The war would escalate into a full scale battle between the two sides, with there being no pause for negotiation or demands. Simply put, the demons did not want anything in specific, rather, they saw my empire as a threat and a meal, and to them, it would not be allowed for others who could rival their power to exist as they do. Like a swarm of locusts, they invaded our borders from the south and the west. They spread rapidly, to the point that many of our mortal settlements of worshippers were forced to convert to their vile religion of bloodshed and callousness, or become food for their army. There would be many great battles over the years, gods who met gods head on, with one side prevailing over the other. It was during this time that true war tactics were developed, as they had yet to ever find a true need to exist. Weapons were developed, however, they were hardly enough to combat the hordes of demon spawn that seemed to never end. This is when the goddess, Fallow, my daughter, stepped in and offered to the gods a new way.
Within the great gathering hall of Passaphere, designated Orion's Hall, Fallow sat before the gods with a showing of her gifts.
"I call it, magic." Fallow is the twin of my daughter Aqua, and yet, the two could not be more different. Unlike Aqua, Fallow did not stunt her aging at adolescence, and she was far more known than she. She was a beauty who took after her mother, over hundreds of years old, and yet she looked as though she were in her twenties in comparison to a mortal. She was slender, with long, black hair, and was one of the most creative and intelligent gods in all of Passaphere. She, was the Goddess of Illustration, and after this, she would be given the title: Goddess of Witchcraft, being it's creator.
She would construct visuals of light depicting shapes and runes in thin air, which she would call runes.
"What is this magic." Perius of all the gods would ask.
"Simply put, it is the use of bending and manipulating our gifts in order to beholden them in a more controlled, wider, and more powerful way. Our godly gifts are diverse and simple. Some of us have the gift of commanding beasts, others the gift of the storm, as our forefather, my, father. Some, the gift to shake the very earth. Despite this, our understanding is far from certain when it comes to our abilities. Imagine your gift, Centaria, where you are able to shape and move the earth. It is powerful, as the earth is all around us, but imagine if you were able to better control it."
"Better control?"
"I mean no disrespect, I simply mean, if you were able to move specific rocks instead. I would like to demonstrate." As she held out her hand, a golden light sparkled around her palm and a small flame was created in the center. This ability is simple, a flame that I could easily intensify, grow in size and heat. The rune I conjured is to help visualize what I wish to create, and if I add the rune of heat, the flame will grow hotter. In contrast, I can make it cooler as well. With magic, I can manipulate it as I wish as my understanding has grown. She toyed with her newfound system, adding runes and shaping the flame she had conjured. Soon, it took the form of a serpent, growing in length and moving wildly as though it were alive, though still it was a fire. Its color changed to that of magenta, and it sprouted a dozen heads as it slithered throughout the room in mid air. The gods were warry of first, and yet the flames gave no heat. "As I took all destructive elements away from it, it is nothing more than a shadow. I call it an illusion. It would be useful for tricking the demons."
The gods were impressed to say the least, but above all, Perius saw the usefulness in her creation. Though not all of the gods were quick to learn this new language, the tides of defense would certainly turn with the creation of golems.
Using magic, Centaria would enchant golems made of earth to combat the demons. They would act as an army at which to match their numbers, able to make many in mere moments, to attack. From there, the gods of Passaphere would only better their weaponry. Magic would be implemented into smithing, giving birth to enchantments. From there, magic would branch off into many different paths. There was one god in particular who excelled in his craft, the God of Magma and Iron, Aravese. He was a brilliant inventor who already was known for his skill in crafting weaponry, but when he saw the birth of golems, his imagination went wild. He created a special kind of golem, one that wasn't made in a instant from the elements, but was crafted intricately using metal and magic. It would take years for the first fully functioning golem to be created, at which it would show off its capabilities before the gods. Though the golem was slow, its physical prowess and magical capabilities were enough to prove to Perius that they were worth investing in. It would take another five years for the first arcane golem to be made, a golem of mechanical engineering and magical craftsmanship that against the demons, a single one eradicated an entire horde by its lonesome.
Much territory had been lost, but with the golems to make up the majority of the forces of Passophere, the demons were pushed back. They decimated the demons with rays of light that seared flesh and melted mountains. They were able to combat the strength of lesser gods with brute force, even tearing limbs off and beheading them without mercy. Few gods met their end to the golems, but the golems were not without their own losses.
For years, a constant struggle went on. While we had held ground for the most part, we had lost much to the demons, including land, lives, and resources. Perius saw no way of winning the war without sacrifice, which brought him before my tomb within the Sanctum of Passophere, which was beyond the vault, the very last room guarded by two golden doors as tall as the ceiling.
Upon his knees, he would couple his hands together. "Father... What am I to do? In moments, you could end this war. Wipe out their armies, but I? I lack the strength. I lack the power that you once had. Please, father... Could you not tell me from the great beyond?"
He would receive a response, but it was not I who would answer his prayers.
"Perius."
A momentary shift. Uncoupled his hands. He lifted his head up. "You are not the voice of my father."
"No, I am not. You know who I am. You know what I am. Free me. I can help you."
"It has been a long time since you last spoke. Why now?"
"Was there ever a reason to?" The voice would cackle, as though laughing at his own joke.
"The Mad God."
"Mad? Why ever would I be mad? Upset... Perhaps, that your father left me here... But I am not mad!! No, no, no. I would rather say heartbroken!"
"Indeed. You would have your uses, but I am not the boy who once conversed with you, Mad God, I am greater."
"Indeed! Little son of brother of mine, makes you my nephew... All grown up! What a man. What big strong arms you have!"
