Sasquatch Weekend Part 2

Sasquatch dwellings are built in five layers. First to go up is the framework of sticks and wooden beams, and then the finer woven mattes. Moss and dry grass is packed into the holes of the mattes for insulation, and then the whole is covered in specially prepared bark shingles. Inside, another layer of woven mattes cover the walls and allow for easy hanging. All of their furniture is easily collapsible, everything portable and pack-able with a few hours of practiced efficiency. The dwellings themselves, called jukhom, look like enormous tree stumps, and are spread in such a fashion that a careless hiker could walk right through the center of the village without knowing anything.

My own bright orange tent was extraordinarily out of place, needless to say, and soon after I had met with the elders of the village, Wyatt's mother kindly offered to let me stay inside of their jukhom. It was warm and cozy, complete with a small radio, lamps, portable stove... almost anything you could find in the home of a modern American.

I was led to the Jkha, the communal building at the center of the encampment, to meet with the Elders soon after waking. The Jkha is quite different from the jukhoms, resembling a small hill- although by small, I mean about 500 feet wide, and 40 feet tall. On the inside was a low perimeter second level, and in the center they had set up a large fire pit. The area was cordoned off into various workshops for the members of the tribe. Set around the fire pit were the elders, literally the oldest members of the village, smoking and debating among themselves on wicker chairs.

The size of the entire place was staggering. Most sasquatch's are between 8 and 10 feet in height, and their buildings, furniture, doorways, everything was built for their size. I've never noticed before, how easy we have it in the 'civilized world', where everything is made for generally human size, but those extra feet really make a difference. Walking among them, I felt like a child. Actually, Wyatt's 9 year old sister was taller than me by a few inches. They tended to treat me like a child as well, carefully, cutting my food up for me, opening jars or reaching to the top shelves for things I couldn't reach... but i'm getting ahead of myself a little.

Among the sasquatch people, influence is accumulated right along with age. The youngest, the children and the young adults, make very few decisions within the community and are protected from outside influences. Once a sasquatch reaches 26 years of age, they go through their first hrumner ceremony, and are considered an adult, with a vote in the community and the right to their own tent. Adult sasquatches practice a trade and do most a the physical labor throughout the camp. In their late 30s or early 40s, they marry and begin their own families. At around the age of 65, a sasquatch undergoes a second hrumner ceremony, in which they become an Elder of the village. Elders are the master craftsmen, the political force, and the voice of the community to the outside world. While a humans at 65 are beginning to feel their age, a sasquatch is in the prime of health.

Sasquatches that live beyond the century mark may undergo, if they wish, a third and final hrumner ceremony, becoming an acknowledged Ancient. Ancients carry the wisdom of their people with them, and form the core governing council of any gathering of the People. Their word for themselves has been integrated into the modern veracular: Yeti.

Sasquatch Weekend Part 1

Sasquatch (Homo pilosus): The legendary Big Foot, the Hairy Men are generally shy by nature and avoid all social situations like the plague. However, they are devoted to family and the few that become their friends. They are stereotyped as having bad, even violent tempers.

For my first Immersion project, my buddy Wyatt agreed to take me with him when he went home for the weekend. I was really excited, but also incredibly nervous. What would it be like to visit a Bigfoot village?

Wyatt was the only Sasquatch I knew personally. I met him my freshman year, when we were both staying in E.H. Hall. He's a pretty quiet, until you get him talking about the chemical structure of carbon-based polymers, or prebiotic molecules, or silica membranes. Then he can go on for hours about this or that beautiful or ugly chemical structure. Yeah, he's a nerd.

Wyatt is 8 foot 10 inches, with bright brown eyes. Like all sasquatches, he has a peaked skull, and he's covered in soft charcoal-brown hair. He cuts most of it short, all but a truly inspiring mow hawk that adds another 18 inches to his height. His skin is a slightly lighter coffee brown, and smooth- at first I had thought that all sasquatch have premature wrinkles like they always show in the news, Wyatt explained that generally only village elders talk to the public. Wyatt, as well as other sasquatches his age, are unusual for leaving the reservation. It had only been in the past 12 years, he told me, that the sasquatch Elders decided it would be best if some of the younger members of the tribes were sent to Universities, gaining knowledge that would benefit the entire People.

There are 22 sasquatches attending Arcadia University, more than in any other University in the United States. It's because of our intense forestry program, I think, and our dedication to xenosociological studies. That's part of the reason I decided to attend, myself.

Anyways, when I first asked Wyatt about it, he was understandably nervous. I didn't realize how much sway the Elders have on sasquatch culture, even those a hundred miles away. He sent my petition to the Elders anyway, and was very surprised when they said I could come. After the trip, I understood why he was so surprised.

Iktoo village is in an undisclosed location a good hour drive and 40 mile hike away from Arcadia. Sasquatch society is extremely isolated from outsiders, secretive and untrusting. I learned later that they only allowed me in due to my connection with Eostre, and because my research would help them to understand their steadily encroaching neighbors. Despite their almost obsessive need for space and seclusion, the sasquatch people are also very curious of the outside world.

As part of the conditions, I was blindfolded on the whole car ride to the drop off point. When we got their, it was 8 o clock Friday evening, already getting dark and a little cold, and I was glad for my heavy coat and boots. As it turns out, I still recognized where we were, but out of respect for their privacy I will not reveal the location.

Wyatt of course was walking barefoot. Sasquatch feet are incredibly resilient. They can handle extremely cold temperatures, and I saw Wyatt walk on broken glass without cutting himself once. He wore a pair of baggy jeans and a 6XL white hoodie that seemed to glow faintly in the twilight woods. It had a large picture of a polypeptide molecule. He was also wearing some wood-bead bracelets and a bone-shell necklace.

"Don't say anything when the guide gets here." He warned me uncomfortably. "We don't speak unless spoken to by the elders. We're a little old fashioned that way, I guess." He laughed a little self-consciously.

"Why do we need a guide?" I asked curiously, "Don't you know where it is?"

