08 The Summoning of the Five Gods
["Some say that it was the Dragonlords who summoned the Five Gods. Others say that it was the silver dragon, Balmytria. So much time has passed now; the truth may never be known." - Aesop, Keeper of the Dragon Shrine]
At the beginning of the First War the civilized peoples won many victories. Led by the Dragonlords, they rode roughshod over the armies of the Titans. The children of Thylea could not stand against the great dragons and were routed time and time again.
The armies of gygans and centaurs prayed to Sydon and Lutheria for aid, crying out to the Twins to save them from extinction. They begged the Titans to destroy the dragons, so that they could meet the civilized races in equal strength on the battlefield.
Sydon and Lutheria heard their laments and joined the struggle. The tide of war turned in favor of the native races: even a dragon cannot stand against a Titan. Whenever the dragons took to the skies, Sydon lashed them with raging winds and blasts of lightning, forcing them to the ground, where they became vulnerable to the wrath of Lutheria, who assailed them with her wicked scythe and death magic.
Many dragons were lost, and others fled. But the silver dragon, Balmytria, knew that Lutheria and Sydon would eventually find them all. In her final stand against the tyranny of the Titans, the silver dragon threw herself heedlessly against them, tearing and clawing, even after suffering numerous mortal injuries. When at last her energy was exhausted, she collapsed to the ground dead, and the Twins spat on her corpse.
Balmytria's death ripped a hole in the very fabric of reality that rippled throughout the multiverse. Inspired by her sacrifice, five celestial beings answered her prayer and came to Thylea to protect her people. These beings are known as the Five Gods, who we still worship today: Mytros, Volkan, Pylor, Vallus and Kyrah.
The Five pledged themselves to protect the civilized races, restoring the balance of power. In the years that followed, an uneasy truce was brokered, creating a peace that has lasted for 500 years.
In any case, this is how the story is usually told...
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments