Nefaihr was crafted out of a great flash of light, and from the world sprouted three things: the world's sphere of protection, the sun, and the Gods.
Anyways, as the Gods attempted to craft their globe, they found that, as hard as they tried to cooperate, unadministrated combined efforts were unconstructive. They had formed the ability to make living creatures, although it took the skills of many Gods to do so. Even then their abilities were feeble, and many creatures were, by our standards, pathetic.
Finally, they ran upon their first bit of success with the Ogre creature. Finding a suitable form (as the Gods themselves lack a permanent, not to speak of original form) to emulate, they created the other races. All races were able to interact with each other; however, their skills often varied greatly. Upon a stroke of inginuity, the Gods created a home for each being, in order to rule over that terrain. For instance, to the mountains went the Ogres, the forests the elves, and the largest area, the plains, went to the humans.
These species became close to their land, despite the crudeness and harshness of the land. They were able to craft, through thousands of years, great environments that could support all sorts of life. As the climate of the planet changed, the species either changed to suit it, or chose to live elsewhere. Many of their strengths were stripped away, and as the Gods saw that, the creatures would adapt so they would not be given dominance over the future creatures.
So, many of the planet's creatures came into being, all filling a purpose in it's ecosystem.
The humans were granted to be the lords of the most common of the lands, the plains. The plains were large and not overly fruitful, but they always provided room for growth. The humans were granted the strongest of hands to dig, climb and swim, and were the most capable of the long distance runners. They could cover ground the best of the planet's sentient denizens, and with their great hands they could manipulate the planet to a great extent. They found many ways to manipulate the planet in subtle ways that the Gods didn't think important. The humans increased their population, wanting ever more to expand into the other lands that had much more to offer.
So humans progressed and made the first tools. They created spears, found out how to wear the skins of animals, and because of their nomadic life, knew how to organize themselves very well. It wasn't long before they got greedy and made an attempt to take other lands. Many wars were waged.
The humans fought the elves, who knew the trees far too well to be bested in the forest.
The humans fought the imps, who could stand the heat too well to be beaten in the desert.
The humans fought the talians, who would hide themselves in snow and had mastered the tundra.
The humans fought the aeshma, who could exist in a world that humans couldn't enter.
Some other races were not so lucky.
Millions of years passed, and the short period of time during which the humans fought these wars caught the Gods off guard when they started. Worse still, the humans would occasionally enslave the people they conquered, using their unique strengths to aid the human cause. This, more than anything, angered the Gods.
By the time they attempted to interfere directly to stop humans from ruling the land, they found what they thought to be a most horrible dilemma. They had learned how to manipulate the land, and had observed the many different skills of many races. Races rarely saw one another, though the Gods told them much. They infered rough meanings of their universe, and eventually became able to bend the universe to their will with magic.
The Gods created a creature. A very loyal creature, though loyalty was a new idea made by humans. The creature roamed the skies. The creatures were bestowed the magic that humans had, but their magic was innate, and took only proper will power. From the skies they goverened the planet, and forced the humans from the lands they took. Many species, though devistated, had not been cruelly genocided out. As the humans were forced back to the plains, it gradually became obvious that this was not a permanent answer. Humans, as well as the other victorious races, had already evolved higher levels of thinking and their skills in magic increased noticably. Further warfare took only a few years to begin again.
So, the Gods took it upon themselves to stop the humans, while still trying to perserve them as a species. They knew very well their differences, and even two Gods who were not very unlike of mind would often have great squables. So, they took it upon themselves to make an attempt to stop humanity, once every 200 years. Each of these 200 years, one God would make an attempt to drive back the humans.
The first who went was Swafnir, a god of passion and blood. Swafnir amassed legions of warriors and fought against the humans. The Gods always had the idea that the world they had created had been delicate, but as Swafnir went on his massive escapades, it was strikingly obvious. The entire landscape of the world was reformed, continents sunken and rose. In the end, however, the Gods found that the human race was still a mighty force to be reckoned with. As they struck down and killed the Swafnir in what was an apocalyptical battle between what was left of Swafnir's meager forces and the three legions of humans, one of magic, one of might, and one of weapons. It was, of course, the legion of magical humans who slayed the great god.
The entire world was nearly destroyed, Swafnir was destroyed, and so the Gods learned of their mortality. From the death of the God of war were born two new less powerful gods, Gario and Rondra.
