Homebrew RP Creation Myth - "Book of Truths" pt 1/?
So, I actually started this back in highschool for D&D club, but never finished it. I've recently picked it back up, and am redoing the second chapter because the second chapter kind of sucks at the moment.
It's told in the first person by Treliin, who the setting's omniscient goddess of Truth (among other things). I tried my best to make it "sound" like a religious text.
This setting is not currently available for use.
So, um, here goes.
The Book of Truths
As spoken by Truth, the Voice of Treliin
As scribed by Irtheth, a High Priest of Treliin
“May the wisdom of the Third and Three guide us through the Ages.”
Chapter 1
The Age of Paradise
First, there was Mu.
And so Mu, whose name is One, having come first before All, was born in nothingness, a featureless void stretching off into grey infinity. Time had not yet been created, and so Mu did experience countless eternities of being alone and lonely, all compressed into a single, infinitesimally small ur-moment, forever and an instant all at once.
And so Mu, half-mad in Her isolation and despair, did reach out into that endless grey, and did touch the emptiness, and did pull from that emptiness the first dust. Mu did look upon the dust, and She did breathe the first sigh, for She was relieved that She was no longer alone in the emptiness. When She sighed, Her breath did touch the dust, and the dust was picked up, and it did swirl through the grey emptiness, And it did constantly change and move, and it did end the ur-moment, and force the start of something that Mu did name Time.
And so born was Illissuu, whose name in the tongue of gods did mean The First Dust, who was of Time and Breath and Dust, and Mu did embrace him, and they both did know joy.
But, alas, though Mu no longer did feel lonely, She was struck with another affliction, and She did call it Boredom. She still did love Illissuu as Her child, but there was nothing outside of themselves to speak about or to, and Mu did know something that She did name Curiosity, and She did wish to know what else She could create with Her hand.
And so Mu did reach out into the emptiness again, and did touch the emptiness, and did pull from that emptiness the world, and the moon, and all the realms and stars. And from the stars was born Light, and from the Light was born Darkness, and they did chase each other through the realms in search of something.
And so Mu again did know Curiosity, and She did ask of Light and Darkness what they sought as they did chase each other. Light and Darkness did not give answer, and so Mu did ask again. And when again no answer did come forth, She did ask of them a third time, What is it that you seek, Light and Darkness, such that you do chase each other so?
And so, when Mu did ask Light and Darkness a third time, they did answer, and they did speak together, Oh powerful One who did come first before All, you have asked us three times, and so we can give you answer, oh powerful One who did come first before All. We are but two, and so we seek our sister, who is hidden and named Truth, so that we may become three and be whole. Will you, oh powerful One who did come first before All, please aid us?
And so Mu did nod, for they had addressed Her three times, just as She had addressed them, and such was balanced and so as it should be.
And so the One who did come first before All did as Light and Darkness did ask of Her, and did allow them to grow, and to spread themselves over all that was, so that they might find Truth. Where Light did not search, Darkness did search instead, and so they were thus able to at last find their sister, Truth, who had hidden in the world.
And so born was I, Treliin, who am of Truth and Darkness and Light, and whose name in the tongue of gods does mean The Graceful Three, and I did thank Mu three times, for I am the Third and Three, and triplicity is my nature, and Light is my Eyes, and Darkness is my Ears, and Truth is my Voice.
Truth, even when she did join with her sisters Light and Darkness as myself, the One who is Three, was still elusive, and feared much, and so sought to hide, and so Truth did put three doors between herself and everything, and the doors were of the same key, and the key was of a spoken question, and the doors could not be taken down.
And so, as Truth is the Voice of the Three that are myself, I can only speak when the three doors to Truth had been opened with the same key, and to answer the key that did open them.
