Difference between revisions of "Gaia"

In the beginning, [[Ayar]] created the [[:Category:Elder Gods|Elder Gods]]. Amongst them was '''Gaia, the Earthmother''', who arose as both Nature incarnate and protectress of the [[:category:Forests|forests]]. During the [[Chaos Wars]], She, along with [[Vastar]], the Skylord, played a pivotal role in fighting off the [[elementals|elemental]] forces of [[Agatheis]] of the [[Triumvirate]].

For years, a young [[druids|druidess]] named [[Galadriel]] had been searching for a guardian to protect her forestal home, but to no avail. In one final, desperate move in the year 190 AF, she gave her life to awaken the long-slumbering Gaia from Her rest, who rose to once more protect Her treasured domain.

Gaia was known for Her sympathetic gestures toward the young and the innocent, often requesting mortals to treat them with kindness. She also discouraged Her [[Divine_Order|Order]] from unnecessary warfare and declared Her public Western Ithmian temple free of violence.

In Her encounter with [[Darnashta'i]] shortly after the [[Chaos Wars]], a [[Netherworld]] [[demon]] known as the [[Wyrm of Worlds]] subtly infected Gaia with a seed of hatred that corrupted Her being. The demon's seed festered in Gaia, driving Her to slay [[Twilight]], God of Darkness, a crime that became known as [[Gaia's betrayal]]. Following this attrocity, Gaia, now branded "Oathbreaker," was stripped of Her power by the combined forces of [[Twilight]], [[Eris]], [[Aurora]], and [[Oneiros]]. This godly quartet proceeded to imprison Gaia in Her own [[Tree landmark|Gaian Tree]] where She was to remain for three years. Finally, [[Miramar]] discovered Her demonic plight and, with the assistance of [[Hermes]], [[Oneiros]], and many of Gaia's mortal followers, Gaia was freed of Her prison in the year 212 AF. The energy resulting from this shook open the entrance to the lower level of [[Azdun]].

When Gaia returned to mortal view once again, Her first notable act was to oppose Hashan's expansion into the [[Ithmia|Ithmian forests]]. Gaia proclaimed that, "[[Hashan]] has raped and murdered the forest in a quest for their own glory," and sought to remedy this perceived attack on Nature. Her attempts to limit Hashan's growth ultimately failed, which kindled a long-lasting resentment toward [[Hashan]] within the forestal community. This ancient resentment was addressed by a later Nature Goddess, [[Demeter]], who made formal amends with the [[city|city-state]] and planted new saplings around the edges of the city. However, not many [[Achaean Lingo#F|forestals]] agreed with Her decision and still hold emnity today.

Perhaps larger than Her conflicts with Eris or Hashan were those with [[Sartan]], the Lord of Evil. In the year 279 AF, He performed an act of [[Necromancy|necromantic]] extermination within Her temple, and  [[Oakstone]] retaliated by branding Him an enemy of the forests. Outraged, He ordered His followers to raze the forests to the ground, and the massive assault on Nature that ensued went down in history as the [[Sartai War]].

Since being released from the Gaian Tree, Gaia's memory of Her past was incomplete, yet Her vehemence toward [[Twilight]] remained. After a long battle with [[Twilight]] and His followers, She conceded to combine Her essence with Twilight's to create the [[Darkenwood]]. This loss seemed to permanently weaken Her spirit, and on the 11th of Valnuary, 305 AF, She dispersed Her essence into the forests and disappeared forever.