In days long gone, there were thirteen gods.

Legend and religious texts alike tell the tale of the formation of the continent of Orsterra, an expansive land known for its natural beauty. History informs the curious that thirteen heavenly powers once created the incredible world, and Orsterra remained the peak of their immense strength even long after they had come and gone from the realm of the living.

At the center of Orsterra, an ocean known as the Central Sea could be found, and some have come to believe that the gods once used it as an entry point between the divine heaven and the mortal plane. Thirteen gods with the faces of man appeared from the skies above and created beauty from what had once been nothing. Each of the gods had a different gift to offer the empty earth, and it was through these presents that the land was able to survive and flourish. It's the oldest story known to humanity, one that every child knows from the glimmering sands of the Coastlands to the shaded skies of the Woodlands.

Aelfric acted as the cornerstone of everything that the gods stood for, a symbol of purity and hope above the tumultuous realm around her. Her smile was said to spread warmth and joy to all who happened to cross her path. Aelfric's dominion over light allowed her to create the sun in the sky, and it cast its gentle glow upon the people of Orsterra. The sun reflected the gleam of her perfection perfectly, and paintings of the bygone era are often said to depict her endless radiance.

Sealticge was Aelfric's opposite in many ways despite the countless similarities that they shared. She was an alluring woman who captured the attention of those around her without even needing to try. She was the mistress of the shadows, and darkness followed her beck and call each time that she took a step forward. Sealticge was the one who pressed the moon into the sky, and the pearl of the nighttime gem continued to smile and watch the people for countless centuries.

Alephan was a curious man, and he offered the beauty of time to civilization. Aelfric and Sealticge gifted light and darkness to Orsterra, but Alephan balanced them out after striking a perfect middle point between the two. Ice crept along the edges of his robes as he created the cycle of day and night, and the Earth began to spin at his wishes. He was wise enough to understand how to change everything, and the world itself followed his whims when he pushed it in the perfect way, something that only he could determine.

Winnehild's sense of order was unparalleled, and her instincts were renowned in every way imaginable. She simply had an understanding of the world around her that most others lacked, and it seemed as if the universe itself was whispering in her ear, telling all of its secrets to its warrior proxy of steel. Winnehild offered another degree of stability to the concept of time, and the seasons bled between her fingers when she provided her gift. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter were born under her influence and perfect sense of internalized peace.

Steorra came to be known for her passion and belief in the world around her. Hope filled each breath that she took, and those who found her teachings often cited her as a sign that heaven truly existed. Destiny followed Steorra's wishes above all of the other gods, and she was given the chance to see what the future had to hold beyond the bindings of time. She spread her palms wide and created the starry sky, a reference to the very readings that had allowed her to understand what she considered fated.

Brand created the ground itself. He was a stoic man, and his undying loyalty and unwavering faith allowed him to persevere through even the darkest of scenarios. Creating a realm was no easy feat, but Brand grounded the gods around him and forged the earth from a place where there had once been only traces of stardust. Rock and stone spread outwards in every direction, and Brand watched as the horizon was filled with his gift of stability and security against even the clutches of hell.

Bifelgan's optimism was unparalleled, something that all the people of Orsterra had come to admire and yearn for throughout the many years of her life. Her sheer determination and confidence in the world around her allowed the plants below to begin to sprout, and greenery covered the stones that had been forged as a foundation. She was the first to create life, and the winds of fortune blew in the direction of those who believed in the power that she was capable of utilizing.

Draefendi had been rooted in tradition for as long as any of the gods could remember, and her mind offered her images from many years prior of beautiful creatures that she would never be able to forget. The huntress of thunder followed in Bifelgan's footsteps to create life, but in her case, she gave breath to the animals of Orsterra. Various creatures manifested under her watchful eye, and she presented each of them with honor, dignity, and the right to live as all animals deserved.

Dohter's generosity was known far and wide throughout his time on the mortal plane. He firmly believed that all living creatures deserved to receive assistance when they were suffering, and he extended a welcoming hand to those who needed it most. Dohter granted charity and health to the living beings that had been forged under the care of the other gods, and the plants grew stronger than ever before as animals flourished. Nature itself listened to his every beck and call without hesitation, providing to those who required his aid without hesitation.