There were more attempts. Swafnir had taken the first steps to raising the awareness of the races, but most were still pretty droll, and none of them nearly on par with the humans. Deciding that a show of power would humble the humans, Esoterica told the humans of the Pantheon. Clerical powers were born, and Gods found themselves in touch with the races and could now communicate with their creations.
There have been eight attempts thus far. The power struggle has gone both ways, with the Gods and their children each learning more each time. Another God will soon have their chance.
Infernus of Fire
Infernus is the God of destruction and flame. He has a gentle temper, but when it breaks the dwellers of Nefaihr truly feel they are the unfair victims of his wrath. Infernus is often depicted as a blacksmith, with a great hammer, often seen side by side with his friend Marius.
Aquia of Water
Aquia is the Goddess of the seas. She is considered the gossip of the pantheon, often sharing the secrets of others and even spying on the citizens of Nefaihr. She and Infernus do not get along well, due to his somber nature and her chattiness. She is depicted as a beautiful woman with long hair, dressed in scant robes, and wielding twin scimitars.
Errore of Earth
Errore of earth is extremely quiet and pensive. More than the other Gods he contemplates the future and the changes that must take place to create an ideal world. Needless to say, he was opposed to the creation of humans. He is depicted as a bald man in a plain brown robe, often without hands to represent his lack of ambition.
Zozma of Wind
Zozma is the Lord of the wind. He is extremely curious and has scoured the surface of Nefaihr several times, enjoying the beauty of the creation. The other Gods don't take Zozma very seriously because he often acts childish, but he enjoys his escapades on the surface. Zozma is often depicted as a skinny man with long hair that wraps around himself like a whirlwind.
Marius of Lightning
Marius is the God of lightning, and a good friend to Infernus. The two can never agree, with Marius constantly becoming frustrated with Infernus' calmness in dire times. Marius is usually depicted as a very strong man with a long, blond beard.
Nyx of Darkness
Nyx is the Goddess of darkness, though you'd never know it by her cheerful personality. She may just be happy because, more than the others, she is pleased with the creation of Nefaihr, and spends a great deal of time as a mortal on the surface. Nyx is depicted as a woman with long dark hair covering her body, and bat-like wings sprouting from her back.
Gario of Light
Gario is the God of light. He is a young God, and is usually just as hotheaded as Marius. He is secretly jealous of his sister's power, and very frightened of Thanatos. Gario is accepting of the creatures of Nefaihr, having never witnessed the early chaos they brought. He is often depicted as a small child in a knight's armor, carrying a shield. He is usually next to his sister, Rondra.
Rondra of Combat
Rondra is the Goddess of honorable combat. She is protective of Gario and looks up to Marius for his well-known conviction. Though young, she has a certain bearing that begs others to listen when she speaks. She is depicted as a small girl in a knight's armor, carrying a sword. She is usually next to her brother, Gario.
Aikon of Wisdom
Aikon is the Goddess of wisdom. Naturally, she is very wise and often considered a leader among the Pantheon. Aikon is the most frightened of the creation of Nefaihr, feeling that one day it could grow into the kingdom of the Gods. She is also very nurturing to Gario and Rondra. She is typically depicted as an old woman with wispy white hair holding a sphere at arm's length. No one on Nefaihr understands this symbol.
Esoterica of Life
Esoterica is the Goddess of life and birth. She is very polite and giving, but considered shy among the Gods. Despite usually having opposing interests, Esoterica is good friends with Nyx. The two have similar personalities. Esoterica is often depicted with blond hair covering her naked body, and is occasionally drawn as a teenager.
Thanatos of Death
Thanatos is the God of death, and has the job of ending the lives of the citizens of Nefaihr. He has never once descended to the surface for fear of his own power. He enjoys communicating with the surface often, as it is his only way to experience it. Thanatos can be extremely condescending to the other Gods. He is depicted as a very old man in a black robe, often looking into an orb.
Lurkane of Void
Lurkane is the shadow on the ground, the noise when nobody is around, and the feeling that you're being watched. Being the Lord of nothing, it is not worshipped very often. Some people don't believe Lurkane is indeed a God at all. The only God who talks with Lurkane regularly is Errore. Lurkane is usually depicted only as the shadow or silhouette of a featureless person, though sometimes the stature is that of an imp.