Something that Harn did really well with their atlas and gazeteer books for their campaign world was outline the world creation myths -- in many cases, they told each god's creation myth from their religion's perspective -- how the world came to be, and how that it all came together.
One of my favourite books is Stephen Brust's To Reign In Hell. It tells the story of the fall of the angels -- from both sides. It's an epic story of shades of gray with backstory and a chain of events and reactions, and there are beings who lose on both sides of the casting out of the angels, and it has real emotion to it ... and it explains how that plays into the creation of the world and the motivations of the celestials.
Another thing that I really enjoyed and remembered as I developed my 5E campaign world over the years was the Simarillion's story of Eru creating the universe from song. Taking that, and how Brust's angels create the world from the raw untapped element of cacoastrum, it gave me and idea of how I wanted my world to be created, explain the falling out of the celestial beings, talk about how mortals were gifted with magic, and keep wizardry and sorcery or spell-like abilities as different as possible with an in-world explanation, explain how multiple pantheons work and co-exist in my world, and set the stage for the agenda of the great godly beings around the world itself.
You may recognize in my world's creation some new and old proper names from a variety of gaming sources, remember my home campaign has been going through many rule sets over the decades, and I admit to enjoying the reskinning and re-using a good evocative character or name.
That being said, in the beginning ...
The Alabaster Scrolls Tell of the Beginning
Aarishem, the Allfather of the Court of Voices, called his prophet Manphares to him in the legendary city of Namphare from the tribes of mankind, and had him set down the earliest days of Celestia, and revealed the truths of the gods to mankind.
Aarishem says before the Court of Voices came together and sang in choirs, there was discord. The Thousand Pits of Shabel-Mar raged and the Ethereal Sea burned with such fury that none could venture forth from their worlds. From Shabel-Mar great and powerful beings waged war, stretching forth to devour worlds, drawing all life back to The Thousand Pits.
The Elder Gods stood astride worlds, the blood of all creatures upon them. They were Dagon, Bolthomogg, Nycorn, Obox-Ob, and more. Their forms were incomprehensible, and their spawn without number.
Against the ravages of Shabel-Mar stood the Gray Lords. They were led by Aarishem the White Eye, and standing with him were Karkath the First Flame, Minderhall the Stonemaster and Uarthos the Ethereal, and others who followed their banner. They could not defeat the foul creatures of Shabel-Mar, for they were without end, but they raised many warriors from across many worlds and railed against the Elder Gods. This was the First War.
The First War raged for countless millennia, until Uarthos stole from Dagon’s deep lair secret lore – he used this lore and sacrificed himself to create a realm protected far from Shabel-Mar, immutable by the will of great beings, only by the hands of mortal creatures. This realm he called Theras, and those who followed the Gray Lords came to dwell in Theras.
Aarishem then called forth the greatest and noblest of the host of the Gray Lords now of Theras to dwell apart and raise their voices as one, to shroud this realm from the eyes of the Lords of Shabel-Mar. Their song formed the bastion wall about Theras, a shining realm of light that echoed with its celestial choir of voices. The song and the shining realm of light were named Venya, and Aarishem decreed that as long as the Court of Voices sang, this Fortress would stand fast. Another song was sung in Venya, to call forth to the Court of Voices souls that ended their time on Theras, as long as Aarishem found them worthy, and they joined the celestial choir, adding their voices for eternity.
Tales of the First Days of Theras
Astaroth was a powerful fiend who dwelt in a realm known as Baator, and his infernal host had become diminished in the defense against Shabel-Mar. He knew his realm would not stand long if he did not have minions to guard Baator’s borders, as he was not well loved amongst the lords of the higher planes. So he whispered to those in Venya and offered them a place in his court to those who would teach him Arishmen’s song that called souls to their choir. The song could not be sung by the harsh voice of Astaroth, and so it was instead changed to a whisper of temptation, that mortal souls could choose to follow.
Aarishem heard the whispers from Baator and felt the emptiness in his realm from souls not arriving in Venya, and knew he had been betrayed. He exiled from his court Triel and Mephistopheles and others who had hidden their treachery. Astaroth called them to Baator, and this exile as known as the First Falling.
