Before Time

From TSSWiki

This is an overview of Creation. These events transpired over the time frame of 879,000 years.

Page 1
The world began as an idea in the mind of Xaltion, a superior being we call a God. He had three siblings: Kezarai, Keysa and Fergatu. The four had been experimenting with the art of creation for many thousands of years and were known collectively as The Creators. Thus far, they had made several plains of existence and planets, but nothing with which they were completely impressed. They generally grew bored of watching evolution take its course and abandoned their 'projects' before they could fully develop.^[1] Xaltion had always been slightly annoyed by this, but majority ruled and so he shifted from one thing to another with the other three. Xaltion was the creative force of the foursome, and in this role generally came up with the next 'project'. This time was no different and the other three gazed at him with their eternal eyes and awaited his next plan. After thinking for a long while, Xaltion developed a strange idea. All the dimensions they had created were all fairly simplistic. They all had only one element, which made them very shallow to his creative eye. The first dimension was all fire and heat and all that entails, the next was all liquid in its various forms, the third was all vapor and gas, then there was one of light and crystal, one of darkness and shadow and on and on. Xaltion wondered what would happen if they took all of the dimensions they had created thus far and combined them into one? What indeed would happen? The other three thought this to be a fairly silly idea, but bored and admittedly curious, they agreed to try. The four of them contemplated and experimented with different dimensions for a few hundred years, but out of the hundreds they had created, none seemed compatible with each other. Then, there were The Four.

Page 1

The world began as an idea in the mind of Xaltion, a superior being we call a God. He had three siblings: Kezarai, Keysa and Fergatu. The four had been experimenting with the art of creation for many thousands of years and were known collectively as The Creators. Thus far, they had made several plains of existence and planets, but nothing with which they were completely impressed. They generally grew bored of watching evolution take its course and abandoned their 'projects' before they could fully develop.^[1]

Xaltion had always been slightly annoyed by this, but majority ruled and so he shifted from one thing to another with the other three. Xaltion was the creative force of the foursome, and in this role generally came up with the next 'project'. This time was no different and the other three gazed at him with their eternal eyes and awaited his next plan.

After thinking for a long while, Xaltion developed a strange idea. All the dimensions they had created were all fairly simplistic. They all had only one element, which made them very shallow to his creative eye. The first dimension was all fire and heat and all that entails, the next was all liquid in its various forms, the third was all vapor and gas, then there was one of light and crystal, one of darkness and shadow and on and on.

Xaltion wondered what would happen if they took all of the dimensions they had created thus far and combined them into one? What indeed would happen? The other three thought this to be a fairly silly idea, but bored and admittedly curious, they agreed to try. The four of them contemplated and experimented with different dimensions for a few hundred years, but out of the hundreds they had created, none seemed compatible with each other. Then, there were The Four.

Page 2
The Four were four dimensions, one created by each god, which seemed to actually work well together. The one created by Fergatu was a destructive and unpredictable dimension called Fire. Kezarai had made one that was a cycle of decay and death called Earth. The one Keysa had developed was a strange and shifting place of vapor and gas she called Air. Xaltion's creation was a very dynamic dimension that had many forms and purposes. It was called Water. These four seemed to have reactions to one another when combined. The reactions were violent and sometimes harsh, but with the help and guidance of the four creators, they were molded together to create a sphere of incredible potential. The Creators were very impressed with the discovery and watched for many years as the sphere grew, shifted, and changed. The affects the four dimensions had on one another were incredible to say the least. They seemed almost to have a will of their own, forming themselves with no additional help from the creators at all. Xaltion called the four dimensions the Elements. They were the Elements of creation. When the sphere stabilized, it had grown so huge that it took the creators 24 hours to move around the entire thing. All the reactions had ceased and now there seemed to be some kind of cycle. Keysa, Fergatu, and Kezarai began to be bored and suggested they try adding one other dimension at a time to the sphere to see the reaction. Xaltion alone was wary of this. He was concerned it might destroy the sphere. Eventually however, Xaltion agreed and, one by one, they began to add dimensions. The results were somewhat devastating to the sphere, changing it further and creating strange reactions. The sphere began to show signs of instability, and Xaltion called a halt to adding any more dimensions.

