@part(creation, root = "/mit/abstract/Characters/sheet.format")

@section( The Creation of the Universe and the Elder Gods)

In what would have been the beginning, had there been time or space,
there was nothing, and there was all, and these existed and failed to
exist together.  Without time or space or form, Creation and
Destruction merged and battled, and there was chaos.

Into that chaos were born the Great Opposites:  the White Goddess
Tualoha, embodiment of creation, and the Dark God Chthon, embodiment
of destruction.  The forces of the universe aligned themselves with
these Elder Gods, and the great war continued; all both was and was
not, with neither time nor space to separate the two states.

From the conflict of the two great Opposites was born the Green
Goddess Gaea, the Sustainer.  Her province was life -- growth and
change, form and structure, and the time and space needed for both.
Into her keeping were delivered the creations of Tualoha, that they
might grow.  Into her keeping were delivered the seeds of destruction,
that they might be grown into.  She was deemed the Keeper, and the
Elder Gods touched hands to seal their Compact, that they might never
intrude on the Keeper's realm and thereby end the balance of life and
death.  Thus was forged the Compact of M'kraan, that keeps the
universe in balance.

@section( The Devaic Lords and the Six Realms )

The forces of the universe became aligned to the Elder Gods, but also
differentiated; and thus were born the Six Realms of Existence.  Each
Realm took unto itself a ruler, whose will shaped it and controlled
it; thus were created the Six Devaic Lords:

@begin(itemize)

@b(Lord Kryssonyx), Ruler of Demons, Keeper of Limbo.

@b(Lord Lucifer), Ruler of Devils, Keeper of the Abyss.

@b(Lord Janus), Ruler of Angels, Keeper of Eden.

@b(Lady Evangeline), Ruler of Seraphs, Keeper of Purgatory.

@b(Lord Mishael), Ruler of Men, Keeper of the World.

@b(Lord Nairaphi), Ruler of Mana, Keeper of the Plane of Magic.

@end(itemize)

The Lords and Ladies swore allegiance to the Elder Gods, and
the Great War.  Thus Limbo and the Abyss became the realms of Chthon,
and Eden and Purgatory the allies of Tualoha.  The Lords Mishael and
Nairaphi chose a different path, however.  Mishael gave over
his realm to Gaea, and presented to the Men, his subjects, the
greatest gift of all, that of free will.  Of all the creatures in
existence, Man is the sole entity to be granted this gift and thereby,
the power to affect the other creatures of the universe.  Lord
Nairaphi, too, chose to abdicate his post, and the Plane of Magic
became common ground for the Three Gods, for mana is the force which
powers all things.

And the Gods and the Lords forged tokens of themselves, that their
power might be known in all the Universe.  From the Gods were forged
the Tomes of Knowledge, from the Lords were formed the Orbs of Power.
Even of the Compact itself there was forged a token, that there would
be ever a source of power greater than the Gods, to be used in times
of need.  
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