Scrolls of the Forge

The  Scrolls of the Forge (SOTF) are a collection of religious texts of the Church of the Stahl Riesa. They were written and published by Drake Von Marux in

= Scrolls of the Forge = Behold the religious writing of Stahl Riesa, the Scrolls of the Forge.

Creation
In the beginning, there was the Crystal Isles, where amethyst and crystals grew from the ground. From its soil sprouted Oakenbellow, and the tree’s heartbeat grew. From its branches grew crystal fruit, to which each one a world was formed. It is regular space with a solar system developed around it for us, but to enter the Crystal Isles is to see the truth. One such world was Aska-Jǫrð, better known as earth. It had a sun, moons, and plants, but Aska-Jǫrð had no life, leaving it a lifeless realm until Vulkan arrived. From the icy void of space that surrounded Aska-Jǫrð, shards from the Crystal Isles had broken off and were left to float in the emptiness. One such crystal was hit by the rays of a solar alignment, giving life, form, and mind to Vulkan. Vulkan was gifted with skills and knowledge, and he would use these to his advantage while exploring the unknown in his early years. Rather than wander as others brought to life the same way, he created his domain, one that he would call "Valnir," and in doing so, caused a second fruit to grow on the branch of Oakenbellow next to Aska-Jǫrð.

With a realm of his own that would allow him to ponder, forge, and create whatever he desired, he realized that he was lonely. So he looked to the realms around him and laid his eyes upon his home realm of Aska-Jǫrð. Although he planned to create life, Vulkan realized that he couldn't undertake this task by himself, so taking his arm, he drew a drop of molten blood; and created his firstborn, Vidar. Upon the birth of his firstborn, Vulkan gave him vast knowledge and power over the weather. Vidar was sent forth to Aska-Jǫrð to grant the dead world a livable climate.

Vulkan then created more kin. First, Norns, the Goddess of Law, Order, and Nature, to aid her father with the development of life, the law of nature, for how life shall work. Next, Iris, the Goddess of Love, Fertility, Beauty, and Health, to aid in providing Aska-Jǫrð with beauty. Finally, Borr, the God of Life and Death, to give safe passage to the dead on their way to the afterlife and provide souls to the creatures of Aska-Jǫrð. Borr would take control of the Phantom realm, the realm closest to the trunk of Oakenbellow, for the souls to wait for judgment.

The Troggs
Centuries later, Aska-Jǫrð was completed. With pride, Vulkan, with his son Borr's and daughter Norns's aid, began creating the first Intelligent life on Aska-Jǫrð, creatures they would call Troggs. While the Troggs could walk and talk, they were far from perfect. Troggs lacked honor, were brutish, fought each other over the slightest disputes, couldn't develop ways to document their history, had a bland culture, and tended to be incredibly unlucky. While pondering ways to fix these flaws, it was decided the only way fix the mistakes was the creation of more Kin.

Soon came three more of Vulkan’s kin. Tsun, the God of War, Honor, Strategy, and Justice, to provide Troggs with an idea of proper Honor and Justice and provide a feasible option for disputes. Saga, the Goddess of Stories, Writing, and Luck, to provide Troggs with stories, the ability to write their history, and much-needed luck. Finally, Gerd, the God of Alcohol, Party, Music & Art, to provide the Troggs with culture, fun, and hopefully new emotions. With Vulkan and his new kin, and the passing of time, the Troggs became more like what he and his children had hoped for.

The Guardians
Although the Gods could create weather, nature, love, life, and death, they couldn't be around at all times to maintain the world. Vulkan called on his daughters Norns and Iris to find a solution. Through their combined efforts, they made 4 Guardians.

Tondren, the Serpent "Guardian of the sea," a massive serpent that stretches around the world to maintain currents and prevent the world from drowning.

Yakin, the Ram "Guardian of the Harvest," a giant ram with 8ft longhorns, tasked with providing a bountiful and healthy harvest no matter how terrible the terrain.

Ubba, the Wolf "Guardian of the Protection," a giant dire wolf created to protect the world's inhabitants and provide companionship.

Finally, Terra, the Leviathan Turtle, a titan-sized turtle created to control the tectonic plates of Aska-Jǫrð. The turtle was said to be the size of an island, with a shell made of stone.