Aarden & The Alabaster Scrolls (6000 years ago)
A humble mortal by the name of Aarden is known to have discovered the fabled Alabaster Scrolls, which tell of not only the Gray Lords and The Court of Voices, but the will of Aarishem. Aarden came from the wilderness and travelled the southern lands uniting the people with words read from the Scrolls themselves. These people became known as the Malacisti.
Aarden was courted by nobles and warlords, seeking to gain prominence amongst the other houses in Malacist, but he never accepted lodging or hospitality for more than three days as Aarishem asked any house to offer any guest, ever travelling the land, and strangely never growing old – he lived for over 800 years, becoming known as the second prophet of Aarishem. When he passed, it is said he was taken as an angel in the Court of Voices, becoming son and herald of Aarishem.
The Alabaster Scrolls were then kept by the Church of Aarishem, and the message kept within of fidelity to one’s family, performing acts of kindness to those in need, vigilance against the insidious influence of Baator, and many other laws of behaviour, became ingrained in the Malacisti culture. After many years, the Malacisti Houses living these tenents forged alliances a and became the Malacisti Empire 4700 years ago, an Empire that persists to this day.
The Word of Lianter (Nearly 5000 Years Ago)
Lianter was a son of the Dragonfather Karkath, and he tread the lands of the north, living amongst the Marchlords. While his brother Draxus was a warlord, Lianter had a kinder nature, and was very wise. He served as a diplomat and adviser to the Dragon Throne of the Verdraaken Empire, and he taught a select number the secrets of rune magic.
As generations came and went, rune magic developed into schools of magic, of Enchantment, Divination, Necromancy, Abjuration, Conjuration, Transmutation, Illusion, and Evocation. These schools of magic became known collectively as wizardry, and within a few centuries supplanted sorcery as the magic of men – a magic of the mind that draws on knowledge and formulae rather than magic of the blood.
A number of wizards who grew powerful, and allegiances started to shift from the Dragon Throne to these powerful mages. Seeing the fractures in loyalty to the Verdraaken Empire, Lianter bargained, entreated, battled, and enslaved these powerful lords to the Empire and Karkath, with runes bound into their flesh. They became the Runebidden, servants of the Empire. They grew more powerful and lived beyond the years of mortal men.
Wizardry became more formal over the years, with masters teaching apprentices, and schools passing on formulae, gestures and incantation – Wizardry became known as Lianter’s Path, the use of spells the Word of Lianter, even after his tragic death in the Summoner’s War.
The Second Falling (Around 4000 years ago)
The Court of Voices cast their gaze on mankind, and Aarishem was unpleased. Aarden was once a mortal soul, but he become a favored servant of the Allfather, and he eventually ascended to the Court of Voices as a throne angel. Word of Aarden’s exalted state reached the faithful, and the White Council began to believe that they too could ascend. Greed, internal politics and jealousy began to fracture the Malacisti Empire. Aarden was sorrowful and went to Aarishem asking to return to Theras and set things right.
From Venya, Aarden took a new human form and returned to Canorata as a simple monk so he might learn the purity of the word of Aarishem. He walked amongst mankind and spoke the words of the Court of Voices, but no one listened. He offered no wealth to his listeners, he did not speak of exciting political intrigues. And one night, while begging for alms, he was murdered by a defrocked priest and criminal named Idenicus. At that moment, all the holy symbols of Aarishem across the empire cracked.
The Court of Voices was thrown into discord. The spirit of their most beloved servant Aarden returned to Venya disconsolate towards man. Aarishem was wroth, and storms and calamity raged across Venya. Some of the more pragmatic angels felt Aarden had not been honest with mankind, masquerading as a mortal, and the Allfather’s punishment against all of mankind for the evil of Idenicus was unjust, and discord rose up again in the Court of Voices. The result of which was Adramanther, Admosdai, Malacai, Ramael and Madrael left Venya of their own accord. Adramanther wandered for a while, and eventually joined Astaroth in Dis, becoming Dispater. Asmodai and Malacai gained a mortal following and ascended to godhood. Madrael wandered Celestia, eventually subduing Chardros in Moil and became the god of death.
Later, the Alabaster Scrolls disappeared from Canorata, never to be seen again.
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