Back before anything at all, there were simply two cosmic energies. They swirled around one another, and spread through the nothingness that was this proto-existence. Eventually these two cosmic forces became away of one another, and as they started noticing the other's comings and goings time itself was formed.
Eons passed, and the forces began to coalesce into their own beings. It is said that Veza, the Goddess of Life, and embodiment of the Living Force was the first to spring into existence. She then created Umumtu, Goddess of Magic and the embodiment of the Magical Force. These two were the first beings, and are the mothers of all of existence.
Veza was the first to conceive of idea of "love", but Umumtu upon hearing it laughed and simply said, "We have been in love since before time itself; it is our love that created everything. But make no mistake, my darling wife, I have always loved you more, for my reach into the nothingness has always been greater." Veza smiled wryly, and proceeded to create the world.
Veza and Umumtu were partners in all things. They first created the great Magical beasts of lore. Dragons were first, followed the Infernals, and Celestials as minor dieties. Umumtu suggested creating some lesser magical beings, and Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Orcs came next. Plants and trees and animals all magical and non were created to keep the world in balance. The two Goddesses kept creating and creating until their world felt as full and right as their love.
One day, Veza was contemplating her first creation, the Great Dragon Yrdon. Yrdon was millenia old and one day, he simply started to decline. Despite everything she had tried, his life was mysteriously coming to an end. Dragons were created to be immortal, just like all other creations so far, but Yrdon was still dying of old age. None of the other Dragons showed any signs of nearing death, just Yrdon. After exhausting everything she could think of to do with the Living Force, Veza begged Umumtu to save him, convinced this was a problem only magic could solve. Umumtu, feeling her own pain at his impending passing and wishing to save someone she cherished, agreed. When she came to him, Yrdon told her that he did not wish to live forever. "Even as it was the gifts of Mother Life and Mother Magic that I came to live, it is the gift of Mother Death that I might end. As all things must. Even you, my Goddess. I have come to know the two amazing Goddesses that have ruled over my long life, and I am excited to meet the other, Mother Death, keeper of the most powerful Force of all."
Umumtu respected her friend's wishes, but Veza struggled to deal with her grief when Yrdon passed. The two Goddesses found it difficult to talk to one another, and in the back of their minds, they both wondered if "Mother Death" was real; all they had known, save each other, they had created. Could there really be a third Goddess unknown to them?
As time passed, Veza and Umumtu grew apart. One day, Veza embarked on a creation entirely her own; she created Humans. Excited to have done something on her own, Veza sought out Umumtu, wanting to show off work and realizing she missed her constant companion and lover.
Umumtu had, on her own, also finished a creation. This race, the Kivuli, were beings of pure magic, just like Humans were beings of pure life. Umumtu was delighted to see her wife after so long, and remarked that even apart they were so linked as to have done the same thing.
However, neither Goddess could have predicted what happened next. When the Human and Kivuli met, they found themselves drawn to one another; and seeing their creator's joyful reunion set the stage quite well. It is said that, in this way, the world was torn asunder with a single kiss.
It happened in an instant. Umumtu and the more magical creatures were flung into a realm of pure magic, while Veza and the least magical creatures were flung into a realm stripped of all magic. The Goddesses —as beings that transcend their own creations— were able to communicate with each other but their creations could no longer interact. The world was now two, a Realm of Pure Magic, and a Realm of Pure Life.
Umumtu immediately started trying to find a way to fix what had broken. After a time, she hit upon the realization that by creating on their own they had unbalanced the world. The only way to fix it, she reasoned, was by joining the Human and Kivuli races into one unified creation. Too ashamed at what she thought was her fault, she felt she couldn't reach out to Veza; it was up to her to fix this.
Veza, for her part, came to the same conclusion about what happened, however, instead of unification she believed the only answer was the destruction of both races. Such a feat would require collaboration with either Umumtu, or the creatures of the Magical Realm, and she didn't believe her lover would be willing to kill their own creations. Instead, she held a secret council with the Celestials, Infernals, and the Dragons, asking for their assistance.
As it turned out, it was few were willing to exterminate a race. Several of each group were sympathetic, however, and vowed to help her find a solution. Most, however, just ask why Veza didn't start by killing the humans. It would go a long way to showing how serious she was about this plan. She told them she'd tried and found she could not, herself, destroy her own creation. The meeting was abandoned with no resolution.
When Umumtu discovered Veza's attempts to destroy both races, she was furious. She shut off the Magical Realm to the Living Realm, and vowed not to speak to Veza for a hundred thousand years. By the time Umumtu's anger cooled, and she attempted to reach out, she found the Living Realm was cut off from her and the races of the Magical Realm. Veza was no where to be seen, and had not talked to anyone left behind since shortly after the Magical Realm was sealed. Those who'd vowed to help her had disapeared at the same time.
Umumtu gave into dispair and it is said she cried for a hundred days and a hundred nights. Finally, her most loyal friends (a mixture of Celestials, Infernals and Dragons) came to her and informed her that all was not entirely lost. Though both Goddesses has sealed off their realms, their creations were not entirely powerless. While Umumtu could not open up the Living Realm entirely on her own, these minor deities could open small portals into the Living Realm, and did so, from time to time. While Umumtu could not search for Veza herself, she could send her children to search in her stead.
