Tales of Koria by CrazyEddie | World Anvil Manuscripts | World Anvil

The Creation - The Caretaker

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"Do you know, who you are?"

"Yes."

"Do you know, who we are?"

"Yes. You are Mother."

"Please don't call me that."

"Just one more time."

"Do you know, who this is?"

"Yes. This is Father."

"Kinda." 

"Kinda?"

The Eternal Life chuckled, the warm embrace of her gaze wandered from the naked being in front of her to the huge skeleton at her side, which emitted some kind of dark fog out of its robe.

"Kinda." She kissed the skeleton on the blank skull, its head turning to her and the being felt the unconditional love between the Eternals. "But you can speak for yourself, love."

"I can." spoke the skeleton in a voice so deep like it was coming from the bottom of a well. "I am Death."

"Which one?"

"Well... Death. The first, if you will. The Eternal Death."

"Oh, I see." The being smiled and it felt strange because it smiled the first time in its existence, but it was not a bad feeling, it guessed.

"But I am also your father, if you like." continued Death, the long white fingers caressing the long strands of hair of the Eternal Life, her skin made out of flowers and dark wood.

"Where are we?" The being looked around, both Eternals towering two or more heads over it. Its surroundings were a green meadow with some small streams meandering between lovely hills with trees and a lot of iridiscent grass. The largest river ended in a waterfall which falls down into a dark, star-sprinkled abyss with no visible boundaries.

In the middle of the meadows stood a smithy. It had a large table made out of a dark brown wood. It looked so massive as if it was holding the entire universe on its surface, keeping it stable. The desk stood on six iron poles, nearly as dark as the abyss above their heads.

The forge was glooming, only a few coals were left in it. There were no visible tools on the desk or near the forge, the large iron anvil standing patiently there like it had all time in the world. Which it probably had.

Close to one of the middle-sized streams stood two armchairs, close to each other, but separated with a small round table with bottles and apples on it.

"What do you think where we are?" asked the large skeleton back, amusement in his voice.

The new formed being looked around and the words were coming to it like as they were always there, but hidden, buried under a thick linen blanket.

"Workshop. Smithy." It blinked. "You made me here."

"You and everyone down there." sang the Eternal Life and pointed at a desk which wasn't a desk. It stood behind the smithy and the forge, leaning heavily on twisted iron bars. It was made out of the same heavy dark wood and its round border encapsulated a huge landmass with two mountain ranges, a lot of rivers and some islands floating in a mass of water. Above all of this some white stuff was floating and two rocks high above, one was burning, the other one was a large rock with some holes in it.

It looked at it and again the word sprang to its mind without it noticing it: Koria.

"That is the world?"

"Yes." The Eternal Life caressed the heavy wood of the working table. In small cups lingered ingredients: salt, pepper, water, coal, iron, sulphur, different kinds of hair and fur, cotton, wood and three kinds of ink.

"And here you made everything in the world? And on it? Even me?"

"Correct." Life smiled at it, looked at it a little bit puzzled. "Oh, you are still naked. Wait, I'll make you something."

It looked down and saw that it indeed was naked. But what was so bad about being naked?

Modesty came to mind. Not to be naked in front of others. Was that even the right word for it?

Not that it could spend more thoughts onto this subject as the Eternal Life weaved black trousers, a white vest and a white suit jacket directly onto its body, a pair of shiny black leather shoes with white laces on its feet and a black leather belt which was holding everything together.

Everything fits perfectly like a second skin.

"You may clothe like you want, but I think, that fits you and your purpose."

"And what is my purpose, Mother?"

"I said, do not call me that."

"Just one more time." It smiled a warm smile at the Eternal and she smiled back, her amber eyes sparkling with love and motherly care. "So, what is my purpose?"

"First the introduction and the Right." interrupted Death with a gesture so slow as it was captured in a dream or a thick liquid. 

