Adventures Adventuring Log Dead Characters Cartography Charts and Tools Classes Combat Geography Dalencroft Dharja'shan Elanthai Eldoria Flietch-ta Galencia Kharl Mennith Narmouth Orcs Zennonaize History Age of Clouds Age of Sun Age of Stars Age of Waves B.C. Age of Waves A.C. Kits Magic Potions Monstrous Manual Organizations Personas Kiryan Zoë-Kaylin Races Dharja Elynthi Flinds Humans Kari-Zaro Kenku Orcs Soulmeliti Religion		from A Brief History of Tarien, compiled by Xeerix Zenzorax The Old Ones awoke first. From where and whence they came remains a mystery to modern scholars and immortals alike, and not even the oldest gods remember actually meeting or speaking with them. Recent discoveries by Kyzen Menthora, however, lend much credence to the hypothesis that they do indeed exist. Legend holds that they first unfolded the box of space and then filled the river bed of time with its ever flowing waters. Thus, the multiverse came into being1. Having established the multiverse, all but two of the Old Ones retreated to the fringes of their creation, leaving behind Guardians who mortals call gods to oversee its unfolding. The two that remained assumed guardianship of the two most essential aspects of the prime material plane, what we now call Tarien. One, known to mortals and immortals alike as Shar´iish´ta, assumed guardianship of the realm of physicality. In Eldorian, her name translates into "Mother Nature." The other, known to mortals and immortals alike as Jez´bali´dahn, assumed guardianship of the realm of the invisible. In Eldorian, his name translates into "Father Force." The gods, unwilling to constantly watch over the minuscule events in Tarien, created other immortals as their servants. Being petty in their desires and interests, the gods and immortals often waged war upon one another. Through these wars the outer planes metamorphisized into their current, ninefold structure. These wars also devastated the landscape of Tarien. After witnessing the tapestry of Tarien torn asunder by the petty nature of its guardians, Shar´iish´ta and Jez´bali´dahn appealed to their fellow old ones, who in stern reprimand, banished the gods and their immortal servants from Tarien. They also created sentient mortals, Kari-zaro and the Tzechni´korack and placed them in the warm, fertile jungles of Thallox. The Old Ones decreed that the power of the gods would remain directly proportionate to the worship of these mortals. The Old Ones then divided up the gods into ten realms of possibility, and each had the responsibility for that aspect of Tarien2. Chaos, however, continued to plague Tarien as the Gods and their immortals simply enslaved the helpless Kari-zaro and Tzechni´korack. Again Shar´iish´ta and Jez´bali´dahn appealed to their brethren who again returned from their slumber on the fringes of their creation. This time, gods and immortals were strictly forbidden to ever enter Tarien itself, locking them into their planar homes. The only exception to this rule came from a corollary. A god or immortal may only enter Tarien should they be summoned by a mortal, and then they may enter only at a fraction of their power. The slavery ended, allowing the Kari-zaro and the Tzechni´korack to live and grow on Tarien. For a detailed investigation of the multiverse and its geography, refer to: Kyzen Menthora´s Treatise on the Nature of the Multiverse, published in 443 A.C. At that time, legend states that only ten gods existed. Today these ten are referred to as major powers, their offspring and their offspring´s offspring constitute the remaining, less potent, gods.