Page 2

The Four were four dimensions, one created by each god, which seemed to actually work well together. The one created by Fergatu was a destructive and unpredictable dimension called Fire. Kezarai had made one that was a cycle of decay and death called Earth. The one Keysa had developed was a strange and shifting place of vapor and gas she called Air. Xaltion's creation was a very dynamic dimension that had many forms and purposes. It was called Water.

These four seemed to have reactions to one another when combined. The reactions were violent and sometimes harsh, but with the help and guidance of the four creators, they were molded together to create a sphere of incredible potential. The Creators were very impressed with the discovery and watched for many years as the sphere grew, shifted, and changed. The affects the four dimensions had on one another were incredible to say the least. They seemed almost to have a will of their own, forming themselves with no additional help from the creators at all.

Xaltion called the four dimensions the Elements. They were the Elements of creation. When the sphere stabilized, it had grown so huge that it took the creators 24 hours to move around the entire thing. All the reactions had ceased and now there seemed to be some kind of cycle. Keysa, Fergatu, and Kezarai began to be bored and suggested they try adding one other dimension at a time to the sphere to see the reaction.

Xaltion alone was wary of this. He was concerned it might destroy the sphere. Eventually however, Xaltion agreed and, one by one, they began to add dimensions. The results were somewhat devastating to the sphere, changing it further and creating strange reactions. The sphere began to show signs of instability, and Xaltion called a halt to adding any more dimensions.

Page 3
The Creators watched for a long time as the dimensions all combined into one another. Once the activity settled, the four eagerly began to play with their creation. For years they changed, created, destroyed, and manipulated their new world. Fergatu was fascinated by the effect his coveted fire had on the world. He loved to watch as it destroyed yet created, so unpredictable and unstoppable. He had much pride in the fact that without the destruction of fire, nothing could be born or change. As interesting as this all was, after a few hundred years, he became bored of watching because it became predictable. He knew what would happen when his fire came to water, or built up its wrath beneath a mountain. He no longer cared to watch and wandered away from the sphere to find something more interesting to do. Kezarai was also entranced by the role his Element of Earth played. His creation had come to be the foundation of the world giving it stability and solidity. The earth required destruction and death so that it could replenish itself and Kezarai enjoyed watching this all take place. But like his brother, Fergatu, Kezarai too became bored of watching and wandered away as well. Keysa enjoyed knowing that everything required her Air. Her element filled every empty space in the sphere, creating the final catalyst to the fiber of this multi-dimensioned world. Without her air, there would be great voids and the sphere would split and tear itself apart. Her air reacted to everything it touched. It gave more viciousness to the Fire, it held the earth in place, and it gave life to the water. Even the endless interaction between air and the rest of the world wore itself out after a few thousand years. Keysa finally left the sphere to join her brothers in finding something else to do.

Page 3

The Creators watched for a long time as the dimensions all combined into one another. Once the activity settled, the four eagerly began to play with their creation. For years they changed, created, destroyed, and manipulated their new world.

Fergatu was fascinated by the effect his coveted fire had on the world. He loved to watch as it destroyed yet created, so unpredictable and unstoppable. He had much pride in the fact that without the destruction of fire, nothing could be born or change. As interesting as this all was, after a few hundred years, he became bored of watching because it became predictable. He knew what would happen when his fire came to water, or built up its wrath beneath a mountain. He no longer cared to watch and wandered away from the sphere to find something more interesting to do.

Kezarai was also entranced by the role his Element of Earth played. His creation had come to be the foundation of the world giving it stability and solidity. The earth required destruction and death so that it could replenish itself and Kezarai enjoyed watching this all take place. But like his brother, Fergatu, Kezarai too became bored of watching and wandered away as well.

