A History of the Creation Mythos as Known throughout Rae.

Ancient history tells us of the formation of the world. A test of will and might from the beings whose power excelled far past what is imaginable. Those beings were called gods, but all knew that was a misnomer. These so-called gods were fickle, broken, and full of spite. Constantly vying for power and changing as time went on. Everyone knew of their brokenness and their ephemeral nature. Soon, all accepted that they were not separate from the mortals, but akin.

This was proven time and time again by the many who had achieved ultimate power through quests and lore long forgotten. Many know of Ivann the Cruel whose pain and suffering exalted him to be counted among the pantheon as the god of destruction and war. Stories had been told of Taurel, who bested the god of pain and took their place. They often rumored Taurel to be from a different universe altogether.

These stories fill the Temples of All. We made these monuments to stem the flow of religious war before it could begin. Atop these massive stone structures stood the church dedicated to the One Above All. Those who actively worship any of the lesser gods usually paid respect to the One above All as the king above all gods. He was known as the only true God and it was said his power was immense. He could create entire realities and control even the strongest of the lesser beings within the pantheon.

The creation mythos most believe is that the world was created by the One Above All through the help of the original lesser gods. The world was filled with every race we know, from the towering monsters of the Goliath to the small and helpless Halflings. We took our newfound life and spread across the lands and continents, and we grew, building cities and villages across the fertile lands.

The continent of Rae was the first landmass filled with life, as our history reminds us: we were meant to be a trial of the lesser gods’ power. However, the ancient civilizations thrived, and the gods let us live. We learned the magical arts, spread to the untamed wilds, and eventually created the great cities that we now call home.

These are the specific creation Myths of the Continent of Rae. As far as our research has gathered, the other main continents all have variations of their own Myths. I hope to gather more information for my second Volume of these histories in which I will write out the other continent’s myths.

Three other smaller beliefs exist on Rae, but most have debunked these as farcical at best. However, for consistency's sake, and for a proper record of events, here are the other three beliefs.

1. This first belief is that the planet was created by chance, through chaos, and then took over by greater beings in search of a world to battle over.

2. The second belief which is held by some on Rae, is that there are no lesser or greater Gods, even through the evidence, for this is so little they typically cannot argue their points. Those who believe this also believe that the greater chaos within The Weave formed the planets of its own volition. They also believed this abrupt Chaotic Weave Creation to have been the cause of The Breaking in the first Erablight.

3. The druidic clans of the Irrilith Forest hold the final belief. They believe that nature existed before anything was created. The wind, water, earth, and fire were all within a realm separated from our own. Through a collapsing of these realms together, the prime materials for our universe were spit out and collapsed together under our universes unique gravity conditions forming the stars and planets. This coalition of forces is also said to be the creation of the first druids, from whom all other races were formed. They populated the planet with the ecosystems we now know and became the lesser gods who we based our religions on. Most still believe the “Great Mother” who is Mystra, exists to this day as a druid who shirked the process of aging and still lives hidden in a nearby mountain leading the druids of the forest.