"Oh, yes, you are right." Life breathed in and out and then there stood a man in front of her. Tall like her, with glowing red eyes like burning coal, skin in the colour of bronze, wearing a linen robe, a quill in his hand and sword at his hip, held by a leather belt with small encarvings. His black hair was woven into braids, his hands those of a man who knows a lot of fighting and blood spilling.

It discovered that it had an interesting vision: it could see every detail even when the target was not close by or away a relative far distance.

"You summoned me, Eternal?" asked the man and bowed a little.

"Yes, Kamhandur. You are the first one of the gods, right?"

"As you know, I am indeed."

"Good." Life looked at it. "This is a god. A living being with capabilities, dreamed by the species in Koria and so he came into existence."

"By dreaming?"

"More by believing. Very hard. Or enough, both things can happen. You should know about religions?"

"I do, Mother."

She groaned softly, but this time she didn't corrected it, just looked at Death who holds a glowing orb in his bony hand. It was tiny and the orb had a faint blue shimmer which pulsated a bit.

"This is good." Life nodded to Kamhandur. "He is part of a pantheon of gods, the people of Pisocenia dreamed him into life as the God of War and Knowledge. He should be the example what we need of you. And what they need of you and what you need of them."

"I'm not sure I can follow you, Mother."

"Ask him to do a thing. Maybe a harmless thing."

"Hm." The newly formed being with the knowledge buried inside it looked at the tall muscular god and then its eyes fell onto the sword. It didn't liked it, it was a tool for murdering, blood spilling and making things unhappy.

"Drop your sword." ordered it Kamhandur. The god frowned, his glowing eyes wandered between it and the Eternal Life back and forth.

"No." he said plainly.

Life clapped her hands together and jumped happily like a young girl. "Splendid! Wonderful! Now to the Right of Commandment. As you do now know how gods can come to life, we now give you your purpose and the Right of Commandment. Death, love, would you be so kind?"

"Of course, my dear." rumbled the skeleton and knealed before the being. He hold up the blue orb to its chest and pressed it through fabric and skin. It was surprisingly warm and heavy like a second heart in its chest. "That was it. Anything unusual? Pain or numbness?"

"No, Father. Just warmth. It feels like a second heart without the heartbeat. Not bad, actually. But I don't feel any different." answered it a bit wondering what that means now. "What am I doing with it?"

"You'll see." It had the feeling that Death grinned. Not only with his skull but really grinned like a human being. "Now ask him the same thing as before."

It looked curiously at Kamhandur and said "Drop your sword on the ground."

Kamhandur frowned again and as he did, he reached down to his belt, unbuckled it and the sword fell to the ground, making a dull noise on the grass and earth. The Eternal Life looked delighted, Kamhandur confused, it itself surprised and a bit satisfied and Death like himself.

"Good." sang Life and gave Kamhandur his sword back. "Go back to your realm, your believers need you."

"Yes, Eternal." The god bowed before the three beings and vanished with a small plopp.

"Now to your purpose." The Eternal Life smiled so bright it made the sun envious. She leaned on the desk, rested her beautiful head with the branches poking through her hair on Death's shoulder. "If someone sees you, you will be percieved as a male human. Your name is Caretaker. Your purpose is to provide shelter and rest for the gods of Koria."

Death continued. "For this task we give you everything you need. Every tool, every resource. We have given you the Right of Commandment. You can visit every realm, every dimension connected to us. You can visit realms of the dead to ask them if they want to work for you. Even freshly deceased or people you just want to have working for you. Every race there is and will be in the future.

We give you the right to strip your fellow workers of their language and give them High Speech, the language of the gods. And of us, of course. If you want, that is, you can also just let them speak the way they speak."

"I understand." said the being called Caretaker, now knowing his name, his purpose and entire being. He looked down on his hands which looked like he had worked for many, many years as a farmer with his own strength. He looked up and beamed a bright smile at both Eternals as he bowed. "I will take care of it."


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