Here are some goodies from my notebooks, excerpts from The Book of Earth and Legends of Origin. I gave them to Harry so you can take a look at them. It will help in understanding this story. You don't have to read this chapter, although I hope you do and find it interesting.
The Book of
EARTH
Origin was the first world created. Earth was the ninth, and although there are worlds older and larger, Earth is sometimes called the little sister planet of Origin. This is because none of the other planets have had the amount of trade and interaction with Origin as Earth. The significance of Earth comes from the dense population which boasts some of the most diverse creatures and peoples of all the worlds, second only to Origin itself.
Earth is the sole creation of the Goddess known as The Green Lady, also Mother Earth. Origin was experiencing a particularly turbulent period of history in which most of the races were hostile and fighting all the time. The Green Lady, the Goddess of Peace, Harmony, and Nature, was distressed by this. She believed that all the hostility stemmed from their great differences. She then created a new world, little more than half the size of Origin, and called it Earth. She created a new race for this planet, and called them Humans. She wanted to bring peace to this new planet by eliminating the differences of the races. Humans had neither scales nor feathers, leaves, hooves, claws, or even much fur. The planet was also inhabited by many small creatures not equal in intelligence to the Humans, and was modeled after Origin itself.
Keeping Earth separate from the other planets would have been akin to locking a small child in a dark room, so immediately portals were established and Earth became part of the large circle of interconnected worlds. Earth became home to many creatures not created there. Wrath, the God of Destruction, had made a very large planet home to violent creatures called dragons, and many dragons came to Earth, along with unicorns made by MindRuin, Goddess of Light, Sphinxes and more from many of the new worlds. Earth drew crowds from Origin as well. Many from Origin's five races came: Centaurs, Vineadryads, Cylants, Bloodbeasts, and the Mer. Humans also traveled and a large number moved to Origin.
Early in Earth's history the Humans lived beside these creatures from other worlds, but at some point the Humans had a change of heart, and exhibited violence toward the others. They hunted the dragons and killed them, and many of the otherworld creatures felt unwelcome. Many of the portals were shut down, and few new ones open today. Those Otherworldly left on Earth have evolved and changed from their original forms, though they still resemble their off-Earth cousins. Some became extinct, and most exist only in small numbers.
Earth's history contains much mention of Gods and otherworld creatures. The ancient Greeks revered the Centaurs, who have always been keepers of knowledge, and in return the Centaurs gave them the stories of the Gods. The Greek Myths were often exaggerated, but they contained much relevance and hidden truths. They spoke of the Centaurs, dryads, and Merpeople. Egypt also wrote of sphinxes and others.
Many Humans still loved their Mother Earth, and she loved them as well, but the race as a whole was a disappointment to The Green Lady. She gave birth to a son, who now watches over Earth as she returns to Origin to be with the other Gods and her Vineadryad race. The Vineadryads were successfully peaceful. In a bizarre twist of irony, the father of her son was Wrath, God of War. The two simply weren't meant to be together, but a short relationship between Wrath and the Green Lady resulted in the one we call The Double-Sided God. The Double-Sided God is torn between peace and war and is always leading Humanity in two different directions. He is well suited for his task as he is a reflection of the two sides of human nature.
On Origin, a section of the human population made a migration home. They'd only lived on Origin for a few generations, and they remembered their roots through stories and decided that Earth was their rightful homeland. Many humans could not comprehend leaving their new home of Origin and stayed. On Origin they were first viewed as a strange raceless and godless people, to the other races they had a lack of identity, and were simply a blank slate, leftovers not yet infused with souls. After a few generations they became established as a new race, and accepted, although the humans and the other races have never had a strong rapport. They interact, but the humans are generally full of fear and distrust. There are exceptions; the outer limits of the human territories often make friends with other races nearby, and the big City the humans built has become a center of trade.
