The Crafters

The Deities that Built Civilisation

Some time after Immu's banishment, Een looked upon the world to see how the Custodians were caring for it. Some could be seen to be farming and tilling the earth to make it grow ordered life that fed them with the seasons. Others could be seen to be protecting the wild plants so that they could grow as they wished, producing fruits at their own whim and not by command of the Children of Een. This pleased Een, who smiled upon Mithrym.

“I shall send them new Crafters, each in pairs, like them. One will teach them order, shaping their method and growing their mastery of routine. The other will teach them chaos, sharpening them to the unexpected and granting them mastery of the unknown.”

And so it was that the Hands of Een came to Mithrym again. This time as pairs, two to each of the major continents.

To the North, which is now called Terrania, came Ibis and Castilla. Ibis was wise and knowledgeable. She spoke in the hearts of the people there and taught them to reason and debate. By her wisdom they learned to form senates and universities by which to govern and grow. From her came too the beasts of Terrania that serve the people there. Cows, pigs, chickens, horses and deer. Castilla was fiery and fierce. He spoke in the guts of the people and taught them to argue and to war. By his strength they came to build armies and guilds by which to do battle and to trade. From him too came the wild beasts of Terrania that serve no master. Wolves, bears, rats, rabbits and hunting birds. Ibis and Castilla loved the Children of Een greatly and so gave them too pets. One fashioned a large hunting creature to be named Dog. The other a smaller but cunning creature to be called Cat. To this day though, the Children of Een still cannot determine which wrought which.

In the Great Central Continent, now called Arrenia, came Orha and Ankha. Orha was intelligent and keen. He spoke in the minds of the people and taught them a cleverness of numbers and shapes. By his teachings they learned to build great machines and construct giant structures. Great pyramids, monoliths, halls and temples. From him came the beasts that can be tamed. Zebras, elephants, oxen and jungle fowl. Ankha was swift and harsh. She spoke in the dreams of the people and drove them to hunger and to hunt. By her call were the first tribes formed and driven by desire to dominate the land. From her came the wild beasts that hunt and hunger also. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, bats and snakes. Together they formed a single beast that would both hunt and quarrel but also question and learn. They called it Monkey.

Finally, to the South came Hokki and Bamma. They surveyed the great land and the many islands that surround it, the place now called Pulvisia, and they quarrelled over how they would craft it, for so much of it was still barren. Together they made many beasts. Some for the dusty lands. Kangaroos, dingoes, millipedes and quokkas. Some for the forests. Koalas, wombats, spiders, ants and crocodiles. As they argued over order and chaos their fury formed a single beast which they called Devil. Unlike their kin, Hokki and Bamma never took the form of the Children of Een but rather they flew over their lands in the shape of two great eagles. And they did not teach the Children of Een by speaking to them but rather by making for them places of order and places of chaos so as to teach them of both through action rather than word. It was never known who represented which and this made them happy.