Just a little lore on the gods in the world of The Blight of Blackridge...
We start where all such stories start, at the beginning. A beginning so distant there was no life to bear witness to it. Space was an infinite expanse and the world we know today was nothing more than a barren waste.
But the twins had other ideas. Dienna, Goddess of Everlasting Light, brought life to the world. Shining her warmth across all corners of it. And Ebroth, God of the Restful Night, filled it with wild things. Bringing the quiet stillness of winter to it.
Sun and Moon. Summer and Winter. Light and Dark. Together they brought balance to the world they created, for one cannot exist without the other.
Time marches on, as it tends to do, and the world flourished. Small groves became lush forests under Dienna's care. Fields grew to be great plains, tangled brush transformed into lush jungles. New species of vibrant flora multiplied and were fed by sparkling rivers of blue. The world was abundant with color.
Ebroth watched what his twin did and expanded on it. He filled her forests with wild things, encouraging growth in their shadowy depths. Filled her rivers and skies with new life. Brought rest to her fields with the cold snap of winter so they could produce abundantly in the warm months. Gave respite from her hot sun with the coolness of night. Balance, he spoke to her. If this world is to survive there needs to be harmony in all things.
And for much of the time, she agreed. This world was equally theirs and she wanted to see it prosper. But love between siblings is not always perfect and tempers flare.
Dienna watched as her fields withered in the winter and became resentful. She grew cross as her beautiful green forests became barren and covered in blankets of white snow. They were his forests too, Ebroth would argue. They need this rest just as the creatures within need your light. Balance, he reminded. But Dienna's temper flared as quickly as a match to kindling. And Ebroth's patience wore thin.
Peace came with something unexpected. The life they had made together had grown, evolved, advanced. These new creatures recognized the power of the Gods in everyday things and began worshiping them. The Twins, astonished by this new development, set their differences aside and basked in the reverence these humans gave them.
Temples were erected. Festivals were held in their honor. Gifts were left for them in the hopes of earning favor. And favor they received.
Ebroth and Dienna blessed their most devoted with their very own essence and granted them life after death so they could guide their bloodlines to do the work of the Gods. Each Twin molded their chosen how they saw fit, giving them power so they could heal their sick, care for their fields, bring about rest in the world. These High Priestesses became pillars of their communities and revered as direct connections with the Gods.
As their followings grew, so too did the Twins. They grew jealous when the other received more praise. Grew angry when those following the other destroyed the things they held dear. Grew resentful of what the other had. They claimed lands for themselves and their people, denying use to the other. Where peace between peoples once flourished, enemies began forming.
Dienna promoted abundance and her followers grew numerous. They quickly outgrew their lands and spread into the wild areas of Ebroth's people. They needed more space to grow and thrive, she would say. He had taken too much for himself. She complained that Ebroth's winter came too soon and stayed for too long. That his wild things destroyed all her people worked for.
Ebroth began to lose patience with her petulant behavior. He warned her to keep to her lands and leave his wilds alone. That her people needed what the wild places provided to survive. Balance, he reminded. But she did not heed his warnings. Her people cut down his forests to grow crops. They destroyed the homes of his creatures to build their own.
And Ebroth had had enough. He chased her people from his lands, blighting them and their fields with disease to keep their numbers small. His winters became colder, reminding her how much her people needed the meats and furs his people could offer. That balance was needed.
Dienna was furious and responded by sowing discourse with her Priestesses. She slandered her twin's name. Fed lies to her Priestesses so they would hate their Sister Priestesses of Ebroth. Her following was greater and she intended to show her twin just how mighty it was. She ordered her Priestesses to cut down their Sisters. Destroy their bloodlines so that Ebroth would be cut off from his people and his power. Believing what their Goddess told them, her followers obeyed. Massacres ensued and history would remember this Cleansing for years to come.
Ebroth was weakened. But he was not defeated. And with patience he waited, building his followers back up in the shadows while his twin believed she had won. Waiting until the right Priestess came along that would help him restore balance to the world.
And her name was Eleanor Payne.