Keysa enjoyed knowing that everything required her Air. Her element filled every empty space in the sphere, creating the final catalyst to the fiber of this multi-dimensioned world. Without her air, there would be great voids and the sphere would split and tear itself apart. Her air reacted to everything it touched. It gave more viciousness to the Fire, it held the earth in place, and it gave life to the water. Even the endless interaction between air and the rest of the world wore itself out after a few thousand years. Keysa finally left the sphere to join her brothers in finding something else to do.

Page 4
The only one to stay was Xaltion. He had become absolutely enthralled by the Water. Everything that touched water was changed in some way. His water was much like him, a creator. It gently molded rock, shaping it into intriguing designs. It dug its way down into the roots of the sphere bringing change to what normally would never change. The water accounted for the majority of what could be seen on the surface of the sphere. It was beautiful. Once Xaltion understood how the water interacted with the other four elements and the effect of the other dimensions woven into the sphere, he did not grow bored like the others. Instead he had ideas. He began to create again. Not dimensions or plains like before, he began to create what he called Life. Using the example of how the sphere had taken on a will of its own when all of the elements were combined, Xaltion began to attempt to create Life that would resemble he and his siblings. Life that would create and destroy, change and grow all on its own, be unpredictable. Xaltion started within his water, creating creatures he called Fish. He created different shapes, colors, and sizes. He created plants that housed and fed the creatures of the massive bodies of water that he called Oceans. He was very pleased with the world he had created. He gave his Fish the ability to procreate with each other and produce more of their kind.

Page 4

The only one to stay was Xaltion. He had become absolutely enthralled by the Water. Everything that touched water was changed in some way. His water was much like him, a creator. It gently molded rock, shaping it into intriguing designs. It dug its way down into the roots of the sphere bringing change to what normally would never change. The water accounted for the majority of what could be seen on the surface of the sphere. It was beautiful.

Once Xaltion understood how the water interacted with the other four elements and the effect of the other dimensions woven into the sphere, he did not grow bored like the others. Instead he had ideas. He began to create again. Not dimensions or plains like before, he began to create what he called Life.

Using the example of how the sphere had taken on a will of its own when all of the elements were combined, Xaltion began to attempt to create Life that would resemble he and his siblings. Life that would create and destroy, change and grow all on its own, be unpredictable.

Xaltion started within his water, creating creatures he called Fish. He created different shapes, colors, and sizes. He created plants that housed and fed the creatures of the massive bodies of water that he called Oceans. He was very pleased with the world he had created. He gave his Fish the ability to procreate with each other and produce more of their kind.

Page 5
This went on for hundreds of years, and eventually Xaltion's siblings came back to the planet. Seeing what he had done, they were very interested and excited. Xaltion showed them how he had done it and soon they began to create. Before long, the world was populated with all manner of creatures. Xaltion was pleased but saw a problem. All of the creations were dependent upon a certain element to survive. His fish the water, Keysa's birds the air, Fergatu's reptiles needed the warmth of fire to live, and Kezarai's insects needed the earth and the decay within it to thrive. There was no creature that was dynamic and could move through and utilize everything the environment had to offer. Things changed and evolved, but they always had boundaries. There were no creatures that resembled their creators. What kind of tribute was that? Xaltion voiced the idea to his siblings to create creatures in their images. The others were not interested. They were jealous of their power and they felt supreme over everything they created. If they created something in their image, would they be able to feel the same power over them? The other three left the world again and Xaltion was left to tinker. And tinker he did. He began attempting to create a creature that would be like himself, thoughtful, creative, and willful. He wanted to create a creature that could look beyond foot and procreation and see things not just for food or shelter, but for potential. The first creature was called a Dwarf. The dwarf was a marvel to Xaltion. So willful, tenacious, and it thought in very creative ways. He made a male and a female and gave them the same ability to create others of their kind, and then he sat back and watched the dwarves develop.^[2] Within a few hundred years, the dwarven population had grown and they had developed a distinct love and ability for crafting things. They were excellent at carving beautiful things from rock and actually preferred to live inside the mountains of the land. Xaltion was very pleased with the dwarves. They were very loyal to him and had developed in very impressive ways. But Xaltion saw room for improvement. Though he saw things he would like to improve, he couldn't bring himself to actually change his dwarves. Instead, he decided to develop a different race.

