Scientiar's Grand Rebelion, and the first Great Purge

New generations of gods had been born after the destruction of the first civilization of the mortals. All of them had grown in a very different environment from the one their forebears had: all they needed had been built, and no war had been waged in several millennia. Not only that, the mortals had been worshiping constantly, so the threat of prayer shortage had also disappeared. Yet the gods, especially the oldest, had lost interest in most things, so they had started to develop a hedonistic lifestyle, all trying to find new ways to feel any kind of emotion, especially the stronger ones.
As for the rest, since they had everything they needed, the desire for further development and work/labor had vanished. The main activity for many was the lots of parties and social gatherings, where they chatted about...well, anything that might be entertaining.
It was in this peaceful, stagnant, and overall content environment that Scientiar was born. From the moment he could think and act independently, he stood out from the rest of his peers: while they mainly played, he studied and thought. While the rest spent a lot of their available free time laying waste the mortal's settlements for the fun of it, he couldn’t care less what the mortals did: they were beneath him after all, so what could they offer him? He thought. No, what he cared about was his superiors' attitude: he wanted to show his teachers and the older generations of gods how good and excellent god he was. With that in mind, he dedicated all of his time improving his skills, going to the greatest possible lengths to outmatch his peers on whatever competition and trial the young gods had to approve if they wished to be recognized as proper gods, new members of the Firstborn. It wasn't like one could fail at this point, but if a godling made the extra effort, and especially if he proved the better of an entire generation...even the oldest, mostly bored, and disinterested members of their elders would at the very least watch a little with a modicum of curiosity. Scientiar quickly gained the praises and approval of his mentors and the older gods: he became so renowned, that the Grand Almighty himself gave him personally the best award of the competition the young god had recently won with ease, leagues above his "equals". Yet while the young god basked in the elder's applause and admiration, his arrogant and prepotent attitude made him gain many enemies, while also making him oblivious to the fact that even his closest friends evaded him whenever possible. To him, the possibility of danger from his peers was alien, an utterly absurd notion. After all, they couldn't be a threat if they weren't a worthy match in the tournaments, he thought to himself.
He was mistaken, and that mistake nearly cost him his life as Goljan, his once closest friend and ally, tricked him into spending all his power and turning into a mortal, all to make it easier to assassinate the young god. Scientiar managed to escape his would-be executioner but was wounded and exhausted, with no way to return home. And so, stuck as a mortal, drifted across the unfamiliar lands of the mortal world, constantly stalked by the wandering beasts looking for an easy kill. Speaking of kills, he quickly grew hungry, but his inexperience prevented him from either hunting or collecting anything edible, never having needed to learn such skills. In the end, only the lucky and opportune intervention of a young mortal woman saved him from dying due to his exhaustion and wounds he had suffered while trying to escape the trap.
This mortal's name was Linderia, and she brought the former god into her household, located in one of the many hidden settlements of the mortals. Scientiar was surprised by the mortals' capabilities of how they had managed to create a reasonable way of life and civilization right under the gods' eyes. He spent several months with the mortals, then thinking the young man had suffered a large concussion and was therefore currently unable to remember how to live properly. None were aware of the guest's true nature. The experiences and the knowledge he gained during this time shaped forever his view of the world: he grew to admire the mortals' achievements, and he listened attentively to the mortals' points of view of the many stories gods and mortals shared about their common history. With this combined knowledge, he realized how tyrannical his kin had become with their creations, and how easily the issue of the prayers could have been solved. In the end, he grew to reject most of what once made him proud of being a god. All of this came to a head when on a visit to one of the surface settlements, he witnessed firsthand the utter destruction, fear, and cruelty the gods inflicted upon their worshipers, for Goljan laid waste to the surface city, taking his sweet time with the innocents, enjoying how the mortals screamed for mercy, something he would never give them.
Little did he know that this raid would be his last, for Scientiar asked his new friend and companion to pray to him, allowing him to recover his powers and fight back his enemy. The fight was fierce, yet the prayer of Linderia, made not out of fear but trust and hope, made the god-turn-mortal far stronger than his foe. He didn't finish off Goljan for the sake of petty revenge: he did it out of the desire to protect those that couldn't protect themselves, to keep the innocents safe, and for the protection of his new people.
His true nature was revealed to all, though a few mortals didn't trust him, but when he proved he meant no harm, willingly returning to his mortal form, helping them rebuild the city, and more, he eventually earned their trust and loyalty. He would be prayed for willingly by them, but even though these prayers made him stronger than he had ever been, he made sure to make it clear that he would only use his powers as a god if the necessity arose: otherwise, he would live as a mortal alongside them. This simple act of humility, of literally coming down from the Heavens to live alongside his worshipers, sharing both their joy as well as their suffering, made him far worthier a deity than all the rest of his kin. Scientiar couldn't care less about this fact: he lived and acted for the welfare of his new family and people. If acting in a good manner earned him prayers, acknowledgement and gratitude, so be it. It wasn't like he was demanding or expecting them to pray to him.
