Religion of the True Game (Setting)

Most educated people in The Land of the True Game will have been forced to memorize these two chapters during their schooling. These two chapters and the story of “the eleven” are the common beginning to all religious books, sometimes with slight variations. They are supposed to be the origin story for the world.

To add campaign color, you could have a particularly religious character recite or quote them. Everything here would be known by anyone, but most people don’t believe these stories are real.

Barish’s Eleven or Barish’s gamesmen refer to the people in this story.

Chapter 1. The Eleven.

1. In the time of the ancestors was born Didir, and she had the talent to read what lay in the minds of all about her, so they named her demon and she was taken from them. And she was of the first generation of the game. And from her line demons forever to the current time.
2. And in that time was born Tamor, and he had the talent to rise into the air and fly so that he looked down on the habitations of men so that they named him ayr-man or armiger. He was taken from them to another place. And he was of the first generation of the game. And from his line armigers forever to the current time.
3. From the union on Didir and Tamor was born a son, Hafnor, a gate-man or elator. And he had the power to move from one place to another place in an instant. And he was of the second generation of the game. And from his line elators forever to the current time.
4. And from the family of Didir after many generations came Sorah, named seeing-one or seer, daughter of that line. And she had the power of vision, of divination, across all space and time. And from her line seers forever to the current time.
5. And from the line of Didir and the line of Hafnor came a son, Wafnor, who was the first take-man or tragamor, with the power to move matter without touch. And he was of the third generation of the game. And of his line tragamors forever to the current time.
6. And of a son of Hafnor and a daughter of Sorah was the first heal-man or healer born, a daughter Dealpas. And of her line healers forever to the current time.
7. And of the family of Dealpas and the line of Sorah came a son, Thandbar, the shape-man or shapeshifter. And of his line shapeshifters forever to the current time.
8. And from the line of Wafnor came Buinel, fire-man or sentinel, and of that line of sentinels to the current time.
9. And of a mating between Wafnor’s line and Hafnor’s line came Shattnir, power-man or sorceress. And from her line come sorcerers forever to the current time.
10. And of her line and the line of Sorah came a daughter, Trandilar, a great queen. And of her line came kings, queens, princes, and princesses to the present time.

Chapter 2. The Immutables.

1. And of the pawns who served our forefathers was bred a new people, the Immutables, which was planned and done by Barish and Vulpas, the wizards of the twelfth generation of the game. And from that line have come immutables to the current time.
2. But Barish and Vulpas were sought by The Guardians for they had committed heresy in creating these Immutables. So did the council claim them pawnish and forfeit, and sent to have Barish and Vulpas slain.
3. But the immutables which they had made fled into the mountains and caves and bred there. When they came among the gamesmen once more in a later time they were proof against all gamesmen could do.

(Image Coda: Free stock photo from Pixabay.)