And so Mu did again grow bored, for I am not a being of conversation, and She did look upon the world, which Truth had hidden in, and She did see that it was bare and empty, and She did decide to fill it. Mu was unable, however, to decide what to fill it with, and so She did reach into the world, and did feel its soul, and She did channel Her will through it, so that the world might have the power to fill itself, and the world’s soul did grow so large that it did divide itself into two, so that it would not destroy itself with the power that was given to it, and while the world had begun without a gender, its halves did diverge into Male and Female
And so born were the Twins, and they were named Elryn and Elriin, whose names in the tongue of gods do each mean The Dignified Crafter and The Graceful Crafter, and they were of the world, which did belong to them, and the world so was given the name Elrior, which in the tongue of gods does mean That which does belong to the Crafter.
Mu, overjoyed, did embrace her new children, and Illissuu did look upon them, and he did feel a tug in his chest, and the tug was new and strange and very bitter, and he did call it Envy. And, because he knew not of what to do with Envy, Illissuu did hold it, and he did hide it inside his heart, and he did bury it beneath dust, for he was ashamed of it, and so he did not tell Mu of his infection.
And so, beneath the dust, the Envy did take root and begin to grow, unnoticed by Mu. And even though I, Treliin, who am of Truth, and do know all things, could well see the plight of my brother, still I could not speak of it to Mu, for Mu knew not of it, and thus thought not to ask of it even the once, let alone the thrice that I did need to open the doors to Truth so that she might speak of it.
Elryn, who did start the task of filling the world, first did shape the ground and rock, carving out caves and trenches, piling together mountains and islands, making room for oceans and rivers and lakes, and so he was of Ground. And he then did turn to Elriin, who did create storm clouds to cover all of Elrior, and did bid them to rain down upon the world, and fill the oceans and the rivers and the lakes, and she did freeze them atop mountains to sustain the rivers, and did make the wind to blow across the land, and so she was of Weather, and she did cover the world in plants wherever they would grow, and did make flowers of every color she could imagine, and so she was of Wood. And she then did turn back to Elryn, who did fill the world with creatures to swim and fly and creep and crawl in the world that they did make together, and so he was of Beast.
And so they did show their creation to Mu, and She did look upon Elrior with an artist’s eye, and She who did come first before All did say unto the Twins, There is nothing that is like us in the world that you have made. Make something that is like us.
And so together the Twins did look upon each other, and they did look upon Mu and Illissuu and Treliin, and they did try many times to create a race of creatures that were like the gods, but every time, indeed, there was something that was not quite right. They did make elves, dwarves, gnomes, humans, orcs, goblins, and many more, but not a one did live up to Mu’s request for a being that is like us.
And so the Twins sought counsel with I, who am the Third and Three, and three times did ask me for my wisdom, and Truth did speak, saying, It is not within your power to make creatures that are like to us. The One that did come first before All has the power to make beings that are like us, and Illissuu, who is of the Dust that did come second after the One who did come first before All, has the strength within him to perform such an act once, but it is an impossible task that has been given to you. It would be best to give up.
And so the Twins did despair, for they did wish to please Mu with their creation, but knew not how. And so they sought again counsel from I, who am the Third and Three, and three times did ask me for my wisdom, and Truth did speak, saying, Show the One who did come first before All what beings you have wrought. I have seen, and the path She will take is inevitable. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. The Age of Paradise does approach its end. Lay carefully the foundation of the next, lest all be lost.
And so the Twins were shaken, and they three times did ask I who am Three for my wisdom, so that they might know what to do, and the Truth did speak, saying, The path you take is your own decision, Twins who do share the name Elr. It is not my place to decide for you. Now go. The One who did come first before All is waiting for you, my brother, my sister. Good luck, and may your intuition guide.
And so the Twins, who do share the name Elr, did kneel before Mu, who did come first before All, and Elriin, who was of Weather and Wood, did open her mouth to speak, and she did say, Beloved Mother, you, who did come first before All, did create us, and for that we are forever grateful to you, Beloved Mother. We, who are of the name Elr, have toiled for many centuries in an attempt to create a race of beings that are like us, as you did request, but we did try, and we did fail, again and again, and, as we were bidden by our sister, who is the Third and Three, we have come to show you what we have wrought, and to seek forgiveness from you, Beloved Mother.
