"Death….when one is faced with the prospect hey does one of two things, they fight or they give into despair. I have been forever here for so long watching the races of this world and wondering about the evil that I created… Now near being unbound by men delusional men bent on personal gain. Their effort will be for not for my other half is not the appreciative type. I have many names, Gaia, goddess, mother earth, many names considered also many gods but I am only one. I am the goddess of life and death, and my lover once long ago whom I imprisoned because he had gone drunk with power and began toying with the life's we had created. His awakening must be met with a hero…" She shifted her gaze across the world and focused on a lone boy, born of the soul stream breathing in his first breath of life. It made her smile and happy just as if she were the mother. The mother was covered in sweat, lying in a bed made of straw; the clay walls of the house surrounded them. This will be the home of a hero, this boy didn't know it but he had been chosen to stop a great evil. She smiled and then turned her gaze to the elven race. A young elven woman, young by elven social standing, was practicing archery as the goddess watched her for a few moments and then nodded and her fate was now chosen to fight the coming darkness as well. She turned her head once more and found herself looking at a particular sight, a dwarf by all standings was the more rugged of her children they believed only in their strength but she didn't mind, she smiled as she looked at the dwarf who was heartily drinking mead and having a feast to commemorate a battle that he had just fought in., she watched him during the battle, ferocious, unyielding, and merciless. Just the dwarf to add experience to this band she was creating. She looked again to the world looking at the people who she needed to influence her hero's. Create events, plan meetings, create bonds, and destroy bonds. She did all this in a matter of moments. She pushed aside her thoughts and listened to the prayers of her world. Some were for wealth well others for people's wellbeing, she smiled then looked across the world to a school of magicians, witches, and wizards whom often tried to directly communicate with her but she denied them. Humans can never be a god no matter how much they wish it to be. She had seen her fair share of creatures portraying themselves as gods or goddesses. But she wasn't looking at the students or the teacher's there but her gaze was on a lonely servant girl sold to the magicians. They didn't see it but she was gifted with extraordinary magical ability and she was learning by watching them practice as well as reading books secretly from their libraries. She practiced in secret but as the goddess watched thinking it's their little secret between them. She was tired and decided to rest, what was going to aspire requires a lot of her involvement and so she needed rest.
She awoke and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Standing from her bed she looked down on her world. Her heroes have grown up her once little boy was now a strong young man. All the things that had happened to all four of them and the happenings of her world came flooding fourth to her main consciousness. Shaking her head she understood and processed the information. She looked at her heroes, it was time, her other half would awaken soon and only thing she could do is ready her brave group. She would lead them to fight the forces of darkness. Smiling she let the events run their course. She looked at her boy now a young man, his name was Fredrik, then turned her gaze to the young elven woman Adriana, and again looked to the dwarf Gandril, and last Stephanie the servant. She had chosen her hero's wisely but how they deal with obstacles is entirely up to them. Closing her eyes she transferred herself to one of her hundreds of extended sub-conscious, she reopened her eyes and now was in the body of a blind gypsy in the town Fredrik was currently delivering his father's harvest just in time for the festival of Great Harvests. She was sitting at in a tent listening to the crowed and with her blind eyes followed him as he began to walk past her tent, she called to him.
"You…" as she spoke barely a whisper but it carried some of her power and he stopped and looked at her with a perplexed look on his face. He simply replied with
"I do not believe in such magic" he began to walk and she raised her eyebrow surprised by his defiance.
"I'm not asking to read you, Fredrik Dera I have received a message of the divine herself." He stopped at this and gave a second glance at the gypsy woman and took three steps and was inside her small tent and she waved her hand and the tent flaps closed and he looked very uneasy but sat down across from her.
"Who are you?" he asked. She took a moment in thought and closed her eyes.
"I am just a vessel for the divines to speak through.' She said with a toothy grin as she looked at her crystal ball and she waved her hand over the clear ball and then it became cloudy as images began to appear out of the clouds she frowned as sometimes even seeing into the future took some of her power and the future was always slippery like an eel and could change against her will the town would fall to a coming darkness and it was going to be a major factor in his life.
