Setting

The following page is for the greater setting details relating to The Fade.


Before Mortal IV

History before the formation of Mortal IV is nebulous and hard to pin down, what is 'known' tends to conflict and as a result nobody can determine what is the truth. History here is written from the perspective of those telling the history themselves, and what is understood in-game.

The First Godslayer

Legend tells of a man who sought to end the hegemon of gods above mortals, one whose betrayal of trust set the stage for all future betrayal and hardship. Evestaval was an early creation of the early gods, a proto-humanoid whose species was the first to be formed with sapience, intelligence, and creativity.

Evestaval was told the truth of his existence through inquiring with the very gods he was created by, and said gods returned with a straightforward and blunt answer: he was but an experiment, an insignificant creation made to help them learn and hone their creative capabilities. This answer was satisfactory at first, but as time went on the thought of being insignificant and just a plaything for higher powers caused Evestaval to grow resentful, to hate his creators for giving him sapience, yet denying any more purpose than to be discarded. It was through this resentment he hatched a scheme to destroy them.

In order to start this scheme, he'd have to acquire power from one of the gods, but not attain godhood himself, as gods were unable to truly harm one another. Evestaval tricked the god of knowledge, Silask, and killed him and absorbed a fraction of his power by drinking his blood - but refused the divinity he could have easily taken then and there. Gathering a number of followers, Evestaval gave them the divine's blood as well, dispersing Silask's power among them.

As soon as news reached the gods of this betrayal, they were angered and saddened that their own creations would rebel. Evestaval had a cabal of followers who had drunk the divine blood and attained power just like him, however these demigod-like mortals were not all as fanatical as Evestaval and his closest companions. More than half of the original cabal refused to fight their creators - out of fear of consequences, as well as not buying completely into the belief that the gods were all evil.

Powerful and devoted, Evestaval and his closest companions fought against the gods - even managing to kill a few in their battling before ultimately being overwhelmed by their might and numbers. His numbers thinned one by one, save for Evestaval himself who stood defiant with axe in hand and a burning hatred fueling him. Seeking to put a swift end to the combat, YHVH Himself intervened. Using His holy might, He chained Evestaval in divine bindings and disarmed the angered mortal.

With their leader defeated, any remaining rebels threw down their arms and stopped fighting. YHVH, full of righteous anger, demanded to know what the meaning of this senseless violence was. Evestaval in turn spat back, voicing his hatred over his own sapience, ranting about his life being meaningless and the disgrace and suffering the gods chose to impose upon him. "It's not fair. It's not fair." He would shout at YHVH, before revealing at last; "If the gods gave us no purpose beyond their own sick curiosity, and left us by the wayside, what is the point to life? That is why I fight. To rid us of your control. To stop your endless cycle of creation, and to return us to nothingness where we belong."

Once he was done, YHVH's demeanor changed immediately to one of sorrow. Sorrow seeing one of his creations rejecting the very thing that let them exist. He spoke to the defeated godslayer rather plainly.

"You are mistaken to think you're without purpose because we didn't assign one to you. Purpose and meaning are to be found on your own, wherever that may lead you. You've instead made this your purpose in life. And for that, you are truly irredeemable."

Musing on what to do, He eventually came to a conclusion, and gave him a choice. Lose everything, including the chance at an afterlife, by having YHVH unmake him. Alternatively he could choose to let himself be killed and ascend to the afterlife, but he will not be able to be resurrected ever again.

Cowardly and seeking self preservation despite his calls for nihilistic rhetoric, he opted for the latter. Evestaval was killed and his soul being eternally locked away in the void. As for the others, YHVH warned both god and man alike; mortals are the ones who are capable of slaying gods, despite the discrepancy in power, however going forward anyone slaying a god will either attain godhood, or be forced to relinquish godhood to allow that deity to revive. This would prevent one mortal killing many gods, even though such a thing is incredibly unlikely already.

As for the lesser gods, they should not get complacent and learn to care for their creations properly, so that they not grow to be like Evestaval did in contempt.

And with that warning and Evestaval taken care of, YHVH left the remaining mortals in the care of the other gods. Those mortals who had drank the blood and still brimmed with immense power would be offered to serve at the side of the gods instead as Heralds, which they would universally accept. These Heralds are manifestations of a god's will, those who became Heralds would serve their new masters in growing the faith among other mortals eventually.

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