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I'm working on writing a full mythology from scratch. It's going to be broken into small self-contained stories (generally less than 2000 words) that fit into a larger whole, geared towards something I could tell as bed time stories. I'll also be adding recordings of each piece if you'd rather listen to my soothing voice rather than read these letters. Below is the general outline of the larger myth, along with links to the pieces I've actually added to this thread. I'll put a little music symbol or something next to them when the recording is finished. Aktion Casts Off His Bonds Aktion Finds a Purpose - Aktion Loses His Way - Kuono Points the Way Aktion Destroys the World Kuono Protects the Sanctuary Aktion Seeks the World Seed Of Aktion and Kuono and the First Family The Family Seeks to Fix the World - They Ventured Forth as One ♫ - Aktion Fights Slumber - Voices in the Wind - The Faces of Siri Uso, Part 1 - The Faces of Siri Uso, Part 2 - Protector Oro Safeguards the Sanctuary - The Family Fights the Enemy The Planted Seed The Great War The Forging of the New World I've also got several side myths outlined, but I won't bother listing those until they appear, since they don't always strictly fit into one particular point in the above chronology, and because they don't really have anything to do with the core creation story. Although these myths include some of the ones I most look forward to writing. GlyphGryph fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Sep 10, 2015 |
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Aug 30, 2015 02:46
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They Ventured Forth as One Audio Recording In that time not long after Aktion and Kuono had formed the first family, they sat together in the tower of the Sanctuary. Kuono looked at the Seed he had brought to her, and she despaired. The shattered pieces of the shattered world were many, far flung and lost to them, and without those pieces the World Seed was of no use. This she told to Aktion, who listened to her words, and stood, and thought, and then said "I know of one who can find these far-flung shards, and capture them, and return with them. It was she who lead me from the forest when I was lost, and it was she who found the World Seed when it was lost. I believe that there is nothing that can escape her, and I had proof enough of that as her quarry in the Doorish Shard. Her name is Hatuma, the Huntress, and she could surely do this thing." Kuono nodded, and asked where they could find this Huntress, but Aktion did not know. She looked out, then, from her tower onto the Shattered Lands, and she despaired. The pieces of the shattered world were twisted and bent, and even if they were gathered together, they would surely no longer fit around the World Seed. This she told to Aktion, who listened to her words, and paced, and stroked his chin, and then said "I know of one who could shape these shards, for he has shaped many things. It is he who straightened my bent shield when I emerged from the woods, and it is he who mended my broken blade after I fought the Emperor, and it is he who told me of the World Seed and set me on this road. I believe that he can fix anything that might be broken, in time, so long as no piece is missing, and that my axe held strong when it cleaved the chains that held the World Seed is proof enough of that. His name is Feund, the Engineer, and he could surely do this thing." Kuono nodded, and asked where they could find this Engineer, but Aktion did not know. He did know where had seen the Engineer last, and suggested that perhaps there they would find a hint of where he had gone next. And so Kuono gathered the others of the family, and explained things as they were, and there was much disagreement over what should be done. It was agreed that Hatuma and Feund must be found, but not who should venture forth to do the finding. Uchoyo, the Lurking Danger, seemed to fall upon any who ventured far from the Sanctuary's walls and beyond the Lantern's light, such that they had ceased even short trips into the Shattered Lands. At this Protector Oro slammed his fist against the table and asked if the new family he had joined was naught but a nest of cowards, for only cowards would allow the Great Enemy to prevent them from mending the World, and those who had spoken of the danger felt shame, but none of them volunteered to venture forth. Aktion placed a hand upon the shoulder of his friend and spoke, saying "There is great danger, and fear is understandable. To hesitate here is not cowardice, and to venture forth alone in these times is not courage but foolishness, for we would lose a member of our family and find ourselves no closer to success." At these words it was Protector Oro who felt shamed, but he could not be quiet and said "But we are also no closer to success so long as we stay in this place!" Aktion nodded to him. "It is true. It is better to act and risk failure, than to fail to act and ensure it. But we will not venture forth alone, for we do not need to. We are a family, now, and we can protect one another, and rely on one another, and we can stand so that our strengths shield the weak spots of others, and there will be no place for Uchoyo to strike at us for we will bring the walls of the Sanctuary with us in our hearts, and he will not be able to drag us into the mists of obscurity for we will be tightly bound to one another. This is what it means to be a family, and thus we will venture forth together." These words quelled the strife in the family, and it was agreed that they would venture forth together, but before they did Kuono whispered into Aktion's ear, and Aktion whispered back, and then he turned to Protector Oro and he said "Except for my friend, Protector Oro, who will stay behind to keep the Sanctuary and World Seed safe, using his strength to cover the weakness our departure will create." Oro was wounded by these words, not for how they were spoken, but for how he had heard them. He trembled with guilt. "Why do you leave me, my friend, my leader? Is this a way to separate me from my family as punishment for the harsh words I had for them? I beg you, take me with you." Aktion shook his head, grimacing at the pain he had caused Protector