The Six Who Are

Creation
In the beginning, there was nothing, and everything, existing all at once, only to never be, a seething mass of Chaos, eternal and ending with in an instant. But from that Chaos arose order, as two concepts came together, and together they stayed. And the united concept spoke, the language of the divine coming into being as he did so.

"I am the Beginning, the Birth of All Things, and the Light of their True Nature. And so I command - Let there be a beginning. Let there be a Light, which reveals the Order."

And thus commanded, Chaos parted, and there was Light, and the new order was illuminated, and again, two concepts were joined.

"In Order, there is purpose, and rigidity. I am the Foundation of All, the Rock Upon Which All Purpose Rests. Let there be the Earth, for the Light to illume, and so all things might accrete there."

Thus commanded, Order solidified, and there was Light above, and Earth Below, and seeing this, Chaos was Enraged, and again, two concepts were joined.

"Though Order holds Chaos at bay, no thing may be permanent. I am the Destroyer, The End of Things, the Wind Which Shreds Scatters. Let there be a Wind, to rattle the Order, and scatter the Earth."

Thus commanded, the winds of Chaos descended, and tore at the Earth without mercy, scattering rock to sand, carrying the dust high into the winds. And as Order and Chaos railed against each other, such that the very fundament shook with the battle of Wind and Earth, two concepts were joined.

"Though no thing be permanent of its own, all things may exist in a cycle. I am the Unconquerable Essence, The Water That Rains Down between Wind and Earth. Let there be Water, to return the Dust to the Earth."

Thus commanded, Reality wept, its salty tears falling from the Winds above to the Earth below, parting the Winds from the Earth with the body of the Seas, and looking upon it, two more concepts were joined.

"Even in a cycle of creation and destruction, all things must change, even if they return to each other. I am the Bringer of Change, the Flame Which Drives the Cycle of Creation and Destruction. Let there be Fire, so that all may be reborn, their light released."

Thus commanded, the flames raged across the earth, boiling the seas and releasing the light, whipped and spread by the winds. And Reality looked upon itself, and despaired, for it should never rest, nor know peace. And two more concepts were joined.

"If there is Beginning, there must be End. If there is Change, there must be Rest. I am the Tranquility of Death, the Darkness which Soothes and Calms."

Thus commanded, the Shadow of Night descended across half the Earth, ever advancing against the Light, even as the Light chased it, cooling the flames as they retreated to their appointed place, stilling the winds and waters, and providing blessed respite. And so, the World Was Made, and the Six came to Be.

The Primal Gods

While the Six are referred to as Gods by mortal man, it must be understood that they are different from the deities of influences and places and emotions that Man so often worships. They are the embodiment of the primal forces that have been woven together to form reality. As such, they do not have goals or purposes or alignments. Instead, they simply exist, and in existing, cause the universe to be. When one is physically present, it is often a calamity, for there, their Concept outweighs the distant pull of all other Concepts, and overcomes them there. Philosophers often argue which is the cause, and which is the effect of their presence. It is not truly possible to tell, and in fact, it does not matter.

From time to time, one of the Six may act in a manner similar to the lesser Gods of Influence, but these plans are almost always very long range, and tend to balance around keeping the tensions of the threads of reality balanced, or occasionally, pulling in their direction. To allow the fabric to become unwoven would mean that Their concepts return to Chaos, ending them, along with reality.

The Six
Alabrin, King of the Light
Representing the elemental concepts of Light and the Beginning, Alabrin is present whenever a truth or thing is revealed, or when a thing or process is begun, or a life is born. His power is one of the lynch pins of the universe, anchoring the beginning of time, and is requisite for every soul to exist. Even so, He is understood by man as being harsh and uncompromising in His own glory, for he is driven to bring illumination to every shadow and secret. In his presence, nothing may be concealed.

