(Note: This doesn't take place in the more dystopian Levia. It takes place in the...well, "GOOD" ending, where Yursarsh is as dead as a doorknob. Okay, with that said, carry on!)
Oh? A stranger? How... odd. It is not often that I see a new face. Levia is merely a lone continent in the vast sea of mystery. Her fellow continents have been devoured by the gluttonous Yursarsh, God of Gods, in a fit of rage as he was tossed from the heavens. I was unsure of any other survivors of his rampage. It is unlikely that he left even a crumb of his meal behind.
Who am I? How rude of me. I am Xavier Dean. Not many years ago, I was tasked to defeat Yursarsh, with many an ally by my side. Long and daunting as the road was, I was finally able to defeat him and destroy his very soul. It was not easy to summon a meteor, nevermind survive it. How did I survive? I have my ways, believe me! Please, though, keep my existance hidden from a particular tiny knight. I have heard he has recently settled down with holy woman. I wish I was there for the wedding, but alas...
Regardless, you did not come here to hear me ramble of the past, yes? So what did you come here for?
...I see. You wish to know more of Levia, so you may spread word of it to other lands? Interesting. We know nothing of any other world except our own. We've been isolated for millenum now. No imports or exports. We sustain our own economy, fight our own wars. How odd you come to us now...
Bah, I suppose I am too formal for my own good. When your own home is merely a house full of books and tomes, you start to talk like the scholars you read so much about.
First, to understand Levia, you must understand our system of faith. Our gods. Our gods are responsible for creating and maintaining everything that occurs. They do not interfere with our daily lives, but they do influence the environment in subtle ways. There are many, many gods when there was once seven, mostly because of the gods having children and deciding that as societies develop, they too must change with the times and have other gods represent those concepts mortals believe in.
Gods are separated into two categories: Greater Gods and Lesser Gods. The Greater Gods are the eldest, the original six, that govern the elements: Light and Darkness. Water and Fire. Earth and Wind. There is a seventh, but he merely makes sure that the gods are doing their jobs and keeping to their promises. They are the ones that created our planet and created the many races that walk here today.
The first and possibly eldest of the gods is Yuran, God of Light. He represents logos. The mind. Light. Justice. Loyalty. Bravery. Law. His symbols are commonly the hammer and armor, the dove. He thinks before he acts, leads his siblings towards the right path. Clerics revere him, as his power provides healing for all, healing and peace. If anyone wishes for peace, they pray to him alone. Ever since Yursarsh turned on the gods, he has been the interim God of Gods, managing the tasks all gods must do. Must cause a lot of strain on him, as more and more people who claim to see his visage say that he's sprouting silver hairs. Oh, before I forget, the race that he represents are the Fairies, small in size but supposedly pure of heart and more... logical than most. I think they're rather boring, but that's a tale for another day!
His counterpart is Ursula, Goddess of Darkness. Most fear her and damn her name just based on the fact that they associate darkness with evil. Whatever they say, though, it's not true. Darkness is uncertainty, chaos, ethos. Wisdom is what she represents. She despises those who do not change with the times, those who remain stagnent. "What fun is life if it's all the same all the time?" she tends to ask. If her brother represents the mind, she represents the heart, ever changing with the situation. Not many people worship her aside from her patron race, the Tieflings, and mages such as myself, who strive for that wisdom she seeks. Her common symbols, if you are lucky to even find one, are the tome and the raven.
Patron god of the Undines is Eriel, Goddess of Water. She governs the calm streams, the bubbling brooks, the high tides. She stands for the calm thoughts, purity, health, kindness, and mystery. She could be as bubbly as a brook, as cold as a block of ice, or as flighty as steam. Moody as she is, she is also worshiped by priests, as water she creates is claimed to be able to purify any ailment and sear the undead. She is also representative of strength and calamity, as huge tides are capable of tearing down a town all on its own, all signs of life lost into the deep, eternal blue. The trident is her symbol and her weapon of choice. I guess you could get away with a water drop being a symbol, but there are hundreds of water gods that try to lay claim to that symbol for their own.
With water comes fire, and Axanon, God of Fire, is Eriel's counterpart. Passion of all kinds is what he stands for. War. Warmth. Destruction. Purification. When war is inevitible, one prays to him for victory and honor before heading to the battlefield. The blade, flames, and scales of dragons are commonly seen as symbols for him, and statues of him holding Excalibur in his claws are usually found in castles. Fire is hard to put out, isn't it? Not even water can completely douse the fiery passions in one's heart. Axanon believes in following your passions, no matter what they may be, to the very end. Share them with the very world. However, his fiercer side demands that those of foul nature be set aflame until nothing but ashes remain, to purify the evils that plague the world at hand. He is as gentle as a flickering candle flame when needed, or as fierce as a forest fire. He is the patron god of Dragons, even if most have evolved to do things other than breathe flames as he does. He is also my patron god...
Oh dear, please don't look at my burned hands like that. It makes me nervous! I-I had problems once, okay? Er, um, if you can stop staring...
A-anyway! Next is the god of wind, Zephyrus. Or, as most call him, Zephyr. He's a flighty one, and he represents the spirit, speed, the spreading of knowledge, and change. While Ursula represents change as well, hers is more gradual change, while Zephyr represents rapid, sudden change. What might be a gentle breeze can turn into a whirlwind in an instant, yes? He only wishes for people to be lively, spread the news, and, of course, not fear change. Recently, though, he has also tacked on for people to be courageous in the face of danger and not back down, and don't let anything hold you back from adventure. Harpies, the race he created, follow that creed to their deathbed, soaring the skies and exploring every nook and cranny. His symbol? He never decided on a symbol. Claims he's above that sort of thing, I suppose...
Finally, we have Terra, Goddess of Earth. Stubborn one and quirky, compared to her fellow gods. Her patron races are the Humans and the Giants. She represents... well, I suppose you could say she, too, represents life. After all, isn't the ground we stand on her doing? Anyway, she stands for the seasons, the fertility of crops, the physical, stability and honesty. Common symbols are the bull, mountains, or trees. All life is precious to her, but life isn't so fragile that she watches over it. "People of all sorts are stubborn bastards," she once claimed. "Not even death can stand in their way." People associate her with tradition as well, as some things, according to them, should not be changed at all. She believes that those that look upon her do their best to deal with the harsh world and perservere through the "winter" of their lives, and "stick to what you know best."
I did mention a seventh one, but... His story is long. VERY long. And I kind of dropped a meteor on him. That, my friend, is for another time.
Speaking of time, we seem to be out of time, judging by how you're standing up and getting ready to go. Do drop by again, and send a warning so I can prepare some tea. Perhaps we can talk more about books and all...
Oh, wondering about the tiny knight? Um... I rather not speak of him right now. Maybe later. Our history goes way back, and its...complicated. Til next time!
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