For two and half centuries, the world of Maserun remained populated with both magical and natural lifeforms, but none of the intellect of the twin world millions of light years away. The earthen Greek gods enjoyed their artful masterpiece without the threat of their titan parents or requests from their followers. For two and half centuries, the gods watched as their unique creation grew in population and evolved both of magical and natural beasts. What the gods did not enjoy was their obsolescence on planet earth as the faith of the millions dwindled from their followers and moved towards human idols and worship of a single deity. After awhile, the gods started to miss their worshipers, the people who requested their involvement and their guidance. Some of the gods missed manipulating their little puppets. The deities decided to call a meeting to discuss the future of their artistic masterpiece.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe must have heroes and heroines on our new planet,\u201d Zeus’ mighty voice carried through the dining hall of the gods home, Olympus. \u201cI want humans on our new planet. Humans to rule over the creatures and maintain a balance within the realm!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of balance could humans possibly add to our beautiful and natural work,\u201d Artemis chimed in, her voice sounding sweet as a child’s even when attempting a tone of contempt questioning. \u201cLook at what those despicable beasts did to our parent’s original planet. They cannot survive without war. They destroy my creatures and each other in their grabs for power and prosperity. I cannot support such a decision to doom our peaceful planet to the same fate as earth!\u201d The Goddess of Nature sat back in her marble chair. <\/span><\/p>\n Ares, a full figured muscular youth and the God of War, smiling at the notion of the feuding nature of the humans of planet earth stated, \u201cI concur with my father! This world needs some excitement. Some murder and mayhem, strife, and struggles! The peacefulness of this lovely piece of art, as you call it, disgusts me to my very core!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Zeus’ smile faded to a solemn frown. He lamented the words of his son. Internally, he struggled to accept how Hera and himself could have possibly created such an evil and vile creature such as his son. He had to remind himself of the necessity of misery, a test that pushes all living creatures towards prosperity and growth. Zeus raised his arm to silence the crowd as the gods started to argue with each other over Ares’ outrageous remark and support for his father. \u201cSilence! My son’s motivations may not be the most honorable, but his point is true. The land of Maserun is in need of more if it is to grow meaningful to us!\u201d The group of gods silenced and conceded the point of their father, king, and brother. <\/span><\/p>\n Apollo, son of Zeus and God of the Arts rose to his feet and leaned forward, placing his godly hands upon the vast marble table stretching far before him. \u201cSo what plan should we put forth for this budding creation of ours, father? We have created a great canvas for our creatures to paint upon. We already have several colors spread across our land in the form of the various inhabitants. I see no reason not to offer more colors to the palette in which to paint with.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Zeus leaned back in his large stone throne lined with feathery pillows and fine silken covers. \u201cI would like to see humans. I have always enjoyed their creativity, impatience, and immense capacity to grow. While they abandoned us on earth and angered us by referring to us as myths and legends, I think we could prevent that for our future creations. Regular visits with the ruling parties, perhaps? What do you think, Poseidon?\u201d Zeus turned to the god on his right, his brother and God of the Waters. \u201cYou are always quiet in such discussions and I care deeply to hear of your ideas.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Poseidon’s eyes widened as his brother addressed him, <\/span><\/span>his blue orbs appearing to flow like the oceans as he considered his brother’s question. \u201cBrother, I agree we need more intelligent creatures on the planet\u201d, the <\/span><\/span>G<\/span><\/span>od of the <\/span><\/span>S<\/span><\/span>ea started. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He was quickly interrupted by Artemis, \u201cWhat do you mean more intelligent creatures? Are the dragons not superb in intellect to even the smartest human on earth? These wonderful beasts carry the blessings of Athena herself!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Poseidon quickly raised both his arms in front of him, palms up towards Artemis<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> \u201cCalm yourself, niece. Let me finish my thought, would you? Do not act so innocent in this endeavor. <\/span><\/span>A<\/span><\/span>re you not also the <\/span><\/span>G<\/span><\/span>oddess of the <\/span><\/span>P<\/span><\/span>lagues and responsible for many <\/span><\/span>more <\/span><\/span>deaths <\/span><\/span>than<\/span><\/span> any war Ares himself could ever orchestrate?\u201d Poseidon’s final statement drew a narrow-eyed stare from Artemis <\/span><\/span>and a chuckle from his nephew, <\/span><\/span>Ares, <\/span><\/span>from <\/span><\/span>across the <\/span><\/span>great <\/span><\/span>table. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Poseidon continued his point, \u201cWe have made many mistakes on earth with our followers. We created hundreds of children, demigods who carried many of our phenomenal traits and we considered them above all others because they were our own. We manipulated our followers to do our bidding by sending them on journeys to strike down our rare and magical beasts, often to their own demise. And we wonder why our followers abandoned us?\u201d The God of the Sea watched the engaging eyes of his fellow gods as he let the question linger in the air for few moments. \u201cIf we are to populate this planet with beings of intellect similar to our own, then we must do so differently. We can not allow our pride and preference get in the way of our children’s needs. And do not mistake that our creations are not our children.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Hera, sitting directly to Zeus’ left, applauded at Poseidon’s last statement. \u201cYou speak wise and true, great God of the Waters.\u201d, Hera started, \u201cIf we do this, we should treat these creations as our children. However, I do not believe any of us can truly be unbiased towards our own children. Such would be unnatural. Anybody else have opinions to share in this matter?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Dionysus slammed down his mug on the table, drawing stares from all in attendance. He smiled and looked around wildly as the many eyes engaged him, waiting for the God of Madness and chaos to speak. After a few moments of silence, Poseidon questioned the god with a smile widening further as he spoke, \u201cSo, anything you would like to add Dionysus? Surely one of your stature has an insanely intelligent contribution to this discussion just waiting to be told.