The Pillars Explained

The Pillars Explained – The Oreniah Codex

Upon their creation, the Pillars were just that, supports for the universe. Structures to harbor the fabric of space-time together and to establish a space where conscious life would thrive. Over time and incalculable distances, these Pillars of pure Essence embodied the influences adrift in a sea of consciousness, flowing through the universe.

Influence radiating to the Pillars, imprinted upon them a sense of self and a sense of identity and emotion to match. On a plane higher than all others, the Pillars constitute their first conscious decision, to tear off a part of their Essence. Those torn pieces were bestowed on a centralized world with two suns, where open communication could take place between them.

These torn pieces were Envoys and shards of divinity. Each Envoy rendered its form based on a key aspect of their respective Pillar. Each Pillar was named in a shapeless language that was more felt than heard.

Pillars associated with Life and Death are responsible for creating mortality within the universe. Structure, Energy, Movement, and Adaptation are the architects of several different intelligent and purposeful forms of mortal beings. For other mortal beings, Chaos imprinted the design and basic structures of the respective intelligent beings. Once imprinted, Chaos stamped those blueprints across the verse in random and various assortments.

Once this was accomplished, the remainder of the Pillars applied their Essences to each mortal form. Wisdom and Knowledge imparted information, contributing various levels of critical thought and memory, to retain experience and reasoning. Power granted each entity a physical attachment to the universe and a connection to nature. Reality gifted each with a shared version of existence, to design a basis of communication. The Pillar of Reality also endowed individual perspectives to inspire identity and creativity. Finally, Soul filled each life with emotion, morality, and a connection to something greater than themselves. Soul’s final contribution to mortal forms was a special one, it inadvertently forged a cycle of reincarnation. This act yielded access to the Pillars through Essence and its lesser form, Will.

This centralized planet where the Pillars would commune was recognized as The Third Pinnacle. The planet’s naming was due in part because it subsists at the highest plane of existence within the third dimension. Shards of each Pillar took up residence at this commune nestled in the stars. Its surface was soaked in power, the foundations compacted with Essence, and its atmosphere a torus of celestial energy. As the twelve Envoys settled on the planet, it shaped to their desires.

The above description is taken from a long list of detailed history about the Pillars. This is the summary of the First Epoch, the time right after the universe I’ve created in The Last Soul takes place. A brief description of each Pillar as it is known in the Fifth Epoch will follow. The Last Soul takes place in this period of time. Some of the entries below are rough and still being planned out.

