The Nameless God

The Story of The Nameless God

In the beginning, there was darkness upon the Earth, and this was The Great Dark. All creatures of the Earth, man and elf, dwarf and halfling, goblin and orc lived in darkness and ignorance, for even as their eyes were blinded by this darkness, so too were their minds dimmed and useless. They foundered in The Great Dark, naked and lost, and there was much sorrow in the world for many Ages. Then The Nameless God rose from The Great Dark, bearing sword and spear and shield. His spear was of silver, and in flight was swifter than the eye, and with it's strike came a great sound and light to blind the eyes. His sword was of gold, dazzling to look upon, and was of such great weight that no other could lift it. His shield was of stone, white as snow, and glowed with such light that none could look directly at it, lest he be blinded. And The Nameless God looked out upon The Great Dark, and saw that the creatures of the Earth were in misery, and took up his sword and spear and shield. Slowly, he began to beat back the Darkness, illuminating it with his shield, and driving back the creatures that resisted the Light with sword and spear. And after many Eons, one race of creatures embraced the Light of The Nameless God, and he called this race Men, and they were the first of the Illuminated. The Nameless God then set his shield into a great mountain, and it guarded the Realm of Men, for the creatures of the Darkness were sore afraid of it, and would not approach. Thus began the Age of Teaching. The Nameless God taught Men all that he knew, of the growing of plants, of the raising of animals, and of the use of tools for survival and betterment of their lives. And, when Men had learned all he could teach, he took up his shield, and again battled the Darkness. After many more Ages, a second race came from the Darkness and into the Light, and these he called Dwarves, who were the second Illuminated race. And he taught them also, according to their desire, of mining ores and gems, and smelting metals and tunnelling, as they chose to live beneath the Earth, especially in the hearts of great mountains. And so he proceeded through many Eons, and two more races came into Light from Darkness. The third were the Children of the Trees, whom he called Elves, who learned from him of nature and magic and balance. Fourth were the Small Folk, who are called among the other races Halfling, who learned from him of weaving and trade and fishing. And thus The Nameless God said to the Four Races of the Light "Come together, and share what you have learned, and be merry, for you shall reign over the Earth in it's four parts while I battle the Darkness. The Elves shall have the Forests, the Dwarves the Mountains, The Halflings the Seas and Rivers and Shores, and Men shall have dominion over the Plains. And you shall hold the Lands of Light, unto the ending of all things." And the Four Races came together, and formed great nations, and traded between them in peace for several Ages. The Nameless God was pleased, and took up his sword and spear and shield again. He turned his face from the Lands of Light, and roared in a great voice that carried to the far corners of the Darkness. "Hear me, creatures of the Great Dark! I have cut through your kind with spear and sword for many ages! But I grow weary of bloodshed. I shall harm no creature who does not stand against me. Step aside, and go in peace into the Lands of Light, if you will. But stand against me, and you shall find peace in death only." And there were races who did not stand before him, but stepped aside and went in peace. But at every turn, the races who called themselves Goblins and Orcs stood against him, and time and again he was forced to mow them down as a scythe through grass. And all the time he fought, he entreated them to peace, and offered the goodness of the Light, but they refused. They were united, they said, under a great ruler, an Orc chief of immense size and untold ferocity, named Mohg. And so it was, when the Orcs and Goblins said to The Nameless God, "Mohg would treat with you in peace, for he too is tired of bloodshed.", that he believed, and went to the lair of Mohg, and was received warmly. The Nameless God went before Mohg unarmed, save for his shield, for until then, there was no deceit in the world, and his shield was his symbol. When The Nameless God saw Mohg, he knew his power was great, and would very nearly match his own. As they ate and drank, and talked of small things, the dining room was suddenly filled with Orcs, great brutes of the race, and they set upon The Nameless God with a fury that out-shone any he had faced before. The Nameless God took up his shield and fought, his fists, feet, and shield dealing death on all sides. Finally, he escaped the nation of the Orcs, and flew on the wings of the wind back to the Lands of Light. There, he warned the Four Races of the deceit of the Orcs, and taught them of weapons and warfare, and prepared for battle. And Mohg led his army toward the Lands of Light, intending to wipe the Four Races from the face of the Earth. The two hosts met at Gontha, a great plain, and the fighting was terrible. The two hosts were nearly even in number, but the Orcs and Goblins were crafty and deceitful, and the Races of Light fought hard against them. The Nameless God threw himself into the battle, and it was his shield that bore the brunt of the first charge, his spear that tasted the first Orc blood, his sword that slew the first Goblin. And so the battle raged for 6 days and nights, and The Nameless God laid low a full fifth of Mohg's horde, and as he fought, tears streamed down his face, cutting tracks through the black blood of his enemies, so great was his compassion and sorrow at the needless death. And it came to pass, at dawn of the seventh day, that Mohg descended onto the field from his fortress, and met the Nameless God in battle. Mohg's strength was great, and his armor thick. His warhammer shattered The Nameless God's spear, and his breastplate of iron and jewels bent and dulled The Nameless God's sword. And finally they stood, broken and battered, Mohg with his fists and broken armor, pierced all over with spear thrusts and sword cuts, and The Nameless God with his shield of stone, bruised and battered by Mohg's hammer. And The Nameless God saw his death in Mohg's eyes, and began to weep anew, for he loved Man and the other Races of the Light, and could not bear to see their beauty and kindness thrust back into the Darkness by the great horde of Mohg. And his shield arm sagged with his sorrow, but as it lowered, one tear of compassion splashed upon it, and the shield's light returned, redoubled, such that Mohg was not only blinded, but blasted into nothingness from it's brilliance. And The Nameless God heard the voice of the shield, and it said unto him, "Would you save them, at the cost of yourself? Would you sacrifice your very name to save the Races of Light?". And The Nameless God thought, "Nay. I would save all the races of the Earth, not just the Races of Light." And so the great shield stripped him of his life and name, and cast the horde of Mohg back into their homes, but banished Darkness throughout the Earth, that their power would forever remain less than that of the Races of Light. And the shield grew to encompass the Earth, and is called now The White, the force which holds the balance of good and evil, that evil may never reach total dominion. It's glow is The Undying Light, the inexhaustible core of goodness at the heart of every creature, that lifts up those who fall, and defends those who are weak from those who might exploit them.

                                                HAIL THE UNDYING LIGHT!