Oro that he had not intended, and said this task was no punishment, but that Oro must stay behind. Oro was wounded by these words as well. He trembled with humility. "If it is no punishment, then surely you must see me as useless in your quest! Am I truly of no value to the family, such that you would rather I be left behind rather than bring down the whole?" Aktion shook his head, shaken by how Oro had taken his words. "Oro, you are my my closest friend, and my most loyal companion. My love for you is undimmed, and neither are your skills. I do not leave you here as punishment, or as a condemnation, I leave you here because you are the only one I trust to keep the Sanctuary safe in my absence. You carry the heaviest burden of all of us, and our task would fail if you did not do so." At this, Protector Oro understood his place, and he wept with relief, and, as the others gathered their belongings and prepared to depart, he promised the Sanctuary would be waiting for their return. And so the Family left the safety of the Sanctuary and ventured forth into the Shattered Lands. GlyphGryph fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Sep 10, 2015 |
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Aug 30, 2015 02:50
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Voices in the Wind The shifting shards of the Shattered lands were dangerous in the best of times, and these were not the best of times. Kuono and her Family walked amongst the ruins of the broken city, through the flowing and floating sands of the parched desert, between the bent and broken trees of the pine forests, and in every place they went they found the minions of Uchoyo, the Great Enemy, waiting for them. Each time a creature rose to halt their progress, each one more hideous than the last, and each time in turn one from the group would step forward and their unique talents would allow them to pass, but in defeat the minions of Uchoyo would often claim some small victory of their own in turn. In time, they found their way to the building where Aktion has last seen Feund the Engineer. It sprawled across the landscape, a colossal edifice, with wide arches and wide windows, and inside there were cogs and machines. All of them were still, disconnected, dead things from a dead world. Feund had been trying to bring them back to life, to restart their mechanical hearts, though their time had passed and they no longer served any purpose. By now, he should have accomplished his goal, but the machines lay still, silent and unmoving. Aktion strode inside to reveal the Engineer's papers were scattered, the furniture toppled, and in the stone floor deep furrows had been left by the claws of Uchoyo's beasts. Kuono saw the signs of struggle, but noted that there was no blood. She left the machine building to examine the ground around it. In the soft dirt off the road there were many claw marks and signs that something had been dragged, and Kuono surmised that the Engineer had been captured by Uchoyo's minions for some nefarious purpose. She told the others of what she had seen, and they tried to follow the tracks, but they soon became lost in the shadows between the shards, details of their quarry's path obscured by the mist and the light such that they seemed to travel in all directions at once, and they could go no further. They took shelter in the building, and they slumbered, and they regained their strength, and in her sleep Kuono dreamt, and in her dreams Kuono felt a whisper tugging at her ear. Kuono looked for the source but saw nothing. She raised her spear, a furious lance of white light, and said "Speak your name, for I know not who approaches and am prepared to defend myself from any threat." The whispering tugged again at her ear, as if a being stood just behind her, but whichever direction Kuono turned she saw nothing, and the whisper became soft words. "Lady of the Sanctuary, She Who Sees, you may see much but you will not see me, except in my passing. You knew me once, when I was not as I am, but in fear of Uchoyo's creatures I withdrew into the space between spaces and became such that his gaze can never again fall upon me again, His fingers can never grasp me, now, and I call myself the Whispering Wind." Kuono was confused, but spoke again, asking "And what would you have of me, Wind, that you approach me here in this place where I am separate from the others?" "Others too have joined me, and found a new place in this broken world that is safe from its dangers. But it is a lonely place, sometimes, no matter how I howl, and when I found you lying here in this strange state, I grew curious and drew close, and as I touched upon your face I recognized you." whispered the wind to her. "As you knew me, so I know you, and my memories of you are fond, and so I offer you the same escape I myself have taken. Become wind and you shall be safe from all harm. You shall have a place where you belong. You shall be the Seeing Wind, and through you we shall see the world once more." Kuono did not accept the wind's offer, for she had already found a place with her new Family, and she was sure that they would keep her safe. Instead, she told the wind her story, and though her refusal meant that the winds would remained blind in their travels, the Whispering Wind bore her no ill will. Indeed, it was gladdened to hear that others had found their own places, and offered to share with in turn with Kuono the rumours the Listening Wind had shared with him. And so the Whispering Wind told Kuono of many things. It told of the Sanctuary, and how at that very moment Protector Oro was fighting the forces of Uchoyo on it's doorstep. It told of Hatuma the Huntress, with a chain around her neck and a beast on her back. It told of Feund the Engineer, although it did not tell much, for he had been taken to a place no wind could reach. It told of other things as well, for it enjoyed speaking with someone who could speak back, but these are the things Kuono repeated to the others when all were awake. She asked, and the wind told her, one final thing, of a place many passed without seeing, but this she would not tell to the others until the time was right. The Family then knew that the ones they sought were in Uchoyo's clutches, and they despaired, but Kuono told them not to fear, for she had a plan to find and free both Feund and Hatuma. GlyphGryph fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Sep 9, 2015 |