With the Guardians in place, the issue of the world would soon become resolved, and for the next five hundred years, everything was calm.

Veles Rebellion
Millennia later, Vulkan became interested in an experiment. He wanted to create a new god by infusing his blood with a Trogg. So, Vulkan went forth and found a lone Trogg called Veles. He was a priest to his people, preaching to crowds about the purpose of life, even continuing to preach after his family disappeared. Seeing potential in Veles, Vulkan took the form of an old man and approached Veles with an offer. Vulkan offered the Trogg a new beginning to join the ranks of the divinity, which Veles accepted. Unfortunately, Vulkan failed to realize that Veles, a priest, was, in reality, a creature of hatred, desire, and madness. Veles had become a priest not to be a holy man but to spread lies about the gods and ill faith among the people to remove all divinities and bring madness.

It wasn't until Vulkan had brought Veles back to Valnir and completed the experiment that he realized his mistake. Vulkan had hoped that his new son would be a messenger for the Troggs, a deity that could bring forth the wishes of the Troggs to Valnir with ease. However, upon the completion, something was wrong. Veles had become something else entirely from what Vulkan had hoped. Veles true self had been released. With a horrible aura around him, he had grown larger but was still smaller than the rest of his brothers and sisters.

Filled with immense rage and his mind gone mad, Veles screamed out like a horrendous beast, spewing flames, yelling, "I AM VELES, AND AM THE DESTROYER OF DIVINITY," before breaking down a wall, destroying a part of Valnir, and escaping. Veles traveled back to Aska-Jǫrð and found Tondren, using a spell to disguise himself as his sister Iris. He then tricked the Serpent into raising the sea level, claiming it was by Vulkan's order.

By the time Vulkan’s army arrived and the Tondren realized the deceit, the flood had already killed millions. Although the souls of the dead had departed, Veles began to change their bodies into the first draugrs. The battle lasted three days before Veles fled, while his army was destroyed. Veles fled to a meadow, turning himself into a giant spider and hiding in a rabbit hole. It, however, was in vain as the gods tracked him down within hours, finally capturing Veles in a glass jar. Once captured, it was decided that Veles would be sentenced to imprisonment in Logi-Jǫrð, the realm of fire and pain, where he would remain for eternity. Before being cast from the realm, however, Veles would yell out, "I'LL BE BACK, THE FROZEN DAWN SHALL COME, AND I SHALL BE THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL YOU HAVE CREATED."

As a result of this destruction, Vulkan had to put seals on Valnir to ensure Veles and his legions, should he escape, in hopes he won’t be able to find it again. Most of the remaining Troggs were scattered worldwide, forsaking their creators and searching for new gods to believe in. Tondren would hide away from the world for the next 1000 years, causing the world's oceans to remain still. The remaining Troggs would later evolve into the various intelligent races that live across the globe.

Humanity
With the Troggs gone, Aska-Jǫrð half-flooded, and minor groups of draugrs still wandering the world, Vulkan ordered his kin to repair Aska-Jǫrð right before isolating himself for the next few thousand years. Upon his return, he brought with him a new creation. He called this new race "humans."

He took the design of the Troggs and altered the body shape, intelligence, and behaviors. The result was that humans were his second and better attempt at life. Vulkan then sent humans to Aska-Jǫrð to live among the other races. But, soon problems would appear quickly: humanity would need assistance to have a chance in this new world.

The Forges
Seeing that humanity would need help in their new existence, Vulkan would require the assistance of Vidar and Norns. The three would develop large forges infused with the very essence of Vulkan himself, allowing whoever uses the forges to create powerful weapons. The forges were sent down to Aska-Jǫrð to areas where early humans resided. With the aid of the gods, humanity managed to catch up quickly with the other races. Thanks to the forges, humanity's early extinction was prevented.

Human Society would thrive for the next few thousand years, but as time passed, humanity would begin to spread out, leaving the forges behind. Soon, most of the forges would disappear beneath the ground. Most forges remain hidden, except for a few currently run by Stahl Riesa's worshippers.