"The camp changes every couple of weeks, although it's generally in the same area. I could find it if I had to, but with a guide, it's much easier." Wyatt fell silent.

We stood there for about a half hour before the guide came, Wyatt reminding me nervously of various points of Sasquatch etiquette every couple of moments. Finally, our guide arrived.

He was a little shorter than Wyatt, a burnished red color to his hair that I noted even in the near-darkness. His face had the lined look so familiar in pictures, and he frowned and grunted at me disapprovingly before heading off into the forest.

A little advice: don't try following Sasquatch without a little magical help. Wyatt and the other moved silent as ghosts through the forest with huge strides, the darkness not bothering them at all, the chill only refreshing to them. I'd procured some Lupine Essence just for this trip, and I still had a hard time keeping up. I had to jog to keep up with their terrain-eating footsteps, breaking branches and stumbling occasionally, and despite the potion I was breathing heavily and sweating.

We hiked for about 6 hours, until about 3 in the morning. Finally, reaching a clearing in the woods, our guide indicated that we should set up camp. When we woke up the next morning, the Sasquatch camp surrounded us.

Short Overview of European Werewolves

You cannot understand the motley mixture that is the American Werewolf without first examining their predecessors, the European Werewolves. European Werewolves is a misnomer applied to a large variety of disparate shape shifting and cursed beings, in no way united except for their universal persecution.

The history extends back into the jackal cult of Upper Egypt during the Old Kingdom, which coalesced into the worship of Anapa. Even in such ancient times, these shapeshifters were elevated beyond the norm, and through some unknown means became intricately entwined with the Spirit Worlds. When the jackal cult was subsequently transplanted to ancient Arcadia, where the cult extended to wolf worship as practiced by germanic tribes. The myths associated with werewolves tell of a powerful king, Lycaon, and his legion of sons who practiced cannibalism and preyed upon the northern city-states of ancient Greece. In retribution the god Zeus cursed Lycaon and his followers with what is now known as lycanthropy.

Subsequent stories of Romulus and Remus have been attributed to werewolves, however historical accounts more closely align with the profile of the she-wolf with a Fenrir.

Lycanthropy is passed on from father to son, and historically all lycanthropes but three have been male. Lycanthropes must change into a large wolf in a cyclic pattern, usually once a month, although this pattern has little to do with phases of the moon as popular folklore would suggest. During this time the lycanthrope cannot control or recall any of their actions, and behaves exactly as a wolf would. Lycanthropes do not have any control over their shapeshifting, which is often quite painful. These days the pure lycanthropy strain is very rare, although there are still a few families in southern Italy and Norway.

Early on in the history of lycanthropy, the riastrad lineage of the now extinct fomorians and fenrir bloodlines mixed with Lycaon therianthropy to create what is now known as lycanthropy today: a dangerous, painful transformation once a month in which the cursed individual becomes a giant, bloodthirsty wolflike creature. The actual 'wolfishness' varies, with near-pure lycanthropes being much more wolf than near-pure riastrad berserkers, who resemble savage hairy men. These cursed monsters, also collectively known as Lycanthropic Werewolves, are immensely strong and are highly resistant to injury while transformed. In addition, Lycanthropic Werewolves do not register pain, and will pursue prey until it has been killed or the werewolf itself drops dead. Lycanthropic Werewolves can pass their curse to any of their progeny, male or female, but the actual condition generally jumps a generation.

Finally, a fourth group of cursed wolf shifters made their appearance; the Loup Garou, which first terrorized the countryside of Gevaudan in the 1760's and rapidly spread throughout Europe. Loup Garou are believed to be a strain of lycanthropy mixed with some hellish pact which taints all who come into contact with it. Accounts of the time are mixed, because of aggression between Fenrir in the area and the ruler of the time, however present Loup Garou are easily distinguishable.

Transformed Loup Garou stand around seven feet tall, with wolf-like hindlegs and tail, an upright posture and human forelimbs, and a wolfish neck and head. The ears are pointed and the teeth enlarged, and the fur is needlelike and stiff like boar spines. The Loup Garou have large retractable claws on all four limbs, and the tail is long and almost rat-like, although covered in the same coarse fur as the rest of the creature. The beast smells faintly of rot and brimstone, although the human form has no marked characteristics. Loup Garou, suffer a constant gnawing desire for the flesh of other living sentient beings, and many Loup Garou become cannibals even in human form. In beast form they go into a rage and destroy anything and everything in their path. Loup Garou are immune to almost any form of injury in beast form and in human form heal remarkably quickly. They are strong enough to rip a truck in half or pummel their way through stone walls. Stopping a Loup Garou is usually a matter of figuring out who they are in human form, although wolfsbane has proven remarkably effective, as the smell can drive the Loup Garou away.

Loup Garou are infected through a bite or scratch while the cursed person is in beast form, although surviving the attack of a Loup Garou is extremely rare.

Finally, to complicate matters further, are three other types of european shapeshifters, which are sometimes called werewolves. Actual wolf shape shifters really only played a role in Europe until the late 18th century, when along with all other types they were hunted down and retreated into Russia. Some magicians have also been able to take the form of a wolf, usually by using a belt woven from wolfs hair. Finally, their are the Fenrir.

Fenrir are unique in that instead of humans turning into wolves, the Fenrir are canine creatures turning into humans. They are large, the size of a small horse, and as intelligent as a human being. Although their relationship with humans is conflicted at best, in the last hundred years an uneasy truce has been established. Fenrirs closely resemble giant, short-furred wolf-dogs, with the low gate, large paws, and heavy head of a wolf and the more refined lines of a hound. The ears are large and triangular, like a jackal, and the markings are generally wolf-like. The Fenrirs call themselves the Hounds of God, and there history intertwines with the first prehistoric humans on the great tundras. Fenrir can speak human languages, although they prefer their own tongue, and each generation a few of their children are born with the ability to change into a human. Fenrir prefer the company of lycanthropic humans, who understand them better than regular humans, and it is believed the ability of certain Fenrir to shapeshift comes from the intermixing of Lycanthropic and Fenrir heritage. Fenrir stories claim the ability came from the ancient wolf gods Loki and Urdi. Whatever the origin, Fenrir transformed into humans are gifted with the senses of both forms, are more resistant to injury, and often have a close connection to the Spirit Worlds.

