The History of the World

As told by the Mahans

In the beginning, there was nothing. And the nothing began to spin slowly, then faster and faster, until the chaos became divided into three, and each of the three into three each. So there were nine balls of turmoil, and each became a god. There were Azadeh, Teth, and Cidra; Abioseh, Piro, and Eckhar; Nireh, Delo, and lastly Maha. Even the gods can grow bored, however, and soon they decided to create a planet, a world that they could rule and govern. So they shaped the world, and filled it with water, earth, fire, and wind. They formed trees and flowers, they forged rocks and raw magic, and they hatched fishes and birds. Finally, they agreed to generate Man, to take stewardship of the world and dwell on it. So the gods created humans, in all sizes and colors. And the world was in harmony for a little while.

But by and by, the humans began to quarrel, and the gods grew possessive of the beings they had jointly created. So the gods agreed to divide the humans into tribes, and each god would take a clan and live apart. But the goddess Maha, the last of the gods, decided to go apart and study the nature of death, annihilation, and cessation. She claimed the Mejin Mountains, on the Western Continent, as her own territory, and stayed there for a time while her siblings argued and bickered and at last chose an equal portion of humans for each.

But the gods had not chosen all, and the leftover humans were abandoned by all of the eight gods. Angry with their creators, the men and women decided to trek to the Mejin Mountains and appeal to Maha, the only goddess who had not forsaken them. The journey was long and arduous, and some died from lack of food and shelter. But at long last the humans reached the Mejin Mountains. They sent their strongest youth and their most beautiful maiden to the highest peak, there to wait until the goddess favored them with her presence.

And after a year and a day, Maha appeared before the weary youths in all her glory. The humans fell flat on their faces as the goddess demanded to know why they had invaded her lands and why they persisted in staying.

“As it pleases your divine presence, we have nowhere else to go.” The young man replied.

“The other gods have rejected us and our people, and we cannot stay in any place.” The maiden added.

“We need a god to call our own, Most Glorious Maha, and would it befit you to let us tarry in your lands.”

“We swear to never disturb your peace or your studies.” So Maha considered their plea, and it suited her to let them stay. Then she vanished, and the two youths descended the mountain to pass on the glad tidings. The other humans fell prostrate with thanksgiving to the goddess, for to be without a god is a terrible, empty sensation. So another year passed. The humans lived with difficulty on the side of the mountain, eking out the rudest of survival from the barren land. But they did survive, and they praised the goddess Maha daily for her generosity in allowing them to stay.

After a year and a day, Maha appeared again to the humans, and they all, from the elders to the littles, fell flat with worship before her. And Maha, goddess of death, spoke thusly:

“Long have I considered your plight, and my decision is this: that you will be MY people, and I your god.” Then her great hand reached down and hollowed out a bowl in the center of the mountains. “Let this valley be your home, and let those with the gift of magic turn themselves to the study of death, thus to be joined with me in all things.” Then the greatest of all gods vanished. The Mahans, for now they might call themselves as such, journeyed to the dale their goddess had created for them, and there they built a citadel. In the center they erected a temple to her glory, and declared all those with the gift of magic to be her priests. And there the Mahans lived in peace and prosperity for many centuries, away from those who had spurned them, protected by the great ring of the Mejin Mountains.