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History of Lataria
Chapter 1: Concerning Gods and Lataria
The original singularity, Xaiyar, created other beings. They were spirits, like Xaiyar, and these spirits later came to be known as gods. Created yet unnamed, they had powers entrusted and charged to them. They came to be known: knowledge as Parrazanad, truth as Aadelawen, power as Sanguinar, mirth as Gnobezge, strength as Tonnelus, and ingenuity as Dustanan. These six gods coexisted in harmony for many long periods, but soon the dullness of a spirit existence wearied them. The thought of the tangible both bewildered and enticed them. They asked Xaiyar if something like this could be done, and Xaiyar told them to be patient and wait. They did not know that he was already working on a physical creation.
None of them knew how much time had passed, but in a moment there was Lataria—with its flat rocky surface and dull greenness. Xaiyar then formed mountains and springs and forests, alongside vast expanses of desert and green fields. The gods found that they had a physical lataria (earth) in which they could shape things; they decided to create beings of their own. The gods knew that alone each of them could create their own race, but they also knew that if they pooled their powers, they would be able to create a supreme race that would have more capabilities than any one of them could create alone.
Chapter 2: Concerning Elves
Elves were derived from the gods. For the most part, the gods did not interact with one another. They were bodiless beings, having a spirit and a mind but no corporeal dwelling. Being spirits, they sensed what happened around them, and they felt the seasons change and renew themselves. Even though there were plants and several animals, no intelligent corporeal beings existed, and that saddened the gods because they felt that the plants and animals were incapable of fully appreciating the nature around them. The gods, themselves spirits, were not yet able to take form and physically feel the world around them. But the gods joined their spirits together to form one visible, non-corporeal being. Through this form, they were able to combine their desires for the earth and in turn breathe forth physical beings much like themselves. The gods named the beings they created elves, and immediately recognized (to their contentment) that the elves possessed a love of nature, immense beauty, and immortality.
At this early stage, no one thought it unusual that the elves had pointed ears or that the male elves had such fair facial qualities as to almost look feminine. Once the elves were created, the gods separated from one another with the intention that their work was (for the time being) finished, that it was then the elves’ turn to live with the earth and learn how to survive. But one god—Sanguinar, the god of power—had different ideas. He had complied with the others when they sought his companionship in creating the elves, and now he expected everyone to heed his wishes. He told the gods that he wanted to have control over the elves and that he wanted to be their leader. The other gods refused him, insisting that the elves were created to freely enjoy and nurture the earth. Not accepting the refusal, Sanguinar consumed all the gods’ power by taking on elf form to appear to the elves to persuade them that he was the only god who cared for them. He convinced many that he wanted to help them succeed, telling them that the other gods wanted to limit the elves in their abilities because the gods were jealous. Many elves succumbed to Sanguinar solely for his compelling physical features: a beautiful face, a perfectly proportioned body; a light, airy, and somewhat feminine voice. Almost half of the elves chose to follow Sanguinar and joined him in his plans to overthrow Xaiyar, the Maker.