Order of the Heavens, Origin Myths

This therefore is the order of the Heavens.

The Creator is Father of All and through Him all things were made. He is the heart of the Garden of the Gods, and the sun is His, shining even past the seventh gate to light the outer darkness. Hallowed be the name of the Father, who knoweth all things and from whom all good things cometh, blessed be His name, forever and ever, Amen.

Closest to the Father is Ysue, Anu the Firstborn, whose face is always turned to the Father. Quick mercury is the sign of he who did submit himself to all things that he might redeem the children of Heaven, that all things might be renewed in him. Honored be Ysue the Redeemer, who did overcome Pain.

Isana the Brightest is eldest daughter of the Father. The Fair are her children and fair venus is her sign. Her children are immortal, but Isana waits for the bidding of the Father before using the fountains of Life which he did give her in the beginning. Blessed be Isana, fairest of the children of the Creator.

Maia the mother of all living and silver Sheshki, son of Tia stand next in order of the Heavens. They are bound forever together, never to be parted, as the earth and the moon. Maia loves Sheshki, and Sheshki will do all things for Maia his wife. Maia is mother of all the gods of the world, and from her the fountain of Life flows. Sheshki guards the remnants of Tiamat, that her peace be not disturbed until the ending times. In Maia and Sheshki are mortality and eternity, and their children are so bound to the cycles of death and life. Praises to mother Maia and to guardian Sheshki, who did sacrifice themselves nigh unto Death for the Heavens and the world.

The empty dwelling place of Lamnu lies at the door of the first gate, even mars the desolate.

Beyong the first gate and the first veil are the shattered coils of Tiamat who sleeps. Among her broken stones and dark places evil things are waiting.

Next is Kishar, giant among the children of the Creator, whose sign is jupiter. His eye ever burns inward and outward, and to him were given the Red Keys of the Second Gate. May Kishar ever guard us from evil.

The great brother of Kishar is Anshar, as the brother of jupiter is saturn. Anshar follows the strict path, and to him were given the Yellow Keys of the Third Gate. Many are the servants of Kishar and Anshar. May Anshar ever guard us from evil.

Desolate and empty is the abode of lost Enki, torn from her moorings. The sign of Enki is ouranos who lies on its side, and the Fourth Gate and the White Keys that pertain to it are broken, only to be recovered in the ending times. All mourn the passing of Enki, lost daughter of the Father.

Nodemi has lost her sister Enki. She has lost Lamnu, her favored brother, and her heart has grown cold. Who will bring himself near unto Nodemi, whose winds are ice and whose voice is colder than the stars? May Nodemi be blessed, who received the Blue Keys of the Fifth Gate, and may the sad daughter of the Creator be comforted. May Nodemi whose sign is neptune ever stand strong and guard us from evil.

The Spirit of the Dreamer, Mabar, lies in all places, ever vigilant. Mabar, Sheshki, and Ysue who is Anu, these three are the greatest warriors among the hosts of Heaven. Mabar it was who defeated Tiamat, when she was swollen with the power of the Evil One. Mabar it was who defeated two Abyssals, even Madness and Destruction. May Mabar never again return to madness, and may his protection always guard us from evil. Blessed be Mabar.

Among the children of the Creator are lesser beings: far Ex Machina, orderly Droan, the twilight crossroads of Kythri, and others born of Isana, Maia, Sheshki, and Ysue, of Nodemi and Anshar and Kishar. Among them are the last surviving children of Lamnu, of Tia and Enki. These too are the children of Heaven, who guard mortals and gods from the evil beyond the gates. May they be blessed, and the worlds which they hold. May all the Garden of the Gods be blessed with the Light of the Creator.

Beyond the Fifth Gate is the Sixth, and beyond the Sixth Gate is the Seventh and Final Gate that guards all the worlds of the Creator from the cold depredations of the children of Atrophy. Chained to the Final Gate, in torment until the ending times, is Lucifer the Betrayer, Father of Lies, that great satan, who even now harbors evil in his heart. Lucifer who was once Lamnu, favored child of the Creator, cast down into the outer darkness. May the Father ever keep us from the paths of the devils, who followed the son of perdition and were so cast out of Heaven.

Honored be the gods of heaven and their children.

The Abyssal War, Origin Myths

After the destruction of Tiamat, and the dispersion of all her legions, the hosts of heaven were called forth together in great Counsel. The Creator stood among His children, Anu and Lamnu, and Isana their sister. Anshar and Kishar stood together and mourned with Nodemi the loss of their sisters. Mabar joined them, the silver blood of Tia still wreathing him like smoke, and penitent Sheshki looked on from afar. There also were the children of the gods, and the Fair, and the eldest dragons.

Then the Creator called forth Lamnu, and questioning him, did ask, "Know ye not how the gate of thy sister Enki was overthrown, and her habitations left desolate?"

And Lamnu answered, saying, "Yeah, Father, am I the guardian of all my siblings? Yet would I have guarded her eternally, but Tia did obscure even Thy vision. How should I then know what Ye did not? And now we mourn."

"Seekest thou to obscure thy works of darkness from me, thy Father?" The Creator bowed His head in sorrow. "Even now will I pardon thee, and thou confess and repair the damage which thou hast done to the heavens and to thy family."

"I know not of that which thou accuseth me," Lamnu answered. "Wherefore have I cause to repent? What have thou against me, Thy faithful son, who sought always Thy will?"

