Prologue
Here is the tale told throughout the ages:
In the beginning, there was nothing but chaos. If there has been land in that time, it was not visible or habitable. Nothing but an insufferable Darkness existed in those days. It covered the whole world and moved with a life of it’s own.
From that Darkness, a single being of light appeared. Their skin was as white as freshly fallen snow, and their long robe shown with the light of a million stars. They lifted their eyes to the dark heavens and their name was Orassul.
Orassul looked into the Darkness surrounding them, and felt lonely. Using the power granted to them by beings unknown, Orassul broke the veil and pulled the light of the sun through. Upon hitting the world of A’sthy for the first time, the sun revealed the stunning blue green oceans and the green canopy of trees in the forest. All of A’sthy was revealed when the sun’s light pierced and scattered the Darkness.
Orassul wandered these lands for many a cycle, studying the land they had given birth to. Soon, however, they grew lonely again, as no living soul was to be found. Only nature and her wonders greeted them, and they grew sad.
One day, as Orassul sat in the plains of Dochel, it occurred to them that they should create someone to end the loneliness. Orassul began to pick up weeds from the surrounding area, twinning them together. Once enough had been gathered, Orassul blew on the weeds and revealed the first male elf. A graceful creature of the flora, with a slight green tint to his skin; the elf revered Orassul with awe. Gathering flowers and twinning them as they had done with the weeds, Orassul created a female elf, her skin as colorful as the flowers that had created her. Both elves left the open plains and made their way to the forest, where they and their children would stand guard for all eternity.
Excited, Orassul collected piles of giant boulders and smaller yet sturdy rocks. Orassul hit both piles lightly with their hand, and from the shattered remains were born the first dwarves. Small and sturdy, they were built for strong labor. The Creator asked them what they would like to do. The dwarves looked about them and saw the mountains to the South. They asked if they could learn to speak to the stone and Orassul sent them gladly. Next Orassul created the beasts to roam with their creations; the bear and wolf that walks the ground, the dragons and birds that own the skies, the whales and fish that inherit the sea and the insects and tiny creatures that live in the shadow of those larger.
Soon the land was filled with all manner of beast and creature. The races diverged and gave rise to most the races we know today. The gnome and trolls, who preferred wide-open skies to their mountain heritage, and the fairies and nymphs, who longed to leave the green forest of Hirie. And so the world became filled with all kinds of creatures, even those we could not even imagine.
Watching the world change and become full of life pleased Orassul greatly and they were happy. But soon, Orassul felt as if something was missing. Even as they celebrated with the dwarves, dined with the fairies and listened to the stories of the spindly, Orassul felt alone.
Orassul wandered into Exla, walking along the shores of that inner sea. Orassul ran the mud through their fingers, allowing it to fall and be washed into the unknown depths of the water. An idea came to them, and they began to use the mud to make a creature unlike any other on A’sthy. Out of the sand and water of Exla’s shores, Orassul gave life to the first of your kind, the humans.
As Orassul finished giving life to humans, they sent the humans across the land bridge that connected Exla to the rest of the world, and humans mingled with the other races, living side by side with their predecessors. Orassul, however, never left the shores of Exla and over many cycles, the land became shrouded in a mist and clouds are always seen over that land, even on the clearest day. Many believe that Orassul sleeps there, tired from the effort to create and will wake again if A’sthy has need of them.
