Mythology
From Osterin
Please note: this is likely out of date, and some of the information presented may be invalid. This only covers historical events up to the Collision, and some of the effects of that event.
The universe has always existed. It is in a constant state of change, with pockets of Chaos and Order forming in localized areas, but maintaining a Balance throughout. Planets are formed and destroyed on a time scale that we cannot comprehend.
Into this universe, many hundreds of millions of years ago, was born a being of immense power. Where it came from, or how it came to exist, none know. It is speculated that it was formed by the Universe itself, from a chance combination of particles. Some believe that this being was a God from another plane of existence; others, a Demon. While not unlimited in power or knowledge, it was gifted with extraordinarily long life, and with it the ability to travel between galaxies.
It traveled for many millions of years, merely managing to explore a small fraction of the infinite space that contains our Universe. Like all beings, it became bored. It wanted a true test of the abilities it possessed. After hundreds of years of searching, it came upon the planet we know as Osterin. Pleased with the potential, the being set about making it habitable. It created water, and all of the creatures that swim. It created air, and the creatures that fly. And it created land, and the creatures that walk.
It was happy with its creation for thousands of years. The time came, however, when it began to become bored yet again. The creatures it had created so far all lacked a deep intelligence. It could not converse with any of them beyond simple concepts. And so it was that the being came up with the idea of humans.
Yet, it was conflicted on how the humans should be created. On the one hand, it wanted creativity and experimentation, but on the other, stability and equality. The struggle was so great that the being split itself in two, leaving each half of itself to rule over its own continent, separated. Having seen which side was better, the being believed that it could make a more informed decision. These two half-beings became what are now known as Chaos and Order.
Upon being split, each side retreated to its own continent, and created humans. Having already decided on a form, the humans developed similarly on both sides. Chaos's continent was positioned with the long ends facing north and south, giving it a wide range of temperatures. Order, on the other hand, had an island which was positioned further south, and the long ends faced east and west, giving it a much warmer and stable climate. As a result, the humans belonging to Order developed a darker skin tone to protect them from the sun.
Much time went by. The continent of Chaos became ravaged by storms, yet the humans learned to build houses, and survived. Wild creatures prowled the land, yet the humans learned to band together to hunt them. Villages sprang up, then towns, then cities. On the other continent, things were simpler. It was composed entirely of simple grass plains, with clearly defined seasons and moderate weather.
As the humans developed, the two half-beings found an unexpected link between themselves and the humans they had created. In order to investigate further, each of them started to appear among the humans in human form. Chaos took the form of a muscular human male with an overbearing personality and fondness for ale, while Order took the shape of a beautiful dark-skinned woman, kind and demure. What they discovered was that they could grant their humans special abilities that were linked to the primal source of each half-being. Chaos' power was wild and unpredictable, and grew in strength when there was much chaos and disorder in the world. Order's strength came from the natural order that was present in life. Change brought power to Chaos and his followers, while constancy brought power to Order and her followers.
Chaos took advantage of this to build an empire around his power. His humans learned to harness their power and fought mighty wars among themselves. Yet it was not enough. He carved a massive shrine to himself out of a mountain, filling it with perverted forms of humans who were nearly devoid of free will, created only to serve. Yet it was not enough. He called on his worshipers for sacrifices in his name. Yet it was not enough. Chaos was losing power. Order was proving to be the more powerful.
Chaos was desperate. In the centuries since the split, he had developed a sense of self. No longer did he feel as though he was only part of a whole. No longer was he concerned with the experiment he had been created to perform. He had learned self-preservation. If Order was proven to be the more effective method, the experiment would be complete. His continent would be destroyed, and he himself would cease to exist as an independent being. He refused to give up on everything he had accomplished. So he developed a plan. Over the centuries, he carefully, subtly shifted the currents in the oceans that kept the two continents separate. Order's continent began to drift out of its carefully placed alignment.
By the time Order had noticed that her winters were becoming colder and her summers warmer, it was too late to change the course. If she exerted her full strength to stop the movement immediately, it would have disastrous consequences on the world. And there wasn't enough time to reverse the process gradually. The collision, though gradual, was disastrous. A massive mountain range sprang from the point of impact, the earth thrusting into the air. Large pieces of each continent broke off and floated out to the north. The beautiful rolling plains of Order slowly turned to desert in the south, and frozen tundra in the north.
Order was furious. She confronted Chaos. Chaos was suitably chagrined by his actions, and they agreed that their power should be limited, in order to prevent either of them from abusing it. Chaos was reluctant. He managed to get one concession. They were permitted to each have one and only one Champion, selected from among their followers. This Champion would be a direct representation of the half-being, granted powers above and beyond all regular followers. He would also have direct access to his half-being at any time.
Yet even with this agreement, the damage was done. The two continents were now one. Chaos had attained his objective. No longer could Order keep stability within her followers. There were many wars between the two groups, but there were also many unions. Before long, there was a sort of peace between the lands. Again, Chaos became desperate. Secretly, he formed a new race of humans. Like the servants he had created, these were made for one reason only: war. They became known as the Northmen, the Berserkers, and they wreaked havoc throughout the land.
This time, Order decided to take action. In one stroke, she split his mountain palace off from the rest of the continent, sealing him inside with his servants. It would take too much of her power to maintain the spell, so she instead linked it to draw strength from the servants. This done, she created another spell that would destroy any being that came close to it. However, there was one thing she could not do. She could not prevent the Champion of Chaos from reaching the Island she had created, nor could she prevent communication between the two. She was bound by the agreement they had made.
The Northmen, not truly wielding the power of Chaos, but merely tapping a small portion of it, had been spared from this punishment, but were driven into the north. As time passed, things again settled down. Kingdoms were established, and peace reigned between them. Order became lax, confident in her victory with Chaos imprisoned. Over time, her influence faded. People began to forget the half-beings. The powers of Order were indeed strong, but she no longer took the time to teach her followers how to use it. The ones who knew her true strength faded.