"This I, Thy Creator, do know. In the days of our peace thou didst wander far, even outside the limits of heaven, yea, even beyond the fourth gate, and there did encounter an abomination of Apothis, yea, even the Abyssal of Lies, and did war with him. And now, my son, the darkness has entered into you, and thou hast become the father of lies, because of thy pride, because thou wouldst not call for the aide of thy brothers, nor thy sisters, nor even thy Father, in the darkness where thou fought. And the spirit of lies did possess you that you did come near unto thy sister Enki, and did break down her gate and consume her dwelling place, that she did flee before thee. And behold, she has been taken into the hand of the Almighty, and even I, her Father, know not where he has taken her. And behold, other Abyssals have entered by the broken gate, yeah, the Abyssal of Death, and the Abyssal of Madness, the Abyssal of Pain, and the Abyssal of Destruction, and they have engorged thy sister with their sins, and even now do they lie waiting for the children of heaven. And even other Abyssals have entered my garden. Yea, and even thou hast hidden away the fountains of life which belonged to thy sister Tia. Yea, and all this would I forgive thee, and thou acknowledge thy fault and return unto me."

Then Lamnu protested for vehemently, but the eyes of the congregation were turned towards him, that they did perceive the Abyss of Lies which did still dwell within him. And Anu did turn his face in sorrow from his brother, and the heart of Nodemi turned cold as winter to see what Lamnu her beloved had done unto Enki her closest sister. And when Lamnu did see that the eyes of heaven were turned upon him, he did fear, and did anger against them, and did rally his armies, yea, even a third of the hosts of heaven did he turn with him, that he might rebel against heaven and his Father. And the Creator cast out Lamnu and his followers from heaven, yea, beyond the fifth gate, into darkness, and chained him there to bar the way in everlasting torment. And thus Lamnu son of the morning became Lucifer, that great satan, and terrible was his fall and those who followed him. And all the hosts of heaven did mourn for so great a destruction, for the daughters of heaven and the son of perdition, and for all the Fallen.

Then did the Creator call forth Sheshki, child of Tia, and Maia, daughter of Isana. Maia and Sheshki stood together before their Maker in fear and trembling. "Didst thou not take the fountains of Tia thy mother, and hide them in my Garden?"

And Sheshki did answer, "Father, in the battle Lamnu did bring the fountain of life to me, and I did take them, and hid them with one who I trust above all others."

Now the Creator did turn unto Maia, daughter of Isana, and asked, "Daughter, didst thou not receive the fountains of Tia, and are they not now with thee? Wherefore no son may keep the fountains of life, but only the daughters of heaven."

Maia answered, saying, "Father, Thou knowest that I did receive the fountains of Tia from Sheshki, and if Thou wilt take them again to Thyself, I will give them unto Thee. I ask only to share in the punishment of Sheshki, whatever that may be."

The Creator said, "Yeah, because of the things which each of ye have done, ye shall be joined together, that none shall ever separate you. And this shall be your purpose, and the purpose of all my children, that ye shall overcome those Abyssals which have entered into my garden. And behold, I am ever with you and among you, therefore fear not."

Therefore the hosts of heaven did speed through the Garden of the Gods, and seeking did find the Abyssals which had infected the garden. And the First was Mabar, who seeking did find an Abyssal that did cause the darkness to chitter and false visions to appear. And behold, an Abyssal did accompany the first, and it was greater and more terrible, and it did consume the veils of heaven. And Mabar did fight these two like a young lion, and his roar did shake the worlds. And the first did cloud his vision, and the second did enter into the abode of Mabar, that Mabar did fight against the hosts of heaven. But behold, the voice of the Creator was with the spirit of Mabar, and did whisper unto him. And Mabar harkened unto the voice of the Creator, and within his own abode he bade the first Abyssal enter, and he named the first Abyssal, Madness. And Mabar did call unto him the second Abyssal, and he named the second, Destruction. And behold, the dwelling place of Mabar was destroyed utterly, and Mabar was left desolate, yet the Abyssal of Destruction did consume the Abyssal of Madness, and the Abyssal of Madness did expunge the Abyssal of Destruction. And Mabar was granted blessings of the Creator, and did become the Dreamer.

And behold, Sheshki and Maia did search far in the Garden of the Gods, and among the remnants of Tiamat, they did find the hidden Abyssal, true child of Apothis, the Abyss at the end of all roads. And Maia and Sheshki did battle the Abyssal, and did name him Death. And behold, Death was strong, yea, more powerful even that Tiamat, who lay broken, and when Death raised his head and gazed upon the stars, all the heavens trembled. None could prevail against Death, and Atrophy held sway for a time in the Garden. Then Maia and Sheshki, youngest of the gods, did sacrifice themselves, and did open their dwelling places, that the heavens be not ended by Death. And in that moment the Creator gave them of the fountains of Life, that Death was chained to the living. And now behold, all the children of Maia and Sheshki must overcome death, that they too may receive the fountains of life.

Now therefore Anu did see the sorrow and suffering of all the children of heaven, and did perceive the Abyssal of Pain. And Anu did bow down before the Creator, and humbling himself did go among the mortal children of Maia and Sheshki, and did suffer himself all the suffering of existence. Thus did Anu overcome the Abyss of Despair, of Sin and and the Unclean Thing. And through his pain Anu did comprehend all things, that he became even like unto his Father. Through the love of Anu the Redeemer, the Firstborn, all the heavens are renewed, that they may overcome the powers of Apothis.

The Breaking of the Garden of the Gods, Origin Myths

In the Beginning the Creator planted His Heart to be the light of all worlds. He bordered His abode with veils, with keys and gates. With His progeny He did dwell in the garden of the gods.

There was one who did hate the Creator, and all Existence. He is Apothis, unliving, beyond creation, father of destruction. Apothis does not abide the light of the Creator, and so he sent his spawn that they might break down the veils, destroy the gates and keys of the heavens.

In the heavens, the Garden of the Gods, there was Isana, and there was Tia the Beloved. To these two beautiful daughters the Creator gave the fountains of life, and from them all living things flowed. In the first age were born the elementals, the ambients, and the invisible beings. Plants took root and reached for the light of the sun. In the second age their oceans filled with the fish of the sea, with great leviathans, and in the third age the great beasts of the earth and the birds of the air. Flowers blossomed and the forests of the worlds were vast. In the fourth age were born dragons and the Fair.

