Sky Mountain Myths 04 - Elder Races

When the Darkness was scattered, one piece landed in some caves near the end of the world. This became Dark Mountain, a hard being with a heart of stone. He became lonely and in his frustration he gnawed at the stone around him and fashioned a rough figure from the rock. The figure did not move and he left. After he had gone, a goddess slipped into the cave, this was Warm Dark, a fertile goddess, and she embraced the figure, giving it warmth and life and the two embraced in the darkness in the way that lovers do. When Dark Mountain returned, he saw that the figure had come to life and was the first Giant. They greeted each other and Giant helped Dark Mountain to make another figure, this time the figure was not as rough as Giant had more dexterity than Dark Mountain. He left again and Warm Dark returned and embraced Giant and Ogre, giving Ogre life. This happened again and again, with the figures creating Troll, Orc and Goblin. Orc and Goblin got together and made smaller figures for themselves, these were the kobolds and were not as powerful. Finally, Dark Mountain returned early and saw his friends in the embrace of Warm Dark and he roared in anger. The two deities circled and flew together in anger, fighting and wrestling, but Warm Dark changed his thoughts and their wrestling soon turned into an embrace of a different kind and Warm Dark soon gave birth to female Giants, Ogres, Trolls, Orcs and Goblins. Dark Mountain was furious as he could only produce male children and flung all the figures out. They ran to the edges of the earth and lived in the mountains and caves along the world's edge.

Volcano had many lovers beneath the ground, but few above ground. Once he saw a beautiful Moon Maiden come down from the Moon and he desired her. Being of the earth and uncouth, not trained in the courtly ways of the Sky Court, he chased after her and tried to manhandle her. She struggled and fled, but his ardour was so great that his passion burst, spreading his fiery seed across the world. Much of the ash fell in the great forests surrounding his Volcano, other ash fell on the mountains, some fell in dark places and some fell in the water. Wherever the ash droplets fell, new life sprang up. In the Green, Forest Elves appeared, in the Mountains Grey Elves awoke, in the dark places Dark Elves took their place and in the waters Sea Elves started to swim. These Elves knew nothing of their origins and believed they sprang from nature.

One of the Giants saw that he was of Darkness and Stone and he was sad. He wanted to go to Sky Mountain and see the Gods, but he was impure, so he called on the Gods for help. The Sun said to purify himself with Fire, for Fire was of the Sky, but the Giant was confused as how could he purify himself with Fire if he could not go to Sky Mountain? He wandered the world and came to the Green, a great forest. In the middle of the Green, he saw a great mountain and climbed it, hoping to reach the top and jump to the Sky, but when he reached the top he saw that the Sky was too far to jump to. He looked down and saw a pool of fire and asked if it would purify him. The Fire agreed and told the giant to jump in and descend to the bottom of the pool. He did this and the fire was so hot and so strong that he was filled with agony. His skin burned away and his rock-like body coursed and melted beneath the Fire. He sank so slowly, he thought that his torment would never end, but eventually he reached the bottom of the Volcano and emerged in the Green. He had been changed, his body was of crystal, completely transparent and all his impurities had been burned away. He left for Sky Mountain and became the first of the Sky Giants that live on the flanks of Sky Mountain.
The Grey Elves saw that they were high up and near the Sky and they looked down on the world. They saw the Forest Elves in the Green and desired their women, so they warred upon the Forest Elves, raiding them and pursuing their maidens. They took wives from the Dark Elves and the Sea Elves and feasted on flesh. They were haughty and cruel, taking pleasure in the pain of those around them. Some descended into the caves inside the mountains and they explored the Darkness, taking it in and wielding it as a weapon. They became corrupt until even the Dark Gods of the caves were displeased. "Look at yourselves," they said, "you are as the Orcs who live within our Darkness" and they took the Grey Elves that lived in the caves and showed them their reflections in Black Glass and they saw Orcs staring out at them. Those Grey Elves became the first grey Orcs and warred on the other Grey Elves for control of the mountains.

People spread from their homelands and travelled to many new places. They moved northwards across the mountains and into the wastes. There was nothing there and they were hungry so the Earth sprouted and brought forth grasses, roots and all manner of green plants. Still they complained, so the Earth opened up and all manner of animals poured out onto the grasslands for men to hunt. But hunting was difficult and they complained again. This time, the Earth sent a son, an Immortal who knew the secrets of beasts and plants. He taught the people how to befriend and tame dogs and horses and they used dogs to round up prey and horses to ride after faster animals.

Once, the White Moon's daughter looked down and saw a horseman riding far below. She fell in love with him for he was fair and handsome so she flew down to the earth and appeared before him. However, the horseman was only interested in his horse and he ignored her. The more she moved to face him, the faster he rode and the more tricks he did. Eventually, she became frustrated and cursed him "You love your horse more than me," she said, "so be one with your horse." And the man changed, he lost his legs and his horse lost its head and they merged into one new beast. At first he was sad because he was no longer a man, but then he saw how he was more skilled than before and revelled in his newfound strength and ability. He rode to his former clan and showed them what he had become, but they were afraid of him and drove him away. His lover saw him and wept, for she knew they would never be together again, so she cried out for help and the Moon's Daughter took pity on her and told her to ride out upon a mare and meet him. As she approached him, the horseman's lover changed and merged with her own horse, becoming like him. Together they rode off and became the first centaurs. Their descendants ride the endless steppe, proud and aloof, hunting and feeding in their herds.

Once, a star fell from the sky and landed in a river, boiling and hissing. The river rose up in anger and flew to the Sky in revenge. It flew against the Sun, but a Golden Dragon sprang from the Sun and forced it away. Then it flew against the Moon and was faced with four dragons, one White, one Black, one Blue and one Red. The five dragons fell upon the river and tore it asunder, forcing it to fall onto the mountain below. Where it hit the hard rock a Grey Dragon sprang up and the dragons devoured the beast. The Dragons writhed in ecstasy and retired to the ends of the world where they laid their eggs and hatched smaller broods of creatures, not as powerful as the First Dragons but powerful enough. These were the first of the Orms.

The Orms were powerful and were considered amongst the Ancients, being descended from the Immortal Dragons. They were wise and strong but had no desire to build cities or consort with other races. They flew where they wanted and did as they wished. For reasons lost to time, the Orms and the Shea had a great war that lasted for generations. Many of the Orms were slain and many of the Shea lost their powers. The surviving Orms hid away in the mountains and deep in the Green. Those in the Green huddled together in shame and fear and laid new eggs from which hatched the first of the serpent women, descended from Orms and devoured Shea. These serpent women had the bodies of serpents and of women and writhed with the Orms. They laid smaller eggs and from those eggs hatched yet another species of Ormkind. They made pacts with the trees and spirits of the Green and built their cities in peace. These Ormkin or Dragonspawn had the form of men but with serpentine necks and reptilian heads. They were all male and mated with the serpent women and with other lesser Orms, producing different types of great lizard as servants. They rode on lesser Orms and on Thunder Beasts. They defended the heart of the Green and kept the Shea and their kin away.