Yet the death of a god, especially after so many millennia of peace, was not an event that would go unnoticed. Scientiar knew, and therefore tried to hide the vanishing essence of his foe, but it was merely delaying the inevitable. Eventually, The Almighty himself came for him, and he was disgusted and outraged at what this prodigy had become. Not only had he rejected his true nature, but had in the process shown the mortals something they had once forgotten about gods: prayers were stronger when uttered willingly and with gratitude, rather than forced and in fear.
The ruler of the Firstborn tried to destroy the witnesses, and bring back Scientiar for punishment, but the young god had earned his prayers and had indeed become so strong, that his focused aura made the mortals immune to the unmaking power of the Supreme Being. All the while Scientiar tried to argue with the elder god, hoping to bring out the once hopeful, gentle god he had once been. But centuries of hatred, and an addiction to the mortal's fear had proven to be too much for him. He had grown so accustomed to being looked on in fear, that the mere thought of being prayed willingly made him puke: he had rejected his former self long ago, and no amount of facts and proof would convince the old Tyrant to think and act otherwise.
The other gods, both young and old, also rejected the notion that Scientiar presented them: he was the living embodiment of the previous way the gods and mortals used to interact, their relation not of master and slaves, but of equals benefiting their mutually favorable arrangement. They tried to destroy the mortals but Scientiar stood in their way. Realizing there was no convincing his deranged kin, he decided to end them instead. If the tyrants would not yield, then they would be destroyed, and their servants at long last would be free of their shackles.
This was the way The Grand Rebellion started, not as a planned uprising, but as a situation born out of circumstances. Scientiar alone fought all of his peers, but thanks to the many prayers, all uttered in his name, he was capable of facing them. Not only that, his powers made his followers immune to the attacks and powers of the gods, a benefit that quickly spread across the lands. Soon enough, once the rumors of a god siding with mortals against the oppression of the gods proved correct, the prayers to the rebel god could be heard loud and clear all over the world. Meanwhile, the gods grew weaker, " because of the exhaustion of the battles, as well as the lack of prayers. They had once again lost their source of life, but this time, it all concentrated on a single being, who earned his prayers by action rather than forcing them by decree.
Now embroiled in a full-fledged war like never before, the gods proved sluggish, and their battle experience useless against a foe that rarely fought directly, and always on their chosen terms. And when the mortals, with Scientiar’ s help, developed devices capable of heavily wounding them, if not outright killing the gods, these were forced to remain in their realm, where they slowly started to starve and perish, as the Great Earthly Siege began.
Once this occurred, the mortals were free to start developing fully and free of godly reprisals on the surface, all the while their protector aided them whenever possible. Entire regions were raised from the sands on the deserts, while once drowned citadels were refloated to the surface along the coasts. The mortals were thriving, spitting the gods even more as they slowly decayed and died. Yet each time they attempted to strike from the Heavens, Scientiar and the mortals were ready for them, forcing the gods to retreat to their fortress which had become their prison. So long as the rebel god would remain focused enough, keeping the mortals safe, the end was inevitable. And since no god was capable of, especially now that they were weakened after years of no nourishment, interrupting the attention of the now leader of all the mortals, they decided to look for a way to strike the traitor from an angle he wouldn't expect. Their search proved successful.
They found that one of the closest friends of Scientiar, a former chieftain now king named Proditor, had grown to secretly despise his ally, both because of him easily achieving far more in a few years than what he had accomplished in his entire life up to that point, and also in a more personal manner; for the god had become the husband and partner of Linderia, whom Proditor had desired from the moment he and Linderia had set eyes for the first time since they were kids. Even despite all this, the King at first refused to betray his friend, reasonably mistrusting these beings who had oppressed him for such a long time. It was when the gods offered not only to keep him alive but to also reward him with ascension into a god and all the powers involved with such a status, that he was convinced to act.
It was a very important day, for Scientiar could feel his kin weakening beyond repair. A little longer and no amount of prayers would be able to heal them. The victory was closer than it had ever been. To make matters better still, Linderia had revealed that she was pregnant, which was wonderful news: the notion of beings half-mortal, half-god had never been a possibility before, and to be able to not only be a witness but to be the Father of such special children, Scientiar couldn’t be happier.
Unfortunately, his happiness turned to sadness when Proditor attacked him from behind on his brief moment of calmness. Armed with a blade blessed by all the gods, the traitor greatly wounded the leader of the rebellion, and to make matters worse, this sudden and utterly unexpected strike shattered for a brief moment the focus of the god: no one expected this. Proditor had always been a proud (perhaps a bit too proud) leader but he did care deep down and so no one expected him to betray the rebellion, especially for such hateful and evil foes.
