As I have told, humans spread amongst the Spheres through the gifts of the Void. Then the Gods noticed humanity again, and were jealous that they worshipped the Void and not their makers. The Gods went amongst humanity and overthrew the old ways and instituted their own worship, as pleased them.
In those days all lived according to the law of predator and prey. And the Dragons were the greatest of predators - we preyed on the beasts and the birds, and the herds of humanity and humanity itself. Unlike all others humans were upset that they were eaten as they ate others and they preyed to the Gods.
The Gods, heard the prayers of humanity and went to the dragons. They demanded that the Dragons swear not to prey upon humanity, the God's creation. The Dragons of Fire were angry that the Gods should make demands, and offer nothing in return, but the others did not wish to fight over so little. What was one item of small game worth ? It was not as if the Gods were asking us to refrain from the eating of elephants or whales. And so the First Oath was sworn, and dragons ceased to prey on humans.
But this was not enough for the humans. They were spared, but their flocks and herds were not. Again they prayed and again the Gods listened. The Dragons of Fire were angrier still, but again the side of peace won and the Dragons swore a Second Oath, that the flocks and herds of humanity should be spared.
The Gods had seen the anger of the Dragons of Fire and were frightened that the Dragons might one day make war on them. Thus they drew on the power of Chaos, their imprisoned Mother and Father and created the Shimmering. It had no definite form or size or colour, but it embodied the powers of Creation and Destruction - a thing of vast power. For long the Gods tried to master this power, but it was truly of Chaos and could not be controlled even by all the power of the Gods. Through it the Gods created wonders and perils - and even they could not be sure which the next attempt should bring.
The Shimmering had power - too much power - and so the Gods decided to shatter it into fragments that might prove more tractable. Thus they used the Shimmering one last time to draw on the power of the Void - That Which Separates - and forged that power into the shape of a sword. Even in that working the Shimmering did more than the Gods desired, for it also created the Empty, which menaced the Spheres for long, long afterward. One of the Gods took the sword and struck the Shimmering, shattering it into many fragments. Some say it was Odin who struck that blow, and that a fragment of the Shimmering took his eye. Some of the fragments stayed in Heaven - including a pearl embodying the power of Creation, but others were spread amongst the Spheres and the Void. Still, the Gods had the pearl and the sword, and thought that enough. Still they feared the sword, for it could free them and destroy them - and it was a temptation to them all.
The human population continued to grow. They took more land for farms and villages and cities. They hunted more and more animals to fill their bellies, but when a Dragon was near the large game would be taken and all prey would run and hide. So it was that the hunters prayed to the Gods, for they could not share the land with the Dragons.
Again the Gods went to the Dragons, but this time the Dragons would not simply submit. For the Dragons of Air saw that if no lands were set aside for the Dragons, humans would expand everywhere, and the Dragons could break the Second Oath or starve. The Gods were not pleased with the thought of compromise, for they knew that such an agreement would one day force them to prevent the expansion of humanity, but they were not yet ready to fight, and an agreement would serve them for a time. So, they pretended to agree and the Third Oath was sworn, replacing the First and Second. The Dragons should have their land, and all within it should be their lawful prey. The humans should have their lands and the Dragons would not hunt within it.
And so it went for an all too brief period. Then humans began to reach the limit of their lands, and they prayed to the Gods that they might be granted more. The Gods went to a wicked and greedy man named Tightfist Ironheart who loved beauty only for the price it would bring. Tightfist Ironheart recruited some like-minded fiends and entered the mountain home of Goldheart, most beautiful of the Dragons of Earth, and slew her by treachery and the magic of the Gods. Her blood of molten silver he drained and when it was cool and solid he gave it to his hirelings. Her jeweled scales he hacked off to sell. And her golden heart he took for himself.
Not content with this evil the Gods then declared that as Goldenheart had no more need of land, and the humans were in sore need, that her hunting grounds should be taken from the Dragons and given to the humans. The Dragons were angered by this callous oathbreaking and called a DragonMoot to decide if they should make war on the Gods. On that day the Speakers of the Dragons went out, that all Dragonkind should know of the Moot, and could lend their voice to war or peace.
On the day of the DragonMoot the Speakers met according to their clans. They discussed the opinions of those they had spoken to, and each elected one to speak for all their clan. Voice of Thunder spoke for Air, Voice of the Furnace for Fire, Voice of the Mountain for Earth and Voice of the Mist for Water. And so they went out to tell the assembled Dragons the outcome of their discussions.
Voice of the Furnace spoke first : :The murderers of Goldenheart must pay for their crimes ! Overthrow the Tyranny of Heaven ! Fire calls for war !"
Voice of the Mist spoke next : "If we fight many of us may die. If we do not fight we will be murdered one by one. Whatever we do much beauty must perish, but if we win at least we may rebuild. Water votes - reluctantly - for war".
Voice of Thunder spoke : "If we fight we may lose - but if we do not fight we will certainly lose. The choice is clear. Air votes for war"
Last, Voice of the Mountain spoke : "I have news of some hope. Our Mother of Earth has mastered the mirror, found in the Void by Seeker into Darkness. It has great powers of Destruction - which threaten even the one who commands it. Her strength is great enough to resist it's corrosive effects, and she will bear it as a weapon. Earth votes for war !"
Of the battle much is written, and I have little to add. A traitor warned the Gods and the Dragons were ambushed. The Gods unleashed the powers of the pearl and the sword on us. Taken by surprise and assailed by such power we could not win. After the battle the Gods in their cruelty, took the survivors and inflicted new sufferings upon them. Thus I find myself diminished and trapped in a bottle to be gawped at by humans, as if I were a thing for their amusement.
The victorious Gods declared that henceforth the spheres would be ruled by humanity, their creation. To reward the traitor they made him human, too. A reward that pleased him little, even though he retained his immortality and the ability to resume his true form on occasion.
Everway is copyright Rubicon Games 1996. Everway is a trademark of Rubicon games. This document is not intended as a challenge to those rights.
This document is copyright Paul King 1997.