1It was the in the middle of the First Era of the First Age of the Deliberative's control over all of Creation. The great gathering of the Celestial Exalted took place in the newly built Senate building where all of the Celestial Exalted could cast their opinion in the voting process that controlled the fate of Creation. This is a time before the Great Curse broke the minds of the Celestial Exalted, before terrible crimes where committed by the Solars and other Exalted.
Our tale begins before the time of the Solar rule. It was a time when the titanic Primordial's still shook Creation with their passing. Unlike the histories taught by the Exalted this why not truly a terrible time for anyone to live in. Dangerous, but every age as its dangers, some more present than in others. Creation was at its largest, many times larger than even the Solar's would later reclaim with their reality engines. Floating distant in the heavens above, a sight lost after the defeat of the Primordial's. Where 26 large moon like objects, for they where the bodies of the mighty Primordial's. Kept safe from harm.
There where two suns that competed for dominance in the sky. The warm and golden light of the Unconquered Sun. And the pale light of Leiger whose power revealed many things to the Primordial's. For Creation had many wonders the Exalted eliminated so no one would remember the Primordial's in anyway but the way the Exalted would desire them to. Manses of incalculable beauty and some of horror dotted the landscape of the world. Plants and animals roamed the wild places that have become long extinct remaining only in the shadows of the Ebon Dragon.
She was a young girl who lived in the city of Vyra's Tear. The city was located in the northern reached of Creation. Built by humans with the aide of the northern Dragon-Kings. Its buildings had an almost organic beauty to them. The streets winded gently amongst the buildings of stone and crystal. They treated with the gods and the sub-souls of the Primordial's. And it is here where our story truly begins. The child was born to parents skilled in architecture and geomancy. They where taught by the Dragon-Kings to better aide their fellow humans, lessening their reliance on the Dragon-Kings who ruled the 4 directions of Creation.
They named her Selina. Her beauty was such that it was considered unrivaled in the mortal world. With long flowing hair of the purest white. Eyes of such purity that held the capacity to do many great things. Skin that was flawless as freshly fallen snow upon the plains of the north. But not only did she have the looks but she was very intelligent. Quickly learning all the skills her parents could teach her at a young age. She attended the human run Academy of Geomantic Science in her home city. She impressed her Dragon-King teachers and would eventually go on to attract even the sub-soul of a mighty Primordial.
Such was her devotion and love of Geomancy to keep Creation running smoothly. And to ensure the health of all living things. That she attracted the attention of Jarvalya, She Who Cradles the World. A sub-soul of the Primordial Cytherea who with the assistance of Gaia created all of existence. It was under this tutelage that her knowledge reached the limits of what a human could possibly learn. By the time she was in her 20s she had already aided the Primordial-Born to honor their patrons with mighty Temple-Manses. So respected was she that she was allowed to step foot upon the Blessed Isle and converse with the greatest builders amongst the gods. And it was during this time that the Celestial Incarna plotted.
They could not do this alone so they enlisted the help of Autocthon who would construct for them mighty warriors who would do the impossible. Kill what could not be killed. While Selina was at the Blessed Isle she was gifted with the presence by the Unconquered Sun. They spoke at length, he recognized in her a drive to succeed and to be perfect in all that she would do. He spoke to her about how she could learn even more. To live longer so that she could accomplish many things she would not be able to do as a mere human. Not knowing what else would be required of her, she accepted the offer. And she became one of the first Solar Exalted. Hidden from view of the Primordial's by what she had become.
She was told to continue her work. To get closer to the Primordial's to learn all that she could. She was not alone in this. Many who had been Exalted where placed in these positions so they would be close for when the hammer stroke fell. Her tutor was amazed that she could continued to learn. To grow and understand things she did not know before. But she did not piece it together. For they did not expect anything could bring down the Primordial's. Only when she did not die of age did they begin to wonder. But in this time, such a long age was not uncommon for many beings could gift a mortal human with a longer life span. So perhaps somewhere in the past, for the things she has done, was she rewarded.
But it was during the holy time. The memorial for when the Primordial's first shaped Creation. All of Creation was celebrating. And it was this time that the Incarna chose to unleash their Exalted warriors. While all the attention was diverted their armies slipped into position. Assassins readied their blades. And then the hammer stroke fell. In the opening moments of the conflict several of the Primordial's where crippled at the loss of their powerful sub-souls. Many where in shock they where wounded so, and on such a momentous day. Many of the Exalted did not share the experiences of Selina. They did not fell a close bound to anything the Primordial's, or their creations had built.
For some it was horror made real. So much death as entire forests, continents and species where burned away. The Golden Forest of Light, a wonder of the Primordial Age lost when a Solar general and his Dragon-Blooded army ambushed a sub-soul of a Primordial. The land, seas and skies became polluted with essence and death. To Selina who had spent her life ensuring that life itself would continue saw this as a terrible crime. And she began to record all that was lost in the war. From plants and animals. To the wonders of a dying age. She spoke with the dying behemoth Kavaral the Water Bearer who carried the first drops of water to the living things in Creation. Its wounds where many and terrible caused by the claws of many Lunar Exalted. The Behemoth shared with her its experiences, its joys and its fears. And it urged her not to forgot as it finally passed on. Honoring it a beautiful ceremony it would not raise again as a Hekatonkhire.
She had played her part in this war and she did not fell good about it. She betrayed those who had shown her trust, who taught and guided her. Long before the Creation bound gods noticed. She had given them information they used against the ones who shaped Creation. Though perhaps her worst memory that followed her to her death.
The death of the first Primordial. Its sub-souls where slain. Its fetich soul murdered. Its body began to die. High above in the heavens all those in Creation could not help but watch. For this moment in time, there was no fighting. They all watched as the deathless began to die. It was slow at first as the moon shaped body began to darken. Its health and life draining from its image. Then slowly cracks formed on its surface and with each beat of its dying heart burst the life giving essence in macabre geysers. Parts began to cave in as the sphere shaped buckled under its death spasms. As it collapsed it fell upon creation. And in that moment there was no sound. A pause of breath across Creation as to what was going to happen next.
And then Creation itself buckled and Gaia cried out in pain. The cycle of life and death has been broken. The dead body of the Primordial was drawn into a new place that never existed before. A place that would become the Underworld and the silent halls of the dead. As it's body fell to final oblivion it stopped. Teetering above its final desire a painless death. It's body broken and misshapen coalesced around its dead heart. And it became a shadow of what it once was, the tomb-body. Its prison made of its own form. Trapped within its own coils it could not free itself to die. And its mind began to fade. So tired, so weak. Just to close its eyes only for a moment. And in that moment its tomb-body was sealed. And nothing will be heard from it for a thousand years.
This would happen again 6 more times. With each death all would turn their gaze to the heavens. As another of the Primordial's was cast down. And with each death Gaia wept for the passing of her sibling. And Selina recorded all that was lost from each death. By the end of the war Creation was different. It had become a alien place. So many wonders lost. So much death. But Creation was theirs now. And they could do with it as they pleased.
So Selina returned to the ruins of her home. To rebuild. And to reflect.