Aeber was often called the god of luck, and those who encountered him would never be able to forget his trademark smirk and easy presence. He was mischievous, but he was far from being deliberately harmful or cruel to those around him. Aeber's influence over powers often said to be out of mortal control were granted to the people of Orsterra. When asked about his gift, it is often said that the god simply shrugged his shoulders and said that they would understand when his blessing of fortune had been passed down.

Balogar had a strong sense of justice that could never hope to be matched, and his confidence in the law never wavered. He believed that, regardless of the obstacle, the forces of warmth and purity would ultimately prevail. Balogar was quick to give the land the same natural order that thrived within his very blood, and he created the law that would govern Orsterra for generations to come. He wanted nothing more than the best for the people that followed his teachings, and so, he offered them his most precious trait: his faith in humanity's triumph.

Dreisang's influence over the arts of magic could never be overestimated. Energy itself swayed to his wishes, understanding that he was the true master of powers beyond human explanation. In the days of the gods, magic had been something only the divine could master, but Dreisang, despite his traditional thought process, was a generous man. He gave humanity the ability to use the same strength that he had discovered and learned to wield so many years prior, and the arcane power of magic was born under his intent yet detached gaze.

Out of the thirteen gods, twelve of their names had become commonplace to speak, and the people praised those who had brought them so many blessings over the course of countless generations. Prayers were whispered in homes and churches alike, praying for the favor of the divine beings who had brought life to Orsterra. The people understood the truth that they were indebted to the gods, and even if none of the heavenly creatures held it as leverage against them, the fact remained. None of them would ever be able to forget.

But the thirteenth of the gods was different. The other twelve were a gleeful song on the breeze that seemed to create a perfect melody, but the final member of the group was the fallen among them. His name was enough to send a shiver down the spine of even the most confident of people. Some claimed that he was the master of hell, and those who were sent to his domain would suffer for all of eternity.

Galdera had always been a dark and mysterious man, influenced heavily by his own emotions. His morbid sense of curiosity, something that rivaled even Alephan's wonder for the world at large, left him as a strange figure even among the eccentric gods. He yearned for something darker, something almost disturbing that none were fully ready to acknowledge. His goals had been unknown throughout much of his life, and the lack of information was enough to strike fear into the hearts of any person.

Galdera's gift to the people had been the present of life itself. The people of Orsterra were only allowed to thrive because of Galdera's power. It was his most beautiful power, giving all of the people the power to rise and fall on their own terms. Life was in the hands of humanity, and it was only thanks to Galdera that such a power was palpable at all.

But then he began to change. It had started with a shadow over his eyes that made it seem as if he was always examining those around him with something dark and critical. From there, his posture had shifted, and the way that he carried himself gained a shaded sense of confidence that left the gods unsettled around him. He was no longer the man that they had come to know, and even though none of them were willing to openly confess it to one another, they were aware. After all, they were a team, a collection of individuals that had changed the world and molded it into something to be admired. It was ridiculous to even imply that Galdera would want to turn against them under any circumstances.

After the creation of Orsterra, the gods had returned to the divine plane, ascending through the heavenly stairway found at the center of the circular continent. Galdera waited until he was positive that he wouldn't be detected, and then he made the journey back down to Earth. The power of the gods flourished there, and he was able to access it easily by tapping into the power of life that connected all of them. The twelve elements of the gods united when he pressed his palm to the ground below, and Galdera could feel the power crackling beneath his fingers.

The human world was a mystery to all of them. Even if the gods had provided strength to the Earth, there were many things that they lacked knowledge about. If none of the other gods would do anything to learn more about the world at large, Galdera would have to take it into his hands. He was more than happy to do such a thing, and he barely seemed to regret turning against the wishes of his comrades to explore the world of mortals.

The agreement had been that the gods would only interfere with Orsterra if they found it to be absolutely necessary. Humans held great potential for both creation and destruction, but the gods refused to allow for their own hubris to interfere with the beings that lived beneath the heavenly plane. It didn't seem right to assert their power in a place where they did not belong. The gods had their own home, and so, they would leave the humans to their abode as well.

Galdera's betrayal had come as a surprise. In hindsight, the gods all knew that this had been inevitable from the second that Galdera's eyes began to fill with shadows. They continued to watch from beyond, praying that Galdera would return to them soon. Deep down, they all understood that they had seen the last of their companion's sanity, and the truth was asserted the day that the power of life was stolen forever.

Galdera had given the humans the power of life itself. He absorbed the strength of his allies, and his magic grew corrupted. Such distinct elements were not meant to be combined into one, and that left him tainted with the touch of something terribly vile. Galdera's gift of life began to shift and morph into something disgusting, and then, death came.

