Cosmic Dances: The Mythology of the World

[DM CiCi]

The Birth of the World-

It is said in the beginning there was nothing but darkness. Then from the darkness came the four forces of creation- Intelligence, Emotion, Passion, and Stability. From them everything tangible and intangible came. Intelligence became the steady blowing wind that breathed life into the world. Emotion filled the world with an endless current of water that nourished life. Passion became fire- the spark of life- that provided heat and light to the world. Stability became the world's womb from which the plants, animals, and eventually the humans came from. In time these forces took the forms of the humans they created and became the four supreme goddesses- Sophia, Altana, Friaa, and Gaia. They were benevolent deities who cared greatly for the world in which they created, yet they had no wish to rule it. They were content to guide the world from afar but never to interfere directly with human affairs.

At the same time the humans were created two additional forces came into existence- that of Good and Evil. Good was represented by the Angels- creatures of the sky who guided men to do what was beneficial to society. In the inky darkness that enveloped the world at the time- men could look upwards and see the multitudes of Angels as they became the stars when not directly living amongst men. The queen of the angels was Stoliea a beautiful entity whose star never set below the horizon as if to perpetually serve as a guide to the true path. Although angels can take on human form they truly have no bodies or gender.

Evil was a force personified by the Demons- fierce creatures that were neither man nor animal. They prowled the darkness of the world tormenting man and leading them astray. Due to constant fighting amongst themselves they never had a leader till much later in the history of the world.

Angels and demons were locked in constant warfare over control of the hearts and minds of men.

[DM CiCi]

The Rise and Fall of the First Man-

Of all of the Four Goddess's creations none was more beloved then men for they had infinite power to personify the Four Forces. And if man was beloved above all, no man was more beloved to the goddesses than the first to spring from the womb of Gaia- Amalamil (Gifted, Fair and Beautiful). The goddesses gave him many gifts including immortality with hopes that he would sit in heaven and rule for them. He in turn granted each goddess three children that went on to personify a chosen aspect of their holy mothers. Sophia birthed three males- Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Altana birthed three females- Cancer, Scorpio, and Pieces. Leo, Sagittarius, and Ares were Friaa's three sons, and Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn were Gaia's three daughters. Their father lead them down to the mortal plane where they wed and created a race of ethereally beautiful humanoids that became known as Elves, before they ascended back to heaven to serve their mothers. These twelve soon became known as The Zodiac Court and they oversaw aspects of humanity that corresponded with their distinct personalities and elemental affinities.

Now seated in heaven as ruler with his children at his feet Amalamil should have been content with all that was granted to him. But his human nature and lust for power betrayed him. And at night the demons came and tempted him with even grater powers that the Goddesses refused to give him. One such power was that to subjugate man and to take the forms of beasts. All of this he managed to keep from the Goddesses and eventually he persuaded them to give him Stoliea as his bride. The beautiful angel saw what he was becoming but she was blinded by the naivety of her goodness.

One night Amalamil, after forming a pact with the demons to give them control of the world, took the form of a cat and crept into Stoliea's chambers. She saw this form and took him in thinking he was a normal feline. While she slept in human form he defiled her. She awoke in horror and wept great tears at the loss of her innocence.

The Four Goddesses searched high and low for the perpetrator but Amalamil was nowhere to be found. All they could do was watch in horror as Stoliea's belly swelled with the spawn of Evil.

In nine month's time the ground shook and storms raged as Stoliea gave birth to the monstrosity known as The Chaos Beast. The beast had two horrible heads, one of a great horned panther and the other of the disfigured torso of a woman with tangled oily black hair. It had the body of a terrible wolf, the legs and tail of a dragon and two great wings- that of a bat and a feathered bird. It had the mighty roar of a lion, and caused destruction where ever it went. Attempts to kill it failed as it was immortal, and chasing it made it angry and combative. It could not be bound, nor contained. This was all according to Amalamil's plan.

For years the Beast plagued the world of man with it's endless ravaging, destroying much in it's wake. Where it stepped blight spread. Disease tortured men.

But deep inside the Beast knew it came from Good as well. It wanted desperately to show this but his the Evil inside him prevented him from acting as Good. Finally one day the Beast ran off to the realm of the Goddesses to seek their favor.

[DM CiCi]

From Chaos Rises the Moon-

For a year the Beast was gone from the world and man began to rebuild everything that it had laid bare. But still growth seemed stunted. The only light in the world was from fire and the stars. There was no change between night and day. People slept when tired and once rested they resumed their toils.

Then, just as man was beginning to retire, there rose in the sky a bright glowing disk of silver that shown light to the world. They called this disk 'Lune' a word that later became 'moon'. Though the light was pale- man rejoiced in it's beauty and it was declared that a great festival should take place.

As people gathered on the banks of the great ocean, they at once spotted a boat on the horizon bearing a single lantern of blue flame. As the boat drew closer those gathered could see the form of a beautiful youth clad in purple, blue and silver with hair the color of the light of the moon. His head was wreathed in white lilies, and his face was kind and gentle. In his gentle grasp he clutched a large and beautifully crafted broadsword. Yet all was not quite right with this youth. As the boat reached the beach the crowd could see that his ears were not that of a human, but that of a cat- with one sloping off at an odd angle. He also had two different colored eyes- one a serene blue and the other a feral gold.

At seeing these features, the crowd drew back. Soon a great wind blew crashing waves ashore. The youth still stood there as calm as ever, holding out his lantern and sword. Suddenly beautiful music began to play and the heavenly voices of Sophia and Altana could be head saying.

"We present to man a new and kind ruler, shining brightly as the newest heavenly body. We send him now to govern the endless cycles of this world and to set affairs to their correct balance. Just like the changing ocean tides there will come times of great peace and great violence as will be the will of balance's child."

At hearing these words the people fully embraced their new god. To him they gave the name Lunniea Flora- The Lunar Flower.

For a month Lunniea joined his people in their festival, celebrating with them. He showed man how to create instruments and play beautiful music, and also how to move their bodies in time with the melodies. At night their heads were filled not with the taunting of demons- but with pleasant dreams of the future.

At the end of the month Lunniea departed the mortal realm in his boat and took his seat in Heaven with The Four and their Court.

Little did the people know that Lunniea was born when the goddess Sophia's sword cleaved the Chaos Beast's soul in two, destroying it's ugly body. Gaia created a new and beautiful vestile for the good part of the Beast's soul- that which became Lunniea. The evil was sealed with in Lunniea's great sword The Silver Soul Blade. Seeing now a being created with the balance needed to rule they gave Lunniea his holy mission to guide the world. They gave him dominion over the cycle of Life and Death- so that death could not be used as a tool for evil. He also controls the forces of change- like the ocean tides that the moon influences and has the power to give mortals powerful visions of the future to serve as omens and warnings.

As half demon and half angel Lunniea has two distinct personalities that rise and fall with the changing of the moon. At full moon he is full demon, and at new moon full angel. His sides are at constant battle with each other. Good wins most of the time which makes evil quite vengeful. At full moon Lunniea has been known to maim his own body, causing him to wrap himself in bandaging. While mostly a kind and gentle god he is known to be at times temperamental and wrathful. However he is always seen as just, as his left yellow eye always sees the truth- which is why most often that eye is kept covered. The truth can be a weapon more powerful than the sword.

Content with his place in the world, Lunniea grew in power and was worshiped by most. However his duel nature was beginning to wear on his body. A weakness his father was quite keen on exploiting. Sensing his potential downfall to the now demon lord- he actively sought a way to banish his father.