The Fair were the children of Isana, quicksilver and cunning artificers, but the dragons were the children of Tia. In the fourth age Tia listened to the songs of strangers beyond the veils, and by unknown arts gifted her children life beyond life, so that they became even as the Gods.

Isana did go therefore to the Creator and said unto him, "See ye the power and life of the children of Tia, thy Beloved? For they have become even like unto us, thy children. Yea, and even Sheshki, her firstborn, is like unto Anu my brother, thy Firstborn. Give me therefore this great power which thou hast given unto Tia my sister."

Now the heart of the Creator was troubled, for though He had given such power unto Tia and to Isana, the fountains of life that there children might never die, it was not His will that they should exercise this power in this age. Therefore the Creator came near unto Tia, and beheld that she had given her ear to fallen stars, to the children of Apothis.

Fallen Tia, Tiamat mother of dragons, swelled beyond her bounds, and did stretch great wings to shadow the Garden of the Gods. All the children of the Creator were arrayed against her, in chariots of wind and fire, and all the hosts of the heavens. With the sound like ten thousand oceans, the trumpets of the hosts of Heaven did sound, and they fell upon the children of Tiamat, but elemental Tiamat was the mother of Dragons. With tooth and talon like daggers she did rend the Fair, and with her tail she did break and disperse the hosts of heaven. Likewise her children were drunk on the blood of abominations, and with great power they did tear down the walls and feast on the dead. Lamnu and Anu fought against their sister, flashing in fine armor like lightning, and great Kishar and Anshar beat their shields in vain. Not all the waves of Nodemi could bring down the pride of Tiamat. In her rage Tiamat did break down the first veil, and did rend the second.

Then Mabar the warrior, child of the Sister of the Creator, did enter the heavens by the broken gate. To him were given the winds and the fire, the arrows of the children of the Creator. Mabar did sweep up the children of Tiamat, and with his sword cut short their life and their power. With his arrows he did pierce Tiamat, yeah, he did break her into pieces and scatter the mother of dragons all through the garden of the gods. Her habitation was broken and the stones of her dwelling place were overturned. Thereafter was Mabar given place among the children of the Creator, and great honor and glory bestowed upon him.

Then the Creator caused a search through all the reaches of heaven, that they might find the cause of so great destruction. And behold, Enki was fallen, and the gate of Enki torn, that the servants of chaos had access to the garden. The heart of Enki was empty, and her spirit could not be found. Therefore did the Creator mourn, and all the heavens did cry for the loss of Enki, and for Tia the Beloved.

Yet Tiamat, daughter of the Creator, had spirit that she could not die, and so she gathered together, restless. Therefore was Sheshki, eldest of the children of Tia, commanded to watch over his mother, that she gather not again and break the heavens with her coils.

The First Creation, Origin Myths

We do not speak here of the Beginning of All Things, when the touch of the Almighty God caused time and space to rush in and fill the Void. We do not speak here of the First Word that divided light from darkness, or the Second Word. We do not speak of the very beginning, but we speak of a beginning. We do not speak of the first Creation, but we speak of a first creation.

In the beginning was the firmament and the Creator, Son of the Almighty. The Creator moved across the firmament, and the firmament danced to the song of the Creator. The Creator knelt, and at the center of the firmament He placed His Heart. The Heart of the Creator shed His Light upon Creation, breaking the empty silence of the firmament and awakening His children to His song. Outward flowing from the Creator, the Garden of the Gods was shaped and formed, beautiful and bright. The Creator bordered His garden round with the gates and the veils, for beyond the Garden abominations of desolation gathered in the outer darkness between the stars. Together with His children He did dwell in the Garden.

The Firstborn was Anu, quicksilver bright, pure as honey, closest to the Heart. The Heart of the Creator shed it's light upon him, and Anu never would turn his face from the Creator, but would always follow His warmth and light.

The brother of Anu was Lamnu, Son of the Morning. The heart of Anu cleaved to the heart of Lamnu his brother, and Lamnu did seek always to follow his brother Anu; these two were the brightest of the children of the Creator.

In the Dawn of Creation was Isana, daughter of Love and Beauty. In her all things were quickened, bright beyond bright, shadow beyond darkness. In her was the Glory.

Tia was Beloved of the children of the Creator, forged in fire and quenched in the waters of the firmament. Elemental Tia and Glorious Isana were given the fountains of life from the hand of the Creator.

Great Kishar swelled with the winds of the Creator, and his eye ever searched inward and outward. His passion burned, and to him were given the Red Keys of the South.

Anshar also breathed in the winds of the Creator, and like his brother became a giant, yet his paths were strict, his way paved and firm; to him were given the Yellow Keys of the East.

Enki listened to the song of the Creator, and she tilted her whole being unto it. Nodemi her sister listened to the song of the creator, and it moved her as the tides. To Enki were given the White Keys of the North, and to Nodemi were given the Blue Keys of the West.

Kishar, Anshar, Enki, Nodemi, these four were placed far, the gatekeepers of the garden of the Creator. Thus were Anu, Lemnu, Isana, and Tia the beloved entrusted with the garden of the Gods. The Creator looked upon His children, and smiled, for all was as it should be.

Notes on Thaumic Disturbance and Gravitas, Professor Hobbes

All living things cause a disturbance in reality, a displacement of time and space commonly known as Free Will. Normally, this disturbance is microscopic and largely undetected amid the backdrop violent orchestra of space. Animals, plants, and even bacteria leave there own faint mark on the fabric of space-time merely by existing. Humans themselves, as well as other creatures, leave a stronger disturbance in reality—a hole where one has died, a pressure of love or hate in the lives of those around them, imperceptible by modern technology but nevertheless undeniably existent. Planets and stars themselves dance to the great patterns of Will, and when they do man calls it gravity.

