Chapter 4: Forsaken Gods

I pass by wooden houses in the city as I trudge along the dirt road the city is rustic looking given a lot of people are poor. The shops have letters painted on the tops of their wooden building most of them fading with time. Nobody is out since it is pretty early other than some of the children leaving for school with their parents. I wave to a few of them and I recognize my heart as faint as the light glowing on the horizon. I ride on, and pass the wooden gates that read Astralum there are no guards or anything like that in the city. The city itself isn't immensely big or anything, so there is no real need for a large guard corp. The city is mostly just ruled by the local government the major heads up most of the major city rulings. Astralum isn't very important in the grand scheme of the larger country of Luminora, other cities have more government influence.

I pass by the gates I have officially left the city behind the wooden walls feeling distant already walls I had been behind for so long. I feel sad, but also excited I would finally get a chance to venture out into the world and hone my craft. I wanted to get better at my rune crafting and make the people of Eldoria happier with my inventions. I pull out my map with that thought in mind I purchased it with the other supplies I had in my cloth satchel. Astralum was a southern city in Luminora I wasn't super far away from the next city, or even judging by the map far away from any small town. 

I had three choices that seemed feasible for the journey ahead I could travel North 30 miles to the city of Everglint, but that would likely take longer than a half day. Everglint would probably mean I would reach there around dinner time which wouldn't be amazing for profits on the first day. It would also mean that it would be somewhat late when I needed to find an Inn to stay the night. I had two more options travel west first to the town of Aquamere, which was 17 miles away to the Northwest. I would get there around lunchtime, but this would mean being in a more small-town economy. There were risks involved with that since the townsfolk would perhaps not be willing to spend as much on less necessary things like what I sold. 

Despite that, it would also mean that I at least could have a lot more time to sell my wares. This would also bring me a little closer to Everglint, so I could arrive earlier to Everglint tomorrow. The last option was by far the closest option, but it was also the most risky option of them all. Veilstead was a city Northeast of Astralum that was only 10 miles down the road I could arrive well before lunch, but there was one big issue. There were rumors that the city was home to a thriving black market, and travelers often went missing once they ventured to the city. There were obvious benefits at play here I would have plenty of time to sell my wares, I could find an Inn easily, and still have a pretty good shot at Everglint the next day. I pondered it for a moment I knew the dangers that waited for me in Veilstead, but the curiosity in my gut reared its head.

I got to a crossroads of shorts as I am to a decision perhaps the first of many mistakes I could make on my journey. I turned the caravan east towards Veilstead Grandpa always said the easy road is never the right road. The benefits were seemingly worth it, I figured, plus I would only be staying a day I would leave early the next morning. On the road, the hours went by pretty quickly, and now the city was on the horizon it had only been about three hours. I decided since I was making such a good time I could afford a break since I would be working through lunch, and dinner when I got there. I parked the caravan on the side of the dirt road onto the grass and pulled out a couple of sandwiches I made last night. I began chopping down on a peanut butter sandwich, and some water I brought for the road.

I pulled out a book from my Grandpa's library I had brought a bunch of them to use to pass idle time like this. The book I was reading was a short story it was worn down from me reading it over, and over when I was little. The book was a story that Grandpa had written down in his notebook he turned it into a sort of child's tale to read me when I was a young boy. The short story was folklore that had been passed around from person to person in Eldoria. The book was about two gods who once were married but had since split up shortly after the world was created.

Azura was the goddess of magic she created magic as a gift to the land, and married Aeolus one of the other primal gods. She ruled the heavens as the supreme goddess of magic, and nobody dared question her given her power. For a time things were peaceful, and she lived with Aeolus atop the highest spire in the heavens. They even had a few children who ruled over a different aspect of the world, and she created beings to inhabit the lower realms. The first beings she created were the elves who revered the goddess and used her magic to maintain balance in the world.  Aeolus eventually became jealous of his wife since she was all-powerful compared to the other gods her magic shaped the land of Eldoria. Aeolus originally the god of wind decided to make a deal with the serpent goddess Seraphina. 

The serpent goddess would trap the essence of Azura's powerful magic in scrolls which she would grant to Aeolus. In return, Aeolus was to give her a child one that would strike fear into anyone that would oppose her. The trade was successful Aeolus gained powerful rune magic that could compete directly with Azura. Aeolus was the only person that could use such powerful magic after all, and he used their godly language as a way to cast the runes. The serpent Seraphina in return was granted a child which she named Neraphis who she wanted to rule over the heavens. Azura eventually caught wind of the plot to overthrow her as the queen of the heavens and decided that punishment was in order. Furious Azura cast down the three gods into the mortal realm to serve an unending banishment from the heavens.

Aerolus furious decided to spite the goddess in his spite-filled way he created new beings that would walk Eldoria. Humans, Dwarfs, and Gnomes were created to spite the goddess, but Aerolus wasn't done. He infused each of his creations with runes these runes would give them a natural affinity for casting magic. In this way, his creations would be equal to the elves that now inhabited Eldoria peacefully. He decided to go to sleep for a while to wait until his creations were ready to fight the goddess, and get revenge on Azura. Meanwhile, Seraphina and her son had fallen deeper into the Earth. Like a serpent, Seraphina carved out a passage in an underground area deep in the heart of Eldoria. This passage would be named Nocturnia and would be a haven for the two gods away from the eyes of Azura.

Seraphina never gave up hope that one day her son would rule the heavens, and so she began preparing an army. She created new beings that would serve as an army when the time came to invade heaven. Ogres, Goblins,  and Orcs rose from the mud and served the queen of the abyss waiting for the day that they could go to battle. Neraphis never really liked what his mother was doing in Nocturnia, so one day he snuck away. Neraphis was a peaceful god he never had any ambitions to rule he just wanted to adventure and seek true freedom in the open sky. Neraphis fled to the tall mountains of Eldoria, and created his followers. He created the powerful dragonborn, pixies, phoenixes, and harpies. They flew through the mountains free to roam the world and seek out adventure. Neraphis watches over his creations, focuses on creating instead of destroying his art, and music shaping the lives of his followers.

Each of them all waited for the day that their creations would shape the world anew dyeing it in whatever color they deemed fit. Azura hoped that her elves would keep order in the lower realms she made them the balance keepers. Aerolus wanted revenge, so he waited for the day that his creations could revolt against the rules of the world. Seraphina wanted to overthrow Azura, so she waited for the day her army could rise from the underground, and storm the earth. Lastly, Neraphis was neutral he wanted to enjoy the world that Azura had created, and create, or even explore the world. The book ends with a picture of each of the god's symbols. Seraphina's is a snake eating its tail, and Aerolus is a rune that meant power it was shaped like a square inside of a circle with a cross in the middle of the square. Azuras was the symbol for magic it was an X with with a slash through the center it was meant to symbolize her arcane might. Finally, Neraphis' symbol was feathered wings shining behind a sun.

I loved that story as a kid I always thought it was interesting to see how each of the gods reacted to their creations. Some people truly believed in these stories, but there was no real telling if they were true. I turned my attention back to the reins I would make it to the city before 11:00 am which was good it meant I still had the entire day. I could see the tall gates of Veilstead the city was a completely different size from Astralum if I were to guess I would say it was almost double in size. I was starting to get excited I couldn't wait to explore the city even if I would have to be cautious. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I could see the dark gates as I pulled up to them two guards were posted on each side. This would be my chance to make a good first impression as I looked out at two guards in shining black armor. My voice stopped right as I was about to speak the one on the right stuck his long polearm to my neck.