Deleted Scene: Markelhay the Younger

"Queer bunch o' folks, if I say so myself." Elder Ghort said, picking his teeth with a stiletto dagger, his paunch hanging over his belt. His short frame barely came up to the windowsill of the house he leaned against. He was talking with another of his race, a halfling in non-descript clothing, and a hat far too large for it, that slipped over its eyes, as a group of humans bustled to and fro to make the house a proper residence for their 'lord'.

"Doesn't cut a pretty figure, that's for sure" Ghort's companion said, "His prissy arms don' look like they gots a days work in 'em." The Humans nearby didn't appear to hear them, being too concerned as they were with watching their purses and carrying out their tasks. Ghort stiffled a snort "Don' see how he coulda killed a dragon, he don' even look like he could give Fatty Shorthouse a decent minute in the ring." Both of the halflings laughed at the conjured image. Fatty Shorthouse was Elder Ghort's son, and was the most rotund halfling of the town, some of the people who frequented the town wondered how his legs could support his weight, so round was his frame, he was also notoriously lazy, and had difficulty with chores that halfling youn' 'uns were usually tasked with. This was forgiven however, when Fatty displayed his talent in wrestling overconfident adventurers who wished for accommodation for the night.The halflings often had fun at their expense before giving them lodging and some food in return for the entertainment.

The voices of the half-lings carried through the window to Boris Markelhay's room, as he removed his armour. His friends had told him they were going to look for some booze around the town. Karl had mentioned something about a brothel, but Boris knew that he had no interest in the short folk that were almost all who occupied the town. The halfling's words reached his ears, as he unlasped the straps on the chest plate of his full plate, but they didn't travel much further. His mind was too occupied too take their words into consideration. The breastplate popped free as he undid the last strap and it fell to the ground with a clatter. He picked it up, and placed it next to his shield, both proudly adorned with the Markelhay family crest by Teldorthan when he had been but an infant. His father had always wanted him to be a knight lord since he was young, but Boris disappointed him in many ways. Boris wanted to blame his lack of prowess with a blade on how spoilt he had been by his mother, but she hadn't been around long enough for that, and her words and embrace had long ago become a thing of the past. He removed his greaves. He had never taken to fighting, but had found happiness in talking with the people of the town, and made friends with many of their number during his training to assume a place in the guild. A good will gesture his father had called it, Make the people see we aren't beyond getting our hands dirty.

He quickly dressed in more comfortable clothes when he had finally removed the bulky plate mail. They didn't have long to spend in the town, but a Lord Markelyhay couldn't visit a town without dining with it's leaders. It was simply proper etiquette. He sighed heavily. The dawn would bring with it the culmination of all his father's hopes for him. Boris had hoped to delay such responsibilities as long as possible, but his father had been so proud of him when he'd brought the dragon corpse back to Fallcrest. He'd taken credit for the deed without thinking, and his father had been so proud, he couldn't come back later and tell him the truth. His father's pride bore a heavy cost. He was chosen to lead the Town guard, and take his father's role at the head of the army. He had only recently come of age, and was a good five years younger than his father had been when he'd had similar trials. He knew he had no idea what he was to do, but his father had made it seem so elementary. Just raise your sword, and charge the bastards he had said, the scent of wine upon his breath. Easier said than done. But he had to come home with some credibility. Maybe the adventurers would help him when the time came, he wondered. He'd seen their handiwork in the basement below the ruined temple, and knew that they would be more suited to taking the lead than he would. They'd never take his order's though.
He sat down at the desk provided by the halflings, but maybe... he thought, drawing his maps of the city and it's surrounding area from a haversack that lay nearby.

Lord Markelhay left his residence, and met his friends outside. The halflings had been decidedly uncooperative in their search for booze, and the only action Karl had gotten was that a halfling woman had offered to allow him to plough her pastures, but meant it literally. They followed Markelhay to the Town Hall. The council of town elders had laid out a table of all their finest vegetables and meats, and called the Humans to sit and talk with them. They had a long ride ahead of them in the morning.

The Fallout of the Hobgoblin Assault

Chapter 3- The God's Folly

Allowing the live spark to shape the Gods creations had many effects upon the creatures they created. While they took forms similar to those that the Gods wanted, they were far from what they deemed to be perfection. They also acted apart from what principles had been imbued to them in some cases, to the benefit of those principles in some cases, or to their detriment in others. Because of their unpredictable nature, the Gods came upon a system of rewarding those who serve them well, after pledging their alligance (Cross-reference Shifting Forms Terennen's work on Avandra's creation of the Changelings) or to punish them for misplacing their faith (Cross-reference The Moon's Lost Followers, Terrennen's work on Werewolves, as compared to their shifter brethren.) They learned after a time that it was better to stand apart from the actions of their creations, and allow them to find their teachings on their own, as they were less likely to chafe against the meaning therein, if it was not being largely enforced by an unseen hand.