Page 5

This went on for hundreds of years, and eventually Xaltion's siblings came back to the planet. Seeing what he had done, they were very interested and excited. Xaltion showed them how he had done it and soon they began to create. Before long, the world was populated with all manner of creatures. Xaltion was pleased but saw a problem. All of the creations were dependent upon a certain element to survive. His fish the water, Keysa's birds the air, Fergatu's reptiles needed the warmth of fire to live, and Kezarai's insects needed the earth and the decay within it to thrive.

There was no creature that was dynamic and could move through and utilize everything the environment had to offer. Things changed and evolved, but they always had boundaries. There were no creatures that resembled their creators. What kind of tribute was that? Xaltion voiced the idea to his siblings to create creatures in their images. The others were not interested. They were jealous of their power and they felt supreme over everything they created. If they created something in their image, would they be able to feel the same power over them?

The other three left the world again and Xaltion was left to tinker. And tinker he did. He began attempting to create a creature that would be like himself, thoughtful, creative, and willful. He wanted to create a creature that could look beyond foot and procreation and see things not just for food or shelter, but for potential. The first creature was called a Dwarf. The dwarf was a marvel to Xaltion. So willful, tenacious, and it thought in very creative ways. He made a male and a female and gave them the same ability to create others of their kind, and then he sat back and watched the dwarves develop.^[2]

Within a few hundred years, the dwarven population had grown and they had developed a distinct love and ability for crafting things. They were excellent at carving beautiful things from rock and actually preferred to live inside the mountains of the land. Xaltion was very pleased with the dwarves. They were very loyal to him and had developed in very impressive ways. But Xaltion saw room for improvement. Though he saw things he would like to improve, he couldn't bring himself to actually change his dwarves. Instead, he decided to develop a different race.

Page 6
Xaltion loved the dwarves, but he wanted to try to create a creature that was more graceful, more delicate. The dwarves reminded him of the rocks they seemed to love so much. Short, stout, and stubborn. After thinking for a bit, Xaltion began to create and the race he called Elves were born. The elves were indeed very different from the dwarves. Elves were tall, slender and beautiful. They had a mystical grace about them and their creativity was very different from dwarves. While the dwarves carved beautiful things from the rock, when it came to more delicate things, like writing or speaking, they were not so talented. The elves not only developed a beautiful spoken language over a couple hundred years, but they created a written language too. The elves were also much longer-lived than the dwarves. The dwarves could survive for 200 to 500 years, the elves could live for thousands.^[3] Xaltion enjoyed his two races for quite some time. He watched them interact with one another, grow, develop and discover. These creatures were perfect to him for they used everything around them and made new things out of them. They made dwellings, clothes, tools, and so many other things. They were always discovering something new and brought great joy to Xaltion. After a couple thousand years, Xaltion began to see flaws in his creations. They lived so long and each was perfect in so many ways. He almost felt they had it too easy. He decided to make one more race that would be different from either elves or dwarves. They would not live as long, nor would they be so good at anything. They would be survivors. They would always just make it. And so Xaltion created Humans.^[4]

Page 6

Xaltion loved the dwarves, but he wanted to try to create a creature that was more graceful, more delicate. The dwarves reminded him of the rocks they seemed to love so much. Short, stout, and stubborn. After thinking for a bit, Xaltion began to create and the race he called Elves were born. The elves were indeed very different from the dwarves.

