Chapter 6 – The Cosmos Perfected
"Now!" roared a formless Primordial as it led the rest in a charge against the Starlight Barrier Sulen had raised.
They launched a coordinated assault on the Material Plane from every direction.
Sulen and Shar sensed the Primordials' combined strike. Though still locked in fierce combat, the instinct to protect the cosmos forced them to pause.
"The Primordials are attacking together," Sulen said, lowering her hand as starlight shifted into a defensive ring around her. "They've picked the worst possible moment."
Shar, furious, grasped the gravity of the situation. "Our infighting has given them an opening. The external foe comes first."
The two primal goddesses set aside their feud and joined forces against the incursion. Yet this onslaught was more organized than any before; the Primordials had learned to fight in concert, disparate elements meshing into a terrifying offensive.
The starlight line was breached at multiple points, the Shadow-Mazestorn open. Hordes of Primordials poured into the Material Plane, racing straight for the continent of Faerûn.
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Chauntea immediately called upon the power of the earth, raising mountain ranges as bulwarks and opening chasms to swallow the invaders. But the Primordials were too numerous and too strong; Mother Earth alone could not hold them back.
At that critical instant, the energy core born of light clashing with darkness blazed. The newborn goddess of magic, Mystryl, fully awakened and felt her purpose.
"Order must be upheld," Mystryl intoned, her voice echoing through the cosmos like a spell.
The primal goddess of magic entered the fray at once. Mystryl's power was unique and immense, letting her directly reshape the fundamental rules of existence.
She wove an intricate web of magic that trapped vast numbers of Primordials, then reversed their primordial force and hurled it back, sealing the gaps in the defenses.
Under the combined might of the three primal goddesses and the newborn goddess of magic, the Primordial onslaught was finally checked.
Sulen's starlight shattered Primordial cores, Shar's darkness devoured their energy, Chauntea's earth pinned them in place, and Mystryl's magic unraveled their very structure.
After a long and grueling battle, the Primordial host was driven back. The survivors fled to the Outer Planes, daring not to attack again.
In the aftermath, a strange phenomenon occurred: the divine essence of the slain Primordials did not vanish; instead, the cosmos itself absorbed it.
The mingled energies of order and chaos settled into the fabric of reality, ultimately forming two World-Serpents—one embodying order, the other chaos.
These serpents of cosmic principle were not physical beings but living symbols of the universe's underlying laws.
Coiled around one another in balance, they became the foundational framework of the Toril Universe. The Serpent of Order ensures stability, while the Serpent of Chaos allows change and innovation.
As the rules of the cosmos stabilized, new deities began to arise naturally.
Deep within Faerûn, Mother Earth Chauntea sensed a power akin yet alien to her own stirring to life.
From the continent's most ancient mountain range emerged a being known as the Primal Titan.
The Primal Titan embodied the strength and stability of the land. Unlike Chauntea, who fosters life, he focused on maintaining the world's physical structure.
"I am the Son of the Mountains, the pillar of the earth," the Primal Titanrumbled, inclining his head respectfully to Chauntea.
Almost simultaneously, in a remote corner of the Astral Plane, a colossal dragon egg took shape amid the starlight. Its shell shimmered with nine distinct hues, each representing a draconic aspect.
When the egg cracked open, the Nine-Faced Dragon God was born.
"I am the Progenitor of Dragons, the source of all dragonkind," the god declared, his voice shaking the cosmos.
The birth of the Nine-Faced Dragon God drew every deity's attention.
His might was immense, nearing that of the Primal Gods, yet fundamentally different.
He represented the first racial god, a single-species divinity born alongside the Primal Titan.
Ling Hao noted that, though new gods kept appearing, relations among the Primal Gods remained tense.
After repelling the Primordials, Sulen and Shar returned to their standoff.
The sun still hung in the sky, Shar's dark domain indeed diminished. The sisters no longer fought openly, yet neither spoke nor cooperated.
Mystryl attempted mediation. "Light and darkness are both forces the cosmos requires—why remain at odds?"
Shar replied coldly, "She betrayed my trust and created the sun without my consent. That act is unforgivable."
Sulen stood firm. "It was necessary for life. Look at Faerûn now—life flourishes beneath the sun."
Indeed, under the sun's rays the continent experienced an explosion of vitality.
Plants of every variety blanketed the land; complex animals appeared, including the first sapient life. Even the newborn gods assumed their roles, maintaining the world's functions.
But what did that matter to Shar, who was darkness itself?
The Primal Titan sculpted the continent, raising majestic ranges and sweeping plains; the Nine-Faced Dragon God pondered how best to create the dragon race; elemental gods preserved nature's balance.
Only Shar grew ever more isolated, spending most of her time in the Shadow Plane, seldom speaking with the others.
Meanwhile, Chauntea and Mystryl were studying a new phenomenon.
On Faerûn, certain sapient beings began to exhibit the capacity for faith. Through simple prayers and worship these primitive creatures could generate minute surges of divine power.
"Life is worshipping us," Chauntea said in wonder. "Their belief can strengthen us."
Mystryl nodded. "A reciprocal bond: we grant shelter and guidance, they offer faith and adoration. A remarkable cycle of energy."
Word spread quickly among the gods. All soon realized that interacting with mortals could increase their might.
And so the deities began actively guiding Faerûn's development, each seeking followers and establishing cults.
Only Shar remained silent, watching with different thoughts in mind:
"Faith is a two-way chain. Gods shape worshippers, but worshippers also shape gods. Such ties may bring trouble."
Ling Hao agreed with Shar. In the game's lore, faith was indeed a double-edged sword; gods who relied on it too heavily often faced dire consequences.
Yet he could voice no opinion, and so simply continued to watch