Morthos and Tereale

Disaster looms and the world is on the edge of destruction.
The Eternal Dragon War rages on, with no sign of slowing down. Illbrendar and Drakova fight as they always have, but the Drakon population continues to increase as the blood of the Dragon Lords spills out onto the world, eggs forming where they land. Hundreds, then thousands, of Drakon are hatched, with the numbers growing exponentially.
Some Drakon fight their parents, some each other, and many more just do their best to coexist, away from the fight. These Drakon hunt, nest, and mate with each other, forming family groups that continue to grow the Dragon population. The world of the Three Pillars shudders under the persistent onslaught of the Eternal Dragon War.
Fearing the destruction of the creation they put so much energy into forming, the Three Pillars devise a plan to put balance back into the world. Weaving energies form and coalesce, until finally the product of their craft erupts from the earth below them. An archway of stone and energy grows and stands tall and proud in the open field.
The day is new, the sun of Ignis shining brightly in the sky. A mist of multi-coloured Dragon blood fills the air. Life is all around, and it is overwhelming to the figure who steps out of the first building to be created on the world – The Womb of Humanity. The figure begins to take shape and a woman of unearthly and yet simultaneously earthy beauty emerges. She places her new hand on the sides of the archway and smiles. Her jet-black hair rolls off her shoulders, and the cool breeze in the air envelopes her. She absent-mindedly forms white robes to shield her naked form and walks out into the open field to take in her surroundings. Grass, trees, rolling hills, and rolled earth spread out as far as she can see, and she closes her eyes to feel the energy.
Then, suddenly, she feels it. The Drakons fight overhead, burning, ripping, tearing, and biting each other, raining destruction and mayhem on the world. Two in particular draw her attention – a larger one attacking a smaller one. Within minutes the larger one tears out the throat of the smaller, and yet they continue to fight as if nothing happened. So much life is contained here yet the only thing that gets destroyed is the earth. Those causing the destruction suffer no repercussions and their progeny increase without limit.
So much life. Too much life.
A frown forms as the realization of what must be done hits her immediately. Her dark hair starts to rise into the sky, and her eyes glow a bright white, and she utters softly ‘enough’. A wave of energy erupts from her and spreads across the world instantly. The Dragon War halts for a moment as the wave washes over them all. Not knowing what this meant, but realizing it had earth-shaking consequences, the Drakons and Dragons shuddered, before inevitably returning to their fighting.
The woman knew it would take some time for her actions to see results, but she knew it was the first step in restoring this world to its proper balance. No Drakon eggs would hatch without her permission, and those waiting to be born lay still on the ground, frozen like rocks. Breathing in the cool air, the smile began to return to her face, and she calmly explored the area, taking it all in.
Unbeknownst to the woman, another figure emerged from the Womb of Humanity at the same time, only it walked out of the opposite side from her, their backs to each other the whole time. This figure took the form of a frail, old man, with a long white beard, and tattered black robes fluttering behind him as he walked out.
So much life. Too much life.
It ate away at his mind. He could not even concentrate on his surroundings. His eyes were drawn to the skies, where he saw countless Drakons fighting each other, brutally and without care. He fixated on one pair, a larger Drakon combatting a smaller one, and he was mesmerized by their actions. His head started pounding and his chest started tightening until finally the larger Drakon tore the throat of the smaller one, spilling its life blood to the earth. Dizzy and confused, the old man pointed a boney finger at the injured Drakon and quietly uttered his first word, ‘die’. The Drakon fell, lifeless to the earth, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud. The old man’s head stopped pounding for a minute, and his chest loosened, before he took a deep breath and continued to walk out into the world, the grass and plants bending and swaying at his approach, as if they were afraid of what this new entity might do to them.
Over the next week these two continued to walk through the world, never meeting but being vaguely aware of each other’s existence. The woman searched for Drakon eggs and ensured no new Drakons would emerge into the world. The old man walked in the opposite direction, ensuring any fatal blow by Drakon or Dragon would see true to its end.
The Drakons began to worry, and formed plans to destroy these newcomers to their realm. A dozen powerful Drakons formed a unit to end the threat and came upon the two in an open field. Surrounding the pair, these Drakon began their attack, and the two newcomers instinctively fought back to back, keeping their attackers at bay. The old man quickly realized that his body was not designed for long-term combat and adopted a new form, that of a large and imposing man, garbed in black armour, fitted with a helm made of a black skull. His eyes flamed purple as his new form struck fear into the Drakon assailants. The remaining Drakon turned tail and flew away, spreading the word of the great power of the newcomers. The couple realized how powerful they were together, but try as they might they could not come face to face with each other. They were perpetually back to back, so they continued on their way, bringing balance to the world.
A couple more months passed, with the newcomers more easily controlling the flow of life and death. The world was no longer on the brink of destruction and the Three Pillars were pleased. The two new gods were granted leave to ascend to the Umbra, but before they made their journey, the man called upon the bones and scales of the dead Drakon bodies that now littered the earth. They returned with the couple, and the bones formed a large spherical object in the Umbra – the moon, where they could reside in peace. Still unable to ever see each other, these two worked tirelessly to maintain the flow of life and death. Calling herself Tereale, the woman was now tasked with crafting, and preparing the new souls that would soon be placed on the earth. The man, calling himself Morthos, continued to gather and collect the souls of the dying Drakon and brought them all up into the Umbra.
The stars began to form with the souls being brought up or crafted by these two, and the lights could be seen from the world. The existing Primordial beings began to worry with the introduction of this new concept of death. They had always existed in a timeless and lifeless void, and the possibility of non-existence was foreign to them. They were unsure of where they stood in the cosmic balance. The Three Pillars looked kindly on these beings and gave them all a gift. Any Umbral beings who existed prior to the creation of Morthos and Tereale would never have to fear being held to their power. Any being who came into existence after their creation would have to abide by the laws of creation, life, and death, and would fall under the rule of Morthos and Tereale.
A year after their ascension, Tereale was busy at work breathing life into a new creature to combat the overpopulation of the Drakons and Dragons, as directed by the Three Pillars. These new beings would have wings to do battle with their enemies in the sky, but be smaller, quicker, more agile, and cunning. The Averial stepped out of the Womb of Humanity, and the Culling of the Dragons had begun…