At the most basic level, this disturbance can be divided into the pull of two opposing forces: light and darkness, death and life, good and evil.

Where plants, animals, and humans normally displace and exert a small amount of influence on their surroundings, the will-matter of some creatures is so condensed, so distilled that one can actually alter metaphysical reality. This manipulation is responsible for those effects commonly known as magic, psychic abilities, etc., and lies in the realm of nature spirits, witches, werewolves, vampires, and others with some power.

The Pagan Gods are on another level entirely. Merely by their existence, the Pagan Gods displace reality to such an extent that they actually generate a small amount of space-time around themselves. These pocket-dimensions are called gravitas and include such places as the top of Mt Olympus, the underwater city of Atlantis, and gardens of Babylon. While these realms can be traveled to from specific places on earth, they do not exist on the same plane of existence as the regular world. Many of the Pagan Gods combine their God-realms into larger regions known as Pantheons. Some of the more prominent Pantheons include the Norse, Greco-Roman, Aztec, and Underworld.

The Underworld is an expression both of the Gray Wardens’ combined gravitas, but also that of the souls of those who have died. All sentient creatures have souls, and sapient beings such as humans have immortal ones that exist well beyond the spans of their mortal lives. Humans in particular combine their gravitas so that the whole is greater than each individual human by him or herself. The greater Gravitas a Pagan God has, the harder it is to enter another powerful gods’ realm without permission. Such was the power of Ysue that when he sacrificed himself and broke the chains of the Underworld, he freed all Pagan Gods from the need for sacrificial communion with their followers, and gave mortals hope of immortality.

In modern times, with man's scientific need to describe and measure everything in his environment, the amount of reality generated by a god, known as the gods “gravitas”, is used to measure the individual power of each god. Gravitas is measured in square kilometers of God-realm generated by multiples of five. The weakest gods, with a gravitas of 1, generate between 1 and 5 square kilometers of reality. Zeus, who is widely considered the most powerful of the Pagan Gods, generates 3,574 square kilometers and has a gravitas well over 700.

At a much greater level, the earth itself is the manifestation of Gaia, Mother Earth, as are each of the other planets the manifestation of a Primordial, the Solar System is the gravitas of the Great Creator, and the entire universe itself a mere manifestation of the Will of the Almighty.

Much of the gravitas of the Pagan Gods is afforded them through their Affinities for certain groups of people, actions, places, creatures or objects. The youngest gods are often the least powerful partially because they do not yet have specific Affinities. For example, the Gray Lords have affinities for the spirits of the dead. Ra is tied to the power of the sun, while Poseidon is linked to power of the sea. These affinities define the powers and personalities of the gods to some extent, so while it is true that gods can technically change reality in any way they wish (as long as it is within their strength of power to do so), they almost always manifest their power in ways natural to their Affinity. The Morrigan may disappear by changing into a thousand ravens that scatter to the winds, but she would probably never cause flowers to bloom all around her presence, although she is equally capable of both actions. The Pagan Gods which linked themselves to mankind’s endless expressions, passions, and intellectual capacity, grew in importance and power until they had overcome their own progenitors and became the new rulers of the earth.

The great Affinity for Fate is the talent to read into the highly complex interactions of gravitas in the world and be able to predict the future. They do not cause the future by predicting it. Fate is a hard Affinity to reach for, a harsh taskmaster requiring absolute truth and complete mystery.

There are several distinctive types of the Pagan Gods, divided mainly by their reactions to humanity. The most well known and frequently most powerful gods are those of Civilization. Their power arches over grand concepts like Love, War, Weather, or Agriculture. Closer to humankind, though much less powerful in their Affinities, are the gods of Community. These gods are concerned with smaller matters, such as particular towns or cities, homes, the husbandry of a particular animal, or even the descendants of a certain family. Contrasted with the gods of Civilization and Community, the Pagan Gods of Nature are concerned primarily with the natural world and largely ignore humanity as long as they do not intrude on the wild god’s territory. Gods of wild animals, mountains, rivers, and seas, these Beings vary widely in their level of power and ability. Some are even quite a bit more powerful than the celebrated gods of Civilization, although they were anciently overcome by the combined forces of their children against them. Diametrically opposed to the gods of both humanity and nature, the gods of Destruction and Chaos want to end all existence other than their own. Children of strange stars, imprisoned at the beginning of civilization, the Pagan Gods of Destruction are worshipped only by the totally depraved and represent a real threat to all life.

The gravitas of the Pagan Gods is such that merely being in their presence causes mortals to die. Therefore, the gods assume many guises when among mortals, changing into lesser material forms with the weaknesses of the flesh. A Pagan God can make many of these forms and interact with many people simultaneously in different places, like fingers of the hand typing. Forming these Avatars allows the gods to leave their center, their God-realm, and wander the worlds. There are roughly twenty thousand Pagan Gods currently in existence. Many Pagan Gods are sleeping through centuries, some have died, and many more have come into being.

Because the Pagan Gods exist on multiple levels of reality and can be only partially harmed in any one reality- no more than a human can be seriously harmed by a (non-diseased) mouse. They can exist in multiple places at once and have the intelligence to allow them to concentrate in all of those directions on at least a human level of intelligence. Gods often have several Aspects, split personalities, because of this multiple-place phenomenon. Gods are not truly physical beings and as such are highly morphic. They can also change their immediate surroundings and people around them. They can see inside a person’s soul, see into the future, see across vast distances, or see through obstructions such as solid objects and darkness. They can hear as well in a similar manner. When a god takes on a shape, they also take on the limitations of that shape i.e. a god can change into a storm, but they are not longer so concentrated as to attack a single individual, can change human, have human limitations, etc.