Still, some hardy souls seek his embrace, and to a very few of those, Alabrin may grant the power to pierce the shadows of death, through His power to create a beginning, and the association of life. Those who worship Him are often judges and paladins, and the rare midwife.

The Light that envelops Him is enough to blind and madden as it reveals truth, and even kill in its brilliance, and every where he steps, seeds bloom and a wave of pregnancy follows soon after.

Kestreth, the Rock of The World
Representing the elemental concepts of Earth and Creation, Kestreth is present wherever there is rock or soil or sand or dust, and anywhere a creature takes up a thing to give it a purpose in some larger plan. He provides the foundation upon which the world rests, and creates the laws of physics.

Precise and unyielding, a few hardy smiths and engineers worship Kestreth, and some few dwarves are convinced that He is the father of their race, against all available evidence.

Where Kestreth steps, gemstones follow, his presence bringing a terrible, crystalline order to all who gaze upon him.

Arathena, the Queen of the Storm
Representing the elemental concepts of Wind and Destruction, Arathena is present whenever an object or organization is broken, and in the chaos of the winds, from the most gentle zephyr and the fiercest monsoon. She provides motion and disorder to the world, suffusing it with the randomness required for it to function.

Harsh and unpredictable, there are almost none who worship the Queen of the Storm, though many pay Her homage in a forlorn hope of sparing Her wrath when the weather is bad. In eons past, when the Mad One threatened to tear the skein of reality, She bore Her swords against Him, and slew Him in a titanic battle, though Her swords were broken in the process.

With a voice of thunder and a caress like lightning, a howling tornado envelops Arathena when She walks upon the world, bringing devastation wherever it lands, shredding all to splinters and bits.

Hydiria, the Maiden of the Seas
The joining of the concepts of Water and Contiguity, Hydiria is present in the hidden essence of a thing that remains the same, even as the thing changes and twists and evolves, in the vaporous clouds above, and in the depths of the sea, and in the ice that melts. She provides to the world the properties of things that remain even when things are shaped and changed, giving rise to the interactions between the laws of order and the randomness of destruction.

Ever shifting but never changing, many craftsmen and seafarers have been known to offer homage to Hydiria, in one of Her tri-parte forms, seeking Her aid in bringing out the hidden qualities of their works.

Where Hydiria steps, death follows in boiling ice and freezing steam, the waters rushing inward in a tsunami to greet her.

Zevarith, Lord of Flame
The joining of the concepts of Flame and Change, Zevarith is present whenever a thing is changed with no hope of return, in the deep volcanoes, where the heat leaks from the earth, and in the blazing flames lit by mortal man. To the world, He grants all manners of heat, and under His providence is the arrow of Time, for a thing done under His law can never be undone.

Few have the will to worship Zevarith, to unite their will to the consuming flame, but those who do often worship Him as a purifier, and as the agent of rebirth, assigning to Him the symbol of the phoenix, which burns away the old life, leaving the new to continue.

Where Zevarith steps, the flames follow, wreathing him in a corona of flame that consumes all around him.

Kronath, Mistress of Shadow
The uniting of the concepts of Death and Shadow, Kronath is present in the expiration of all things, in the Darkness where Light cannot reach, and in the secret hidden from sight. To the world She brings the gift of cessation, of mortality, the target of Time, even as Alabrin provides the bow that loosed that ephemeral arrow.

Men are afeared of Kronath, and the absolute unknown she represents, and they scream and rage against the coming of Her gentle night. But, so too, there are those who see it for the peace it is. Undertakers, morticians, and euthanists, these rare men take it upon themselves to be the escort of the dying and the dead to the edge of Shadow's Veil.

Where Kronath stands, absolute Darkness reigns, the sheer power of Her presence crushing the Light and stifling the breath of life with its heavy, velveteen blanket.

These are the Six that are, my child, the Six that must forever be for our world to be. Pray, Child, Pray to Them that They do not rescind Their gifts to us all, for without Them, we are doomed.