The Sus’Laru. The creator of Gods and Realms and the destroyer of Hope. A city turned battlefield that brought about the destruction of an Empire, the desolation of lives and created the “Realm Push”
The Sus’Laru was the seat of power for the Gods. A housing for everything Divine. Delakost, known as “The Tilt”, was the greatest among the gods and convened a council to attempt to settle disputes between them and their clergy. Due to events set about by the Arauthien King Abinthkal Merinthor, the continent was in chaos. The rumor that demons roamed free, led to every god and church attempting to cleanse and purge them out of society. And while their mission and intents were the same, their methods were different resulting in even more contention between the faiths.
Every Empire and Kingdom attempted to find its own measure of containment. New laws were made and enacted to bring information leading to the finding of these cults. People turned on each other, neighbors in their panic created false testimonies for money and courts quickly found guilty those who were brought before them.
In this chaos, there came a great Tear upon the sky. Down poured rock, dirt and sand, the beginnings of the bottom of a city. A mass that fell close to the Sus’Laru, causing a sandstorm and tempest unlike anything the world had seen. Out from the newly crashed city were individuals wrapped, from head to toe, in white cloth. They began to speak in a language unknown even to the gods, but they understood the fear that flowed in their tone. Their leader, a wrapped individual in blue, closed his eyes and laid hands upon a citizen of Sus’Laru, within seconds, his eyes glowed a luminescent yellow and he spoke in the common language saying, “They come, my innocents, gather and run, for the Mara-Kai are at war.”
As the Gods looked up, legions of warriors and mages riding serpentine like dragons, came out of the sky, immediately attacking anyone they saw. Magic flew from their hands with such force, even the gods were knocked down and shaken with fear. Buildings were destroyed, people turned to ash and gods were injured. Delakost, in his leadership, commanded each god to mass their forces and engage this new, unidentified enemy. They quickly complied and there became a magic clash unlike anything the realm of Kroiya had ever imagined.
God’s flew in the air, colliding with dragons and smiting Mara-Kai soldiers. Creatures made of shadow poured forth and with lightning speed, struck at everyone, ignoring armor and ripping flesh from bone. The dead fell from the sky. It rained blood for over an hour.
Ascendants were killed, mortals were anointed.
The land had been destroyed. The city was in shambles and the dead littered the streets. As Delakost walked amongst the carnage, he grew angry, a righteous anger that he had never felt before. The squabbles and disagreements before this day were nothing compared to the raw hatred he saw in these Mara-Kai. The gods that survived and the newly raised ones, began to yell at the “Wrapped Ones”, now known as the Rivathan. When Delakost saw this, he yelled in rage with such force that every entity was silenced. He made them look, made them see the potential for their disgust for their enemies. He made them see their future. He convened a council between every God and leader of the world. The now defeated Mara-Kai were regrouping and out in front stood their Prince, Xissit, upon his mount. Delakost walked to him, and while Xissit never moved, it is rumored that he shifted in his saddle as Delakost came close.
No one knows what Delakost said to Xissit that day, no mortal or god was present. But Xissit dismounting, relinquishing his blade, commanding his troops to stay and walking back with The Tilt, was a surprise for the gods. Not because of the defeated enemies sudden surrender and obeying but by Delakost’s decision. This group had come from another world and killed innocents. The gods stood confused and watched as this intruder entered their circle.
Lira’Lorn cast a Peace spell, allowing none the ability to cause harm to another. For days, speeches were made by the old and new gods. All wanting justice, at their discretion, they wanted the Mara-Kai to pay for their crimes. They desired The Tilt to restore their city, to rebuild their buildings and to allow them to administer and break the rules of death to swell their depleted churches. As Delakost listened, he saw the greed within them. Even after all this death, this loss, they craved more. He saw the mortal’s reactions as they listened in horror to these events and monologues.
It was then that he looked at them all, and with a mighty spell, cast the Gods and the Realms that lay within them, to the Outer Rim of the Kroiya Edge.
Their Realms now touched Kroiya, barely, so that they may still hear and answer prayers, bless their followers and the people may still use the magic from them. But they were banished to never walk Kroiya again. The God’s new Realms were reflections of themselves and in each one was a Throne. And in the Throne lay their immortality and godhood.
Delakost convened a council of them on a neutral plane of existence, His. He explained their new kingdoms. They could do everything they were used to, except that they could never have another war like the one just fought. He would never allow Gods to freely walk Kroiya again. That the cost of life was too high and was unbalanced.
He then summoned the Rivathan leader to this place. Upon a quick, silent conversation from the rest of the gods, he explained that the Rivathan were magic users that were attempting to escape the might of the Mara-Kai and possible genocide of his people. Delakost granted them permission to stay and live in this realm. Upon that, the Rivathan leader swore an oath of magic, that no Rivathan would ever wield or use magic again and that any who did, would be cast out. That they would spend the rest of their lives, ensuring the safety of the weak and would work for the atonement of their spell that brought about such destruction and death.
Delakost accepted this and sent him back to his people. They immediately tended to the wounded, using medicines and techniques not seen before and spent months burying the dead. Upon the completion of this, they once again swore they would protect this city from further desecration and became the guardians of the Sus’Laru.
During the war, the Mara-Kai queen Eywakaifan (I-wa-kay-fen) was killed by an Annouran Paladin named Aku’Maul. Aku’Maul’s soul was immediately infused with the Divinity of Shadow. He became one of mind and the new heralded Lord of Twilight. Conflicted now with his new mindset of the Shadow, the deep and deceptive nature of this new Realm, mixed with his duty as a Paladin and a man of conviction and truth, he came to Delakost with a proposal. He couldn’t condone what the Mara-Kai did but his new ancient knowledge told him that the Mara-Kai, while it is a mystery, had a historic reason for wanting the Rivathan’s death and asked that Delakost have mercy on the remaining Mara-Kai people. Delakost listened and went out amongst the new strangers. He found women, children, and individuals who were not warriors but slaves. He knew that justice would not allow them to die for their master’s greed and desire for death. He listened to Aku’Maul and cast them underground. They worshiped the shadow and darkness and so they will now be forced to live there in banishment.
The remaining Mara-Kai went with no question for their forces were almost gone and their people were cracked and spiritually crushed. They have remained there still.
The world has since come to forget these events, now lost in Myth or told as Legends. Stories were told of the evil Mara-Kai who come up every so often to take someone. The Rivathan, although righteous and just, became a group of people that everyone else feared. The strange wrappings that never came off, led to their nickname “Living Mummies” and the people, over time, have grown to fear them as much as the Mara-Kai.
The gods still sit their thrones. They still use their faithful to attempt to run governments, organizations and kingdoms.