\u201d The subtle insult to the drunken god escaped his intellect. The rest of the gods, however, offered up some laughter at Dionysus’ expense. When the laughter ceased in the chamber, the God of Chaos offered up a couple words of wisdom none of the gods would have suspected. \u201cMagic.\u201d the God of Madness stated between burps and giggles, \u201cThey need magic.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n The God of War, sitting to Dionysus’ right, slammed his hand hard on the table in agreement. He echoed the insane god’s words, \u201cMagic! Definitely! Give all creations such a wonderful power in our realm! Such would give all our wars more depth and power!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Athena, Goddess of Intellect and Warfare interjected immediately, rising to her feet with her gray colored eyes looking to each of the gods. \u201cDo not give all creatures magic. Only intelligent creatures should receive such an offering. Does it really make sense to provide a rabbit the ability to cast a fire at a hunter? Surely such a situation would cause unnecessary chaos and lead to a faster destruction of the planet and its resources.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Zeus leaned forward in his throne, \u201cNot all creatures will receive magic. I do concur that Dionysus’ idea has great merit, but should be limited as Athena has suggested. Thank you, Dionysus, for your most intelligent contribution.\u201d Zeus glanced at Poseidon and the God of Water gave a grin back at his brother, understanding the God of Thunder had taken a victory in showing even the most insane god can still have ideas worth listening to. Zeus leaned back in his chair, \u201cAny other suggestions?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Hades, God of the Death and Ruler of the Underworld, advised the gods that creation of such a race will require an underworld like the days of past. The gods agreed with Hades’ assessment and asked if he would be interested in continuing his rule of the underworld, thereby leaving Olympus. Hades agreed with the request and immediately made his way to the bowels of the planet to create his realm for the soon-to-be departed souls of Maserun. <\/span><\/p>\n The final suggestion presented to the God of Thunder was made by his own wife and seconded by the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia. The suggestion was a condition that whichever creations were made, the gods doing the creating were to spend no less than fifty years on the planet with their creations to teach them as much as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n The decision was made and three of the gods at the table decided they were interested in creating additional lifeforms for the planet. Zeus quickly laid claim to creating the human race in the image of those which already existed on earth. Humans were created with as a sturdy and strong race designed with relatively short lifespans and a high amount of passion towards progress. Since the creation of the race required Zeus to remain on the planet of Maserun for fifty years, the ruling of the gods was tasked to Poseidon. Hera, knowing Zeus’ past digressions and cheating heart, decided to join her husband on the planet and care for the new race, leaving her post to the goddess, Athena. <\/span><\/p>\n Hephaestus, God of Fire and industry, was next to lay claim to a race. He decided he wanted a hardy and strong race of people who would highly value labor and dedication to cause. The God of Fire, being a cripple himself, placed little value on the appearances of his race. He made his followers short and strong, giving them a low center of gravity so they could maintain an extraordinary strength. He also gave his creations the ability to see in the darkest of night and an incredibly long natural lifespan. He called his creation by the name of \u201cdwarf\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, was next to claim a race but wanted to aid her husband, Hephaestus, in raising his own. Her claim was the love of two gods would give his people a stronger family core and enhance their dedication to cause. The goddess wanted a race of beauty and peace placed upon the planet. She gave her designs to Apollo and requested that he create the race as she wished. Apollo, often in agreement with Aphrodite’s views, agreed to be the creator of her race and raise the children of Maserun as his own. After Aphrodite gave her plans to Apollo, his sister Artemis offered to raise the children with him. Apollo and Artemis decided to create the race that was later to be known as elves: a race more beautiful and slightly smaller than the humans, but having the lifespan of the Hephaestan dwarves.<\/span><\/p>\n The six gods of Olympus descended upon the planet of Maserun. The gods descended upon the land of Mirater, the smallest land mass on the world of Maserun. Zeus and Hera started their human population in the forests found on northeastern part of the continent. The husband and wife team taught their children everything, with no specialty or preference given to their teachings. They guided their populace to thrive and spread out, eventually settling in every terrain on the continent. <\/span><\/p>\n Hephaestus and Aphrodite created their dwarven creatures in the mountainous areas of the continent, spending several years with each population to teach the skills of mining, hunting, and smithing. The dwarves of Mirater grew fast, their magical talents directed mostly at creating weapons and armor with enhanced features such as sharper than normal blades and unnatural defensively powered armors. <\/span><\/p>\n Apollo and Artemis, sister and brother, placed Aphrodite’s creations in the central forests of the planet. Apollo, being a God of Arts, taught the elves all he could about music, art, healing, archery, and prophecy. Artemis taught the children all she could about living with nature and only taking enough to survive from their surroundings. The brother-sister duo raised the most peaceful of the newly created races, which also resulted in a race that was very careful in their actions, both in nature and in warfare. <\/span><\/p>\n Once fifty years had passed, the gods returned to their places in Olympus and admired their creations and their ability to grow without their future involvement being required. However, as part of the agreement, the gods made regular visits to their followers, offering any help they could provide to the devotees of their teachings. The planet of Maserun enjoyed a long and peaceful history. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Meeting of the Gods For two and half centuries, the world of Maserun remained populated with both magical and natural lifeforms, but none of the intellect of the twin world millions of light years away. The earthen Greek gods enjoyed their artful masterpiece without the threat of their titan parents or requests from their followers. … <\/p>\n