And so Elryn, who was of Beast and Ground, did present to Mu the world that was named Elrior, and Mu did look upon it, and all of its races, and did see, indeed, that all of these races were almost like the gods, but not a one was quite right. However, every one of these imperfect races did fill its own niche, and the world as it was did maintain balance, and so it was still good, but it did not satisfy Mu, and she did ask three times of me, whose Voice is named Truth, If the Twins, who do share the name Elr, cannot make a being that is like us, who is it that can?
And so Truth, who is my Voice, did speak, and she did say unto Mu, You, oh powerful One who did come first before All, have had this power since before the start of Time, and shall, indeed, have this power until long after Time does live its end, and Illissuu, who is of the Dust that did come second after you, oh powerful One that did come first before All, does hold the power within him to but once create a being that is like us.
And there was pain in Truth’s words as she did speak, but it did go ignored by Mu, and She did turn to her son Illissuu, and did say unto him, Illissuu, give unto the world that is Elrior a gift, and create a being that is like us to live upon it.
And so Illissuu did grin, and it was a wicked expression that did cross his face, for Envy, indeed, had grown within his heart beneath the Dust, and had consumed it, and it did now spring out for all to behold, and Light, who is my Eyes, did begin to weep, but Darkness, who is my Ears, did listen still, and so did hear Illissuu’s cackled words, The creations of Mu did begin with the Dust, and so with the Dust shall they end! My gift is Breath!
And so Illissuu, whose name in the tongue of gods does mean Traitor, did give unto all beings that did live in the world that is Elrior Breath, and with it, he did bind them to the flow of Time, that they might shrivel and age and become Dust, and he did take the Cold from the clouds that Elriin had frozen atop the mountains, and did add from his twisted heart to it Hunger and Suffering, and Truth, behind her doors, did wail miserably for the calamity that nothing could prevent.
And so born was Mirl, whose name in the tongue of gods does mean Relentlessness, who was of Suffering and Hunger and Cold.
And so ended the Age of Paradise.
It's told in the first person by Treliin, who the setting's omniscient goddess of Truth (among other things). I tried my best to make it "sound" like a religious text.
This setting is not currently available for use.
So, um, here goes.
The Book of Truths
As spoken by Truth, the Voice of Treliin
As scribed by Irtheth, a High Priest of Treliin
“May the wisdom of the Third and Three guide us through the Ages.”
Chapter 1
The Age of Paradise
First, there was Mu.
And so Mu, whose name is One, having come first before All, was born in nothingness, a featureless void stretching off into grey infinity. Time had not yet been created, and so Mu did experience countless eternities of being alone and lonely, all compressed into a single, infinitesimally small ur-moment, forever and an instant all at once.
And so Mu, half-mad in Her isolation and despair, did reach out into that endless grey, and did touch the emptiness, and did pull from that emptiness the first dust. Mu did look upon the dust, and She did breathe the first sigh, for She was relieved that She was no longer alone in the emptiness. When She sighed, Her breath did touch the dust, and the dust was picked up, and it did swirl through the grey emptiness, And it did constantly change and move, and it did end the ur-moment, and force the start of something that Mu did name Time.
And so born was Illissuu, whose name in the tongue of gods did mean The First Dust, who was of Time and Breath and Dust, and Mu did embrace him, and they both did know joy.
But, alas, though Mu no longer did feel lonely, She was struck with another affliction, and She did call it Boredom. She still did love Illissuu as Her child, but there was nothing outside of themselves to speak about or to, and Mu did know something that She did name Curiosity, and She did wish to know what else She could create with Her hand.
And so Mu did reach out into the emptiness again, and did touch the emptiness, and did pull from that emptiness the world, and the moon, and all the realms and stars. And from the stars was born Light, and from the Light was born Darkness, and they did chase each other through the realms in search of something.