Elves were tall, slender and beautiful. They had a mystical grace about them and their creativity was very different from dwarves. While the dwarves carved beautiful things from the rock, when it came to more delicate things, like writing or speaking, they were not so talented. The elves not only developed a beautiful spoken language over a couple hundred years, but they created a written language too. The elves were also much longer-lived than the dwarves. The dwarves could survive for 200 to 500 years, the elves could live for thousands.^[3]

Xaltion enjoyed his two races for quite some time. He watched them interact with one another, grow, develop and discover. These creatures were perfect to him for they used everything around them and made new things out of them. They made dwellings, clothes, tools, and so many other things. They were always discovering something new and brought great joy to Xaltion.

After a couple thousand years, Xaltion began to see flaws in his creations. They lived so long and each was perfect in so many ways. He almost felt they had it too easy. He decided to make one more race that would be different from either elves or dwarves. They would not live as long, nor would they be so good at anything. They would be survivors. They would always just make it. And so Xaltion created Humans.^[4]

Page 7
The three races grew and interacted, developed and changed. There were great cities and structures. Each race made wonderful monuments to Xaltion and he appreciated it. He kept them safe for the most part, only interfering when it was necessary to avoid catastrophe. It came to be that there were certain individuals in each of the races who seemed to devote their lives to thanking and praising him. They called it worship. Xaltion liked it. When these certain individuals would ask something of him, Xaltion would sometimes comply. These individuals became clerics and Xaltion favored them above all others for their devotion and appreciation of him. Because he loved them, so did others of their kind and soon clerics were revered as what they called Holy. Many more years passed and Xaltion was quite pleased with his world. Then, one fateful day, his three siblings came back. They too were impressed with what he had done with the world, but wanted to try other things. They wanted Xaltion to come away from his world and go with them to create something new. Xaltion did not want to go. He was happy and content with what he had made and didn't want to miss anything his creatures might discover or do. They were his children. The other three were not so attached. They tried and tried to convince Xaltion to leave, but he wouldn't go. The three became angry and jealous of this world that had taken their brother from them. They began to cause great havoc, calling upon their respective elements to cause destruction. The earth began to shake and split, volcanoes erupted and fire spread. The air whipped up great storms that toppled trees and building alike. Xaltion watched in horror as the three destroyed so much in so little time. He commanded them to stop, agreeing to go away with them if they would only stop killing his world. The three stopped and Xaltion regretfully left with them. He was gone for only a few hundred years and felt he could stay away no longer. Leaving his siblings once again, he came back to his beloved world only to find sadness and despair.

Page 7

The three races grew and interacted, developed and changed. There were great cities and structures. Each race made wonderful monuments to Xaltion and he appreciated it. He kept them safe for the most part, only interfering when it was necessary to avoid catastrophe. It came to be that there were certain individuals in each of the races who seemed to devote their lives to thanking and praising him. They called it worship. Xaltion liked it. When these certain individuals would ask something of him, Xaltion would sometimes comply.

These individuals became clerics and Xaltion favored them above all others for their devotion and appreciation of him. Because he loved them, so did others of their kind and soon clerics were revered as what they called Holy.

Many more years passed and Xaltion was quite pleased with his world. Then, one fateful day, his three siblings came back. They too were impressed with what he had done with the world, but wanted to try other things. They wanted Xaltion to come away from his world and go with them to create something new. Xaltion did not want to go. He was happy and content with what he had made and didn't want to miss anything his creatures might discover or do. They were his children.

The other three were not so attached. They tried and tried to convince Xaltion to leave, but he wouldn't go. The three became angry and jealous of this world that had taken their brother from them. They began to cause great havoc, calling upon their respective elements to cause destruction.

The earth began to shake and split, volcanoes erupted and fire spread. The air whipped up great storms that toppled trees and building alike.

Xaltion watched in horror as the three destroyed so much in so little time. He commanded them to stop, agreeing to go away with them if they would only stop killing his world. The three stopped and Xaltion regretfully left with them. He was gone for only a few hundred years and felt he could stay away no longer. Leaving his siblings once again, he came back to his beloved world only to find sadness and despair.