The Fall of Zagan

Prelude to The Fall

For millennia, the Aimur or New Gods , and their divine progenitors, the Gandur or Old Gods, coexisted in a delicate balance, governing and shaping the realms of Alandris. The Aimur gods—children of the ancient and powerful Gandur—held dominion over various aspects of existence, from the elements to concepts such as love, war, and the very laws of magic. Among these gods, Zagan, God of Blood, Bone and Strength, the God of Blood, Bone, and Strength, had carved out a reputation as one of the most powerful and rebellious of the Aimur.

However, as the eons passed, the Demi-Gods—offspring of the Aimur—began to grow restless. These beings, once cherished as the future of the pantheon, started defying the rules set forth by their divine parents. Over the millennia, many of these Demi-Gods had begun causing chaos and evil deeds across the world of Alandris. Some had established kingdoms, others waged destructive wars, and a few even corrupted mortal societies with their unchecked ambition. Adamas, The God of Order and Time , the head of the pantheon, had long tolerated these acts, hoping they would pass in time. But as the centuries wore on, the disorder caused by the Demi-Gods grew too great to ignore.

At last, Adamas had reached his limit. He issued a decree to the Aimur Gods: "Execute your offspring who have committed evil acts upon Alandris." This order was not taken lightly. For the first time, Adamas declared that the bonds between gods and their children would be severed, and those Demi-Gods who had caused harm to the mortal realms would face divine judgment and destruction.

Zagan's Defiance

Of all the Aimur gods, Zagan was the only one who defied Adamas’ order. The reason for Zagan’s refusal was rooted in his deep pride and love for his progeny, the Demi-Gods he had fathered. Zagan saw his children not as mere tools of the Gandur but as beings of immense potential—creatures of blood and strength who should not be cast aside. His bond with them was fierce and untouchable. To Zagan, executing his own children was an affront to his very nature and defied the principle of strength he had built his domain upon.

In an unprecedented move, Zagan threatened Adamas, declaring that he would not carry out the executions. This bold act of defiance shook the divine realms. Zagan’s rebellion against Adamas, who had long been seen as the Ruler of the Gods, was an unprecedented act of insolence. It was not just a refusal to obey, but a direct challenge to the authority of the Gandur and their divine rule.

Adamas, unaccustomed to such rebellion and infuriated by Zagan’s refusal, saw this as an existential threat to the order he sought to maintain among the Gods. His wrath was swift and absolute. He declared that Zagan’s insubordination could not be tolerated, for if one God could defy the Gandur, then all of existence would be in jeopardy.

The Fall: Zagan's Exile

To punish Zagan for his rebellion and to maintain control over the divine order, Adamas and the Gandur cast Zagan and his eight Demi-God children into the Nine Hells, a place of eternal torment and suffering. This event came to be known as The Fall. The very fabric of reality seemed to tear apart during this cosmic judgment, and the world of Alandris was shaken to its core. The act was an extraordinary one, the first time in history that a God had been struck down by the pantheon.

Zagan was imprisoned in the darkest and most infernal circle of Hell—the Ninth Circle—where the worst of the damned were sent to suffer for eternity. In the depths of this forsaken place, Zagan's power was twisted, and his form corrupted. However, even in Hell, Zagan’s influence was far from extinguished. His blood magic, transformed him into the ruler of Hell itself, as he bent the Daemons—monstrous creatures born of blood and bone—to his will. Zagan became the Lord of Hell, a twisted and corrupted God whose power continued to grow in the infernal depths.

Zagan’s eight Demi-God children—each one a powerful entity in their own right—were scattered across the Nine Hells, each ruling over one of its circles. They became the Daemon Dukes, the first of their kind, and from their union with the horrors of Hell came the Daemons, vile creatures of blood, bone, and corruption that would plague the mortal world for centuries to come.

The Aftermath: An Era of Chaos

The Fall of Zagan marked a seismic shift in both the cosmic order and the use of magic on Alandris. The event led to the division of time itself, with all that had come before being referred to as the Before the Fall (BF) era, and everything after being known as the After the Fall (AF) era.

Prior to The Fall, magic had been governed by the will of the gods, particularly the Aimur and Gandur. It was pure and often tied directly to the divine sources from which the Gods drew their power. It was freely given to those mortals in the world that would pursue it and they were able to call upon the power of the elements and their own souls. However, the chaos that followed Zagan’s fall caused a profound disruption in the flow of magic. The magic that had so easily been usable and attainable before had left all of the people of Alandris overnight. They were no longer able to call upon the magic of the elements so easily and only those blessed few who were given the gift of an Archon were able to use the power they once had.

With Zagan’s fall came the rise of the Daemons. These malevolent creatures, born of Zagan's blood and his wrath, began to plague Alandris, wreaking havoc on mortal civilizations. These Daemons had existed since before The Fall but, their power and influence became even more widespread and many of these creatures who used to scheme against mortals, became much more powerful than they had before. The Daemon Dukes, Zagan's children, became the leaders of these dark forces, spreading corruption and chaos across the world.

Finally, Adamas declared that there could not be Demi-Gods born further within the world, only those Demi-Gods who had followed the laws of the Gandur and the world were allowed to continue their existence as Archons and Empyreans. They were tasked with asissting mortals in their lives and teaching them the new ways of magic. He then placed a limitation upon all of the Gods, the Gandur and the Aimur together, "You shall never interfere openly in mortal affairs again."

Legacy of the Fall

The Fall of Zagan remains a defining moment in the history of Alandris, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. The world was forever altered, as was the relationship between gods and mortals, the control over magic, and the balance between order and chaos. Though Zagan and his children were exiled to Hell, their influence continues to be felt across the world. The Daemons they created are a constant reminder of the destructive power that was once so easily wielded by the gods.

For some, Zagan's rebellion is a symbol of strength and independence, a cautionary tale of what happens when one defies the heavens. For others, it is a myth, a reminder that power—whether divine or mortal—can be easily corrupted, leading to the downfall of all who embrace it without restraint.