While the Living Realm has very little magic in it, the minor deities could still, if briefly, visit. Less magical creatures would, in theory be able to stay for longer, but without the ability to create with the Living Force, Umumtu had no way to test this theory. That was, until a poor elf wandered back through one of Umumtu's portals.
A young Elf wandered back through one of the portals into the Magical Realm. She had been ousted from her villiage for her unwillingness to conform to what the rest of her villiage saw as 'proper' behavior for an Elf. She was dispondant and lost, wishing for a place where people would welcome her; a place to belong. That wish, it is said, guided her to one of the portals Umumtu's children had opened to search for Veza. She stumbled through, finding herself almost suffocated by the magic of the realm.
As a being of mixed heritage, however, she was able to hold a bit of magic inside herself. Filled with indescribable pain and despiration she went nearly mad, collapsing not far from the portal. Fortunately, she was discovered by an Infernal who'd just returned from the Living Realm. Recognizing opportunity, he picked up the poor Elf and took her to Umumtu, knowing she would not last long without help. However, as the only source of Living Force in the Magical Realm, perhaps his Goddess could find a way to use her to solve their problem?
Umumtu saw elf's plight and knew that the only way she would survive would be if Umumtu stoked the magic inside her, transforming her into something more. The woman told the Goddess of her villiage and how they'd treated her. She wanted to live, to be important. Umumtu granted her wish, and the woman became not just the first of a new race, but the mother of a new type of being: a monster.
The woman, now the first Succubus, grew in strength and ability very rapidly. She didn't have near the magical power of a true Infernal, despite her appearance taking the form of the one who'd saved her. Instead, she had a unique ability: much like magical creatures could subsist off the magic in the Magical Realm, she could subsist off the Living Force contained within the creatures of the Living Realm.
This ability's discovery, however, was wrapped in tragedy. After resting up and becoming accustomed to her new existance the former elf desired to return home and show her former kin what she had become. Umumtu encouraged this, as she wanted to know if a return would be possible for her new creation.
The woman returned and, at first, she seemed fine, if disoriented. Unlike her journey to the Magical Realm, she didn't feel suffocated, just a bit hungry. However, after returning to her village, she quickly discovered that the hunger was growing to the point of obsession. She struggled to control herself, her desires and urges twisting inside her and scaring her former kin. Their cool reception at her return became hostile, and they attacked her. She defended herself, not realizing that in her current form she was far stronger than any of them. She killed the man who'd attacked her, tasting his blood, and loosing all inhibitions.
The things she did to that village are still the sources of horror stories and nightmares for generations since.
It was only after she was forcibly returned to the Magical Realm that the extent of her abilities were understood. She could consume Living Force and turn it into Magical Force, allowing her to survive. Unfortunately, instead of simply weakening or dying due to the lack of magic, she lost all reason and sense of self, becoming a feral beast, seaking Living Force in whatever form she could find it. Simply draining it by proximity wasn't enough, she found other sources. Bodily fluids were found to be most potent.
What's more, unlike most magical creatures, she didn't weaken when she returned to the Living Realm; in fact, she was much more powerful than she'd been in the Magical Realm. Her abilities were even more powerful after consuming Living Force.
While Umumtu was horrified at what her new creation had done, she recognized that she'd discovered not just a way to create a magical race who could survive in the Living Realm, she'd hit on a method for uniting the Kivuli and Humans. She could create hybrids of the other creations she and Veza created, making races of Monsters in the process.
Umumtu set about abducting creatures of all kinds from the living world and the races of monsters were born. She gave these new creations the ability to reproduce with any creatures containing enough Living Force, though the offspring would always be a Monster. This made it far easier to increase their number without needing to abduct more and more from the Living Realm.
As Umumtu created, her new children searched the Living Realm for Veza, but no signs of the Goddess remained. Some believed her to have made herself mortal, while others believe she became the world itself. Umumtu didn't give up hope, and ordered her monsters to continue to search, bringing her any news they find.
As initially monsters attacked and kill (or worse) the races of the Living Realm, they are seen as a plague to remove. Most races of the Living Realm despise them, treating them as the beasts they can often be.
There are, however, some groups of monsters that have learned to get what they need without attacking the other races. Often, these groups can live in cooperation with nearby towns and villages, often trading goods or services. Relations can easily be strained, and cooperation is more an exception than a rule.
To the average person, a monster is still to be feared. Even a friendly one that appears harmless can turn vicious if starved. Even monsters recognize their nature, often seaking isolation from the other races of the Living Realm rather than taking the risk.
To this day, no one knows where Veza went, or why. It is believed that she, like Umumtu is working on reunifying the two worlds. The few times pockets of Magic that have appeared since the arrival of monsters is seen as proof of Umumtu's tireless efforts to reunify the world and find her lost love.
As for Veza, those who worship the life Goddess believe she has hidden herself from the world, trying to find her own way. They believe that Magic is not where the answer lies, or Umumtu would have reunified the worlds by now. The creation of monsters is often championed as a cautionary tale about meddling with magic. The ways of Life, it is said, are mysterious and subtle.
These are the Goddesses who created and rule over the world.
Lesser Gods and Goddesses believed to have specific domains and worshiped as minor dieties.
These races are believed to be divine in nature and are often confused for minor gods and goddesses: