Different Mind 

I look and act in a way that may be a puzzle to you 

And if you were to see the things crashing around in my brain 

You’d think I’d need a jacket and a muzzle too 

You have no idea all the great things I’ve seen 

All the dragons that I’ve ridden and the monsters that I’ve slain 

The fields of wild flowers and forests of green 

All the people and creatures that live in my head 

Their conversations guide every thought, fill every single train 

It’s no wonder I never sleep when I go to bed 

These dreams play like movies without an end 

Stealing all my time and tugging at my focus again and again 

This imagination I have is not always my friend 

All you see is a blank face, a thousand-yard stare 

You get angry and frustrated when I say I really can’t explain 

You don’t understand so you think I don’t care 

I want to show you the world that lives inside me 

But it won’t work; it’s like trying to write through a window pane 

When I try to speak the words just never seem to be 

So how can I tell you that I listen when you speak? 

I remember every word you said about that trip you took on a plane 

I’ll still remember when you bring it up next week 

Even though it wasn’t the only conversation I had 

At that time, I was also thinking of a red horse with a very dark mane 

I just can’t show it to you and it makes me feel bad 

Please be patient when I seem to get lost in space 

One day I’ll share the adventures with you, the wait will not be in vain 

In the meantime, I’ll create the perfect place 

The Six Parts of War 

I 

Shall I join this war 

That I don’t care for 

I do because 

My father tells me to 

II 

The work is hard 

The uniform uncomfortable 

I do because 

My commander tells me to   

III 

I write letters 

I read letters 

I do because 

My mama tells me to  

IV 

I sleep a little 

I eat a lot 

I do because 

My body tells me to   

V 

I am ready to fight 

I go to war 

I do because 

My general tells me to   

VI 

I kill some people 

Then they kill me 

I don’t have a choice 

They were told to 

Welcome to Eritolth

History

Over a thousand years ago Eritolth did not exist. Instead there were two life bearing planets orbiting the same sun, Eritan and Creolth. Each had their own peoples, histories, pantheon, and magic systems. As magic developed on both worlds and gods became stronger a war broke out between the two pantheons. Though not all gods participated in this great fight there were some who believed that they should hold power over both worlds. The war of the gods brought about the existence of angels, demons, and devils. It also sparked conflict amongst their followers as people took sides and fought each other.  No one really knows how any of these wars started, however everyone knows that the event that ended the wars and almost destroyed life, was brought about by one god, The Pain Bearer. 

Known by all to be a Destroyer and believed by some to be one of the Lost Gods, The Pain Bearer ended the wars by forcing the two worlds together until they were one, Eritolth. No one knows why or how he did this but, it destroyed ¾ of both worlds’ peoples and sent magic and technology back by about 1800 years.

The Collision

There are several things that most people believed happened because of and/or during The Collision.

• The Primordial Titans disappeared

• The magic ley lines

• Some broke apart

• Some split and intersected new areas

• Some disappeared altogether

• Magic went haywire, sometimes it would work other times it worked too well

• Portals between realms opened all over the world

Immediately following The Collision

• The gods locked themselves behind a divine gate

• Governments collapsed

• Gangs took control

• People began to separate by species

• Elementals were terrorizing communities

~50 years after The Collision, people had had enough of the chaos and destruction. A counsel was formed among the peoples, the first time that true leadership had been established. This counsel called upon the gods and essentially told them that they needed to come back down and clean up their mess. The Peoples’ Counsel as it grew to be known established a treaty with the gods that laid out rules for what the gods were required to do, allowed to do, and things that they were never to do again. It required that the divine gate be opened until everything that was required by the treaty was complete. The treaty and other subsequent documents called for the formation of The Divine Counsel, a counsel of the gods to speak for all gods and to interface directly with The Peoples’ Counsel. These documents also established the new name for the world, Eritolth. They called for the imprisonment of the gods responsible for the wars and subsequent collision of the two worlds. These Destroyer Gods would be locked away without any written record of where. These documents became known as The Eritolth Accords.

Following the establishment of Eritolth Accords, the divine gate was opened, The Divine Counsel was formed, and the gods got to work. The Chaos mountains were formed, the ley lines were repaired and stabilized, the veil between the planes was strengthened, and hostile elementals were banished. After everything was finished the world was more balanced and the people expected the gods to lock themselves behind their divine gate. They did not. Every hundred years or so, The Peoples’ Counsel convenes to ask the gods if their work is complete, they always reply with the same answer: “We still have one problem that needs to be resolved”.

The Gods

The gods of Eritolth are generally categorized into one of four groups: The Divine Counsel, The Lower Court, The Destroyers, and The Lost Gods. 

The Divine Counsel, as discussed above, was formed as a point of decision and communication between the gods and people. They are divided into three subsections: 

• The Tides of Chaos- The Tides represent all that is chaotic and unpredictable. When people refer to The Tides as an idea or group they are usually represented by three waves, each containing the individual symbols of the three gods of Chaos. They are arranged in a triangle: top, right, and bottom.

• The Pillars of Order- The Pillars represent all that is stable and constant. When people refer to The Pillars as an idea or group they are usually represented by three pillars or columns with their symbols sitting on two. While there are only two gods of Order, there are three pillars, one remains empty.

• Point of Balance- The Point of Balance is an ever moving pendulum that swings toward chaos and order depending on where the world needs them. Sometimes this can be seen as famine or illness that brings about a sudden surge of chaotic death after a period of new life during a time of peace. Other times it is a surge of multiples being born during time of war, if that war has been negotiated in a way that brought it to order. They also serve as leaders of the gods, stepping in to calm the chaos and prevent order from turning monotonous. There are two gods that make up the Point of Balance. They have no separate symbol as theirs already contains the other.

The Lower Court is composed of gods who, while not lesser, have chosen to operate in more of a supporting role within the pantheon. Many of these gods are just as powerful and have just as many followers/worshipers as the Counsel, but they tend to defer to The Counsel when it comes to major decisions. Most of the gods that make up The Lower Court fall on a spectrum that ranges from chaos to order but few actually claim an affiliation.

The Destroyers are the gods who are directly responsible for the war of the gods and the events that led to The Collision. Not a lot is known about these gods since The Collision as many places of knowledge were destroyed either by the catastrophic event itself or the years of gang rule that followed. What is known is that they are all considered evil and all of them have been locked away within a divine prison, but no one knows where.

The Lost Gods are just that, lost. They went missing sometime during the events of The Collision but due to the loss of knowledge and history, little is known of them. There is even debate as to the number of gods that were lost with some saying four and others saying five.