They also grew and developed far beyond the reaches the Gods had planned for them, and they began to mingle and clash as they pressed for more room to live. The inter-relations between the species gave rise to a number of other, unintended and unexpected, species. Where Humans and the Elven species met, their thriving relationship gave rise to the Elhaen, or Half-Elf species, gifted with both the Elves grace and the Human's drive to achieve. Orcs and Humans also co-inhabited for a time, creating the Orogs or Half-Orcs, with both Orcish resilience and Human adaptability. Other species that originated from these meetings were the Gnomes, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Dragonborn and, to a lesser extent, the Helastar and Kulmerin peoples.

With the emergence of these new races, the Gods came to realise that, although they had not erred in the creation of their new followers, that their followers had inherited more from them than they had hoped or wished. They had inherited the God's ability to create. In some cases this did not extend beyond the ability to reproduce, but the collective consciousness of the race as a whole had the ability to alter the world as it saw fit. However, as each races got to know the other, their ideologies began to chafe off of one another and they clashed in conflicts that ranged from individual skirmishes to warfare that drew all races to one side of a conflict or another. The constant fear of each race, of discovering another race, and the conflicts that it woud lead to, led to a fear of the unknown, that stalled the races otherwise meteoric expansion. The Gods sought to alleviate their fears, and acted as mediators between them. Although the immediate fears were soon resolved, the general fear of the unknown remained amongst all but a few of each race. This fear was addressed by many leaders of their people and thinkers amongst their number, who attempted to rationalise it. The power of creation granted to the peoples of Merih'Angar gave shape to their fears and made them real. Creatures grew from the dark places of the planet, and throughout the lives of all, there was more and more reason to fear. These creatures became known as Demons.

The fears of the people had spawned something far beyond the control of the gods, although this did not stop them from trying to eliminate and destroy them. It proved a futile effort, as the irrational nature of their being gave them a resistance to any influence the gods attempted to exert over them. Their creation proved to be the beginning of the end of the harmony that had lain upon creation for so long. Now conflicts existed which could not be easily resolved by the intervention of the gods. However,the problem was not without a solution. While the people feared them, their creation gave them shape, and allowed certain members of each race to rise above their collective fears and strike them down. These members, when they united together, were able to drive back, and kill many of the creatures. These people were rewarded greatly by the people and the Gods both, although the Gods did not reveal their weakness. Over time the champions of the races grew old, and lazy, and did not manage to exterminate the creatures completely.

They hid away, plotting. The Gods actions although ineffective, were not without consequence, as the Demons tasted their power and they began to understand how they could overcome their foes. Over time, they preyed on the people of Merih'Angar from the shadows, never taking a single united form, and allowed the people's fears to grow once more. As the peoples' fears grew, the demons grew stronger once more. Although they still hid, their power grew and grew, and soon they had gathered enough power to challenge the Gods for power over the world. The demons had been cast aside swarmed again onto Merih'Angar's surface as the demons strode again unto the world. Meteors fell at their command and the sky was blackened by their fowl magics, and the smoke of the fires of war. The peoples of the world marshaled armies in defence of their world, and questioned the God's powerlessness aloud.

The Gods themselves were not left untouched by the return of the demons however. Amongst the Demons, greater demons had awoken, whose names had entered the minds of both the people and their Gods, as things to be feared, who preyed mercilessly upon all. Confronted by foes whose power was the equal of their own, the Aelin were uncertain for the first time, of their own immortality. However, they clung to their power, and marshaled it to strike out against the Greater Demons who assailed them. The lesser gods, and servants of the Aelin, used what powers they had to help both the creatures of Merih'Angar, and the Gods in their struggles. They created dimensions for the creatures of Merih'Angar to flee to, to escape the worst of the conflict, although only few could avail of them, to prevent the Demon's access.

The resulting conflict lasted over a century of the world of Merih'Angar, and the details of which will be set out in future chapters.

Author's Note on the Spark

The spark features prominently in all of Marlen Terrennen's works, and the true nature of it and where it came from are unknown. However, he has expanded upon the concept of the spark in other works, which helps makes sense of his other writings. The extract below is helpful in interpreting the above chapters.

It is worthwhile to consider the Spark, as it is from it all things were created. To understand the Spark, it is helpful to compare it to an egg. There are three 'shades' of the spark, and these represent the different shades of things across the planes. The centre or 'yolk' of the spark, is what the Gods emerged from, it is power in its embryonic form. The first layer surrounding the centre or 'white' of the spark are the living physical material of the universe. The last layer, or 'shell' of the the spark are the "unliving" physical materials of the universe. However, it is here that the direct comparisons end. The 'Egg' if there are ones, would have a shell the same thickness, if not thicker than the white of the egg.