"Quiet. My father once held conversations with you for a reason. He told me you were smart, that you knew what he could not see. Tell me what it is that I can not see. Tell me the answers I am blind to. This war, there is an enemy-"
"I know all about your enemy. I have been silent, a voice without a word, but ears with hearing. The absence of your father has left you with much to manage, dear boy, but there are other gods with far greater power than you. All I would need is a body."
"Never, yet you are right. There are other gods out there. Far greater than you or I."
"I expected that! Well then... You understand the risks, no? They are not to be trusted. Orion's absence will create a vacuum. Will you call for them to enslave your kin?"
"I need not to ask."
In all the years of the world's existence, it would of course stand that the origin gods, or, true gods, as they were called, would come across each other. While they were scattered across the entire world, there were some that were close enough that they knew of the borders that outlined their territory. Some gods had lost their minds, in fact, many did, as those who were weakest were unable to handle the passage of time. Others had lost their lives to gods they'd come across, but as the years went on, the origin gods had come to an agreement of sorts, one that was unspoken. They would keep to themselves, coming to value their survival and all that they had built, and not wanting to risk an altercation with another origin god who could potentially rival their power. One such realm was to the north, the realm of the Challemidas Gods, and their Pantheon of Ikan. The god-father of their pantheon was a god by the name of Ookamodius.
Ookamodius was an intelligent god for the most part, as intelligent as he was benevolent and yet merciless. It was well known that he had ended the lives of a few other origin gods over the years, coming to harness a vast amount of power himself that kept at bay threats to his realm. He had sired many children as well, would only added to his power. In describing his apparel, he was tall, yet had a slender body that a head full of long, white hair fell down upon. He would resemble a young man for the most part, yet his eyes would look upon you with a calculative look. If you were to look back, you would think of a winter's snowstorm. He was powerful enough to conjure blizzards out of nowhere, father to wolves and the silent killer he was known as. With unparalleled skill in the double bladed polearm, he would cut down enemies with single strokes, while never having been seen in the cold whiteness of snow. It was told in tale that he once ended the life of another origin god in a white flame, and not a trace was left behind. This was Ookamodius, the Challemidas God of Winter.
To anger him forthright would be a foolish move, but Perius knew that outright asking for his help was even more foolish. Thus, he decided to instead drag Ikan into their war by forcing the demon hordes to the north. Whales were pulled from the ocean and left as a trail for the demon hordes to follow north, spanning miles. Perius was known for his physical strength and prowess, little for his control over the elements. Still, he was not without his capabilities. With his daughter, Centaria, and other gods to assist him, he splintered the land. The forces of nature brought about an earthquake, a hurricane, and a flood of disastrous proportions. Much territory was lost, but it was comparable to cutting off an already infected limb. A new sea was created, called the great divide. It ran from the very south to the very north, cutting through the land all the way to the realm of Ikan. Ultimately, the plan would work, and the demons would march north into Ikan. Of course, Ookamodius was not so foolish that he was unaware of this action. Enraged, he, himself would venture beyond Challemidas, cross over the mountain range in decimating the demons in a rain of destruction. He would cut down every single one of their numbers before making it half way through the great divide. Across from him, on the other side of the sea, Perius sat. The two, even across such a great distance, could see each other clearly.
In an instance, a wave of ice would wash over the great divide, freezing the entire sea with the frozen tidal waves of water, cracking, rising, and crashing into each other, even after they had already turned frigid.
Ookamodius would appear before Perius, biting upon an pear. "Where is the true god?" He asked, at which Perius would calmly respond.
"You are looking at him."
Ookamodius sized Perius up. He grunted. "I had expected more. No armor and simply fabric. I had heard of the great Orion and your feats that shook the world centuries ago, but to see you now. I am not impressed."
"Funny. I have never heard of you."
Ookamodius was infuriated by this comment, but would only bring himself to laugh.
"The testicles at which you have. You are arrogant. My children would never dare to be so."
"My children would beat your children in an argument then."
"Do you think this is funny? You push these vermin into my land, and for what?"
"They had become a nuisance, and for the same reason you dare not touch me, I dare not to wipe them all out. Their, true god, as you call us, has yet to reveal himself. Now, you are in the same situation as I. Why risk our lives to combat an equal?"
"Is this your way of arranging an alliance? Two true gods against one?"
"If I am to go against another, I might as well better my own chances."
"There is no guarantee that we would survive, and I would certainly not put my life upon the line in such a way."
"What shall you do then? Continue as? Say it comes down to my realm and these invaders, if I were to die to their true god, who may very well be more powerful than I, as what kind of god would so openly send his own spawn to invade and ravage the lands of others, without the ego to make them believe they have the power to do so, do you believe they would stop after devouring just my realm? I imagine not."
"I have thought for a while that there shall be order to the realms of gods upon this world. Decamedes has persisted the spread of his land, and I have found it to be rather cumbersome. Orion of Passophere. I offer you an invitation to my council of pantheons, to be the first to bring order to this world."
"This is rather sudden."
"It is the beginning. You have kept to your own, but this is a sign. Our forces will only grow in power, and I see a world in the future, shattered by these forces colliding. We used to be nothing more than gods of mountains. Now, we are gods of entire oceans. There must be balance, and there is no greater balance than keeping one another in check. If there were ever a time where one god steps out of line in disturbing that balance, then the rest can silence them. This, fool, who would dare to send his armies upon our lands needs to be put in his place, this is true. To stand idly by, is to wait for his approach. Your actions have angered me, but I will set aside that anger for I see reason. What say you?"
"I may be stubborn, but I no fool. What of other gods? Whom are we to trust among the many of us in the world?"
"That is just it. None of them. Not even your own blood."