Prologue
In the early days of the earth, before ingenuity and war desecrated the land, raping it of its divinity. Long before there was a concept of history; even more so the thought of reality, mankind was created to tend the earth.
This earth was brought together by the great sky and firmament meeting. Dēuā Gdūia Mātīr, Goddess Earth Mother, spread her arms wide, stretching the earth, filling it with forests, rivers, and life. Her arms remained open as she was finally embraced by Dēuos Dyēus Atīr, God Sky Father. The vastness of his being when reaching for the Earth Mother brought forth great winds, moving Her lands. Through their embrace, they brought forth spirit and divine presence, their children.
Sucellos was the first divine offspring of their union. He was brave and steadfast in his work, tending Gdūia Mātīr and working diligently in Her land. The inspiration of ingenuity. He soon was not alone, as other divinity came forth. Some, such as Epona and Cernunnos, became guardians of the animals, others, such as Sirona and Belenos, took their place in the stars and sun.
It was a good earth then, the Deuoi working together to keep Gdūia Mātīr well and Dyēus Atīr pleased. They had created a perfect unity and balance between nature and divinity, becoming intertwined with each other.
But there were some, who were not as pleased. They were guardians of nothing, laboring without purpose.
Sucellos grew tired of his fruitless labor. Being the first born and most disciplined, asked The Sky Father to bestow him three blessings. These gifts would be to honor The Earth Mother and a show of gratitude for his birth. Dyēus Atīr was pleased by him and agreed.
The first of these gifts was to create mankind. These would be the people to walk the earth and labor, honoring The Earth Mother and all who inhabited Her graces. They would give Sucellos purpose and would become like him, creative and hardworking. Dyēus Atīr agreed and took the dirt from Gdūia Mātīr’s womb. Together, they molded man and woman, whom Sucellos named gdonios in honor of Gdūia Mātīr.
The second blessing was that mankind could commune with the divine, that they may learn the ways of the Earth Mother and Sky Father, to honor them all their days. They would walk beside the divine and keep the earth whole, laboring to ensure the balance between themselves and the nature that came before. Again, Dyēus Atīr agreed and gave the gift of souls to the gdonios.
The Sky Father asked for His third blessing to be granted but Sucellos declined, unsure of what to ask for. Instead, he agreed to return after he had known the people that had been created.
Sucellos led the first men and guided them in the ways of his morals. Mankind was eager to learn, exalting their God as their protector and praising Him for teaching them how to maintain life. They honored Dēuos Dyēus Atīr as their first father and nurtured the earth in gratitude to The Earth Mother.
For seven years they toiled, building families, talking freely with the Gods. The men of the world grew strong, taking their knowledge of land and spirit, creating new life amongst themselves. They built relationships with the Divine and named their Gods the Dêuoi, honoring them both individually and as a whole.
Life was simple but fair. Man was no stranger to risk. They observed and overcame the beasts of the earth, utilizing flesh for food and skins for clothing. They watched plants keenly, learning how and when they grew, effectively propagating harvests. They learned to create and master artistry for gain. Their minds reveled in ideas and soon created tools to aid their pursuits.
All was not whole or without flaw, however, as mankind began to learn the consequences of living. For as the seventh year drew close, greed began to creep into the hearts of the gdonios. They began to tip the scales out of balance, hunting for sport and ignoring the spirit of the beasts they slayed. Their gardens grew larger, laying waste to food. Then finally, rivalry began.
The people separated themselves, creating and choosing families. They laid claim to the land and forgot its holiness. They lost reason and were consumed with false purpose, laying waste to the scaredy they had held before. The Dêuoi remained steadfast in their counsel but were sought for less by mankind. Even the animals sensed the new selfishness that grew and became defensive and hostile towards the gdonios.
Cernunnos, saddened by the selfishness of the gdonios, called forth the horned serpent, and severed the planes of existence from each other, sending the spirits of the slain animals into the otherworld, that they might be reborn. Cernunnos sat at the veil, a place existing between the mortal realm and the immortal beings, and guarded it. This place became a sacred land for the divine, as mankind continued to become obsessed with their greed.
The gdonios soon realized their folly. For as they had began to forget the goodness of their Gods, a new fear found them. Unlike the divine, they were mortal. Death had come for them.
It was discovered at a feud; one man thought him better than another. In a fit of rage, he had slayed his brother, unknowingly welcoming the first death. This was not all, for in their abandonment of the Earth Mother, winter came, her way of creating balance once more. The gdonios were not prepared for the harsh winds and freezing snows. Sickness and starvation claimed many.
Lugus rode forth on Epona, collecting the souls of the fallen, and taking them to the Otherworld, never to return. Cernunnos remained at the veil as the gdonios came forth, beckoning to be reunited with their families. They were denied this, for this was the cost of being mortal. The people cried out to their loved ones, wishing to be able to commune, but there was silence. Gdūia Mātīr took back their bodies, returning them to the dirt they had been borrowed from.
Mortality had driven them to desperation and they cried out to the Dêuoi once more. Yet the Dêuoi could not offer comfort nor counsel, as this was the design of The Sky Father and The Earth Mother.
The reality of mortality saddened Sucellos. Men had begun to deny Him as their protector, for He could not protect them from death. This grieved Him, and reminded Him of His final blessing.
