Jaddan origin myth

  Originally posted to the message boards by Trevor Rage.

This is the Jaddan "myth" of creation.

Concerning the Shaping of the World, and the Flowering of Life
Translated and compiled by John Cicero; human Historian and semi-retired Traveller

The oldest story of every Jadda clan tells us of the Beginning. But the clans who told these stories were so varied, their conditions so different, and the stories so very ancient, that the tales have changed greatly over the years; such that there very nearly exist as many accounts of the Beginning as their are stars in the sky. Though the clans have long-since been united as one nation, the divergent beliefs persist.

This is a tale of the Beginning. A melange of tribal accounts, pared down to the essentials, put to paper for the first time by a non-Jaddan hand.

In the beginning, before the first of the Eolai walked the forests, and before the eldest of the Alterian matriarchs sprang forth from the winds and waters, the world was a terrible place of ice and stone. Nowhere could life be found in these barren wastelands, for there was no light to guide it. It is not known how long the world existed in darkness before the awakening of the gods, but it is said that it was a great disaster which finally woke them from their slumber.

In the ages following their awakening, the gods were counted in the thousands, and they were known as the Haduroch. But the world was an unforgiving one, and just as it had fathered them, the icy wasteland brought many to their ends. Those who endured took to warring amongst each other for control of the wastes, banding together in tribes to ensure their survival. They were as mountains that walked, shattering the world with their constant battles. In time two leaders emerged: Na'vago, who was determined to use his people's burgeoning power to shape the land into a fair home for many races, and Ilav who desired nothing more than to call the world his own. Those who followed Na'vago were known as the Harova, and those aligned with Ilav took no name for themselves, for in their hearts they were selfish and refused to give their allegiance to any.

While the Harova strove to prepare the world for the elder races, Ilav created many fell beasts with which to fill his ranks. His most vile creations were the race of ice giants, which the Jaddan named Kadujar, and the frost drakes, with their hearts and bodies of ice. These beasts were as flies to the Haduroch, but their numbers were vast beyond reckoning. Born, as they were, of a destructive spirit, they ceaselessly endeavored to undo all that the tribes of Na'vago had created. To this day that task remains in the hearts and minds of their kin, and the evidence of their terrible destruction can still be seen off the coasts of many lands.

Despite the efforts of Ilav, the Harova labored on. With their hands they carved and shaped the mountains, and scooped out the vast oceans. They lay the roots for the trees, and continued to prepare homes for those who would come to dwell in this world. This enraged Ilav, who for the first time in a millennium set himself against Na'vago. From the far corners of the world he summoned his servants to him, mustering an army as none the world has seen before, or since. When the two armies met it was as two massive storm clouds colliding.

So savage was the battle, and so full of anger and hatred the heart of Ilav that even as the tides of battle turned against him, he did not call for a retreat. The battle-field was littered with the bodies of the fallen, with many Haduroch counted among the dead. Ilav's armies had been scattered, pursued across the leagues and back to their icy abodes and forbidden to ever come forth again as enemies, but still he was undeterred.

One by one, gods who the Harova had counted among their fiercest warriors fell before him. The battle looked grim, indeed, until finally Na'vago stepped forward. He was no longer a creature of stone and ice, like his kin, for his wrath had transformed him to brilliant white flame. The ice beneath his feet melted, and flowers at once sprouted forth from the barren earth and were withered, as he walked to meet Ilav. At this sight, Ilav knew fear. He cried out and threw himself at Na'vago. The heavens burned, the mountains shook on their foundations, and the ground shuddered as the two Haduroch collided. They remained locked in struggle for a fortnight, neither able to win the advantage over the other. Then, with one mighty blow, Ilav was toppled. When his lifeless body hit the ground, it shattered into countless icy shards. The shards were then taken up by the remaining Harova and thrown into the heavens to banish Ilav from the world forever.

With Ilav defeated, and his allies scattered and leaderless, the Harova were free to repair the damage that had been done. Shattered mountains were rebuilt, and the barren wastes were once again sown with the seeds of life. when Na'vago felt the world had recovered and was ready, he ascended to the heavens where he remains to this day, thawing the planet and bringing life to the Haduroch's creations. The shards of Ilav that hung in the sky caught the light from Na'vago, and they too remain in the heavens as the stars.

The remaining Haduroch then created three races of mortals to share the world which they had fashioned. The Eolai, who were made from the wood of the finest trees. The Alteri, fashioned of wind and water. Last were the Jadda, who they carved of stone. When the patriarchs and matriarchs of these races had been created, the Haduroch breathed on them and they were given life.

When they were ready, the Haduroch took the Eolai and the Alteri to the lands which had been prepared for them. But they kept the Jaddan with them, for they had grown very dear to them. It came to pass that many of the Hadurach took on the form of Jaddan males, and many of the tribes women bore children for them. The last two Haduroch who had not followed their brothers then abandoned the world. Rukkav and Vara followed the path of Na'vago to the heavens, and there they hang as twin moons; reminding the Jaddan of their divine heritage, and the responsibility that comes along with it.