New Jhelom

Mythology

Mortals and Elementals

In the very beginning, There was but Earth and Sky.

Each of the Maiden Goddesses gave birth to two children. One son, and one daughter each.

Earth birthed Lady Stone and Lord Flame, while Sky birthed Master Air and Mistress Water, and for a time, these were the only six beings upon the surface of the world.

Then Water married Fire, and Stone wed Air, and soon each of them had their own first borns. To Water and Fire, was born Blood, and to Air and Stone, was born Flesh, and while each of these pairs had many more children, often who held multiple mates, it is known that Blood and Flesh had eyes only for one another, and their romance was passionate beyond all reason, the courtship lasting nearly a full century by our time before they finally wed and mated.

And from their union, was born Mortality, and to their horror, and the horror of their large family of all the elementals, it was learned that Mortality aged, he would died, and for the first time, the proginitors of this world would know death.

But Mortality did not see it as a curse, rather they saw it as something new, something different, as a possible gift to this world, a chance for continual newness, without the aged ever casting their shadows over the young. And so Mortality studied with their cousins and uncles and aunts, and when they learned all they could, of every art, of every thing that already existed. They descended upon their great grandmother, the Maiden Goddess of Earth, and forged a city... and took their own life. And from their blood, and flesh, and bone, and sinew, sprung the first mortals, who were not human, nor were they palefolk, nor any known race that we know of today, they were the Mortals, so named for their progenitor's name, and in each of them sat a mortal soul, that could divide and grow just as their ancestor had done, and inside each soul, sat one of the talents or learnings that Mortality had gained from all of their family members.

The First Murder

Though Mortals died, it was only through Time or Disease or other misfortune at first. Mortals did not kill each other, for to do so would destroy something created by those greater than they.

But one day, a Man grew jealous of the affections of a Woman and he killed her, becoming the First Assassin. After this First Murder, he became enamoured with killing, inventing every way to kill someone, it was said. And he then began to train others, so once he passed, his art would not vanish. But the Second Assassin, began to see people despair as the people they loved were taken and he saw the wrongness of this. So he performed the Second Murder, slaying the First Assassin. But it was too late - murder had already been introduced into the world.

It is also said that the corpse of the Woman who was the First Victim, was with child, and these children became the Chathra and the Perched.

It is also said that even after death, the First Assassin rose and walked the world - the first of the Undead, so desperate was he to learn more of killing.

The Decline

At some point, the Serpent Behind the Wall of Stars devoured The Goddesses of Earth and Sky. It is not known if the Goddesses were destroyed, or rendered dreaming, or imprisoned. But this marked the end of the age of creation. Mortals divided into the races they are today. The Elementals took over control of the Earth, but it was a lesser control. And so things went.

Races

Chathasa - An entirely female Race that looks to be women with the lower half of snake, and some other snake-like features. They come from the Isles of Smoke. The Chasatha trade gems to New Jhelom with excellent properties for making magical artifacts. The Chathasa trade these for beautiful human slavegirls. The Chathasa actually devour these maidens whole and living. This foul deed apparently lets the Chathasa maintain a youthful sheen for all their lives, and an extended lifespan. The Chathasa also taught humans the arts of Assassination. The Chasatha are said to be descendents of the First Assassin. Their bite can kill, agonize or subvert men. But if they try to eat a man, their

"Crab Men" - The most widespread race, they live under the ocean in vast cities. Every 500 years they are driven to land to spawn and replenish their numbers. Their civilization was said to have been grand, but fell to madness.

Gorii - A short, green race who used to be the dominant race on land, until the humans who would found Old Jhelom destroyed their nation and corrupted them to savages.

Humans - A widespread race, due to the wide-spread influence of New Jhelom

Knife-Ears - Marauders in dark ships that skim the surface of the ocean. They come for your blood.

Pale-Folk - Friendlier relatives of the Knife-Ears, but reclusive to the extreme. Often appear in fairytales, helping the righteous.

Perched - An entirely Male Race that pollutes the empty streets of the Isles of Smoke, that look hideous and twisted. They occasionally mate with the Chathasa, but aside from that the Chathasa avoid them.They are said to be descendents of the First Assassin. The blood of women is like acid to them.

Undead - Effectively their own race, they live in Thanati with a few humans they raise. The Undead have a rigid caste system, with the blood dependent vampires at the bottom.