The Kythians

From the Book of the Twins

For generations we lived in the lap of our gods. Koreth walked amongst us, teaching us how to craft tools, build homes and ships, and raise crops and livestock. Where ever he walked, light and laughter followed. His skills helped us live, but it was K'Tathi's arts that had us thrive. She shared her bounty with us, teaching us to sing fish into our nets, to dance away storms leaving only a mild rain, and to plumb the depths of her ocean for the precious stones she had hidden away. But her secrets did not come without a price; her storms and rages were to be feared, and we could not placate her as we could the lesser elements. But there could be no doubt she loved us, even amidst the worst of her fury.

Then the war came. The Twins gathered us together and told us to be strong and wise in their absence. We wept for them, begged them to stay and let the other gods indulge in their foolishness, but they were stern. So we waited, raising our voices in song and dancing to the music of the wind in our hair. But days turned to weeks turned to seasons and still they did not return. Then came the Night of the Thousand Whirlwinds. It was a storm worse than any we had ever seen before; our Lady had always been tempestuous, but never had she vented her wrath so completely before. The storm whirled through the air and the seas, destroying homes and ships with callous disregard for the lives of her children. Great monstrosities were birthed and swam through the water, seeking only to devour. There was no place for us to hide; the storm raged on both land and sea. We wept and prayed for Koreth to save us, to soothe his sister, and to help us rebuild. But our lord was silent.

The storm raged for night, ending abruptly with the dawn. All around us was devastation and despair. Our songs and dances no longer worked, and we were at the mercy of the elements we once controlled. We soon found that they could be just as harsh as K'Tathi. Many of us starved, or died of new illnesses that sprang up like weeds in the deserted fields. The monstrosities remained behind, and preyed upon our people. We were not used to war, and chose to retreat from the waters, surrendering K'Tathi's mysteries to the deeps. Infighting broke out, as members of the tribe struggled first for understanding and then for dominion, and soon where there had been one people, there were many. We learned to kill for food, and then for sport, and then for power. Eventually, many forgot the songs and dances of worship, relegating such things to tales for children. We have lost all sense of who we were and where we came from. And, wherever they are, our Lord and Lady surely weep for us.