And so Mu again did know Curiosity, and She did ask of Light and Darkness what they sought as they did chase each other. Light and Darkness did not give answer, and so Mu did ask again. And when again no answer did come forth, She did ask of them a third time, What is it that you seek, Light and Darkness, such that you do chase each other so?
And so, when Mu did ask Light and Darkness a third time, they did answer, and they did speak together, Oh powerful One who did come first before All, you have asked us three times, and so we can give you answer, oh powerful One who did come first before All. We are but two, and so we seek our sister, who is hidden and named Truth, so that we may become three and be whole. Will you, oh powerful One who did come first before All, please aid us?
And so Mu did nod, for they had addressed Her three times, just as She had addressed them, and such was balanced and so as it should be.
And so the One who did come first before All did as Light and Darkness did ask of Her, and did allow them to grow, and to spread themselves over all that was, so that they might find Truth. Where Light did not search, Darkness did search instead, and so they were thus able to at last find their sister, Truth, who had hidden in the world.
And so born was I, Treliin, who am of Truth and Darkness and Light, and whose name in the tongue of gods does mean The Graceful Three, and I did thank Mu three times, for I am the Third and Three, and triplicity is my nature, and Light is my Eyes, and Darkness is my Ears, and Truth is my Voice.
Truth, even when she did join with her sisters Light and Darkness as myself, the One who is Three, was still elusive, and feared much, and so sought to hide, and so Truth did put three doors between herself and everything, and the doors were of the same key, and the key was of a spoken question, and the doors could not be taken down.
And so, as Truth is the Voice of the Three that are myself, I can only speak when the three doors to Truth had been opened with the same key, and to answer the key that did open them.
And so Mu did again grow bored, for I am not a being of conversation, and She did look upon the world, which Truth had hidden in, and She did see that it was bare and empty, and She did decide to fill it. Mu was unable, however, to decide what to fill it with, and so She did reach into the world, and did feel its soul, and She did channel Her will through it, so that the world might have the power to fill itself, and the world’s soul did grow so large that it did divide itself into two, so that it would not destroy itself with the power that was given to it, and while the world had begun without a gender, its halves did diverge into Male and Female
And so born were the Twins, and they were named Elryn and Elriin, whose names in the tongue of gods do each mean The Dignified Crafter and The Graceful Crafter, and they were of the world, which did belong to them, and the world so was given the name Elrior, which in the tongue of gods does mean That which does belong to the Crafter.
Mu, overjoyed, did embrace her new children, and Illissuu did look upon them, and he did feel a tug in his chest, and the tug was new and strange and very bitter, and he did call it Envy. And, because he knew not of what to do with Envy, Illissuu did hold it, and he did hide it inside his heart, and he did bury it beneath dust, for he was ashamed of it, and so he did not tell Mu of his infection.
And so, beneath the dust, the Envy did take root and begin to grow, unnoticed by Mu. And even though I, Treliin, who am of Truth, and do know all things, could well see the plight of my brother, still I could not speak of it to Mu, for Mu knew not of it, and thus thought not to ask of it even the once, let alone the thrice that I did need to open the doors to Truth so that she might speak of it.
Elryn, who did start the task of filling the world, first did shape the ground and rock, carving out caves and trenches, piling together mountains and islands, making room for oceans and rivers and lakes, and so he was of Ground. And he then did turn to Elriin, who did create storm clouds to cover all of Elrior, and did bid them to rain down upon the world, and fill the oceans and the rivers and the lakes, and she did freeze them atop mountains to sustain the rivers, and did make the wind to blow across the land, and so she was of Weather, and she did cover the world in plants wherever they would grow, and did make flowers of every color she could imagine, and so she was of Wood. And she then did turn back to Elryn, who did fill the world with creatures to swim and fly and creep and crawl in the world that they did make together, and so he was of Beast.
And so they did show their creation to Mu, and She did look upon Elrior with an artist’s eye, and She who did come first before All did say unto the Twins, There is nothing that is like us in the world that you have made. Make something that is like us.
And so together the Twins did look upon each other, and they did look upon Mu and Illissuu and Treliin, and they did try many times to create a race of creatures that were like the gods, but every time, indeed, there was something that was not quite right. They did make elves, dwarves, gnomes, humans, orcs, goblins, and many more, but not a one did live up to Mu’s request for a being that is like us.
And so the Twins sought counsel with I, who am the Third and Three, and three times did ask me for my wisdom, and Truth did speak, saying, It is not within your power to make creatures that are like to us. The One that did come first before All has the power to make beings that are like us, and Illissuu, who is of the Dust that did come second after the One who did come first before All, has the strength within him to perform such an act once, but it is an impossible task that has been given to you. It would be best to give up.
And so the Twins did despair, for they did wish to please Mu with their creation, but knew not how. And so they sought again counsel from I, who am the Third and Three, and three times did ask me for my wisdom, and Truth did speak, saying, Show the One who did come first before All what beings you have wrought. I have seen, and the path She will take is inevitable. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. The Age of Paradise does approach its end. Lay carefully the foundation of the next, lest all be lost.
And so the Twins were shaken, and they three times did ask I who am Three for my wisdom, so that they might know what to do, and the Truth did speak, saying, The path you take is your own decision, Twins who do share the name Elr. It is not my place to decide for you. Now go. The One who did come first before All is waiting for you, my brother, my sister. Good luck, and may your intuition guide.
And so the Twins, who do share the name Elr, did kneel before Mu, who did come first before All, and Elriin, who was of Weather and Wood, did open her mouth to speak, and she did say, Beloved Mother, you, who did come first before All, did create us, and for that we are forever grateful to you, Beloved Mother. We, who are of the name Elr, have toiled for many centuries in an attempt to create a race of beings that are like us, as you did request, but we did try, and we did fail, again and again, and, as we were bidden by our sister, who is the Third and Three, we have come to show you what we have wrought, and to seek forgiveness from you, Beloved Mother.
And so Elryn, who was of Beast and Ground, did present to Mu the world that was named Elrior, and Mu did look upon it, and all of its races, and did see, indeed, that all of these races were almost like the gods, but not a one was quite right. However, every one of these imperfect races did fill its own niche, and the world as it was did maintain balance, and so it was still good, but it did not satisfy Mu, and she did ask three times of me, whose Voice is named Truth, If the Twins, who do share the name Elr, cannot make a being that is like us, who is it that can?
And so Truth, who is my Voice, did speak, and she did say unto Mu, You, oh powerful One who did come first before All, have had this power since before the start of Time, and shall, indeed, have this power until long after Time does live its end, and Illissuu, who is of the Dust that did come second after you, oh powerful One that did come first before All, does hold the power within him to but once create a being that is like us.
And there was pain in Truth’s words as she did speak, but it did go ignored by Mu, and She did turn to her son Illissuu, and did say unto him, Illissuu, give unto the world that is Elrior a gift, and create a being that is like us to live upon it.
And so Illissuu did grin, and it was a wicked expression that did cross his face, for Envy, indeed, had grown within his heart beneath the Dust, and had consumed it, and it did now spring out for all to behold, and Light, who is my Eyes, did begin to weep, but Darkness, who is my Ears, did listen still, and so did hear Illissuu’s cackled words, The creations of Mu did begin with the Dust, and so with the Dust shall they end! My gift is Breath!
And so Illissuu, whose name in the tongue of gods does mean Traitor, did give unto all beings that did live in the world that is Elrior Breath, and with it, he did bind them to the flow of Time, that they might shrivel and age and become Dust, and he did take the Cold from the clouds that Elriin had frozen atop the mountains, and did add from his twisted heart to it Hunger and Suffering, and Truth, behind her doors, did wail miserably for the calamity that nothing could prevent.
And so born was Mirl, whose name in the tongue of gods does mean Relentlessness, who was of Suffering and Hunger and Cold.
And so ended the Age of Paradise.