Of the Formless Ones and the Children of Chaos
As told by Elmidóren the Seer, translated from Quenya, circa 18000 years ago, which itself was copied from a much older book from before the Reawakening of the Elves
First there was nothing. Then something happened, and there was suddenly(always) chaos. Out of the chaos Things formed, formless, ever changing, and mindless, the Children(Progenitors) of Chaos. They needed no food or drink or air, for they lived on the chaos that surrounded them and was ever present like a mist of morning fog. Sometimes two or more beings of chaos met in the infinite mist and intermingled, and the Younger(Newer) Things were born. These Children of the Children were greater than their parents, and although they were less formless, they had more order, focus and drive. They had the beginnings of Mind.
Not all Younger Things developed Mind; there were countless creatures that were beget by both the Younger Things and the Formless Ones, mindless and ravening, that existed in the spaces between the Children of the Children and the Children of Chaos. These creatures were(are) analogous to the wild animals that live in the forests, mountains, and seas of the world.
These Younger Things sought others of their kind, and mingled, and had their own children, who became more and more ordered with each generation, until most of the chaos had been bred out of them, leaving Order and Mind. They were like islands of solidity in a wild Sea of Variance. These were the First Gods, and while they were less powerful than their progenitors in terms of raw strength, they were able to use their powers focused by Will and Volition. Thus, Purpose was born, and enacted by the First Gods upon the chaos around them.
But having Mind and Will also meant that they had Motives and Drive. Thus began the carving of Spheres of Influence, with the gods fighting over areas(zones) of control(authority). Alliances were made, and broken, as the participants of the conflict warred. The War of the Gods went on for untold ages, and wasn’t only limited to the First Gods. The Formless Ones and the Younger Things also felt the effects of the War, and many were killed(dissolved) along with the Fallen Gods, who were the First Gods that fell in combat.
In the end, few of the Gods were left. Most had been killed in the constant fighting, leaving only the relative few that are (currently) known. These gods each have many names, for they are worshiped by many peoples in different lands, although they themselves seem to not have need of such nomenclature.
In the Aftermath, they formed Lands Like Islands that were expressions of their Minds. These Planes of the Gods are islands of stability(Will) surrounded by the Primal Chaos like a sea of mist. They exist, but they don’t, for no map can be made of them because Space and Time have no meaning in these places(zones). They are expressions of the god’s Will, and thus while stable, also are as changing as the god’s mood. Between and amongst these Lands Like Islands live the Formless Ones, the Children of Chaos, and Younger Things. The Living Gods prevent them from entering their Lands Like Islands.
These Lands Like Islands are both shadows of and shadows projected onto the Universe. In a way, they mirror what mortals call reality, and form it. They are both a part of the Universe, and separate from it, simultaneously. In their orgy of creation, the gods populated the Universe with the rocks, and seas, and land, and Life. In a sense, the Lands Like Islands and the Primal Chaos is coterminous with the Universe, and it is the Gods who uphold the boundaries not only for their Lands, but for the Universe as well. But they are not perfect, and not ever-watchful, and every so often one of the Formless Ones and their ilk manage to sneak past them, invading the Lands Like Islands or the Universe.
Four Younger Things are known to have made it past the Gods: They were given the names Ghebbiloth, Nurghleth, Kharneth, and Nemain.
GM’s note: As examples, Azathoth would be one of the Formless Ones; Yog Sothoth would be one of the Children of Chaos, and Cthulhu would be one of the Younger Things, or perhaps one of the First Gods. Hastur, Cthuga, etc would likely also be Younger Things. Nyarlat-Hotep would likely be of the First Gods (Younger Gods?). The four listed Chaos Gods are all Younger Things.
A note about the text:
Elves live a long time, often longer than a standard book would last. So, for important information, they would make their books much the same way as the Great Race of Yith: metal pages in metal casings, usually mithril, since it doesn’t rust or corrode. As this was expensive (even for pre-Reawakened Elves), this was reserved for only for information deemed important enough to warrant it.
These books are typically one to two inches thick, and measure 10” tall by 7” wide, with very thin pages that allow the mithril to be somewhat flexible. Hundreds of pages can fit in the binding. The text is inscribed into the metal, in a script that, while visible, really requires magnification to read, in order to maximize the amount of information on a page. Some are enchanted with a Simple Illusion variant that projects the text above the page in a magnified form, allowing the book to be read easily. Some of the more “secret knowledge” books are magically locked with various Limit/Password spells. The metal casings are usually locked with at least a mechanical lock, although enchanted locks are common.
Elven Libraries are often hidden, with their locations known to but a few. There is a lot of old Elven knowledge that the Elves desperately keep from being promulgated out amongst the other races. These libraries are in out of the way places, usually underground. Few non-Elves would expect them to be underground, as that is commonly held to be more of a Dwarven thing. In reality, it was originally done because it would keep them out of the weather, and even mithril can be eroded, eventually. Besides, many of these libraries were established before any but the Kler’nak were past their Stone Ages.
The Libraries are protected by the Ministry of Serendipity (Núromolo Valima Ecestar). Most libraries have books with the common knowledge in them, and many Elves are granted permission to visit them and read what is in there. A select few (the most hidden, hard to get to, and defended) have had all of the Secret Books brought to them and collected there. Only members of the Ministry are allowed to even know where they are, let alone visit them. Violators are either mind-wiped or killed outright. There are four Secret Libraries, scattered all over Velyri. They would have preferred to have only one, but they realize the value of redundancy. They also realize that they can’t just destroy the knowledge, since eventually someone will rediscover it, and having the knowledge at hand can head off potential difficulties. Plus, the Ministry of Serendipity needs to know what to look for to discourage people from going down the wrong path.
Most Elves don’t know that they are post-Industrial. That knowledge has been purposefully forgotten by most Elven societies. Mostly, only the members of the Ministry keep that knowledge alive. The Reawakening is, to the Elves who are aware of it, considered both a shame and a triumph.
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