It happened at first with an elderly man. Without the gift of life that Galdera had granted, his body gave out from beneath him. It had been unheard of in ancient times for any creature to die, human or mortal. Galdera's gift of life should have prevented such an event from taking place, and yet, there the elderly man was, unmoving on the ground as breath left his lungs for the final time.

The present of life had changed and become the horror of death. No longer was eternal life a reality on Orsterra; death was the only option that awaited at the end of a creature's existence. The gods were shaken to their cores, and they all followed the familiar road down to Earth once again. There was no other choice but for them to confront Galdera and pray that they could bring him to his senses.

It seemed clear as could be that Galdera was too far gone as soon as the gods crossed his path. Everything about him had deteriorated from the unique yet kind man that they had once grown used to. His curiosity regarding the potential of mankind had driven him over the edge, and the absorption of so much magic had acted as the final straw. Galdera was mutilated compared to what he once had been, and he barely resembled the human-like form that he had once taken on.

The most obvious change had to be his eye. Hidden behind a curtain of fabric the color of blood, a bright white eye could be seen, its iris an unsettling crimson. Rumor had it that Galdera could strike any creature down with any affliction that he selected as soon as they dared to meet his gaze. Even death itself could be established in those who tried to stand up to the god. His power and corruption had led to him becoming a juggernaut. The god that many had admired at one point for his present of life and prosperity had fallen far from his heavenly position. He acted as the master of hell, and there was no way for any living being to ever hope of stopping him in his pursuit of conquest.

He wanted more. That much was clear. Galdera had taken all of the power that he needed to tip over the edge and lose his sanity in the process, but he yearned for something stronger even still. Life and death were under his complete dominion, but Galdera searched for the full power that the other gods possessed as well. Even if he had to resort to murder to claim their power, he wouldn't hesitate to do anything necessary to find the victory that he sought.

Aelfric had been the one to step forward and ask for peace. She pleaded with Galdera with everything that she had, praying for him to return to his senses and stop his mad conquest of Orsterra. He had given life to the people of the continent, and yet, he was taking it away without a scrap of empathy. It was something that Aelfric simply could not stand for, and no matter what it took, she was going to make sure that he was stopped before her people were killed.

Galdera's answer was a silent one as far as Aelfric and the other gods were concerned, but the message was as loud as a series of screams from every person in the land. Galdera had charged through Orsterra, wielding an unholy sword as he continued to morph into something that could hardly be considered human. The gods had modeled humanity after their own appearances, but Galdera didn't fit in with such a concept in the slightest anymore. He was more monster than anything else, an unholy abomination that terrified all who crossed his path regardless of how strong their courage was.

The massacre of Orsterra's people was more than enough for the gods to declare war. The twelve elements of heaven went to war against the god of death, the Fallen, and vowed to defeat him. Orsterra was transformed into a battlefield, something that the gods had never hoped would come to pass. The people were left to suffer under the oppressive presence of war, and no amount of struggling from humanity could fully bring an end to the gods' struggle. Wishes in the name of the twelve gods of heaven were chanted each night, but it never seemed to push them closer to success.

For many years, the war waged. All the while, humanity continued to live and die, a constant rise and fall of motion of the powers that were under Galdera's complete influence. The Fallen began to craft life of his own once again, monsters that ravaged the land and acted as his eternally loyal army. Many tales told of the Eye of the Forbidden and the harm that it was capable of bringing to those who were unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfires of combat between the gods. No matter how much the heavenly twelve tried, they were unable to save everyone, and each loss weighed heavily on their shoulders like a thousand islands pressed again and again with each passing second. They were unable to escape the guilt of losing the people who they had vowed for so many years to defend against all manner of hardship.

Texts from the olden times say that many began to believe that hope had died with Galdera's rise to power. Humans thought that this was the date of their extinction, that they would never be able to find happiness again after all that Galdera had done. There was not a speck of light to be found on the continent of Orsterra, and the world began to unravel at the seams. Many were sure that Galdera and his army of fierce beasts were going to win. It was only a matter of time before the gods fell and Orsterra collapsed completely. Regardless of how many prayers they made, the humans were convinced that it was not enough as the war pressed on without a moment of hesitation.