"Something terrible is coming the darkness of the past's ages is awakening and its darkness will be spread wide and will kill many and the goddess says to remain strong and when all hope you have in this life you have now fades. Travel to the southwest and you will find a new life…." She blinked and looked at him and her fetchers looked grave and then an image forced itself up and it was his face….how could she forget it….his eyes looked at her though the eyes of the blind woman and his betrayal anger and hatred for her poured into her and she shut the stone off and closed her eyes she still loved him eternally but she was going to save the world they had created from him. Across from her Fredrik looked to her with concern
"Where is this evil coming from" he asked in concern she shook her head.
"I do not know but it very dark and you must take heed Young Fredrik for I call for dark times ahead." She looked at her foot as a small rabbit looking creature with large red and one blue eye looked up to her she reached down, and lifted it up to her, There is not much I can do for your future Fredrik but I will give you this guardian as all the help I can. He looked perplexed and skeptical
"A rabbit?" he reluctantly received the creature which was in fact a creature of old magic a rabid guardian which could transform into a warrior. But he didn't know that. He stood up and took his leave and she watched him go and closed her eyes and again she was above the world. She looked to her elven children who were her most proud race, often thinking they were closer to her than any other race which was laughable. She closed her eyes then opened them and was standing at the gates of a training area Adriana was training at. She watched her pupil who this persona was to her. Her sword use was a form that the elves had used and perfected over many, many years but she could tell her young pupil was off and troubled,
"Yours sword is weak today, what is it?" she said walking towards her she stopped and dropped her head and tilted it to her as was customary to her elder.
"Dea I am at a loss as to why you train me so hard in this time of peace, to what ends do I work for?" she asked her, Dea looked at her and shook her head.
"Adriana it is an end to a means,…you train so that you are able to take up arms against any foe it is said trouble stews in the west. You are the only one with the skill I believe who will be very important to helping quell the problems that may arise. Hopefully you are able to train someone in my absence one day but until that day work on your training and study well." Dea smiled and tapped her face lovingly and then Adriana smiled and nodded
"Yes Dea." She agreed and began to work tirelessly as Dea again left her to her pupils workout. Dea walked through the elven city the buildings were white and the sun shone down but she loved the rain when it did come, she was stopped by a few of the other elves asking and inquiring about the high counselor's daughter and her training. She answered their questions and told them she was on her way to the grand counsel. Moving with more purpose she made her way up the staircase and into the room and the voices stopped abruptly as all the attention of the room was focused on her Dea was use to that. The only reason she was tolerated was because of her influence with the community and the knowledge she often had she wanted to bring action to her worries about her other half.
"Lady Dea to what do we owe this….visit." the sarcasm was there but only subtle other creatures would have missed it but the impudence she put up with in mortal form was impressive…for a goddess. They didn't know whom they insulted which she found slightly amusing…only slightly.
"My lords and Ladies I have had a vision of dark forces stirring in the west…" she let her words sink into the air. They all looked at each other and Carsi , Adriana's father and head of the counsel sitting in a grown chair of reeds and brush with a laurel design.
"What does your vision tell of what evil what is more evil then what we have faced before?" his question was well founded but he could not understand. Dea simplified it.
"Evil that is older than time." She said it and the air in the room seem to freeze over and she felt his grip on her heart. His mentioning was effecting the surrounding and he was still very much confined it was disheartening to learn this. The counsel looked at Carsi and his face looked grave.
"We will send out a scouting party to the west." He thought about it and thought the matter closed.
"High Counsellor what I also saw was this may be averted but I only know your daughter is a key and there was few others from the other races I do not know their names but they play a role, I request that Adriana be on the scouting party." Carsi was anything but a push over but he was fiercely protective of his daughter. Like the time she requested she take her as her pupil. Dea could feel his anger,
"Now you go to far I do not," he stopped himself.
"The council will reconvene in an hour." And without a word they stood up and out of the room. As soon as the door closed he was on his feet and had the ferocity of a mountain lion.
