GiantGorilla
2016-07-12, 03:52 AM
Bhuma is my idea of a setting heavily inspired by the myths of ancient India – with a little Aztec flavour sprinkled on top - but with the added twist that it is not locked in a cultural and developmental stasis. Recently, the first firearms have been developed and even though they are not yet mass-produced, their presence is starting to upset the balance of power. More importantly, however, steam energy has been harnessed and is being put to use in both war and peace. The first railroad tracks are being laid in an attempt to push back the wilderness and war sees the very first steam wagons.
In a world where the breath of the divine can be felt in every aspect of life, where the gods number in the thousands, many decry these new developments as blasphemies while others point out that the god of knowledge himself must have granted the ideas to his followers.
The gods are as divided on the subject as their followers. Should such power – more easily accessible and understandable than magic - be in the hands of mortals?
The ever-jealous and wrathful Asura, meanwhile, are industrious, eager to corrupt the new inventions and spur mortals on to ever greater, ever more insane designs and ever more reckless and greedy enterprises. Never before have the mortals been so useful in spoiling the works of the gods...
In the time before time...
In the beginning, there was the roiling void. And in the center of it floated a stony egg. It was larger than the cosmos, but in the void, it was nothing more than a grain of sand.
But even a grain of sand was a disturbance within the perfect nothingness. And this enraged Duvar, whose visage was ever shrouded in darkness. For he was alone in the void and he wished nothing more than to wander its endless, perfect expanse forever.
In his rage, he smashed the egg. But with a howl of rage, he saw that it contained the world and everything in it. From the egg it sprang and lay before him, but it was cold and empty.
But something else was also trapped in the egg – Prana, the divine source of all life. Seeing it, Duvar found a part of his mind enlightened and taking on an essence and name of its own. It became Prandar, whose visage was ever illuminated by radiance.
Where Duvar was enraged upon seeing the world before him, Prandar rejoiced. And with a mighty breath, he infused it with life. Water began to flow, plants grew and animals began to roam the land, filling it with a symphony of roars, rustling and song.
With a smile, Prandar lay down, for he was tired from giving life. Duvar had skulked in the few remaining shadows, as was his way. And there, he had found a splinter of the stone egg. Now that life blossomed in the world, he knew that his beloved nothingness was gone. And with a roar of fury, he smashed Prandar's head in with the egg fragment.
From the rupture spilled the brightest light as the Prana escaped Prandar's body in a flash. The radiance illuminated Duvar's face for the briefest moment, obliterating him. But his envious, enraged thoughts remained. And as bits and pieces of Prana rained down upon the world, they entwined with the dark thoughts of Duvar, thus creating evil.
The purest thoughts of evil coalesced into the Asura, who would ever be envious of creation and of the power of their siblings, the gods, who sprung from the largest fragments of Prana that fell to the world. Thousands of bigger and smaller gods were born, each carrying the spark of creation. But within some of them, Duvar's last thoughts also festered, turning them to evil.
The gods were not as pure as Prandar had been and thus, they were not satisfied with the world. The animals would not recognize them, content in their existence as beings filled with pure Prana as they were. So, the gods began creating mortals from their Prana and the stuff of the earth to worship them and to acknowledge their works.
And just as the gods were tainted to a greater or smaller degree with Duvar's thoughts, so were humans and all their other creations, allowing greed and jealously to take hold within some of them....but also granting them a chance at enlightenment.
Comments would be welcome :) I also do not intend to do a full history of the world from this point forward but will mention specific histories or events when they become important. Writing down a list of dates and events always becomes tedious for me...
In a world where the breath of the divine can be felt in every aspect of life, where the gods number in the thousands, many decry these new developments as blasphemies while others point out that the god of knowledge himself must have granted the ideas to his followers.
The gods are as divided on the subject as their followers. Should such power – more easily accessible and understandable than magic - be in the hands of mortals?
The ever-jealous and wrathful Asura, meanwhile, are industrious, eager to corrupt the new inventions and spur mortals on to ever greater, ever more insane designs and ever more reckless and greedy enterprises. Never before have the mortals been so useful in spoiling the works of the gods...
In the time before time...
In the beginning, there was the roiling void. And in the center of it floated a stony egg. It was larger than the cosmos, but in the void, it was nothing more than a grain of sand.
But even a grain of sand was a disturbance within the perfect nothingness. And this enraged Duvar, whose visage was ever shrouded in darkness. For he was alone in the void and he wished nothing more than to wander its endless, perfect expanse forever.
In his rage, he smashed the egg. But with a howl of rage, he saw that it contained the world and everything in it. From the egg it sprang and lay before him, but it was cold and empty.
But something else was also trapped in the egg – Prana, the divine source of all life. Seeing it, Duvar found a part of his mind enlightened and taking on an essence and name of its own. It became Prandar, whose visage was ever illuminated by radiance.
Where Duvar was enraged upon seeing the world before him, Prandar rejoiced. And with a mighty breath, he infused it with life. Water began to flow, plants grew and animals began to roam the land, filling it with a symphony of roars, rustling and song.
With a smile, Prandar lay down, for he was tired from giving life. Duvar had skulked in the few remaining shadows, as was his way. And there, he had found a splinter of the stone egg. Now that life blossomed in the world, he knew that his beloved nothingness was gone. And with a roar of fury, he smashed Prandar's head in with the egg fragment.
From the rupture spilled the brightest light as the Prana escaped Prandar's body in a flash. The radiance illuminated Duvar's face for the briefest moment, obliterating him. But his envious, enraged thoughts remained. And as bits and pieces of Prana rained down upon the world, they entwined with the dark thoughts of Duvar, thus creating evil.
The purest thoughts of evil coalesced into the Asura, who would ever be envious of creation and of the power of their siblings, the gods, who sprung from the largest fragments of Prana that fell to the world. Thousands of bigger and smaller gods were born, each carrying the spark of creation. But within some of them, Duvar's last thoughts also festered, turning them to evil.
The gods were not as pure as Prandar had been and thus, they were not satisfied with the world. The animals would not recognize them, content in their existence as beings filled with pure Prana as they were. So, the gods began creating mortals from their Prana and the stuff of the earth to worship them and to acknowledge their works.
And just as the gods were tainted to a greater or smaller degree with Duvar's thoughts, so were humans and all their other creations, allowing greed and jealously to take hold within some of them....but also granting them a chance at enlightenment.
Comments would be welcome :) I also do not intend to do a full history of the world from this point forward but will mention specific histories or events when they become important. Writing down a list of dates and events always becomes tedious for me...