Ehecatl & Drakon
One day, Aska & Revna, Vulkans ravens, while out flying, discovered and reported to Valnir a terrible discovery. Two dragons are seen clawing their way out of Logi-Jǫrð portals. Aska & Revna fled to warn the gods, causing Norns to hurry to find the two giant dragons. The fires of Logi-Jǫrð had charred their scales, horns engulfed in fire, and the names "Ehecatl" and "Drakon" carved into their scally hides. Upon a closer look, it was discovered that the two beasts were growing larger by the minute. Norns began to fire arrows at the creatures, attempting to force them back, each arrow causing blasts of ice that would shred the charred scales. As they retreated, the dragon with "Drakon" carved name would turn its head and speak, "No ice nor fire can end us. We shall return with the Frozen Dawn and devour your days and nights" before escaping through the portal. Norns would return victorious but with a look of dread.

Ögarn Wait
While Oakenbellow grew, the realm Hibernal would develop. The frozen would world remain lifeless until Veles’s rebellion, for when Veles was cast to Logi-Jǫrð and spoke his promise, the ice giant Ögarn was born from the frozen ground to answer the call. From there, Ögarn would create a greatsword of ice and then attempt to leave Hibernal to travel to the Crystal Isles and plunge his sword into Oakenbellow. He was, however, stopped by Tsun before he could strike Oakenbellow. The two would then begin to fight each other for two days. Their fight ended with Tsun striking Ögarn with enough force to send him back to Hibernal and knocking him out. While Ögarn was incapacitated, Tsun returned to Valnir to grab Vidar and have him place a seal on Hibernal that would prevent Ögarn from leaving. From that moment on, Ögarn swore he would strike the heart of Oakenbellow, bring forth the Frozen Dawn, and get his revenge on Tsun.

The Frozen Dawn
Although uncertain, prophesiers predict that the Frozen Dawn will end Vulkan's reign. However, fate has an interesting way of changing from even the slightest event. The Dawn is said to begin when the frost giant Ögarn is freed from the seal upon the world Hibernal. Upon his release, Ögarn will travel to the Crystal Isles, take his greatsword of ice, and plunge it into Oakenbellow, the Ancient Tree, causing earthquakes to shake all the worlds. When the tree's heart is stabbed, the frost from Ögarn's sword will crawl up Oakenbellows, causing harsh 4-year winter to set in for all worlds. Immediately afterward, Tsun arrives and strikes Ögarn down, finishing the fight they started thousands of years prior. When the 4th year of winter ends, a rift will open from the deepest hole on Aska-Jǫrð, and from that rift, demons, wraiths, draugrs, and horrifying monsters shall crawl out from the depth of Logi-Jǫrð. Soon after, the Forsaken god Veles shall manifest on Aska-Jǫrð, commanding his legions to destroy all who don't pledge loyalty to him.

The Sentinels shall arrive. Vulkan, Vidar, Saga, and Tsun will come soon after to partake in Aska-Jǫrð's defense. For the next 50 days, the two forces shall fight in bloody combat. First, Veles will send Ehecatl & Drakon to fly into the air and devour the sun and moon. Next, Veles will slay Tsun mercilessly while Saga is saved by Ubba but left in terrible condition. Vidar will slash the wings of Ehecatl & Drakon, causing them to fall to the ground, killing the two dragons. Tondren will finally face off against the Siren, and great waves will crash and flood the land from their battles. Veles and Vulkan shall face off in hand-to-hand combat on the final day, ending with Veles striking Vulkan down by stabbing him through the heart. Upon Vulkans death, Vidar shall take his revenge by grabbing onto Veles and tearing him in half, ending the destruction he has caused. In the end, Vidar will have become the new Stahl Reise, tasked with rebuilding the destroyed realms with his remaining siblings. Terra will rise from the dead to assist the gods in their tasks. Finally, the Sun and the Moon shall be reborn from the corpse of Ehecatl & Drakon. As for life in Aska-Jǫrð, most old nations will be left in ruins, allowing new empires to arise and flourish.