Selection of Unusual Beings in North America, Professor Hobbes

Angel (Phasma melekis): messengers, guardians, and champions of Light, Angels are sent to earth for specific purposes and help guide civilization to peace and happiness. Angels have great white wings and a light that shines from within, with halos over their heads. The Angels mentioned in this list are the mortal Angels, who have chosen of their own free will to dwell on earth in a mortal form for a period of three hundred years, after which they ascend back to the heavens. An angel killed on earth may ascend immediately, reincarnate after a period of time, or become human, elemental, or even Fall, depending on their actions while on earth. Some, falling in love with mortals, may choose to become fully mortal themselves. On the other hand, especially good mortals can sometimes become angels. Angels are sometimes known as the Fair, which can cause some confusion.

Ariel (Phasma aeris): air elemental. Ariels, like other Elementals, need to stay in near constant contact with their element. In the case of Ariels, they have difficulty touching the earth with their feet and cannot even enter an enclosure that has the possibility of being closed off from outside air access.

Demon (Daemis): the living embodiments of entropy and destruction, Demons are entirely chaotic and inimical to life. It is said they are the children of distant stars, and their attempts at corporeal forms are flawed at best, and usually completely aberrant. The greatest demons are the Gods of Destruction and the children of Apothis. Demons take on a variety of forms, with mandibles, tentacles, darkness for eyes, or any other form of aberrant anatomy imaginable, and some that are not. Some demons have enough self control to seek oblivion through the manipulation of mortals rather than just wanton destruction.

Devil (Phasma ruos): The Fallen are a third of the Angelic Host who were cast out of Heaven for following Lucifer, and now foment discord and evil on earth, in direct opposition to their heavenly brethren. Devils have small horns; their insides are darkness, and scars of torn wings on their backs. They are often associated with demons. Devils are not limited by a three hundred year span, but instead have been stuck on the mortal plane for over ten thousand years. It is extremely hard for them to form corporeal bodies, and so they often take the possession of willing mortals. Some Devils seek to repent and return to the heavens, but most are completely debased.

Dryad (Phasma arbolis): tree elemental. Dryads can wander around a three mile radius from their home tree. A dryad may change trees by carefully transplanting and nourishing a seed. Dryads are commonly associated with peace.

Genie (Phasma magus): Genies are a little more cosmopolitan than most elementals and are often associated with insurance agencies. In fact, they are not actually elementals, but rather lesser gods and primordials bound to the service of humankind in the Dawn War. There power is much diminished, and many are very bitter. They like insurance agencies because of all the red tape they can place in front of actually helping people.

Naiad (Phasma aquaris): water elemental. Naiads divide themselves in the more social Naiads (fresh water) and the more powerful Nereiads (salt water). Without aide, water elementals cannot wander farther onto land than a man can swim unaided out into sea.

Natural (Homo phasmis): child of an elemental and a human, Naturals live slightly longer than regular humans and take on the aspects of their elemental parent, both in form and power, although they do not have nearly the same strength as that of their spirit parent. For example, a naiad-born Natural would have shimmering, wet looking skin and hair, with the ability to breathe underwater, but would not be able to control or transform the water as her parent could. On the same token, she is not bound to her element.

Nephilem (Homo aetheras): Born of either angels or demons, Nephilim combine the best of mortal and spiritual parents to a power level approaching that of the Chosen. Nephilim born of devils and angels are usually very rule-bound, while demon-born Nephilim are hard for even themselves to predict. They are not necessarily good or evil, as like all humans they have the unmitigated power to choose, but often choose the alignments of their parent according to their tendencies.

Oread (Phasma gaias): earth elemental. Earth elementals are much more comfortable in underground spaces and enclosed areas than on the surface world, but can manage that as well. They cannot, however, let both feet off the ground, or swim, or anything that would make them lose contact with the earth. Earth elementals often resemble and are most comfortable around a certain type of stone, earth, or sand.

Salamander (Phasma flammas): fire elemental. Salamanders must be constantly consuming some source of dry fuel to survive, and they must have oxygen to breathe, but they can carry their fuel with them and are therefore some of the most mobile of the elementals. They are rare, often short-lived, and very dangerous.

Shapeshifter (Homo morphogenus): Humans with the ability to change shape into various animals were common among the Native Americans, and continue to live among regular humans. Fox, Bear, Seal, Snake, Owl, Hawk, Raven, Rabbit, Cat, Coyote, and Hare are all some of the more common Clans. Shapeshifters only have two forms, that of a human and that of a regular animal. They have no other special abilities, other than unusual hardiness and slightly better senses in both forms.

Frankenstein (Phasma contineos corpus): a creature sewn together from corpses and gifted with a spirit, the first type of Golem created without godly intervention. Illegal in all fifty states and Mexico, named after the creator of the first Frankenstein creature.

Ghost (Animus): remnant elemental of the living, usually persists due to death trauma or a message for the living.

Golem (Phasma contineos theopotestas): a creature of whatever material, usually stone or clay, gifted with a spirit through divine intervention, created in ancient times as protectors.

American Vampire (Letumo vampiros ameriges): American vampires are currently campaigning for equal rights (it is legal and even encouraged to kill vampires and other forms of undead in most states). They have developed a sunscreen which allows them to bear sunlight, although it has the side effect of making their pallid skin glitter. More importantly, they have developed an alternative to living blood, although it is an open question as to how many actually use the alternative. The pretty vampires of North America are scoffed at by their demonic European antecedents (Letumo vampiros nosferatus). This is a mistake, as while the younger American vampires are not quite as strong as their forebears, neither do they have such a wide array of debilitating weaknesses. In their campaign, they are joined by several packs of American werewolves in a (very) uneasy alliance. Rare children of humans and vampires, called dhampyrs or Slayers (homo vampiros), share some of the characteristics of vampires, but are not immortal, are not as strong, do not need blood (although drinking it grants them extra abilities), and do not need to fear sunlight.

American Werewolf (Homo loupus morphogenus): crossbreeds of the European monsters known as werewolves, the Loup Garou (Letumo lycanos) and the common wolf shapechangers of North America. Unlike monstrous werewolves, American werewolves can control their rage, are sentient during their transformation, and can change shape at will. American werewolves form packs and actively hunt down rival predators and monsters, such as Loup Garou, vampires, etc. Due to a powerful ritual in the early days of Colonial contact, wolf shapeshifters are very rare in the Americas, while monstrous werewolves, here known as lycanthropy, is nearly non-existent.