Something strange happened to the humans that returned to Earth through the portals. A great number of the women had been pregnant, and as their children progressed through life they exhibited strange abilities. Something had changed these children in the womb, and it was due to traveling in the portals. Once adults, these gifted humans developed their powers and learned how to best use them. They gave themselves a name: wizards, or witches if female. Their offspring were born with the same abilities, and since then there has always been a number of wizards among the regular humans. Non-magical humans felt threatened by these strange powers, and just like the off-world creatures they were unwelcome. Many wizards were killed by non-magical humans in the Dark Ages, but the non-magical humans had no concept of just how many wizards there were, and because the non-magical humans believed they had all been killed the wizards slipped into anonymity. Today they have again grown in number and live in a vast secret society within that of the other humans. For more on the fascinating study of Earth Wizards, see chapter three. Their society is very complex, and their ingenuity in avoiding recognition by those they call "muggles" or non-magical humans is impressive. In an interesting phenomenon called "muggle-born" wizards, if a pregnant non-magical human is nearby when a portal opens her baby will one day become a wizard or witch.
Humans in the City on Origin, where portals to Earth are created, have powers as well, although they are not as focused as with the wizards and witches on Earth. In rural human territories no such powers exist. The human City...
Legends of Origin
Introduction: An Overview of the Gods and the Five Races
Wrath is the God of Destruction, and also the god of war, and he's associated with the color red. He has a son, the Double-Sided God, who is the protector God of Earth and Humanity. He also has a daughter, Luscious, the Goddess of Fire and Sex. His race are the Bloodbeasts. They live on the deserts of Origin; they have fur, sharp teeth, and wicked claws, and are large in stature. They are a violent and hungry species. They live in tribes under the command of chiefs, but all the tribes are all ruled by the Chief-King.
The Green Lady is the Goddess of Nature. She is also considered the Goddess of peace, harmony, childbirth, and is associated with the color green. She is the mother of the planet Earth, and also the mother of the Double-Sided God. Her race are the Vineadryads, peaceful people who live in the forests of Origin.
Dark-Eyes is the God of Darkness, he's associated with the color blue. His people are the Cylants, winged people from the mountains of Origin. He's also the creator of the portal-guides. The Cylants are the most mysterious of the races and due to this over time have come to be called the Silents.
MindRuin is the Goddess of Light. She's also the goddess of beauty, she is associated with the color purple. Her true name is unknown, she is called MindRuin as a way of warning. She is said to be so incredibly beautiful that all who look upon her are blinded and go mad. She has one daughter, the Goddess of Love. She created the Mer, people with fins and gills who live in the oceans of Origin. They are a beautiful and peaceful people.
The Hermit God is the God of Knowledge, he is associated with the color gray. He is also the god of history, and past. His people are the Centaurs, keepers of knowledge. They have four strong legs and run very fast; they live in the fields and hills of Origin. There is long standing hostility between the Centaurs and the Bloodbeasts. They are fairly solitary and live in lone family dwellings.
Intuition is the Goddess of Mystery. She's the goddess of future, and associated with the color white. She chose not to create a race.
The Gods all have many demi-gods who work beneath them. The Gods are paired into opposites; Wrath, the God of War, is the opposite of The Green Lady. Dark Eyes, God of Darkness, is the opposite of MindRuin, Goddess of Light. The Hermit God, God of Knowledge, is the opposite of Intuition, Goddess of Mystery. Interestingly, an attraction exists between these opposites. Wrath and The Green Lady had a short time together in which they had a son, also, Dark Eyes and MindRuin are said to have a long, turbulent, off and on relationship.
The Five Races are called thus because they were the five races immediately created upon the creation of Origin, and therefore the most ancient of all races. Many other races exist, and the five races are no longer the only ones who call Origin home.
Magic has always been part of Origin's people. The Cylants, the Vineadryads, and the Mer are the three magical races. It is possible that the other two races have magic but if so it lies undiscovered. The Bloodbeasts have no use for magic, only force, and the Centaurs value practicality and logic over all else. Among the Cylants there appear to be a number who have developed magic using "casting stones," smooth pebbles that best conduct the magic within them. There are those among the Vineadryads with the power to influence nature directly, and the responsibility to watch over it. They can grow trees and flowers by their voices alone.
The Goddess of Mystery had a friendship with MindRuin, and Intuition left a single lasting mark upon the races, in a gift she gave to the Mer. She gave some of the merpeople the sight, an ability to see into the future...