Origins of the World (lore found scattered in Guardian Sanctum)

• [The Origin Force] created the World; from its body came forth the Pantheons of the world
• Each Pantheon was assigned to a section of the World. Some areas received 2 conflicting gods; some received 3 or four gods working together; still others only received one patron; this large stretch of desert got SIX.
• The gods and goddesses all had conflicting ideas on how they would shape their region: Merchant wanted the people to trade salt with other nations; Farmer wanted to just grow crops and farm livestock; Artisan wanted people to just manufacture and produce art; Warrior wanted to build a powerful military; Servant wanted the most progressive law/government system; Priest wanted everyone to just worship them
• The region remained divided for a long time- each God more or less ruled a section of the world and remained weak

Ahriman and the Triumph of the Gods (lore found scattered along the Daiti River)

• Ahriman was a foreign god from a region with conflicting gods; He was kicked out of his land and He and his followers decided to find a new land to control
• Upon coming to the desert, He noticed how weak the area’s gods were and decided that this would be the perfect location.
• Ahriman’s followers raided the land, sacking villages and terrifying the locals. The people sent out a cry of help to their Gods.
• Hoping that by defeating Ahriman by themselves, each God hoped to prove their ideology the superior among the others.
• When they each faced Ahriman one-on-one, they were defeated. Alone, they were too weak. They hid away, ashamed, underneath the Lake of Tears.
• The Six realized that their defeat was caused by their lack of power divided. Now, they devised a plan to fight him, but together as a group.
• To do so, they organized all of their followers and asked them to worship them all as a Pantheon rather than just having one patron god. By increasing the faith they received, they grew in power.
• With the 6 gods and their people united, they faced off against Ahriman and his followers at the Scar. It was a long battle, but all of Ahriman’s followers were defeated and Ahriman himself was destroyed.
• The desert safe at last, a golden era dawned, where cities grew, trade flourished, art and culture bloomed, and abundant food meant hardly anyone went hungry.

The God of Warriors (lore found scattered in the Scab, the Temple of Warriors)

• The God of Warriors wanted a nation that could defend itself
• He created the Scab, a volcanic region, so that his people could harvest the tough granite for building walls and forts and sulfur for creating gunpowder.
• The God believed in the “eye-for-an-eye” mentality when it came to justice, and often butted heads with the peaceful Goddess of Servants.

The Goddess of Servants (lore found in the Crowns, The Temple of Servants)

• The Goddess of Servants intended on creating the most progressive, peaceful, and efficient government in the world.
• The Crowns served as both a defensible location for the capital that can easily be supplied with water, food and minerals despite its relative isolation.
• She wanted to minimize punishments for crime, instead focusing on eradicating the root of the matter; the God of Warriors was not pleased by this.

The God of Merchants (lore found in the Merchant’s Fingers, The Temple of Merchants)

• The God of Merchants originally wanted the people to invest in global trade; since the desert was so barren, He thought that it would be best to import most of their goods in exchange for salt.
• To this end he created the Palm Sea so that the desert would have a port with access to the ocean as well as the Merchant’s Fingers so that the people could harvest the lucrative mineral.

The Goddess of Farmers (lore found in the Sinking Gardens, The Temple of Farmers)

• The God of Farmers wanted the desert to be self-sufficient in producing food, growing their own crops and raising livestock.
• He created drought-resistant flora which then covered the Green Crowns and the Daiti River with forest; the lands become fertile, and the inland delta known as the Sinking Gardens began flourishing with wildlife.

The God of Artisans (lore found in the Golemforge, The Temple of Artisans)

• The God of Artisans saw the desert people as those who could create great wonders and wanted to maximize that creative potential.
• He hewed the Golemforge’s canyons, creating awe-inspiring landmarks in stone, glass, metal, etc; these materials could then be used for sculptures, tools, ceramics, etc.
• He began the Grand Mural so that the land would have a Wonder that people could come marvel and visit.

The Goddess of Priests(lore found in The Sand Loom, The Temple of Priests)

• The Goddess of Priests had planned for the people to unite together in worship of all the Gods- problem was that the Gods were so divided that the people’s worship was split as well.
• The Sand Loom was created as a place of meditation; those seeking enlightenment can go to the Qoqun Oasis, separated from the world, marvelling at the magic of the rainbow sands.