Zombie (Letumo corpus): Occasionally an outbreak occurs, but zombies are really only dangerous when led by some other malevolent intelligence. There are actually many different kinds of walking undead, from Walkers (relatively harmless servants of necromancers), to ravenous red zombies and the sentient Risen. Zombies can be created by infection, by restless spirits, or by black magic.

Volatile Races of North America, Professor Hobbes

Drow (Homo svartalfaris): close relatives of the Alfar, drow are also known as Night Elves, Dark Elves, Svartalfar, and Unseelie. Drow Clans are often embroiled in bloody conflicts or neck deep in seedy operations, yet for all the negative stereotypes there are just as many heroes from this passionate people as villains.

Hill Giant (Homo gigantes lastrygoneus): The most common of Giants, known for their cannibalism and cruelty. Like other savage races, Giants live on the ragged edges of civilization. They are much less intelligent than other peoples, and are often used as the brute muscle.

Goblin (Kobolo fomorianis): The common goblin takes a surprising number of forms. Goblins are also known as Fomorians and have ancient feuds with elves.

Gremlin (Kobolo gremios): A breed of goblin peculiar to North America, the Gremlin is a terror of mischief, with a dark gift for destructive engineering. Gremlins are commonly manic-depressive.

Orc (Homo kobolis depreos): a halfbreed mix of goblin and human, the Orc has become one of the most feared of the savage races by civilized people, often terrorizing neighborhoods in biker gangs and crime families.

Troll (Kobolo gigantes): the largest and most savage of the goblin breeds, the common troll is often associated with bridges and toll-booths.

Lizardman (Homo Lacertilia chimerae): Natives of the Amazon rainforest, this savage people often sacrifices intruders to their strange gods.

Minotaur (Minotaurus chimerae): fiendishly clever architects and savage warriors, the Minotaurs have carved out a small niche in civilization for themselves as soldiers of fortune.

Ogre (Homo gigantes horibles): Lording over the less intelligent and weaker savage peoples, the Ogres are a type of giant that lust for power, political, magical, or by brute force. Though rare (because of constant infighting), Ogres make powerful adversaries.

Red Dwarf (Homo naenis roujis): cousins of the dwarves, the Nain Rouge, or Redcaps, are not actually a different race, but other dwarves have disowned them for devotion to savagery and evil.

Common Sentient Beings of North America, Professor Hobbes

Human (Homo sapiens): Makes up the largest portion of civilization (73 %), humans are sometimes known as the children of the gods, and the Chosen are almost always of their number.

Centaur (Centauro chimerae): Are great cowboys and ranchers, often live in rural communities. They feel uncomfortable in large crowds as well as traditional buildings, which are a little small for them.

Naga (Homo serpente chimerae): Most common in California and Louisiana, but uncommon anywhere in North America, the native snake people originated in Persia, Greece, and India. Some few Naga have cross-bred with the monstrous Medusae and share some of their abilities. A large group of Naga in the Durango contest that their presence is pre-Colonial. 

Faun (Homo capra chimerae): Common throughout Europe, fauns feel most comfortable surrounded by nature and often live in more isolated communities.

Cervine Satyr (Homo cervis chimerae): The Stag-men of North America have the head and legs of a deer and the body of a human. They have longstanding associations with native mysticism and like fauns prefer more isolated communities surrounded by nature.

Dwarf (Homo naenis): In this day and age, dwarves have emerged from their mountain homes to dwell in the heart of the urban skyscrapers. They are very clever with their hands and make great engineers and mechanics. Dwarves are sensitive to light and prefer nighttime hours.

Elf (Homo alfaris): Alfar, Tuatha, Seelie; whatever their name, the Good Neighbors have a long and complicated history with mankind. Elves often live in hidden pocket-dimensional neighborhoods called Raths, created by powerful enchanters.

Cobbler Elf (Cluricano vulgaris): Associated with baking cookies, shoemaking, housekeeping, and a myriad other menial tasks, the Cobbler elves are about two feet tall and are perfectionist craftsmen in whatever they do. Despite their name, they are more closely related to Leprechauns. Cobblers are sometimes called Gnomes.

Ent (Pedarbolis sapiens): Mystic tree-giants that quietly guard pristine forests.

Flower Fairy (Fada sapiens florisientes): Most of the Fair Folk that migrated to North America were the more gentle varieties, and the Little People are no exception. Flower Fairies are sometimes incorrectly identified as pixies, sprites, or other Little People.

Fugate (Homo sapiens ceruleanis): A people native to North America, the blue fugates of Kentucky have spread across the nation. Fugates are nearly identical to other humans with the exception of their skin and hair color. A family of fugates are prominent movie stars in a reality-tv show called ‘Smurfs’.

River Giant (Homo gigantes venis): These giants are smaller than their cousins (only around 12 feet tall), friendlier, and far more civilized, as well as being average sentient intelligence. River giants are associated with the city of Venice.

Halfling (Homo holbytis): A relatively new people, Halflings (also known as Hobbits) have spread widely throughout North America from their native England.

Leprechaun (Cluricano aureus): The People of Lugh from Ireland, also called Knockers, have a natural affinity for precious metals and gems, especially gold. They have had generations of practice in avoiding the Bigs, who have historically exploited them in mining operations, but are now coming out of obscurity. Leprechauns are much better looking than their gnomish cousins. In the modern era they are superb electronics engineers. 

Merpeople (Homo pisces chemerae): The Merpeople of North America have established communities in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. While Atlantis mer have their own powerful undersea kingdom, the Pacificus mer are divided into various disparate Clans.

Sasquatch (Homo pilosus): The legendary Big Foot, the Hairy Men are generally shy by nature and avoid all social situations like the plague. However, they are devoted to family and the few that become their friends. They are stereotyped as having bad, even violent tempers.