Aelfric was the bringer of hope to the darkened continent. She pleaded with her allies to do everything they could to hold off Galdera for as long as possible. The traces of heavenly magic remaining in the land were few and far between, but there were a few key locations where it continued to thrive. Aelfric began a pilgrimage as soon as the plans had been solidified, and she visited the places where she could once again call upon the beauty of light that she had granted Orsterra prior to Galdera's collapse under his own madness.

The gods came to realize something throughout their lengthy battle against Galdera. Regardless of how many times they struck him down, he would never be able to die. He still held power over life and death, and there was no way that they could ever keep him permanently held into the ground. The people of Orsterra would continue to suffer until there was no life left on the continent at all. Another solution would need to be found in order to save the occupants of the land.

Alephan and Dreisang were the ones who got to work in finding a way to defeat Galdera. They did everything they could to find information about what would possibly be able to defeat a god of life and death. The rest of the gods were not immune to dying at Galdera's hands despite their godhood, and the search was lengthy and difficult due to how consistently Alephan and Dreisang both were pulled away from their research into the magical arts to help with the battles against Galdera.

In a crucial battle in what would one day come to be known as the Flatlands, the heavenly gods were left struggling and on the verge of collapse. They weren't going to be able to hold out against Galdera for much longer, and some of them even began to make terms with the forces beyond the grave. Bifelgan prayed that the afterlife treated them kindly, and Steorra feverishly repeated her beliefs that everything would be fine as long as they had faith. Confidence in her words was beginning to sleep until not even the goddess of foresight and cosmos believed what she was saying.

Aelfric returned in their most desperate hour, her hands aglow with white fire made of light itself. All it took was a single spark to send Galdera reeling and screaming. His retreat was immediate, and the gods realized that they had found the weakness of the Fallen. After many years of hopeless combat, they had determined the truth behind what could defeat him, and they weren't going to be letting up. There was finally an end in sight, and the people of Orsterra began to find hope once again as rumors spread far and wide that a weapon to defeat the Fallen had been uncovered after so many years.

It was within the snowy lands that Aelfric cast down the most powerful of her flames. Galdera screamed and curled over himself as he was consumed by the very power of light itself. His powers over death and life were weakened due to Aelfric's overwhelming strength, and all he could do was writhe in agony. Aelfric regretted being forced to fight back against someone who had once been her friend, but she understood that this was what was necessary in order to save the people she defended so fiercely.

Alephan and Dreisang appeared with an answer. On the edges of the land, a large manifestation of magic had been found. It could have been manipulated to create a seal that would keep Galdera from breaking free and harming Orsterra as a whole. All they had to do was reach the stony lands in the far southeast of the continent, and from there, it would be easy to keep Galdera from destroying everything that they had worked so hard to create.

The journey was lengthy and draining. The people and gods alike had been sapped of their energy over the many years of war, and suffering ran rampant regardless of where they went. Each step seemed to bring new hardship, and yet, the gods pressed on. Their magic was beginning to falter, a combination of being away from the heavenly plane for too long and fighting fiercely for so many years. They lacked the strength needed to keep Galdera from lashing out once again, so Aelfric's flame was the only force preventing the dark god from slipping free and returning to his methods of conquest.

Soon enough, the group of thirteen arrived. Twelve gods lived with camaraderie in their hearts while a thirteenth was twisted by bitterness of infinite depths. Galdera cursed and struggled despite his lack of strength as doors of steel were created from the strength of Winnehild. He continued to scream and yell all the way through, doing everything that he could to resist his impending imprisonment. This was the end, and he seemed to recognize such a fact.

Despite his attempts, Galdera was unable to break free, and the gods forced him inside. Galdera seethed and screeched at them, emitting a noise loud enough to pierce the very heavens themselves. He vowed that he would return one day, that the gods would never be able to truly conquer him, and the last thing any of them heard was his angry swear for vengeance before the metal doors swung shut.

The twelve gods stood in a circle and pressed their power into the doors, doing everything possible to ensure that Galdera would never be able to escape. Their power was more than enough to keep him bound to the inside of the prison. They came to call it the Gate of Finis, a boundary that would continue to hold until the end of time if that was what it took. It was far enough from civilization that they were confident no human would ever come across the gate.

They had managed to seal Galdera away, and he would never again be able to fight back against the people of Orsterra. Even if he swore vengeance, the gate would hold, and he wouldn't be able to harm any living creatures ever again. His power over death remained despite his defeat though, and the eternal life of the Orsterran people was gone. Never again would the power return, and despite the other gods' attempts to bring back such strength, they were never able to replicate the power that Galdera had possessed prior to his corruption.