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Aug 31, 2015 02:56
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The Faces of Siri Uso, Part 1 Siri Uso, who had once served the Great Enemy but had left him behind to be with Kuono, was listening to Kuono's words. They had only met with failure until this point, Kuono said, but in that failure had found opportunity. Kuono, She Who Saw Clearly, explained her plan, and Siri Uso listened, and in this plan while the others did their things she would begin to craft a mask for the part she would play. But first the family sat together and wrote a poem, one which disparaged Uchoyo mightily, and, having known the Great Enemy herself, the others relied heavily upon Siri Uso's advice. She contributed several of the sharpest, most barbed and most cunning phrases herself, and she was happy to be useful. The journey had been long and she often felt she had not contributed as much as the others, and it is pleasing to at last feel important. After much effort, the poem was finished. Aktion, He Who Acts Without Thinking, climbed the highest cliff they could find, and from its edge he recited the poem with all of his usual fervour. The winds came and snatched the poem from the sky and carried it to the furthest shards of the Shattered Land, right into the ears of Uchoyo's many minions, and then into the ears of Uchoyo himself. They knew they had succeeded, for the ground shook in response to Uchoyo's anger and pain, and Kuono gathered the others and said "Come, we must hide" After this, the most terrible beasts of Uchoyo's army raced across the land, searching in all the places for those who had angered their master. They grew increasingly desperate as Uchoyo became increasingly displeased with their failures. Once, a beast came very close to their hiding place, and Aktion's muscles tensed as if he had planned to jump down onto the beast's back and slay it before it could reveal their presence, but Kuono silently placed a hand on his shoulder. The winds swirled around the creature, buffeting it, and it was disinclined to linger long in such a place. The creature moved on, oblivious to how close it had come to discovering them, and Siri Uso sighed in relief. Aktion, growing restless after this, whispered an additional line he had thought of for the poem, and the winds carried it to Uchoyo's ears and the ground shook again and at this Aktion smiled, satisfied. Not long after there came a great rumbling from the place where they had originally made their plan. Kuono told Siri Uso that it was almost time. Siri Uso trembled in fear of the task that awaited her, but she also trembled with excitement. A great host came into sight then, and the rumbling was the rumbling of their steps as they marched wth purpose upon the hiding place of the family. At their head was the Huntress herself, bent over, her eyes dull, and on her back rode the grotesque beast known as Subjugation. Around her neck was fastened a thick metal collar attached to a black chain, of which Subgagation held the other end. Siri Uso shuddered as they approached, and then stepped forward and drew herself up from the hiding place such that she loomed over the approaching army. As she did so, she pressed against her face the mask she had been so carefully crafting and refining while they had been hidden. It was the face of Uchoyo himself, and as she looked down at the army arrayed before her she looked with his eyes and spoke with his voice, and the effect was so convincing that it made the skin of her hidden companions crawl and their little hairs stand on end. "You have failed me," she hissed, loudly enough that the nearby trees bent and shied away in fear. "Your quarry has been found far from this place, and even now they engage in pitched battle with those of my host who are not as incompetent as you. Go, now, then! Go to the swirling deserts, and destroy them! But leave the hunting one and her rider here, so I may make an example of her, and perhaps the rest of you shall be spared my wrath - *if* you succeed! Now go!" And with that the host, cowering in terror, turned and fled, heading for a faraway place, except for Subjugation and his mount. Subjugation was terrified, and he pleaded with Uchoyo to spare him, and Uchoyo smiled. Siri Uso dropped her mask, and as it fell away Aktion leapt out from behind it. His axe struck the chain held by Subjugation, and its links shattered under the force of the blow. In that moment, the fire returned to the eyes of Hatuma, the Huntress, and she turned on her former master, throwing Subjugation from her back and setting upon him with teeth and claws. In a short time he nothing but many moaning and quivering pieces, but he was not destroyed. The desire of dominion over others is a resilient thing. So Hatuma dug many holes, and in each of these holes she put a quivering piece of subjugation, and then she buried them. Aktion then went to Hatuma and invited her into their hiding place. There, they exchanged stories of the times since they had last spoken. When the stories were told, Kuono invited Hatume to join their new family, and she considered this. At first she was concerned that this would merely exchange one type of bondage for another, and she chaffed at the thought. After much deliberation and several pointed questions, her worries were eased. She was inclined to hunt alone, but was impressed by this pack they had created, and she would join them, and help them in theirs hunts, but on the condition that she would still roam as she pleased when the family had no pressing need for her abilities. At this, the family rejoiced, and Siri Uso joined them, but her cheers were perhaps not quite as loud. She was distracted by a spot of darkness that lay upon her heart. In appearing as the Great Enemy, Siri Uso had awoken in her breast a love for the power she had held over that terrible horde, which she concealed from the others. She had seen herself as she could be in the mask she had worn, and was filled with a desire to wear it once more.
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Sep 9, 2015 20:01
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