He sat before Dyēus Atīr, and pleaded that mankind not meet such a final end. But the wise Sky Father denied immortality to the gdonios, for they were not divine and had not remained as stewards to the Earth Mother. Still, Sucellos remained, steadfast in his love for the people. This moved Dyēus Atīr. A compromise was made. Humans would be allowed to return, for when a mother gave birth to a child, it might be the beginning of a new life or the return of an old soul. Communication between the living and dead would be filtered through the veil, anointing Cernunnos as the keeper of this. And thus, if man was just and moral, could return to the world of the living. This came at a cost, however. The Dêuoi could no longer walk along the mortal plane, but be bound to walk beside them in the veil.
This pleased Sucellos enough, and returned to the mortals, calling upon the other Gods. They gave their final instructions to the wisest among them, whom would be called deruweid, for they were the keepers of the wisdom of the Dêuoi.
With knowledge imparted on mankind, Cernunnos instructed the horned serpent to open the veil and allow the gdonios to commune, and to guide the spirits to and from. At the veil, the dēwoi departed. A new realm was fashioned, a place for the departed soulds of the gdnomios. They would reside in the place called Atumnos, living another existence until death to be born again on the Earth Mother's soil.
With the Dêuoi beyond the veil, man began to cultivate once more. Their folly had led them to the realization of the earth's holiness. Theu prayed to the Dêuoi and chose reverence to the land once more. They formed bonds, ideology, and beliefs, separating into what would be known as Toutâ. Rivalries led to battles, for these people were fierce and tended the land as if it was their everlasting destiny to protect. Each clan was unique, each king or chief headstrong in their ways.
As time passed they became a force, their culture had developed and they expended their reach. They were not alone, they soon found, however; for beyond the land they conquered, dwelled others.
To the south, rumors grew that ‘civitas’ existed. Civitas homed the others, those who did not understand the land or hear its heartbeat. These people, the Romanum, had skilled mouths and introduced economy and trade to the people of the land. This, what the Romanum named “Gallia” began to divide itself over once more.
There were some tribes who thought it wise to form alliances with the Romanum, making trade routes and welcoming them as guests on occasion, rallying together to conquer. The Aedui had used this to their advantage.
In the north, the Nervii were opposed to the Romanum, cursing them and stealing their heads that they might not receive their afterlife. “Barbarus,” the insult the Romanum preferred to call the Nervii, was a title deserved with their blood-soaked ritual alone.
Naturally, there were some, like the Carnutes, who did not take a stance. Instead, they remained observant, taking what they wanted and discarding what did not suit them. True to their kind, they saw no harm in killing a Romanum or two, but it was not in their nature to start battles, either. They were mediators. The keen protectors of the central nemeton. It was here that all things were kept sacred.
As this divide began, the wisest members of each tribal society joined forces.The druids discussed in length of their ritual, land, and gods, deciding what would become of their peoples. Sharing a belief in the holiness of the land, they agreed to gather peacefully with their nobles and leaders,upholding the sacred law. They understood Earth was alive, a spirit existing in everything.
Though the conquerors from the west, the Roman society, did not understand them, it did not prevent them from squaring their shoulders, continuing their traditions with determination.
Time moved ever-onward, marching them swiftly into seasons of grief and panic. The Romanum had begun to creep into their lands, creating settlements. The people began to grow restless, turning to their gods and goddesses. Their fears had crept into their rituals.
Poor harvests and dying cattle riddled the tribes with an unmistakable omen. If they did not act soon, they would be defeated. The druids spoke this on behalf of the land and the gods, but the people were focused only on the favor of their deities. They cried for a savior.
Esus came forward, promising the people his aide should they offer him fit sacrifice. A god of harvest, he became the savior they desired. He was not alone. With him, two others stood as equals. Taranis and Teutates. Taranis, the thunderer, brought storms and vengeful skies to keep the Romanum at bay. Teutates swore to protect the people and bring them prosperity.
This trinity was kept secret, the rituals they had required were private. As the people reveled in their gods, the Carnutes warned that the other gods would grow angry and distant should they be ignored.
The Carnutes were right to warn the tribes, yet the tribes did not listen. Mighty Arduinna soon left her forest, the druid prayers falling on deaf ears. Cernunnos became silent, Alunus did not bless his seers with clear visions, and the great lady Nemetona let wanderers into her temples. Their arms had become open to any that wished to serve them as they demanded, leaving a divide betwixt their people and the divine.
One such deity found his way to the Romanum. He was exalted, honored, and worshiped from the depths of Gallia to the bustling civitas. Belenus is the name they called him; the shining one. He was a god of healing and flame, the sun, death, but even more, a god of war. He kept this latter quality hidden from the mortals, knowing they would seek his favor for malice. He grew strong in the worship bestowed upon him and waited for the one who would seek him in justness.
Tensions grew, time moved forward, and the people had abandoned all reason as the inevitable wars drew nigh.
The tribes began to band together, forming stronger alliances.
This air of change brought the tribes closer.
This is the story passed down from Druid Alnus to his student, Donon.
This is the story that Donon pondered as they walked onwards towards the Carnutes Touta.
