Book of Venoms: A Compendium of Escaria’s Venomous Animals - 2. On Deities of Escaria, part 2

On Xion’s Rebellion

Some of the earliest recorded legends speak of the creation of the world and how Escaria itself came to be. Shortly after the beginning of time, it is said that Eteon entrusted Xion and Dreyra to create a place for the gods to live in. The two deities combined their primal forces of nature, forming the landmass of Escaria and all of its rivers, seas, and oceans that surround it.

Both headstrong and rebellious, the God of Wind and the Goddess of Earth seemed like a perfect match. The time they spent working together led to them growing closer, often disappearing for short periods of time. It is said that some of the gods were suspicious of their secrecy, believing them to be up to no good, until it was discovered the two were simply having an affair. This lasted but for a short time, until the birth of Nammis, the Goddess of Nature.

Afterward, both of them seemed to grow apart, returning to their duties in their own domains. However, Xion had slowly been growing increasingly more dissatisfied with the new order imposed by Eteon. The God of Time had previously named his son Altheox the new ruler, someone who would keep the peace in the pantheon. Altheox was content to do just that. He watched over the continent, making sure the often capricious and unpredictable gods did not kill each other or destroy the world.

However, as the one responsible for creating Escaria, Xion believed he should be the ruler. He was also aware not many gods would dare go against the wishes of Eteon, but he knew he would have one certain accomplice - Dreyra. So, the God of Wind met with his former lover and convinced her to join his cause and overthrow the ruling god. Together, the pair launched a surprise attack on Altheox’s base at the south of the continent - the majestic Polestar Mountain, now the location of Polestar Valley in Alduin. When their initial plan to ambush and capture Altheox failed, the confrontation turned into a fierce battle that raged for days.

While most other deities chose to not get involved in the conflict, Urror and Melina were quick to join Altheox’s side. However, even the combined forces of the three of them were not a match for the two powerful elemental deities. Causing massive earthquakes and storms, Xion and Dreyra leveled the mountain and forced their opponents to retreat.

With the ruling god disposed of, Xion began making plans for taking over Escaria and bringing the other gods under his rule. This never came to pass, as it is believed that Umnios, God of Wisdom, promptly informed Eteon of what had happened. Enraged over this betrayal, the God of Time hurried out of his domain in pursuit of the two rebels. Once he found them, he trapped Xion and Dreyra in temporal loops they were unable to break out of. With the entire pantheon watching, the two deities grew incensed at their powerlessness before the God of Time. Once they were released, both were forced to take a sacred oath in front of all the gods, swearing to loyalty to Altheox and Eteon.

After their humiliating defeat, Dreyra and Xion parted ways for good. While Dreyra retired to her underground lair in the caverns beneath the surface of Escaria, Xion retreated to the Isle of Flux, a small, isolated island northeast of the continent. It is believed he still lives there in self-imposed exile, overseeing his domain and manipulating the air and sea currents.

On the Rivalry of Odum and Nammis

As we all know, gods inhabited this world before the dawn of humans, slowly filling it with their own children. Over time, they started creating animals to keep them company, but of course, each god had their own favorites. It wasn’t long before this turned into a contest of who would create bigger, faster and stronger creatures.

Odum, God of Death and Underworld, had been in a long-standing conflict with goddess Nammis, for she was the one who controlled the domain of Nature, which he had coveted greatly. In order to exert his dominance, Odum created a flying serpent named Zharo, a natural predator that hunted many of Nammis’ creations. Zharo was a strong, vicious creature with strong jaws and sharp claws.

Although infuriated by this act of insolence, Nammis could not destroy Zharo, for it was created by a god. Thus, she removed its wings and legs, condemning it and all of its offspring to spend their lives slithering on the ground. Never one to give up easily, Odum blessed its favorite creation by giving it the ability to produce venom, which it would inject into its victims through its massive sharp fangs.

This was the first venomous animal ever created in Escaria, soon to be followed by numerous other vicious, deadly creatures with this ability. While Zharo was a savage predator that terrorized south Escaria, including the present-day kingdom of Thar, the loss of wings affected it greatly.

Nowadays, its serpent offspring are spread far and beyond the rocky deserts in the north of Thar. They feed on small rodents, lizards and other animals they manage to hunt down. Zharoid Serpents, thought to be a direct descendant of Zharo, seem to especially focus on ambushing and hunting winged insects and birds, as if still jealous of their flying ability that was stolen from their ancestor.

The feud between Odum and Nammis did not end there, however. For a long time, the God of Death kept creating new deadly creatures from his underground lair and sending them to the surface to wreak havoc on Nammis' creations.

It is said that one day he sent forth an entire army of his newest pets, Skeletal Spiders, to attack and destroy a young forest the Goddess of Life had recently created in the present-day kingdom of Amaret. The large arachnids were armed with potent acidic venom that burned their victims' flesh, causing nothing but bones to remain. They invaded the forest and quickly spread through it, killing everything in their path with no mercy.

That was the last drop as far as Nammis was concerned. Incensed and determined to put a stop to Odum's attacks once and for all, she created a new species of Rock Burrowers, giant worms that burrowed through the ground all the way down to Odum's underworld palace.

As the worms caused the palace to collapse, Nammis faced the furious Odum in a bloody battle that caused violent earthquakes and almost killed both of them.

Several other deities, led by Altheox, arrived in support of Nammis and managed to subdue Odum, forcing him to surrender once and for all.

In order to keep his reign over the realm of the dead and avoid imprisonment, Odum had to take a sacred oath that he would stop interfering with Nammis' creations and trying to seize her domain for himself.

