Quill and Compass, Entry 6: The Age of Resplendence

After Divergence, there came a time when Gaiaxia glittered like never before. We call it the Age of Resplendence, and rightly so—it was a Golden Age, when both mortals and gods alike reached higher than ever before, when magic and innovation bloomed, nations prospered, and the Cycle of life and death brought new luster to the once withered Realm we call home.

With the consecration of the Cycle came order to death itself. Ikozra, seeing the tenuous balance of the Realm, appointed stewards to manage the flow of Spirit and Soul. Thus rose the Cycle Gods, guardians of order, balance, and return. Their charge was nothing less than the preservation of Gaiaxia itself. The twins Valyra and Valryn, embodying Life and Death, were set at the Cycle’s heart as impartial judges not of one's character, but the purity of one's Soul. At their sides were Florus, who protected Gaiaxia's Spirit balance as the goddess of Nature, and Hikari, who guided Souls to the light of Solis as the goddess of Light and Protection. Naturally, this is a gross oversimplification of a grand system that's kept Gaiaxia's heart beating for millennia, a disservice that will be corrected in future entries, I assure you dear reader.

Solis, which had long shone as a beacon across the sky, was transformed into more than light — it became a haven for Souls. There, uncorrupted Souls drifted in serenity, freed of hunger and pain, bathed in a brilliance so pure it blurred the line between self and star. It was no mere afterlife, but a promise: that lives lived with honor and respect for the Cycle would not vanish, but rest in peace until they chose to return. It also became the dwelling place of the gods, a radiant court from which they might watch over Gaiaxia more closely than ever before.
Its shadowed twin was another matter entirely. The Hollow, veiled in perpetual dusk upon Luna’s barren face, was wrought as a prison as much as a mercy. Corrupted Souls — those who broke the Cycle, regardless of  reasoning or purpose, or those foul or unfortunate enough to be involved in sinister plots or dark rites — were sent there to be contained. Their corruption would be diluted and eventually fade away before they could rejoin the Cycle they once scorned. Dreadful though it is, the Hollow is a necessary ward, a scar that ensures the body may heal. For without it, corruption would seep back into Gaiaxia unchecked, spreading rot where there should be renewal.
But take heart, dear reader: the tales of Solis and the Hollow are vast and winding, filled with secrets enough to demand a telling of their own. For now, it is enough to know that death itself was given boundaries, and that for the first time in our history, even the end had its place within the Cycle.

Gaiaxia was not content to rest on cosmic order alone. Mortals carved nations into the land, raising borders and banners with astonishing fervor. Sylandaria, Montara, Cressillia, Velethari, Khalaluum, Aecoria, Zarkev, Angredel — each rose like a note in a swelling chord, distinct yet part of a grander harmony. Trade flourished, magic blossomed, and for a time it seemed the Realm itself had entered a season of eternal spring.

The pantheon, too, grew resplendent. Zidani, whose hammer rang in every workshop, was hailed as god of Artisans, the patron of craft both humble and grand. Ren, tender yet unyielding, rose as god of Love, Family, and Fertility, binding hearths as firmly as armies bind banners. And even the primal forces themselves answered the call of this golden age, passing their mantles to heirs of flesh and spirit — the new Elemental Gods. Drudona flowed into the depths as goddess of Water and Winter; Alvani took the weight of Earth and Spring, steadfast and enduring; Zefyrus soared like the winds themselves as god of Air and Autumn; and Alaprand blazed with Fire’s inexhaustible hunger as god of Fire and Summer. They were not distant myths, but reflections of the Age itself: practical, passionate, restless, and aflame with possibility.
Yet balance demands shadow as well as sun. Ikozra, ever impartial, appointed the Dark Gods to temper the light: Aldegar, god of War and Tactics; Noxus, god of Plague and Decay; Nym, god of Chaos and Trickery; and Tyris, god of Storms and Destruction. Fear not, dear reader — these were not curses upon Gaiaxia, but necessary counterweights. For a Realm with only spring becomes overripe and a Realm with only sunshine becomes brittle. 

It was, without question, a time of brilliance. Magic surged to heights unseen, Elementals walked among mortals, and Half-Elementals were born from their mingling. The Elementals themselves were once mortals, remade by the favor of their patron gods into beings touched by flame, stone, tide, or storm — biologically immortal so long as their deity endured. From their unions with mortals came the Half-Elementals, children who bore the mark of two worlds: hair like smoldering embers and eyes ablaze with passion; bodies marked with stone, crystals, and glittering veins of metal; skin lined with bioluminescent patterns and eyes as vibrant as the seas; or forms as lofty as the skies themselves, perpetually caressed by the perfect breeze. They lacked the eternal life of their parents, yet were gifted long and vigorous years, and whole bloodlines gleamed with such elemental traces. Imagine, dear reader, cities alight with fire-kissed scholars, storm-blooded soldiers, and stone-marked artisans — it lent the Age a majesty and strangeness most wondrous to behold. If ever there was an Age deserving of its name, it was this.

But brilliance has a way of casting long shadows. Among the dark gods, Aldegar grew restless. He had tasted power not only in battle, but in worship, a curious side effect to the Shard of Ikozra within all things — for with every follower who fell in his name with his blessing, his strength swelled. And so the god of War did what warlords always do when their boots grow too large for the earth beneath them: he sought more. He declared war not on a rival nation, nor a single foe, but on Gaiaxia itself. Tyris, swayed by the passion of his friend, and ever eager for destruction, stood at Aldegar's side. Together they carved a path of fire, storm, and ruin, plunging the Realm into the great Divine Civil War, and a new Age entirely: The Age of Conquest.

But that, dear reader, is a tale for the next entry — and what a tale it shall be! 

With inspiration as bright as Solis and ink as dark as The Hollow,
Yours, ever truly,
— Tobias Elanor, Bard, Scholar, Explorer Extraordinaire

© DracTheDrake

Hello hello!

The Age of Resplendence was a fun one to build. The introduction of so many new deities, figuring out how Gaiaxia's Half-Elementals came to be, and building how the Cycle actually works. We also wanted to be careful with expanding the pantheon too much, each deity needed to have a clear domain with minimal overlap to justify the need for such a deity and avoid bloating the pantheon.

Aldegar was a fun character to build out, he's actually been a recurring background villain in the last 2 D&D campaigns our group has run, both for different reasons and under different circumstances. Turns out, it's actually incredibly difficult to get rid of a god once they've ascended, as you'll see in the coming entries

Thanks again for reading entry 6. If you're enjoying this so far, please let me know! I'm enjoying writing this series and would love any feedback you may have. Here's to seeing you again in entry 7!