[centre][color=black][b]Vowzra, God of Time

0 Might 2 Free Points[/b][/color][/centre]

Still hanging in the same place, the Timeless One watched as his siblings pounced upon the new life, already moulding and changing it as they saw fit. He did not blame them, he would have done just as they now did if he saw as they saw. But Vowzra saw with an eye, he had been waiting, and none were more patient than Vowzra. His was a patience sure and certain in every second that passed, confident that whatever happened would not lessen or increase of his actions once he stepped forth. He did not look down upon his siblings for their impatience, it was as it was meant to be. If they were not so hasty then everything would fall apart. It was their Fate to act quickly, just as it was his to wait.

His children were alone at first, they and their Outsider brethren. They wandered around aimlessly, eating berries, climbing trees and chasing the strange and wonderful animals all around. They were intelligent, they understood the danger which the lion, the tiger, the wolf, the bear posed, and they stayed well away. It did not mean that there were not those - foolish or brave - who chose to approach those creatures. Some died and some survived, and those who survived were looked upon with awe by all others. They had emotions, sure enough, but they were far from understanding what their throbbing desire for the Celestial Above meant, why they walked with their eyes in the skies and their chests heavy with loss. As it were, they lived simple lives, and they died simple deaths and were mourned much by those who came after them, though those did not yet understand the sadness they felt at the Eternal Sleep which took members of their race.

They multiplied and spread until there was no place on Arguilla but had felt the human presence. Where in the beginning there were a few thousand of them, now they were many thousands. Though they had no understanding of society, they found themselves inclined towards staying in groups. Where a human was found, it was not unusual to find another fifteen or twenty living around each other, both male and female, and where they went, their envious, but ever loyal and dutiful, Outsider brethren were to be found, and all was well for Vowzra's children.

But this simple state of affairs, as any reasonable god would have known from the moment Vowzra had created these sentient beings, was not Fated to last. From among them, Vestec created the Dyun. Though they were a base and hate filled creation, ugly and unfathomably angry, they were still Vowzra's own. Corrupted they may have been, but their was no denying that beneath that all, they thought and felt and did as humans do. What followed was a massacre.

Spurred by their hatred, and aided by the strength and speed and knowledge Vestec had given them, they drove into their brethren. Without knowledge of war or death, all the humans could do was run or cower in fear - an emotion they did not understand, but would forever link to the Dyun. They knew not from where the Dyun had come. They did not even realise they were of each other. The green grass, the great trees and the plants and the flowers, and the fertile Arguillian soil, were watered with the rich, ruby blood of mankind. But human misery would not end with the Dyun. Unlikely as it had seemed to Vowzra, his surprise was not as great as it could have been when Arguis, of all the gods, became the fount of humanity's second source of misery and grief.

The Cimex, when compared with the Dyun, were not so terrible for humanity as one would have thought. They had no particular hatred for mankind and did not go out of their way to cause them as much misery as they could. They were, however, extremely territorial, and that meant that Vowzra's children were cut down without pity or remorse by the giant bugs. Survival alone was to be a challenge for mankind. However, the fact that the warlike Dyun and the territorial Cimex existed gave humans some respite. Rather than target the rather inconspicuous and unassuming humans, the two busied each other and became embroiled in constant skirmishes and conflicts which saw neither gain ground. Mankind went one living, though their lives were difficult and dangerous and death waited behind every tree and over every hill.

It was with awe and terror that humanity beheld the first of the great flying reptiles as they descended from the heavens. They came in all shapes and sizes and were of various dispositions, and humans soon learned to avoid them all, from the fire-breathing ones to the long, snake like ones who seemed to go about their business without bringing about wanton death and destruction. The Cimex and the Dyun were not so awed or terrified by the great reptiles however. The Dyun found them to be another thing to hate, though they were not so foolish as to attack them directly. It was not uncommon, however, for swathes of Dyun to ambush a dragon which had descended to land. Their luck against the mighty beings was nonexistent. The Cimex, being the territorial creatures they were, did not take kindly to dragons in their skies and in their forests, and they attacked the great reptiles wherever they fount them. Their luck was just as terrible as that of the Dyun's. With their ability to evolve, however, who knew how long it would be before they overcame both the Dyun and their first dragon.

At long last, what Vowzra had been waiting upon came to be. Astarte took notice and acted. Vowzra watched the change that came over his children. Those eating berries raised their heads slowly, eyes wide. Those sleeping woke up with a start. Those sitting down stood up and those running stopped. They could suddenly understand the emotions running through them. They could [i]feel[/i]. Not just emotions, but they could feel themselves. They existed, they were individuals. They were unique. 