"You always undermine me when you walk into this chamber and no one even me can stand against you but you ask my daughter to go on a scouting mission when an evil you say could be the culprit could very well be an evil like that the world has never seen?" he ran his hand through his hair like he did when he was restless and in a uncomfortable situation. Dea felt for him she loved Carsi like all of her children but she did fall for some of her children the lives of her subconscious were like normal creatures that had her wisdom but they were not perfect they had their flaws. This dea loved Carsi and she relinquished some control and the elven maiden Dea smiled and took his hand and placed it against her cheek affectionately
"She is strong, I could go with her to make sure everything goes smoothly." Carsi smiled despite himself he looked up at her and kissed her cheek the warmth of his love washed some of the cold of her worry away. She missed companionship being a goddess but it was something she endured like all things. As soon as she took full control she put his hand down and turned away and left the room she was wondering what to do now considering she didn't plan on Dea on going with the scouting party maybe Dea way of rebelling she didn't know but that was one of the things she never had control of but she didn't mind it was interesting and staved off boredom. In her room Dia strapped on her light armor with minimal protection but some magical wards to protect her for the most part but it did not restrict her mobility at all. There was a knock at the door she knew who it was.
"Come in Adriana." She said tightening her last strap of leather on her gauntlet.
"Dea I've been ordered to go on a scouting mission!" her voice betrayed both worry and excitement.
"Yes I heard. I am also going on this mission. If your going, make sure to pack well we do not know how long we will be gone." She smiled. Adriana nodded and went to get ready. Dea finished her packing and walking to the meeting sight of the troop. She looked around and was still in awe of sorts that she was able to help create this world. She could feel the earth hum in joy at her very steps and she loved it all. Therefor she was willing to fight for it if it ment fighting her other half. The scouts began to trickle into the area; they checked food rations and how much water they had. It was one thing that she didn't much like being in mortal form because her body needed sustenance in order of function, when you're a goddess eating is a pleasure…not a necessity. Adriana arrived garbed similar to herself and she smiled. "we depart now we are looking for anything that could be considered a threat to this land…even if it's a threat to the humans, dwarves, or the land we walk on if it's not natural…we must get the information back to the council. She turn and they began their journey, Adriana didn't know it but she would not see her homeland as soon as she hoped.
Dea blinked and her main consciousness was above the world. She now looked north to the magicians fortress. She closed her eyes and now was over Stephanie.
"Stephanie…Stephanie! Wake up, its time to get up to work." She shook her. She rolled over her brown hair with bits straw sticking out of her hair making it look like a rats nest. Stephanie grumbled.
"Let me sleep like five more minutes Dea…I worked on my spells last night. Could you cover for me?" she pouted and looked at her.
"Steph were not normal labor workers were slaves…" she shook her head. She stood and walked to the kitchen and began making porridge for the other slaves. Stephanie walked into the small room full of other girls and boys who were in the same situation as themselves. Dea took it upon herself to be somewhat of a mother figure in this unfortunate place. The wizards never bothered her because they like her food and she would use her charms to ward off any male wizards who began to get too interested in her. Stephanie sat down and Dea placed a bowl in front of her.
"I hope you don't over work yourself to much." Dea was appearing as a girl 19 summers. Stephanie muttered a quick spell and her hair fixed itself. Picking up a spoon she began to eat. Dea's porridge was different than anything she tasted, whenever Stephanie asked what she did she always replied.
"My secret ingredient is love." She avoided the subject if she used magic but Stephanie had her suspicions. Dea made herself a bowl and sat across from her.
"What are your tasked to do today?" Dea asked as she ate. Stephanie smiled and stood up pushing the bowel away.
