Author's Notes:

Just a little thing to hold folk over while I work on the next chapter, it's almost finished. Now I have a important announcement, for the pass few months I had been working on an completely stand alone and professional version of A wizard's tale. That's right I had been spending most of my time cutting out and replacing the ponies and others with completely stand alone characters such as Dante Cruzick, Aer Volstein and Mary Grims'well just to name a few. It of course had been slow going and currently I'm in the middle of the second wave of corrections and fixes but hopefully soon I can get to the next phase of my six stage plan. I'm still going to continue writing ponies of course and once I'm done with a wizard's tale I might rework some of my other works such as Lonesome and Chaotic marks, Wolf in Wood... I had not forgotten them just having trouble with figuring out how to continue them and well time in general with working and trying to go pro I have less and less time for the other stories which need to be updated. Wish me luck.

-LD

The now dead Gaeaish pantheon, was a collection of eight main deities. The first of these gods was Helios, the father of dragons and lord of both sky and fire. According the remains of the ancient text, Helios was the leader of the pantheon and his wisdom which is shared by his children was the greatest of the eight main gods. It is said that he could hold all of Gaea in one single claw while his fire was the fuel of the underworld. His scales were of rainbows, his many wings rocked the sun himself when he flew, his fangs were as tall mountains. He was the last to fall when Demon King Tydorel turned on the other Gaeaish in his war on all life. In the battle between Helios and Tydorel, it is said that the earth shook and the sea roared, the sky itself became like blood as the two dueled to the deat,h fire devoured entire demon legions and deep within the fallen realms, canyons formed by dragon claws are found with rivers of blood within them. Sadly just like all of the others he too felled to Tydorel, both his power and life force stolen.

The second in the pantheon was Dvis the lord of chains, he was the father of the elves and as his name suggested he was the slaving god. His body bound by the heavy chains of his vanity and hatred, he was perhaps one of the most cruel and malevolent of the eight gods beside the demon king himself. The suffering of others was his pleasure and hopelessness was like a fine wine to him, he wore a gray cloak and a heavy iron crown. At his side, a wicked barred spear; his eyes dark and brooding; his hair was like ash. He was the first of the gods to fell before Tydorel, however this was the second time the two of them had fought. The first time was before Tydorel was named high king of Gaea, during the struggles against chains the elven empires. The first battle took place deep in Aylie where the city of Arianrhod sleeps, of course Dvis lost this first battle by underestimating Tydorel, a mistake he wouldn't make again in their second battle. The second battle took place in Dol-Krakr the land of chill, unfortunately Tydorel won again but this time he didn't stay in hand and slain the elf god.

The third god in the pantheon was Kainh the blood king, the god of war and murder, he was the father of the Shokr. Kainh was the ruler of of Dol-Krakr and the bother of Kaulvr, unlike the other gods he was neither benevolent nor malevolent believing at such notions were beneath him. He knew what he was and enjoyed it beside blood was the same no matter how or why it was spilled. Like his children, he was often seen as a bat, his fur was blood stained white and thick due to the cold of his realm. Tydorel strangely saved him for one of the last to be killed despite slaying Dvis in his lands, when Dvis's blood wet the ground, Kainh did nothing nor said anything to Tydorel outside of 'I'll see you in time as well'. And he did, after his death Dol-Krakr's cold spread throughout the lands turning many kingdoms into frozen wastelands neither aiding or stopping the Demon king or his legions.

The fourth god in the pantheon was Kaulvr, the lord of the deep places and the father of the orcs. Unlike his brother Kainh, Kaulvr was often seen as the god of justice as well the master of the deep places in the world, his hide was of green. The same green that his children wore, his armor was worn and rusted in some places, his great axe lingering close to him ready to strike. His clawed hands dripped with venom as did his fangs, he fought along side Tydorel against the elves and perhaps was the one who felt the most betrayed when Tydorel took up the sword against the very people they protected. He was the firth to died at Tydorel's hands and one of the few whom wounded Tydorel just enough to slow him down, buying the other Gaeaish time to escape to the north and prepare the counter attack.

The firth member of the pantheon was Derma. the hag queen, she was born old and fragile and died old and fragile. She was the goddess of sorceresses however very little text of the hag queen survived, leaving just who she was and her children if any unknown. It was said the she was Tydorel's second victim.

The sixth was Alvae, the mother of mountains and of the Rohnirians, she crafted the mountains themselves by reaching into the crust of the earth and pulled them up from the deeps to protect her children from the slaving elves. She was perhaps the most benevolent of the eight main Gaeaish gods and goddesses; her hair was an rich red; her long dress was that of entire forests and her skin white as the snow capped pecks of the mountains. It was said that Aron the Ravenking was made from her flesh though some say specifically the Ernians who felt that they are superior to the wild folk claim that he was both her husband and son, no one knows this to be true or not. She was the sixth to die.

The seventh was Ramnosshia, The Lady of Light, the divine protecting light of Ern and according to the Ernians she was most important of the gods. A sentiment not shared by any of the other surviving Gaeaish. She unlike Alvae was cruel and very envyness of the other main gods and enjoyed the belittlement of the more minor or less know gods and goddess such as Amdula the goddess of beasts. She wore a dress of golds and cobalt blues, her hair was gray as her skin. She was the third to die to Tydorel.

The last was Tydorel, The Master of Death and Ruin; the Demon king; The True Father. The fallen god of heroes and the only one to ever bare the title of the high king of Gaea; King in Orrisum and the high places. Tydorel was once perhaps the embodiment of the very ideals of the Gaeaish; noble; selflessly; courageous strong; a master of both magic and arms yet however no one knew the darkness that was his soul nor that their greatest hero and beloved high king would become their death. It was said that an stranger came into his court and spoke with him alone discussing something of grave importance. Not saying a word about his meeting nor what spoken to his court, he called all the kings and queens thought the land, all of them minus six answered the call including his closet companions the seven companions entered his halls with the way shut to the outside world. Three days later the gates open and death came for the Gaeaish and the other gods. One by one they fell before him till the Lords of magic came, the same six kings and queens who ignored the call, came to him and sealed him away. Saving the remnants of Gaea for a time.