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-====== Myths and Legends ======
-===== Stories from the God Wars =====
-====  Yarma ====
-Yarma is born into one of the tribes living among the lakes and their Islands. He was an inquisitive boy, apprentice to the tribe's hunters and soon grew powerful within their number.  One day as he was traveling the lakes, he found a small island that he had not explored before and decided to meditate upon it.   To his surprise he found a beautiful rock, with deep red and blue veins,  at the centre of the island and he determined to sit on it while he contemplated the serenity of the day and the abundance of wild life.  While he didn’t know it at the time, the rock was an old Spirit Rock, immensely powerful but diminished by time and a lack of worshipers.
-From that day Yarma changed - he travelled, but always came back to //his// island and eventually made it his home.  He grew powerful and gradually bought all the peoples of the lakes under his dominion.  A great tower arose on his island, the spirit rock became his throne and as he became even more powerful, and his eyes turned towards the neighbouring nations.  Eventually the tribes and  races banded together to repel Yarma with his armies and new found powers. The Tribes sent their spear-men, the Dwarves sent axe-men, while the Elves sent archers - even the Gnomes came - with their contraptions and cross bows. But Yarma and the Spirit Stone were too powerful – and then the dragons came.  Yarma had his  spirit stone throne carried to the top of his highest tower, and seated on it called down a rain of fire and rocks from the skies.  As the throne rose slowly into the sky, Yarma started the final incantation, and a great ball of flame appeared in the sky.  Small at first it grew larger, and the armies of both sides scattered.  However Yarma, possessed by the Rock Spirit, laughed manically.
-Apart from those that Arth saved, the destruction ++appeared absolute|//(it wasn't of course, other survived the God's War, this is just one part of the story)//++.  Yarma came to his senses at the last moment, as the power Rock Spirit waned and  allowed him to see the destruction he had wrought.  With his last breath he vowed to atone.  Yarma's priest will tell you that after to god wars, Yarma spent his time patrolling the tree of life and guarding those who had fled there.  Now he is seen as a patron of Guards and Soldiers everywhere.
-Arth and Yarma are often seen as related deities - and many people will say a single prayer to both deities at the same time.
-==== Arth ====
-Arth was born in a small village where the people made a good living as farmers. As a child Arth was content, he lived in his parent’s house, tended the goats and helped in the fields. As he grew, he became withdrawn – spending more time with his goats and sheep than in  the village, until eventually he announced that he was going to live as a hermit, in  a cave by the Arkheim Circle.
-Years passed and Arth achieved a reputation of being both wise and powerful. He could brew potions from the mountain flowers that would cure most illnesses, and occasionally people would travel to his distant cave just to question him. Always he had an answer.  And always the petitioner knew it was the right answer, even if it was the one he didn't want.  One day a young man called Yarma when he came in search of wisdom.  He left in the same way as many of the other petitioners, knowing he had been told a terrible and unpalatable truth.  But now Arth knew that truth as well.  Arth stayed in his cave harbouring his strength and preparing against the day  he foresaw.  He carved great statues of a winged horse and a chariot, and then he started building a huge cauldron out of mountain rock before using his magic to decorate all three with the most beautiful pictures of flaming birds (The Phoenix).
-Then came the day that Arth had foreseen.  Yarma rising, the war, the rain  of fire and the great rock from the sky. And Arth was ready.  On the last day of destruction - Arth mounted his great chariot and galloped through the air, towing the flying cauldron behind. Dipping down to earth he let the terrified people climb in. No matter how many climbed in, there always seemed to be room for at least one more, but still he could not save every one.
-Arth flew the Chariot among the branches of a great tree, the chariot landed and the people spilled out.  But Arth, their saviour, stood lifeless in his wondrous chariot, as if he too was carved of stone.  The people started to weep, but a great flaming bird flew among the branches, as Arth and his chariot crumbled to dust.  In its place stood a new shining Arth, mounted in a winged chariot pulled by a  horse of flames, and he followed The Phoenix out into the heavens.  However, he looked over the people he saved from a distance, and when they realised that they a shrine dedicated to him -  and since then Arth has been the patron of hermits, healers and a symbol of hope.
-Arth and Yarma are often seen as related deities - and many people will say a single prayer to both deities at the same time.
-==== Bagmet ====
-The followers of Bagmet tend to be secretive with outsiders and don’t share much of his lore.  Indeed many sages speculate that they understand little of his background and history, nor does there appear to be any philosophy apart from ‘Magic is Best’.  A description which, most sages agree, sums up the beliefs on modern followers of Bagmet well.  Often appearing as a goat headed man, he was seen as a demon and persecuted by many of the more controlling religions.
-The same sages will tell you that before the  Gods War Bagmet was a very minor deity of magic serving as patron to the leaders of a small sect.  He often appeared as a goat headed man, and was considered to be a demon and persecuted by many of the more controlling religions.   During the Gods War, he chose not to fight and stood above the conflict – watching, learning and absorbing powers from gods who were destroyed.   Now, he still stands above - not taking sides, not concerned about the outcome -  just so long as magic is used with understanding.
-Bagmet is the Master of Magic, it doesn’t matter what sort of magic – Arcane Spells, Divine spells, Witch’s Hexs, Oracular Powers – he understands them all.  While others deities might have a natural understanding, Bagmet (and his followers) can explain them all in excruciating detail with pages of notes, diagrams and formulae.  He is, particularly, the patron of Wizards and other Magic Users that require academic research and spell books.
-His symbol is a pentagram.
-==== Way ====
-Way was ever the traveller, even her name comes from stories that she was forever 'on the way' somewhere.  Some will tell you that she was originally a half-elf, others that she was a half-orc - but the one thing they are sure of, is that she was half-human.  For Way, the destination wasn't important, but the journey was - and she travelled and travelled all of her life.  It didn't matter whether it was on land or sea, in the mountains, deserts or plains -  Way travelled.  She even travelled across the plains meeting with gods and demons alike and it is said that this  was her first steps on the path to divinity.
-During the god wars, Way became leader of a small group of travellers, and led them through many strange places, stopping for a few nights here and there, then moving on again.  She even knew where to find pockets of humanity and civilisation, among the carnage, where they could rest for a while -  but they always moved on before their welcome wore out.
-==== Gasgano ====
-Gasgano was once a sage, specialising in the natural and physical world, until he was caught up in a planar gate spell that sent him to a new world. The group he was travelling with came across a copy of the Necromonicon, and Gasgano was the only one able to read any of it. While he couldn't understand much of it, he managed to open a route into the Paths of the Dead, navigate a way through them, to lead his party safely through. Further study of the book allowed him to navigate the paths of the dead back to his home plane, and taught him the secrets of eternal life.
-During the god wars, Gasgano took refuge in the Paths of the Dead and gathered around those still living souls that somehow made their way there.  This rag tag group had few resources, and survived on their wits alone - knowledge became their tools and their weapons.  Their learned about their bodies, hones them, learned to survive on minimal rations and learned to fight using only their minds and bodies.  Now his followers try to emulate that -  training mind and body as rigorously as they can.  That way lies salvation.