1. Life – Izanagi, Japanese Mythology
   1. CHAMPION – The Lifecrafter
   2. POWERS – Animate and Fabricate
      1. GROWTH, CULTIVATION, CREATION, PLANTS, EXCESSIVE WILL,
   3. Connected to Death through Consciousness
   4. Izanagi is a creator and primordial deity from Japanese mythology. Considered to be a progenitor of many other deities including those related to the sun goddess Amaterasu, the moon deity Tsukuyomi, and the wild storm god Susanoo. The Lifecrafter, Mother, has been associated with Mother Nature and is the chosen champion of this Pillar of power.
2. Structure – Taranis, Celtic Mythology
   1. CHAMPION – The Prophet
   2. POWERS – Fabricate and Declare
      1. LAW, FOUNDATION, WIND, THE WHEEL, JUSTICE, THOUGHT, TERRA
   3. Connected to Chaos through Freedom
   4. Taranis is the god of thunder from Celtic mythology. He was part of a triad of gods that many worshipped and human sacrifices were given to. Represented as a bearded god with a thunderbolt in one hand and a wheel in the other, he has been connected with other gods such as Jupiter and Zeus. The Prophet, Lathan, has learned to take control of the skies and is just learning to harness his abilities. Being connected with a king among gods, Lathan’s potential as this Pillar’s champion has barely been tapped.
3. Wisdom – Enki, Sumerian
   1. CHAMPION – The Eternal Student
   2. POWERS – Declare and Endow
      1. ENCHANT, SPOKEN WORD, WATER, INSIGHT, PORTAL,
   3. Connected to Knowledge through Information
   4. Enki is the Sumerian god of water, knowledge, mischief, crafts, and creation. He is an Anunnaki, one of the most powerful gods of the Sumerian Pantheon. He is associated with the number 40 and a horned crown of divinity. The Eternal Student of this Pillar of power is considered to be a bridge between gods and mortals, the holder of divine will that makes civilization possible. Known to walk the worlds of men and influence their societies, continually learning from mortal beings. He is often depicted as a winged being or owl with mirrors for eyes, a dark being that is covered in silver stars, as if stitched together with constellations.
4. Soul – Thesan, Etruscan Mythology
   1. CHAMPION – The Mirrored Seer
   2. POWERS – Endow and Invigorate
      1. MIRROR, TRUTH, POTENTIAL, SUMMON, SPIRIT, REFLECTION, FUTURE SIGHT, DREAMS, EMOTION,
   3. Connected to Power through Purpose
   4. Thesan is a goddess of the dawn from Etruscan mythology. Her eyes reflect a soul’s true essence and divine the dark, allowing her to shed light on what was, showing her the future. Her champion, The Mirrored Seer, is always depicted as a female, giant in stature, possessing a halo, and nude. Her body is semi-transparent and made of a golden light.
5. Energy – Xihe, Chinese
   1. CHAMPION – The Gilded
   2. POWERS – Invigorate and Vibrate
      1. GAMMA, PENETRATION, LIGHT, FIRE, BEAM, TRUTH, ENERGIZE, AMPLIFY
   3. Connected to Reality through Perception
   4. Xihe is a solar goddess from Chinese mythology. She is the mother of ten suns, each depicted as a crow with three legs. In a former life, she was the first wife to an emperor who also married a moon goddess. Now as a Pillar of power, Xihe has two partners of her own, a husband and lover. Her champion, The Gilded, is golden in color and possesses the ability to harness abilities reminiscent of a star, related to light, heat, and radiation.
6. Movement – Lilith, Jewish Folklore
   1. CHAMPION(S) – Yas Ild, (Another Succubus), (Another Succubus)
   2. POWERS – Vibrate and Mutate
      1. MAGNETISM, PUSH-AND-PULL, KINESIS, BOND, REPEL, LEVITATION
      2. SPEED, ACCELERATION, ROTATION, GRAVITATION,

• EXTERNAL CHANGE, CLAY DOLL/DEMON SUMMON,

1. Connected to Adaptation through Change
2. Lilith is the demon of Babylon, mother to Lili, and first wife to Adam. According to Jewish Folklore, Lilith was made from the same clay as Adam and after leaving Eden, she travelled the world and became an icon for female independence. Supposedly returning to Eden and stealing Adam’s seed, she birthed the Lili, demons sculped from clay to do her bidding. Moving through time on Earth as an immortal, she spawned several demons, each an essence of herself and a champion of her Pillar. Yas Ild, one of her champions and a Lili, collects other souls, as a succubus, to resurrect Lilith through sacrifice. Yas Ild represents only one aspect of Lilith’s power, kinesis.