The differences between the white and the yolk can be most clearly seen in their creations. The Aelidra were created initially from the 'white' of the spark, and then the gods infused them with a shard of divine power, or the 'yolk' of the spark. This gave them an active and developing life. However, the creatures which now inhabit the world were created from initiation from a part of the 'yolk' mixed with the 'white' of the spark, left to develop on its own, but for the direction given by the God's pouring in their own power. The unfettered ability of the 'yolk' to develop and grow, led to the creation of the primordial forces, and the eventual downfall of the Aelin.

The planet itself is largely made of the 'shell' and of the 'white' of the spark, although the continued growth of its forests, and the awakening of Goliaths and Archons would suggest that certain parts of the 'yolk' have been infused into it.

Chapter 2- The First Creatures

The Aelidra were made between the gods, the first physical and self-supporting and multiplying creatures were not something the gods wanted to go wrong, so each god put what they sought or found interesting into them. They worked away at them, before awakening them with a spark of divine light.

They were singularly tall and beautiful beings, composed and devout in equal measures. They sought the safety of company, and revered the world around them, and always looked to their survival in the future. However, they were not what the Gods sought. They watched them for age upon age, their lives lived over and over, before the gods found the source of their displeasure with their creations. They were too perfect, they avoided conflict wherever possible, and sought guidance from the gods on all issues, and lacked true independence.
Some truly excelled in some areas, but the majority were satisfied with their lives as others or the gods dictated them. Some of the Aelin took members of the Aelidra as their children, those who were best in what they excelled in and what the Gods valued most. They imbued them with the same power that the gods held but of a much smaller scale. The remainder became the gods servants, available to their beck and call, eternal at the wishes of the gods.

Now the gods had discovered the mistakes they had made, they decided that the uniformity of the Aelidra had made them an unsuccessful creation, so they each went to create their own. Thus the races the world now knows were created. They were sent to inhabit the world, and they flourished in a way that the Aelin had not. They learned of the world, and went beyond what the Gods imagined. They lived their lives with vigour and venom. They fought amongst one another, and even amongst a God's creation, they differed and clashed. Their fervor was fed by the gods, who found themselves invigorated by their creature's faith, and imbued some of them with specks of their power. This power flourished in them. Over time, this greedy behavior by the gods led to their downfall.

Chapter 1- In the Beginning

In the beginning, there was nothing but the spark. It is from this spark that the Gods were created, and it is from which all things hence have come from. The spark could not be described in any physical sense that it might make sense to us, but rather must be understood as an idea. The spark was the concentrated combination of ideas and of energy, that sprouted consciousnesses that became each and every thing that we know today. The ideas within grew and developed, and became the first gods. They rose from the spark, extending above and beyond the confinement that it provided.

These were the first gods, the Aelin, the first of their kind. Their collective consciousness' grew and merged, and, of a sort, conversed. After long aeons of discussion, discourse and debate, the conflict between the ideals of the gods grew apparent, and where they met one another, the world was born. It was the first child of the gods, their first masterpiece that served as the proof and experimentation of each and every idea that they held, and the first physical thing the gods encountered. The rock was lit with the light of the spark, which, no longer the home of the gods, dimmed and became a physical embodiment of energy, specks of which were spread to the far corners of the blackness of the emptiness of the universe. As the world was made, the gods began to mould and shape it, each adding what they saw and valued. From this came all of the things of the world; Mountains, Forests, Rivers, metals, dust and sky.

Pleased with the sucess of their first experimentation, other worlds sprang into being, although not all were made with the consent of all the gods, and were rather the private domains of some. As they continued to master the powers that were inherent of their very being, the gods began to tire of their creation, as they were dull and lifeless, and as such, while marvelous, could not hold their attention for long.

This led to the creation of the first beings, the Aelidra.

The Book of Marlen Terrennen

Here inscribed, find the works of Marlen Terrennen, Historian and Scribe. Within the works, the author has encapsulated the history of the creation of the planet and the deities who would lay claim to its creation. The tome also tells the tale of the
battle between the gods and the Abberant forces of the Cosmos, as well as of the conflicts between the gods up until the Age of Accord.

This volume exists to educate the people of Merih-Angar in respect of the Gods, so that they may know of the Gods, what the Gods would have them know. As a result of the Pedagogic nature of this manual, it is accompanied by Marlen Terrennen's Spellbook, so that the reader might continue his works.


It is worth noting that much of what is said within is largely different from the accepted history. The truth of the words is open to interpretation, although it is unclear from which period Marlen wrote his account.