In the time of legend, the ancient Taris, a primordial Goddess, was believed to be the architect of Tarisia and the wellspring of all existence. According to the tales passed down by the ancestors, Taris emerged fully formed from the depths of the eternal night, a celestial fusion of distant stars, and the very embodiment of life’s eternal cycle.
It was befitting that, upon her awakening, Taris immediately embarked on the act of creation. First, she birthed the Five Pearls, their radiance yet to bloom, hanging lifeless in the cosmic void. Then, she ushered into being the radiant twins, Kyra & Kiran, and bestowed upon them the sacred duty of traversing the heavens, casting their radiant light upon the nascent world.
With the celestial twins illuminating the cosmos, Taris turned her focus to the shaping of Tarisia itself. From a piece of her divine essence, she molded the vast landmass, and entrusted the radiant twins with the task of gently warming this newfound realm with their gentle glow. As she meticulously sculpted mountains and valleys with her celestial hands, oceans and rivers sprung forth from her perspiration, and the wind came to life with her every breath. With each word she spoke, she breathed life into the plants and creatures that would populate her creation.
With the world nearly complete, Taris turned her attention to her final, most cherished creation—the seven distinct tribes of Tarisia. She regarded them as her own children and became their benevolent mother and teacher. She imparted language, culture, the art of love, and the skills of survival. Through her guidance, the tribes flourished and thrived. To connect all of her creations, she wove a subtle psychic energy known as Psi, binding them together in a harmonious shared consciousness.
Taris remained amongst her creations for millennia, witnessing their birth, life, and eventual passing. She was the very heart of Tarisia, the revered and eternal protector. Monuments and grand temple complexes rose in her honor, and she was hailed as the original God-Queen of Tarisia, revered, beloved, and feared for her eternal presence.
The Betrayal
As the tribes of Tarisia grew powerful and developed their own civilizations, they began to turn away from Taris, crafting new gods to worship. They abandoned their once-honored temple complexes, allowing the ancient monuments to crumble and decay. In their hubris, they believed they could survive without the life-giver and grew fearful of her dominion over nature. Ambitious and afraid, they hatched a treacherous plan to entrap Taris, gaining control over creation, life, and death.
The tribes implored their newly fashioned deities for a power capable of imprisoning Taris, and found their pleas answered by a prominent omen. A brilliant fiery comet streaked across the sky for seven long years, visible both day and night—a sign they took as divine approval.
In the seventh year of the comet’s fiery journey, a shadowy figure known as Erra appeared before the council, proclaiming himself as the sole wielder of a mysterious power called Magic, a dark, powerful, and corrupting energy that steals the very life from the land. As zealousness gripped the kingdoms, they submitted to Erra’s rule. However, unbeknownst to Erra, the council secretly organized a group of scholars to study this newfound Magic, determined to harness its might for themselves.
Under Erra’s leadership, they executed a complex and sinister ritual, spanning multiple lunar cycles and culminating at the grand convergence of the Five Pearls. In their ruthless pursuit of power, they sacrificed thousands of their own followers. Ultimately, they ensnared Taris, sealing her tomb deep within the bowels of the earth, extinguishing her life-giving aura.
As the tomb’s doors sealed away Taris and her eternal presence, the Goddess cursed her betrayers. She vowed that the world she made for them would wither, lifeless and barren, condemned to suffer for centuries under the unbearable heat of the twin suns and only further corrupted by the Magics used against her. In her parting words, she warned them to heed the next arrival of the fiery comet—a harbinger of her return, and of their impending downfall.
Next: The Age of Abundance