"I get to dust the grand library." Her voice was laced with eagerness to get to her job. Dea was happy that she was so easy to teach when it came to reading and even language they considered lost and old she had learned. Dea was proud of her young pupil and now she had taken to reading the books the magicians had when they weren't looking at them. She thought them fools even more then the elven people but then her children were sometimes misguided and she would weigh their souls when the time came of their death. She nodded
"Don't get in trouble." She warned
"Im always careful". She said walking out of the room. The goddess closed her eyes and transferred her main consciousness to a fly in the room and followed Stephanie down the hall she kept her head down not making eye contact with any of the mages or sorceress who didn't even acknowledge her existence. In the grand library Stephanie worked her way along the rows of books looking at them and browsing until she made her way to the forbidden section. Its magic wards were formidable for any mage but for her they were nothing but spider webs in her Gail storms. Stephanie wanted to know what was behind the door to the section. Stephanie tried to get weave into the wards being slowly successful. The goddess didn't want her to read any of the books in that section many would warp her and make her a tool of her other half. Dea flew down and landed on her ear breaking her concentration making the wards snap into action and throw her across the room. Stephanie rubbed her head and cursed a book fell with a small bit of help from her influence. The book fell onto her lap with a thud. "Ouch!" she looked at it she couldn't reach that high so most of those books never made it to her. It was old as well as she could tell. Stephanie could feel the magic hum from the book. Stephanie opened the book and looked over the chapter's titles, some spells and many of old long forgotten gems of information and knowledge. She delved into the book and began to bury herself in the pages. Dea smiled as she looked at her young pupil and happy that she was taking to her choice. The goddess moves her focus to her perch on top of the world and looked to her stone deep children, never had she imagined that they would become such skilled craftsman, she closed her eyes and came to look at the underground city through the eyes of a dwarven maiden mincing herbs and cooking a stew on the stove in a tavern where many of the dwarven community came to drink away sorrows or celebrate victories in battle or politics, here was a sanctuary where she put up with no fighting or harassment. She ran her tavern with the care of a mother doting on her children then the doorbell chimed as one of her regulars walked in. Sitting on the stool in front of her bar, a scar from under his eye to his jaw bone showed years of healing, he smiled at her.
"Hiya Dea love. You have any of that stew you always make me?" she smiled and shook her head.
"Of course you old dolt." She pulled down a bowl and filled it placing it infront of him. He smiled as she looked him over he had two battle axes he named Seard and Halthfar with his large two handed sword on his back named Brut and leaning on his leg a shield that was battered but sturdy.
"Where are you off to Gaddy? Not fighten wars on the top are ya cause that's what you look like you're ready for." She said cleaning a tanker. Gadril lifted the bowl and finished the stew and gave her a crooked smile.
"You wouldn't believe the trouble these raids are getting stronger bloody bands of goblins and a troll last time no less, I feel there is a changing in the rock says I, I know we don't take so much as to care about the world up top and their "goddess" but I have a feeling somethin odd is afoot and ill just wait till it come, ill have my axe ready. Il take any dark force to the axe to save my favorite tavern and hostess." He smiled at her and gave a wink. Oh it was amazing this dwarfs instincts were it was good that he was ready to fight.
"Oh you old rouge, simply tellin me your commin or goin to I know your not dead." She frowned. Gadril chuckled.
"Aye of course I'm here to tell ye I'm going to protect a caravan on its way to the surface goin to the human city of Gravilsted only be gone a small while. Maybe a week." He smiled at her.
"I see, I hope to see you come back to us soon your going to be missed. She said putting a stone tankard down laughing light heartedly looking at him.
"Oh don't worry a hair on that pretty little head of yours Ill be back, I love that stew you make me to much to up and die." He smiled and stood up.
"I just came for a quick visit to tell ye where I was goin or you would be worried" he winked at her and placed his money on the bar and waved goodbye as he left the tavern. She looked out after him and the Dea she was in control had a urging to hug him and ask him to stay only a little longer she liked his company and calmed her. The goddess looked around the tavern with all the happiness and celebration and thought these places are going to be needed in the hard times to come. She pulled her focus away from the dwarven girl Taking in a deep breath she had gotten all the balls rolling now to start the tale. Dea the rabbit opened her eyes unlike her subconscious counterparts this creature could take the goddesses main focus and also force her will on the creature without scrutiny meaning she could so anything in this form short of stopping her other half.