Darkness came to live with the Drow aiding them in unlocking secrets of The Arch Fey’s magic. Lolth and the darkness grew close, as her power grew Lolth began to change. The bottom half of her body became like that of a spider while her top half remained reminiscent of her elven heritage. The Darkness came to admire Lolth’s strength and bid her to help him gain power like she wielded. Lolth took the darkness to a chamber she had prepared for the ritual. As the darkness stepped into the circle and Lolth began the ritual The Darkness felt himself become weak. Lolth smirked at the darkness and began to speak. “You helped me unlock the secrets of The Arch Fey’s magic, but you’ve never shared any of your own secrets. I’ll keep you here until you show all of your secrets to me!”

For centuries the elves and the first men prospered. Founding villages and towns across the land warring with the Drow from time to time, but always overcoming them in battle thanks to the strength and cunning of the first men. As the wars drove the Drow further and further under ground they discovered men who were small but strong, and their skill with metal craft was unparalleled. Even with the help of the small men the Drow couldn’t overcome their oppressors. Seeing the strength of the first men the small men decided to abandon their alliance with the Drow and join the surface dwellers.

Defeated and starting to age Lolth returned to the chamber where the darkness was bound. “It appears I cannot win without you old friend.” The Darkness smirked at Lolth. The decades beneath the ground had twisted him. His one elf like features growing rough. He said “Bring me your seven strongest and I will give you the power you need. Lolth did as instructed bringing the seven most capable warriors “Now you shall see what true power looks like.” The Darkness spike. The seven fell writhing in agony on the floor in front of Lolth. Their life force flickering around them like crimson lightning. The room grew dark once again. 2 of the Drow warriors cried out as their bodies began contorting. “I have granted you two Champions for the life of two champions. And using the power of three more I have imbued you with the powers of my father. Arise Lolth, Godess of trickery!” With that the darkness departed deep into the center of the world. The two champions knelt before Lolth twisted and warped by The Darkness they said in unison. “What is thy bidding my master.” She smiled and asked “what are your names”. They both rose the first of green skin large tusks and hulking form said “Asmodeus my lady”. The second red and scaly with large bone protrusions sprouting from his skull said with a smirk revealing jagged almost fang like teeth. “My name is Tharizdun” as his magical presence swelled through the room Lolth smiled for she knew the darkness had kept his word.

With the help of Tharizdun and Asmodeus, Lolth lead her armies to drive most of the elves and first men out of their lands. Taking prisoners for slaves to build their mighty empire. With no more enemies in their lands the armies of the darkness‘ children grew restless. Lolth went back to the chamber where the darkness once lived. She called out to the darkness but their was no answer. Lolth returned to her generals and said “As the Empire grows we will need more slaves and land for our people to prosper. Tharizdun go to the east and send word of what you find. Asmodeus you will cross the dune sea to the south and send word of what you find.” The generals gathered their army’s and departed within the week.

Tharizdun landed on the shores of a desolate land inhabited by monstrous winged beasts that seemed indifferent to their presence, and only concerned themselves with a power struggle amongst themselves. The most terrible of These was the dread five headed monster called Tiamat. Tiamat presided over all of the other beasts as she displayed all of their various colors in her five heads. Tharizdun knew that these beasts would either be powerful allies or feared enemies. He formed a plan to try and befriend on of the smaller of these beasts to try and gain their favor.

Tharizdun climbed to the highest mountain where the great white Tormenta Sneeu made its home. “Great white beast of wind and ice, I have come seeking an audience with you.” Tormenta Sneeu looked at Tharizdun with a vacant stare for a moment, and then replied slowly. “I have never seen anything like you before. You look as if you could be the runt of a distant cousins hatchery litter!” Tharizdun grinned a jagged toothy grin and said “And I have never seen anything like you or your brethren before in my life! Come cousin let us sit and exchange some family secrets!”

The two sat for days exchanging knowledge of magic and what they had seen in their travels. After a week Tharizdun bid his new friend farewell and began to say his goodbyes. “When will you return?” Tormenta Sneeu asked. Tharizdun thought for a moment and replied “The journey would be much shorter with a traveling companion. Come with me, and meet my queen.” Sneeu thought for a moment and said “It would be nice to take a break from fighting with my brethren.”  And the two departed back to Tharizdun’s homeland without joining Therazdin’s army at the foot of the mountain.

Meanwhile Asmodeus reached the land beyond the Dune sea. He encountered a tribe of men that were more savage, more wild than the first men of his homeland. After defeating the tribe’s leader in single combat the tribe pledged their allegiance to Asmodeus. He celebrated his ascension to power for 3 moon cycles with food, drink, and women.

Asmodeus grew so comfortable in his new surroundings he forgot all about the promise he made to Lolth to return with word of his findings. Under the leadership of Asmodeus his tribe flourished, none could match the savagery and strength the darkness had imparted upon him. Eventually Asmodeus took a wife. She bore him but one son. “He will be called Gruumsh and The he shall conquer the world with his might!” Asmodeus proclaimed.

Gruumsh progressed quickly. The strength and savagery of his father paired flawlessly with the wild spirit of his mother’s tribe. He was neither elf or man, but something else. The first of his kind Gruumsh and his father became known throughout the land.

When Tharizdun returned to Lolth on the back of Tormenta Sneeu she felt great fear in her heart. Word had reached her ears of Asmodeus’s conquest of the tribes to the south, and now Tharizdun returned on the back of this terrible winged white beast. She knew something had to be done. If she were to remain in power. She devised a plan to set Tharizdun and Asmodeus against each other.

She used her dark magic to show Tharizdun visions of Asmodeus amassing an army to the south. She knew full well that Tharizdun and his army were no match for Asmodeus and his ever growing hoard. Tharizdun and Sneeu returned to the land of Dragons to fetch Tharizdun’s army from the foot of Sneeu’s mountain. Lolth chuckled thinking herself quite clever. “It’s a shame really. They could have been so useful.”