Without a word, they all stopped what they were doing and began walking. All humans, numbering almost five thousand after their numbers were decimated by their foes, began walking. When they finally stopped, they were all gathered together. They could see each other now, they felt a sense of belonging, and they could speak to each other, and some among them felt a rush of emotion and saw their potential - and they dreamt a dream.

Now, with far greater understanding, the humans began anew, and Vowzra sent upon them a new knowledge, and it was the concept of 'Home', of living in one place, all of them together. They built huts and many villages arose. The largest villages had up to two hundred individuals, and some had a chief while others were ruled by councils of elders, and still others were led by those who claimed a connection to the Celestial Above. Vowzra taught them, too the concept of 'Friendliness', a pro-social set of behaviors causing humans to lean towards being pleasant, agreeable, interested in others, genial, empathetic, considerate, and helpful. Along with that, he built upon Astarte's concept of society and taught them the 'Common Good & Civic Virtue'. They now understood that what was beneficial for all members of the community was good, the good and welfare of society was far above welfare of the individual.

While this was useful knowledge, humans would remain humans. Their emotions sometimes got the better of them and ambition over-rode the common good when the mind whispered that what was good for 'me' must be good for everybody else too. So it was that humans grasped the concept of 'Choice and Free Will'. It mattered not the pressures of society, all people were individuals and could do as they wished. They all had a choice between doing what they wished and doing what was best for society, or doing something else entirely. They were free. With this also came the concept of 'Common Sense', and it was not uncommon to find a group of young humans, for instance, sitting and laughing by the pond at a foolish friend who had climbed the tree and broken a branch, thus falling into the pond.
'Anyone could see that branch was far too weak to hold your weight Sulsuli,' they would laugh, 'where's your common sense?'

As villages grew and mankind began to think and contemplate more, there grew a deeper and more thoughtful approach to the world. They began to actively learn things, harvest knowledge, and they would come back and argue with each other over thoughts and ideas, or things they had discovered.
'No chief! You see, if we [i]peeled[/i] the orange before eating it, we wo-'
'[i]Peel[/i] the orange?! What idiocy is this?'
'Next you'll be telling us to peel the banana too!'
'Well actually, a banana [i]should[/i] be peeled, I would have you kn-'
'This is ridiculous. I have something far more interesting to talk about. You see the skin on the animals we hunt...'
And so humanity grew, their thirst for 'Learning, Knowledge, Debate and Discourse' guiding their path. With these, over time, developed a certain list of characteristics which the ideal human should possess, a list of twenty four virtues known simply as [i]The Way[/i]. 

The ideal human, it was said, should be [u]attentive[/u], being observant and not letting anything pass him by, even if it appeared unimportant. They should also be [u]benevolent[/u], meaning kind and having good intentions. When it came to debate and ideas, this meant that one should seek to understand the ideas of another genuinely and with a desire to be persuaded before directing any criticisms towards the idea. One should also be [u]coachable[/u], meaning they were willing and eager to learn, and thus learned quickly. Further, one should have [u]circumspection[/u] and [u]prudence[/u], they should not take wanton and foolish risks, rather, they should be wary and exercise sound judgement. One should be [u]conscientious[/u], having a desire to do tasks well. Thoroughness, care and vigilance in all things one does and all aspects of their life. One should have [u]creativity[/u], [u]imaginativeness[/u] and [u]curiosity[/u], unafraid to be inventive and explore the unknown. One must have the ability to judge well - [u]discernment[/u], the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing private information - [u]discretion[/u], and the ability to predict the consequences of an action with a sound and reasoned mind - [u]foresight[/u].
One must display [u]honesty[/u] and [u]truthfulness[/u] in all things and [u]humility[/u] too. One must be [u]sensitive[/u] and [u]understanding[/u], being able to appreciate the feelings of others and tactfully respond to them. Further, one must be as [u]objective[/u] as they can possibly be, not allowing feelings to influence their actions overmuch. It is also seen as good to be [u]parsimonious[/u], only spending one's resources on truly necessary things or to benefit and advance the interests of the wider community. One must be [u]perceptive[/u], meaning one is good at understanding things and solving apparently difficult issues. One must have [u]moral understanding[/u], a knowledge of what is morally right and is not. One must be [u]studious[/u] and [u]tenacious[/u] when it comes to standing up for what is right, or arguing in favour of what one honestly believes to be correct. Lastly, one must have a [u]rationale[/u] for all they do and say, and be in all things [u]wise[/u].

