The Primal Bargain
At the beginning of time, the primal gods met to bargain for their domains. These four beings represented the primal forces of the universe—light and darkness, life and death, sky and earth, fire and water.
Ios wished for power. He received dominion over the sun and sky for his children, the dragons and genies.
Anaerynsia wished for life. She became the life-giver, with control over the forces of nature. Her children—the fey, and their descendants the elves and merfolk—quickly established dominion over the forests and the seas.
Skoraeus wished for strength. He became the ruler (and personification) of the earth, from which he created the giants, the goblins, and the dwarves.
When Kulan Gath wished for “nothing,” the others were surprised. But his gift proved to be among the most expansive, with domination over darkness and death. His children were the doppelgangers, who, literally speaking, were “no one.”
But their bargaining was interrupted—and corrupted—by an uninvited guest. Merrshaulk, called the Demon God, wanted his share. He corrupted (or co-opted) a fraction of each god’s gift and thus became a power in his own right. Ios’s children became split between good and evil. Merrshaulk tainted the goblins, turning them to evil and destruction. From Anaerynsia he learned the twisting power of chaos, and from Kulan Gath the might of evil.
Ios, God of the Sun and Sky
Ios is father of the dragons and the genies (from whom humans are distantly descended). He is master of air and fire.
Ios’s worship has become exceptionally fractured over the eons. Dragons revere either Bahamut, Lord of the North Wind, or Tiamat, Mother of the Pit, both children of Ios. The humans worship a plethora of deities, though most pantheons are ruled by a sun- or sky-god distantly related to Ios.
Ios: NG; Air, Fire, Good, Magic, Sun.
Anaerynsia, Goddess of Nature and the Sea
Anaerynsia is the mother of life. She controls the seasons and the tides. She numbers the elves, the merfolk, and all fey creatures among her children.
Of the four primal gods, worship of Anaerynsia has remained the most intact. The elves still revere her, though only as druids. Some humans venerate an aspect of this goddess named Erynis, and the merfolk worship a god called Eadro (either an aspect or the son of Anaerynsia).
Anaerynsia: CN; Animal, Chaos, Healing, Luck, Plant, Water.
Skoraeus “Stonebones,” Father of the Earth-People
Skoraeus is the father of the very earth. His bones make up the stones of the mountains. His children are the giants, the goblins, and the dwarves.
Skoraeus breathed life into his children, whom he had formed with the clay and rock of his body. The mighty giants were his first creation, but he had not yet mastered the art of creating life so the giants quickly split into factions. His next creation was the race of goblins, but Kulan Gath tainted these children with evil, making their forms as twisted as their morals. Finally, in seclusion from all influences, Skoraeus molded Moradin, the first of the dwarves. Noble, honorable, dedicated, and determined, the dwarves quickly became the most prized of Skoraeus’ children.
Skoraeus: LN; Earth, Law, Protection, Strength, War.
Kulan Gath, Master of Night and Death
Kulan Gath rules over all that happens under cover of darkness. He is master of the night and bringer of death, keeper of secrets and father of necromancy. He is also responsible for the invention of trade.
Kulan Gath has almost no worshipers at this day. His mastery of nothingness is so complete that almost no creatures even realize he exists (or has ever existed).
Kulan Gath: NE; Death, Evil, Knowledge, Magic, Travel.
Merrshaulk, Demon God
Merrshaulk is the Father of Demons. His chaotic influence during the Primal Bargain shattered the balance between the primal forces, splitting the proto-languages into their various forms. He is the corruptor, the despoiler, the trickster.
He is responsible for the split of the dragons, the creation of the goblins, and the fall of the yuan-ti. Most aberrations are results of his twisting and tinkering with the creations of other deities.
Merrshaulk: CE; Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Trickery.