7. Adaptation – Aruna, Hittite Mythology
   1. CHAMPION – The Wandering Druid
   2. POWERS – Mutate and Transcend
      1. EVOLUTION, INTERNAL CHANGE, SURVIVABILITY, DURABILITY, DECIET, MASKS, REPTILIAN,
   3. Connected to Movement through Change
   4. Aruna is from Hittite mythology and is a sea god. As water is associated with change, Aruna holds many different descriptions, not all humanoid. In fact, many stories involving deep sea creatures such as leviathans, kraken, and serpents are thought to be the god in disguise. His champion, The Wandering Druid, is usually a herald for misfortune at ports. Telling of the arrival of a monster that will wipe the resident’s home from the map.
8. Reality – Shiva, Hinduism Dharma
   1. CHAMPION – The Transcendent Pilgrim
   2. POWERS – Transcend and Capacitate
      1. PERSPECTIVE, DIMENSION, CURSE, ABSORBTION, MUSHROOM, MASKS, ABLE TO MAKE ANOTHER CAPABLE OF SOMETHING THEY WEREN’T BEFORE, ILLUSION,
   3. Connected to Energy through Perception
   4. Shiva is the supreme deity of Shaivism and known as “The Destroyer.” Shiva creates, transforms, and protects the universe, along with its many dimensions. His champion, The Transcendent Pilgrim, is the vessel of masks. The Transcendent Pilgrim wears realities and dimensions as physical masks set in a crescent shape around his head, embodying each separately.
9. Power – Set, Egyptian Mythology
   1. CHAMPION – The Dread Reaver
   2. POWERS – Capacitate and Subjugate
      1. PHYSICAL, DOMINANCE, ABLE TO MAKE SELF AS CAPABLE AS POSSIBLE, PRISON, TERRA,
   3. Connected to Soul through Purpose
   4. Set is an Egyptian god of violence and desert storms. His physical abilities are absolute among other gods however, his touch of power corrupts. His champion, The Dread Reaver, is a fearsome combatant and berserker. The Dread Reaver is usually a humanoid figure but is often represented as the set animal, through their creation of sand and stone golems in the set animal form.
10. Knowledge – Loki, Norse Mythology
    1. CHAMPION – The Arcanist
    2. POWERS – Subjugate and Inflame
       1. MADNESS, WRITTEN WORD, MEMORY, CONTRACT, MANIPULATE, EXCITE, MIND, PORTAL,
    3. Connected to Wisdom through Information
    4. Loki is the god of mischief from Norse mythology. Some say that he acquired the magics from birth, other say he acquired them through research and knowledge of forbidden laws. However, Loki attained the magics and he went mad with the knowing of them. Dosing himself with a silver elixir to maintain his sanity, he donned a magic hat to contain his knowledge. Thus, as he taught his successor and champion, The Arcanist, he became known as the Mad Hatter. As the Arcanist continues down her path of knowledge, she will eventually develop the same madness and must pass her knowledge to another. Knowledge has had more gods and champions than any other Pillar.
11. Chaos – Abaddon, Christian Mythology
    1. CHAMPION – The Demon Horde
    2. POWERS – Inflame and Raze
       1. STRUCTURAL BREAKDOWN, ANARCHY, ENRAGE, FIRE, MORNING STAR, DEVOUR,
    3. Connected to Structure through Freedom
    4. Abaddon is an archangel of the abyss from Christian mythology. As a lord of the pit and king of locusts, Abaddon’s champion is actually The Demon Horde. Through his chaotic Will, Abaddon manifests demons in various shapes, inflames their corrupted forms, and consumes their energy again once they are spent. As far as anyone knows, Abaddon doesn’t have a real champion and is the only Envoy who doesn’t.
12. Death – Erebus, Greek Mythology 
    1. CHAMPION – The Graveborn
    2. POWERS – Raze and Animate
       1. DECAY, MONSTER, NECROMANCY, PENANCE, UNLIFE, SCAR, NECROBOTANY, LIMITED WILL, REBIRTH,
    3. Connected to Life through Consciousness
    4. Erebus is a primordial deity of darkness and shadow from Greek mythology. All things related to death, darkness, and shadows are associated with Erebus. A walking plague on the land, even his presence is a blight on those around him. Having inadvertently destroyed each champion that has ever shown the promise to serve him, the deity has begun to lose hope in passing his immortality on to another. Due to this depression, Erebus has secluded himself away from all but his children, the Fae. His champions have been known as The Graveborn, yet none have lived long enough to receive the gift of death’s immortality, constant rebirth.