Geodeas Retribution

Brief Overview

A Myth said to be based on a true historical event that happened back in the Bennal calendar, before the War of Gods when the calendar began anew as TN, the age of the Tari Nova.

General Overview

This myth was passed on again and again through the ranks of the Geodian faithful, told as a warning to any who would cross their goddess Geodea, including those who would bear witness to such atrocities and do nothing. Its retelling eventually slurred the truth behind the story, making Geodea out to be not only a powerful and loving goddess, but a wrathful deity...

Summary

They say that once upon a time a king was gifted the rarest of all flowers, The Bleeding Deity. A golden flower that was said to grant great power to all who consume it. The great king called to all his herbalists and alchemists to create for him what he thought to be immortality in a bottle, but this instead lead to his downfall.
A young Templar working as a shadow to the corrupt Order of Templars Grandmaster was invited with all the rest of his brethren to a grand feast by the devout Geodian king. As they gourged greatfully the king declared that the were feasting upon sin, the sin of consumption. The great goddess cried as her most faithful devoured the flesh of their kin, and wiped the world clean of all who bore witness. All but the young Templar, as one must spread the word of retribution...

Historical Basis

The Main events

On the 13th of Twi, -832 BN King Vincent II of Komor, a devout Geodian man was gifted the Bleeding Deity. He had his most trusted alchemists create for him a potion to grant him power, the power of his goddess. Little did he know the power came at a steep price. It had turned him mad. Earlier that day he had received the company of a large troop of Geodian Templars on leave from scouting the Whispering woods (Modern day Rose lake). The good king offered them a roof to sleep under and a great feast for their bellies in return for the collection of property taxes the following day. The Templars agreed and did as asked, using this simple task to prove their worth to the king, as many of king Vincents nobles had been withholding their shares. After the Templars returned from this task, the king next demanded that they assist his raiding party southeast as reinforcements so he could claim the allied land there while his army travelled through. The Templars refused his orders stating that they only follow Geodeas will, the gospel word of their goddess. King Vincent was understanding to this notion, instead offering them an abandoned building for the Templars to repair and use as an outpost while resting in Komor. The Templar's happily accepted.

After they began construction, the Templars split up so the Seneschal could report the news to the Templars Grandmaster. It was at this time that king Vincent had rounded up all of his own men and ordered them to collect any Templars they could find for a grand feast. The king then sent letters to all of the remaining Templars throughout Birtham, stating that he was to host a grand feast in the name of their goddess, Geodea, and their service to her. It now being a matter of not only politics, but devotion to their goddess, the Grandmaster summoned all of the Templars to attend the new kings feast. They arrived in Komor and were welcomed with open arms by a mass of elated civilians showering them in gifts.
They attended the feast only to find out half way through that not only was King Vincent II a devout member of the The Abyssal Order, but he had also fed them the remains their holy brothers, slain by the king and his men while they were gathering for the feast. Upon feasting on human flesh, the Templars could no longer enter through heavens gates. This essentially made it so that when the Templars died their souls would be considered lost and would end up in the Abyss, or Purgatory. Signed away by king Vincent II, they could no longer be claimed by their goddess.

A battle ensued throughout Komor and though the Templars fought well, they were outnumbered and captured by Absolums forces, who were aided by Forsaken servants lent to king Vincent II by Lucifer himself as a favor to Absolum.
After all of Geodeas chosen had been arrested, they were tortured into false confessions that were fed to the citizens of Komor as a blantant sway of negative propaganda used to justify the kings actions to his people... Over two hundred charges were placed against the Templars, but the overall charges were high treason, heresy, and the desecration of a holy symbol.
The Templars entire order was then sentenced to having their knees broken, and being thrown into the Pit of Perdition so they could be burned alive at midnight with little to no struggles. The Pit of Perdition was a horror pit designed by king Vincent II as a way to spit in the face of not only Geodian culture, but Geodea herself as well. In the cells, the Templars created an uprising as one final attempt to save themselves, but they only managed to get one young Templar by the name of Paterick Reklan outside of the city walls.

The Aftermath

As his brothers burned, Paterick limped southeast to Bela (Modern day Oodam) and told the priesthood there of what had transpired. They offered him food and shelter, but could give no more. Traumatized by the events in Komor, Paterick refused their curtesies. He walked into the center of town square and molded Geodeas holy symbol out of mud, praying to her in desperation.
For what seemed like weeks he prayed. Every day through the rain, sun, blistering winds. It didn't matter. His pain was powerful, but his faith was stronger. Each day he would re-shape Geodeas holy symbol until it was pristine, first in the morning, then at dusk. Skin and bones was all that remained of Paterick when Lucifer approached him. Lucifer offered food, water, salvation, revenge, riches, Lucifer even offered him death, but Paterick refused it all. It was only after Lucifer left that Geodea finally heeded his call. She told him she couldn't save his soul after consuming the flesh of his brothers, but she could stop his soul from ever need being claimed. She granted him immortality and the status of Saint Paterick of Bela, her second mortal saint. She then told him to climb to the highest reaches of Mordu to witness the power that he had devoted his life to first hand, and so he did. He climbed the treacherous peaks of Mordu just in time to see a cluster of meteors rain down onto Komor. Everything under king Vincent's command had turned to ash before him, and it was then that Paterick swore his life in its entirety to Geodea.
The rubble from the city of Komor was later found by several settlers foreign to the Geodian faith and the crater was used to build a new settlement, a city they named Soja.

Spread

This myth is widespread across Eden, though it is not shared by all. It is most often told to the faithful. A story shared of glory and triumph to the Abyssal Order, and as a cautionary tale whispered to the Geodian people.

Variations & Mutation

Most of the Abyssal Order tells this story in a manner that states king Vincent the II as an Abyssal Advocate, however, some state that their god Absolum sent the Bleeding deity himself after the death of the god of fears, Felvar, in order to sway king Vincent to denounce his previous faith.

The Geodians tell this myth as a cautionary tale with the morals varying. Some say the moral of the story is not to accept gifts from strangers, whereas some say the moral is that greed and a lust for power can undo even the most faithful of men. The one common assumption believed by all Geodians when asked is that Geodea erased all evidence of the massacre and those who played a hand in her Templars demise. Their goddess will always have her retribution, so it is best not to risk her wrath.

In Literature

Many songs were written and forgotten about the horrors that took place in Komor, however, one scroll of the prose recorded by the only rumored survivor, Paterick Recklan, is said to still exist, though none can prove it.

Date of First Recording

The 27th of Twi, -832 BN

Date of Setting

The 13th of Twi, -832 BN

Telling / Prose

Endless Guilt

Related Species

• Humanity

Related Locations

• Soja

Related Organizations

• Forsaken children
• Geodian
• The Abyssal Order