Parallel with this code, there developed 'Morals and Conscience', a normative understanding by each community of what is right and what is wrong, and the accompanying feeling of happiness at doing what one believes is right and guilt or shame at doing what is wrong. Vowzra watched with care as his children made use of what he planted in their minds, and they grew ever more whole. They were complete beings. 

Soon, he began to notice that a few rare humans would sometimes seek solitude from the others. They would go to the hills or the forests and there would sit and think and contemplate. At times, Vowzra thought he felt their essence leave their body ever so slightly, and reach out to him. This was meditation, and they were attempting to become one with the Celestial Above, one with him, if not physically, then at the very least in spirit. Vowzra responded, giving the spirits of those who reached to him some of what they desired. They would awaken wide-eyed and shocked, sudden wisdom and knowledge rushing to them. They had reached the first of many enlightenments. They returned to their respective villages and tribes, telling them of the 'Meditation, Spirituality and Enlightenment' they had been taught.

And so humanity developed a culture most strange, disciplined and heavily spiritual, yet one which glorified the pursuit of knowledge and [i]The Way[/i]. This spirituality helped them delve into the world of magic which had, so far, lain dormant within their bodies and souls. 
It was with shock that the first human reacted to finding a rock levitating before her as she sat meditating by a tree not far from the village. Her focus broken, the rock fall back to the ground, the energy that had lifted it dissipating.

Recovering her composure, the woman, perhaps ninety years of age, allowed her curiousity to lead her. When she returned to her village, she was met with shock and fear, but her age and the clearly high status she had among the people, as well as their own curiousity soon broke away the fear and doubt. With that, Vowzra taught them the last thing they would require. He gave them knowledge of the 'Spiritual Energy Nodes', points unique to the human body helped one channel and use the magic Astarte had gifted humanity with.

They approached this new discovery as they did all other areas of life. Mankind studied magic - or Wi as they called it - with the same dedication and studiousness they did all things. They developed it and refined it most adroitly. The world of Wi was vast and the possibilities were endless, but it was telekinesis that man grew to be truly skilled at; the movement of objects, living or dead from a distance. Children would, from a young age, begin learning, and it was not unusual to find that children as young as ten or eleven could uproot medium sized trees with their Wi. Older and more powerful Wi users could do significantly more.

Throughout all this, and despite the fact that the Dyun and Cimex were far too busy with each other and the dragons to pay too much heed to the puny humans, mankind continued to suffer. Only in the most remote areas, far from Dyun and Cimex territory, did human villages grow in relative peace. However, as time passed, attacks against mankind rose once more. For whatever reason, the Cimex had decided that the humans were now on territory rightfully theirs, while the Dyuns were only too happy to leave the Cimex be and let their hatred for humanity lead them to their victims.

Once again, humanity found itself the victim of savage slaughter. The Dyun attacked them with a passion, glad to use their refined knowledge of war and death against creatures so helpless and vulnerable as humans. The Cimex, having evolved in reaction to the Dyun and the dragons were a truly terrific foe, and village after village was wiped from the face of Galbar, and spirit after spirit found itself returned to Escre. What the Outsiders were doing during all this, no one could know - perhaps they were one of the reasons behind the stunning growth of humanity, but one could only guess.
As it were, a chief among the chiefs, Gragarus, who had watched his village as it was over-run by the Cimux, came to the conclusion that this could not continue. Alone, with each village fending for itself, humanity would surely be driven to extinction. It was with unity that they would have to repel their oppressors. Being the intelligent creatures they were, and with a generally welcoming and positive attitude to their own, Gragarus did not find much opposition to his proposal as he went from village to village, gathering up support for some kind of united realm of man. A brief struggle for power occurred and it was decided that wit and Wi would decide who led the makeshift human confederation - giving the Cimex and Dyun time to destroy more human life at their leisure. Jorfil, an ancient and powerful Wi user, respected in the human hinterland, away from the raging front lines with the Cimex and the Dyun, as a sage and blessed of the Celestial Above.

It was no difficult task to organise the race of disciplined and moralistic people humans had become. Using their one clear advantage - Wi - mankind advanced against their greatest foes since immemorial time. 

This would be a battle for the ages.

[hider=Might]
2 Free Points expended to teach Mankind:
Home
Friendliness 
Choice and Free Will
Common Sense
Learning, Knowledge, Debate and Discourse
The Way
Morals and Conscience
The Common Good and Civic Virtue
Spirituality, Meditation & Enlightenment
Spiritual Energy Nodes[/hider]