Ever since, Odum has mostly been keeping to himself, avoiding open conflicts with other deities. Still, Nammis never forgave him, and the two still avoid each other as much as possible.

On the First Shifters

Ever since humans were first created, Umnios, God of Wisdom, carefully observed this new race of promising beings from his solitary home on the Cerebon Plateau, on the far west side of Escaria.

As he was the one who gave them reason, he was curious to see how this new race of intelligent creatures would behave and develop. He knew humans had much potential and wanted to see how they would realize it.

Under his watchful eye, people began spreading throughout the continent, interacting with each other and with nature, building roads and homes.

What attracted Umnios' attention was the way humans interacted with other animals. He noticed them hunting some animals for food, while fearing those that hunted them. In that sense, they were no different than any other creature. However, the God of Wisdom also observed how people began domesticating certain species, living together with them, even keeping them as pets and developing strong bonds with them. This was especially true for certain species of birds, wolves and cats.

In observing these unique relationships that began developing between people and certain animal species they became close to, Umnios produced an idea that would change life on Escaria once more. Without consulting other gods, he decided to combine the man and the animal into one being - a Shifter. By day, they would look just like any ordinary person, but by night, they would be able to morph into an animal if they so desired.

It is believed that the first Shifters to ever be created were members of the ancient Tudoro civilization, which occupied the western lands near the Cerebon Plateau. According to legends, Umnios noticed that many of Tudoro people kept large cats, such as panthers and pumas, as pets. It is then no wonder that these were the animals the first Shifters could morph into.

Unfortunately, what Umnios saw as a blessing, humans saw as a curse. Out of fear that they were being punished by gods and turned into monsters, people started capturing everyone who they believed was 'cursed'. Thus, the majority of the first Shifters were either murdered or driven out of their towns and villages and left to fend for themselves in the wilderness.

Patient and stubborn, Umnios did not want to give up on his new creations. In order to teach people a lesson, he turned every single member of the Tudoro civilization into a Shifter.

At this point, his actions were far too big to be concealed any longer. It wasn't long before other deities learned of what he had done. Some of the gods, such as Urror and Mazotl, were thrilled with the idea. However, others were less enthusiastic. Led by Altheox, they demanded that Umnios explain himself.

The entire pantheon met at the Cerebon Plateau to discuss the situation and determine if Shifters were to be destroyed and Umnios punished for his actions. Altheox, as the fiercest protector of humans, believed that being turned into Shifters would only bring them harm. Supported by Melina and Lythia, he proposed that all of them cast a vote to decide the destiny of Shifters.

The fifteen deities voted, and with ten votes supporting the creation of Shifters, Umnios was left in peace. Although he disagreed with the decision, Altheox had no choice but to accept it.

Since then, the God of Wisdom also became known as the God of Shifters. To this day, Umnios blesses people with the gift of shifting, allowing them to experience life in a different way.

However, the biology of Shifters largely remains a mystery. As an alchemist - and a Shifter as well - I have spent decades trying to understand the biological and chemical processes that occur when a person changes between their human and animal form.

I will present all my findings on the matter in a later part of this book.

On the Birth of Rhyme

According to ancient writings found across central Escaria dating back to the early second century of the Age of Humans, Rhyme is the youngest of the deities of Escaria. For a long time, the other gods had been living in relative peace, populating the lands and seas of Escaria with plants and animals. Centuries had passed since the youngest deity - Lythia - was born, and no one was expecting another addition to the pantheon.

All of that changed one long winter night when, according to legends, a glowing pearl washed ashore on the Isle of Devotion. By the morning the pearl had vanished; in its place a beautiful, young man lay on the beach, his long, golden hair spread out on the sand.

It didn’t take long for the entire pantheon to arrive at the island, sensing a powerful new being with an aura unlike anything they had felt before. Even the reclusive gods such as Urror and Umnios could not resist the pull of the God of Love, or perhaps their own curiosity. It was one of the rare occasions when even Xion decided to leave his residence at the Isle of Flux and join the other gods.

It is said that Themyon and Mazotl were the first to encounter Rhyme at the island shores. The two of them were thrilled with the new addition to the pantheon, but the same could not be said for everyone. According to legends, the still resentful Xion merely acknowledged the new god’s presence before vanishing into the clouds. Umnios seemed similarly unimpressed, making a brief introduction before retreating back to his plateau. Some believe the two gods were afraid of their own reactions if they stayed in Rhyme’s presence for too long, which is why they decided to flee.

However, most of the other gods welcomed the temptation. Affected by the new god’s aura, they showered him with attention. Nammis created some of the most beautiful orchids as a gift for Rhyme, while Phenmera sculpted a charming marble statue in his honor. Even Odum, the cold God of Death, made it his mission to charm the God of Love, bringing him sweet nectar and other delicacies his underground festivities were known for. For a while, it seemed that most of them had abandoned their duties, too focused on impressing the God of Love and competing against one another - but this did not go on for long.

With the help of Mazotl and Themyon, Rhyme gathered all of his fellow deities in the great Taurus Vale one day, stating that he had an announcement to make. This was met with great excitement, as the other gods believed he was ready to choose one of them as his partner. Instead, Rhyme dashed their hopes when he rejected all of them. Being the embodiment of love, he realized he could not choose one of them over the others; he felt equally toward all of them. It was only by distancing himself that he, as well as the other gods, could focus on their duties.

Disappointed with this decision, the gods began bickering amongst each other, feeling resentful and betrayed. As the ground shook and storms gathered, Rhyme realized he had to prevent things from escalating. Channeling his powerful aura of love, he calmed the gods down, causing their anger to subside. Feeling content and pacified, they promptly ceased their conflict and returned to their abodes.

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