Yet as short as it was, it was time enough: the gods focused much of their remaining energy, keeping the bare minimum reserves to both remain alive and capable of fighting if need be. All the rest was focused on the Supreme Leader, who unleashed his powers and began the process. However, either because of his overall weakened state or perhaps because he wanted to truly make the mortals pay for the deaths of many of the younger generations, including his favorite child, the mortals' end was a slow and agonizing experience. And Scientiar watched powerless as his people, his beloved and by extension, his would-be-children began to vanish from existence.
Still, the mortals would not go down without giving a final fight. And so, all of them, with the last bit of strength they held, prayed one final time. And with this, all the anger, sadness, hope, and gratitude of an entire species was focused on the being that had to lead them nearly to victory. With tears running down his cheeks, Scientiar wasn't one to waste such a sacrifice, so he went back to the heavens, ready to give everything he had, to end the war, and force the Almighty to either reverse the action or remake the mortals anew. He arrived just in time to witness when Proditor, who had been summoned to the Heavens after his betrayal, was betrayed in turn; for the gods never intended to hold any sort of bargain with what they saw as an inferior being. As he vanished from existence, the traitor cursed his stupidity and greed, and made his last prayer to the same man and friend he had betrayed, begging him for forgiveness for his mistake. Despite Proditor being the one that had caused this catastrophe, Scientiar wasn't one to hold a grudge, especially in such a critical situation. He merely accepted the small boost of power, and charged on against his fellow deities, hoping to end the war in a victory for the mortals. Nevertheless, the rebel's effort proved in vain: the boost from the prayers, as large as it was, was a fleeting one, and combined with both the wound and the unified might of all the remaining firstborns, who were fighting in a berserk manner due to the knowledge it was either their victory or death, Scientiar was subdued, and mostly broken. But even now, he was still strong enough and his foes were mostly spent, that they lacked the capabilities to finish him for good. The plan with the traitor had been their greatest gamble: sure, a successful one, but just for a brief margin. They were bloodied, and their weakest members had perished in this final battle. No matter the details, the gods had once again triumphed against the mortals. But they needed to act quickly, for their energies were still disappearing as they recovered both their breath and heal their wounds. So under the direct orders of their leader, the firstborns trapped the rebel god in the best cell they had ever built, designed to keep the traitor imprisoned until his ultimate fate was decided. At first, they planned to simply hold the vanquished until they had recovered enough to finish the deed. But eventually, a more sinister fate for the god was decided: they wouldn't execute him, but rather leave him to slowly anguish, starved of prayers, until he perished. That was their way to take revenge for the many members who had perished during the rebellion, and it was also an entertaining way to execute the greatest betrayer the gods had had since the beginning of their long history. Meanwhile, the Maker built a newer, even weaker generation of mortals, who were by far the most subservient in the gods' favor for their survival. Despite this, the gods immediately started to tyrannize the new mortals, making them fear them. Yet since the mortals only knew this, (for the gods made sure to utterly erase all the physical remains of the previous generation) they adapted quickly and came to easily accept it, ignorant that things could be both different and better. All the while, Scientiar languished in his cell, too weak to try to escape from his chains, but still with enough power to sustain him for a long time for the agony and pain of starvation to torture him. But no matter how dire his situation was, he wouldn't give up. He would eventually find a way to escape, even if just out of spite. However, he wouldn't have to wait too long (by gods' standards) before... a miracle happened.
For you see, fate is not written, but does have a sort of will of its own. It can shift and change depending upon the living's actions and their consequences, but it always tends to a central path, with key events "destined" to happen no matter what. One such event was the birth of the children of a god and mortal, and fate, the stubborn mule that it was, wouldn't allow something as mundane as sudden unexpected extinction to render its decided path null. So, once the gods grew once again fat and lazy, their once firm vigilance dwindling as their confidence in the shackled deity's demise became ever certain in their eyes, the very soul of Linderia appeared to him, which was the happiest moment of the god's life. To be able to be together with her beloved even after she passed on...was something he never expected. This also proved that there was an existence after death, and the soul of the prisoner’s wife had just waited for her husband's jailers to drop their vigil to sneak inside undetected. Not only did she accompany the god, but together they started to plot how to defeat the elder gods once and for all. She also revealed another secret: the souls of the future children had remained with her, and with their father's power, they could be properly born as they were destined to be. This way, the solitary stay in his cell ended for Scientiar, making his absolute best to raise the children he and his wife were meant to have. The children grew up with a chained father and an ethereal mother, but the effort of the two managed to be successful. When the imprisonment of the god eventually ended, he would be accompanied by 5 teenagers, and a single baby: Medicas, Sanitem, Prophetor, Theologia, and Beiros. All of them were born and grew as demigods, but the destiny of each of them would soon diverge: while the teenagers would eventually become full-fledged gods, the young Beiros would remain a demigod and would live the rest of his long life with the new mortals that would arise. He's the father of the Beorian people, and therefore of the Empire.
But that's a story for another time; now, we are getting close to the final chapter of this long history. However, for the few listeners or readers who don't bother with a bit of a spoiler: the rule of the Firstborn is going to meet its end.