Tondren and the Siren
After Veles's rebellion, Tondren, the Guardian of the sea, hid on the ocean floor for 1000 years out of shame for his action. For 1000 years, the waters lacked their currents and had no waves. But this would all change with the siren. As big as a ship and looking like merfolk, her arrival sent a shockwave across the world's oceans and indirectly awoke Tondren. He rose to the surface and watched from afar as the siren began to sing, unaware of the Serpent's presents. The siren sang her song out into the skies, but to whom it was for was unknown until the god Borr arrived. The Serpent watched as the siren lured the enchanted god, but the siren's true appearance began to show as Borr got closer. Her skin darkened and started to decay, spikes grew rapidly from her back, demonic horns grew from her head, and runes of Veles carved onto her sides began to show. It had become clear Veles sent the siren to lure the god of life and death to a watery end. Refusing to let Veles cause more destruction, Tondren began to rush forwards, causing the siren to realize the serpents' presents and flee, leaving Borr in a trance. Rather than let the siren escape, Tonren continued after the foul creature and continues to do so today, never letting the siren stop. With Tondren's pursuit of the siren, the ocean's currents and waves returned, and so shall the sea as long as the Serpent moves in his endless chase. As for Borr, he awoke from his trance and returned to Valnir to speak of what had happened.

Yakin and the Sulfur Plague
During humanity's earlier years, Yakin, the Ram guardian of the Harvest, began to witness something disturbing. A strange plague that caused wheat to turn black and taste sulfur. Yakin began to investigate to try and discover the cause. It was soon found that a demon had been spreading the plague to earn favor with Veles. Yakin took the plague and sealed it in his horns to spare the world from it, causing his horns to turn black. To prevent the demon from retaking his weapon, Yakin hides away from the realms, watching over the harvest through the eyes of Sheep and Goats.

Ubba's Watch
While patrolling the forest, Ubba, the Guardian of Protection, came across a lone child in the woods. The child had been chased from his home by a wraith, trying to convert the child to the will of Veles. Ubba approached, making herself the size of a pup so as not to scare the child. Ubba guided the child back home, preventing the wraith from coming near out of fear of the wolf. Before leaving the child, Ubba brought forth a wolf pup to take her place and stay with the child for years to come. After that, Ubba returned to the forest to hunt the wraiths that dared hide in the woods, continually watching over the people as their protector.

Terra's Sacrifice
When watching over the lands, Terra bore witness to something horrifying. Terra watched as a volcano arose from the sea; it towered over the land and had the power to set fire to all the realms. Recognizing this as a threat to all life, Terra realized there was only one way to stop it. Terra climbed to the top of the volcano and placed himself over the vent. While it sealed off the volcano from killing everything, Terra received the full power of the volcano's eruption, causing his death. The sealed-off explosion caused the volcano to implode on itself, destroying it and leaving only Terra's skull and his shell, becoming a new island. While Terra died to save the world, his spirit remains in his skeleton, bound to the soil and providing an island home for whoever discovered the turtle's shell.

Tsun and the Wedding of the Sheep's Husband
On one of his hunts, Tsun lost Willbreaker when ambushed by a giant 8-legged boar. Upon this realization, he sought his Warhammer for three days before coming across a mortal named Ari, holding Willbreaker. When Tsun approached requesting the return of his weapon, Ari, rather than handing the Warhammer over, refused and instead decided to make a demand, "I shall give you Willbreaker, but only if I have the Goddess Iris hand in Marriage." Although furious by such a demand, Tsun hid his emotions, stating he would return in a day with his answer. However, upon his return to Valnir, he spoke to Vulkan and Saga. After explaining what happened, they devised a devious plan and returned to Ari with a wedding proposal. On the wedding day, instead of Iris arriving, Tsun was dressed in a wedding gown, posing as Iris, and his sister Saga posing as "Iris" bridesmaids. While there, Tsun would eat three cows and five barrels of mead, but when asked by guests how or why, Saga would explain that when Iris received the news, she was so excited that she refused to eat for ten days. Right before the wedding, Ari would approach Tsun, believing him to be Iris, and complimenting "her beauty" before handing Willbreaker over as a wedding gift. Upon the return of his Warhammer, Tsun would pull out a bottle and splash its contents on Ari, causing him to pause for a moment before running outside and returning with a sheep in his arms. Ari would marry Sheep and be forever known as the Sheep's husband.