World Lore & Maps

Before there was life on Odora, there was nothing. Odora existed only in the twinkle of the largest solari Arryn’s inner being. In a burst of passion and fiery breath, Odora was born from Arryn’s center. She was to be his Amorei for all of existence, his one true love.

Odora was unlike the other solari. While Axuna, Uzelia, and Lunei were fiery, hot-headed and uncontrolled, Odora was softer and gentler than her three sisters. Her beauty was more subtle than that of her sisters who all circled Arryn’s powerful light. It came from the softness of her glow, the depths of her joy which radiated her inner beauty to the surface. In her light grew flowers, flowing rivers, and rolling hills, a new world was born on her surface. This world was the opposite of the hot, uninhabitable beauty and fiery passion of the fellow solari of Arryn’s inner circle.

It was not long before her sisters became jealous of the attention Arryn showed Odora, of how he shined his light in the most spectacular way for her, and her alone. They tried to trick Odora, telling her that the life she grew and cherished disgusted Arryn. Odora was wise and knew they were trying to trick her, she would not listen to them, and continued to grow beautiful plants for Arryn to shine his light on.

The others were not dismayed, and they continued to search for a way to rid themselves of her presence. On a trip to visit Arryn, Lunei, the smallest and most jealous of the solari, encountered a cold chill she had never felt before. The chill spread slowly at first, and she tried to contain it, afraid of what was happening. She called to Arryn, begging him to warm her with his brilliance, to save her.

As she continued to shiver, the chill spread from within her to her surface, cooling her fires and dimming her light. As her light dimmed, the smallest solari became enraged at Arryn and especially at Odora for taking his light away from her. She became dark and barren. As she continued to orbit Arryn, drawing ever closer to Odora, Lunei plotted Odora’s demise.

Patiently Lunei waited for her opportunity, and as she passed her sister, Lunei rammed herself into Odora. The impact sent Odora flying away from Arryn, just within his glowing warmth. Lunei laughed gleefully for she had won, not realizing that in her attack on Odora she had also set herself apart from Arryn’s inner circle. Arryn was left surrounded by the two oldest sisters, Axuna and Uzelia, who were wise not to let him know of their trickery, blaming Lunei for Odora’s loss.

Odora and Arryn wept for the loss of each other. for it seemed hopeless they could ever find one another again. Eventually, Odora’s tears spilled to the surface of the world she had grown. From each tear sprung a child, eight in total. Each gifted with an essence of Odora herself, a magic to be used wisely. Overjoyed at the discovery of her children, she divided the surface into kingdoms, one for each of her children and granted them eternal life so she would never be lonely again.

Odora’s children were named for their gifts: Soran (Elemental), Keladone (Time), Raephe (Blood), Aerethia (Illusion), Opulia (Healing), Leomaris (Attunement), Meltise (Caster), and Laiken (Metamorphosis). As centuries went on, her children began to create life of their own, content to spend their time among their creations, finding companionship and joy in the beauty of their work. Odora bestowed her children free reign over their kingdoms. The siblings lived in harmony with one another and with their people who worshiped them.

That all changed the day Soran chose to forsake his eternal gift of life with his Mother Odora for the love of a mere mortal named Hevastia. Odora begged and pleaded with her eldest son to forget Hevastia, to stay true to his nature and to honor his gifts, but Soran was stubborn and chose to turn his back on his mother’s wishes. At the time of Soran’s unexpected death, Odora summoned her children to her side, forbidding them to ever walk the surface again, convinced their work was evil, and that love only breeds jealousy which begets pain and suffering. Mother Odora refused Hevastia, Soran’s half mortal lover, at her door, and turned her away from her children.

The children of the other deities all continued to worship their god or goddess, waiting patiently for their return. In order to keep their magic alive, each deity’s direct descendents, the god-touched, would walk among their people as the conduit to their magic, a living key.