The heavenly twelve were left exhausted under the weight of the power that they had exerted during the battle, and Aelfric was too tired to move much more than a few feet at once due to the energy that the flames of light had taken from her. The gods understood that the only way that they would ever be able to return to their full strength would be to return to the heavenly plane. Orsterra had fallen to ruin because of the actions of the gods, and they knew that their power had to be what helped it to recover.

Using the last of their expendable magic, the gods brought the land a partial sense of salvation. Humanity would still need to put the pieces together to save everything that had fallen to ruin, but it was a start. It was the last gift that the gods granted to humanity before they returned to the Central Sea. A stairway was constructed from their power once again, and they vanished into the world overhead.

This time though, the gods were ready and knew what they had to do. As soon as their strength had regenerated, they shut the gate between the heavenly plane and the mortal realm. Galdera had only been able to cause such issues because the boundary was left open in the first place, and it felt right for the barrier to be shut once and for all. They would never again descend to the land of mortals, and as far as the gods were concerned, this was for the best. Humanity needed to thrive on its own without the touch of divine beings. It felt right after all of the damage that had been done.

In the days after the disappearance of the gods, temples were constructed across the land to honor the duty that the heavenly twelve had done to the people during the war against Galdera. The shrines would offer those inside, those given the chance by the gods themselves, the opportunity to speak with the heavenly figure bound to the temple in question. It allowed the gods to aid those who needed it most without risking travel on the surface of Orsterra ever again. It was a safe balance as far as the gods were concerned, and they allowed themselves to occasionally move down to the mortal plane for a brief time, manifesting only as astral projections, to speak with the subjects that they had worked so hard to defend.

The continent of Orsterra had lost much of its heavenly power in the war against the Fallen. The remaining spell that had saved the land had done quite a bit to mitigate the damage, but Orsterra was nowhere near as holy as it once had been many years prior. It would never return to the glory that it had once been known for, and everyone understood such a truth.

It wasn't until centuries afterwards that the Sacred Flame was discovered. It was a trace of the power that Aelfric had used to keep Galdera's full power at bay, but it was a sign of beauty. The Church of the Sacred Flame was established to ensure that the fire of light was defended, and the religion came to act as a beacon of hope among the people of Orsterra. Even in darker times in the years following the loss of the gods, the people turned to them for comfort.

One thousand and six hundred years have passed since the gods last walked the land and Galdera was sealed away. The legend of the shrines has been lost to time, but the Church of the Sacred Flame has come to thrive. Many people praise the twelve gods in different regions of Orsterra, thanking the divine beings for all that they did to defend humanity. Conflicts have come and gone, but the land of Orsterra has seen temporary peace, and war has become nothing more than a memory of years gone by.

In present days, the people of Orsterra thrive, knowing the truth of the sacrifice that comes with their lives. The story is one that has been passed on for generations, and no person of the continent will ever be able to forget the names of the twelve gods that brought their people salvation so many generations before.

The gods continue to watch over the people of Orsterra from their place in the heavenly realm, and their eyes can be felt across every inch of the continent. However, no living creature, god or mortal, could have been aware of the chaos that thrived in the shadows, and it was only a matter of time before such a darkness was brought into the light of the same Sacred Flame that had saved Orsterra once before.


Well... This is a thing that's happening. I guess.

I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to follow through with this, but then I sat down and wrote the first chapter in a week. Oops? I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while, and then I did it. Octopath Traveler is my favorite video game of all time, and I thought it was a crime that I hadn't written a full multi-part story about it. I have a few one shots, sure, but nothing like this. I wanted to branch out, so here we are.

This chapter is meant to expand on the world building of the original story and establish the universe of Orsterra through its ancient history. Woohoo for world building! I promise that we'll get to the first proper chapter with the gang next time around. Spoiler alert, we're meeting Ophilia first.

Unlike most of my other stories, I don't know if this is going to be part of a regular update schedule. Then again, I say that now, and then I'm going to do something to make it part of the normal circle. It happened with Frontiers Unexplored, Fates, and Galaxy of Hyperion, and it'll probably happen here too. For now though, there is no concrete weekly time when I'll be updating. Here's to hoping that changes soon.

With all of that said, I hope that you enjoyed this first chapter. I hope to see you again as we go through this large project together!

-Digital