The Dreaming Land

Prologue: The Lunar War

Since the dawn of history, eight mighty moons adorned the sky over Veonys. They were known as Pehrun, the scorched moon; Zazek, the black moon; Umala, the dancing moon; Hasham, the whispering moon; Raiken, the raging moon; Tephim, the dreaming moon; Belial, the bloodied moon; and Gigas, the king of moons.

They possessed great powers, and together in their graceful transits across the sky, they would use their powers to meddle in the lives of the people who called Veonys home. The people came to worship them as gods, which amused the moons. Wars were fought in their names, and much blood was shed, which intrigued the moons. Great temples were built in honour of the moons, this pleased the moons.

They had been there since before Veonys had formed, and even though they would be there when it was no more, this was the first land the moons had seen with life on it. The lives of their tiny followers were short, and theirs were incomprehensibly long, so they decided they would stay with them until the people were no more. The moons also chose to share some of their powers with the truly devout.

Pehrun gave to his followers the gift of fire. They used this fire to live, to see, to scorch the earth, and to smite their enemies. The fire was neither good nor evil, but the fire was coveted.

Zazek gave his followers the gift of the night, and that it was no longer theirs to fear. They could walk under the star lit skies, when the moons shone brightest, without fear of predators.

Umala gave her followers the gift of the dance. She showed them how to move, how to weave, and how to step. No place could not be underfoot, no spot could not be reached. They chose what they could touch, and what could touch them.

Hasham gave his followers the gift of secrets, and the all knowing wind. Words carried on the breeze were theirs, and no word could not be known by their ears.

Raiken gave her followers the gift of the spark. Terrifying and strong, untameable was this power, but a useful ally. Her power arced at their will, beneath only nature, and her own.

Tephim gave his followers the gift of the dream. All things dreamed when they slept, but dreams would become theirs. Wishes granted to the strongest, purest desires. Though a gift not given to many.

Belial gave no gifts, but exchanged. He craved blood, above all else, and blood would buy whatever the spiller sought. His powers were limited only by the price. And many were satisfied.

Gigas, who sought order over worship, gave order and stability to his followers. Law and control was handed down, and in the hands of his worshipers, there was no greater force.

To Gigas, his brothers and sisters had become greedy and fat from many millennia of worship. A new era would unfold by the hands of his worshipers, and this did not please the other moons.

Many wars had been fought in the time that the moons had graced Veonys, but no war such as this one. Fire raged freely across the land, burning and scorching, but this did not please Pehrun. Darkness took the hearts of men, and fear was known to all, but this did not please Zazek. Sharpened steel danced more beautifully than any dancer before across the whole land, but this did not please Umala. Hundreds of voices were silenced, and even the winds stood still, but this did not please Hasham. The whole world was like a great storm, raging against itself, but this did not please Raiken. So many people laid to rest, to dream forever, but this did not please Tephim.

Only Belial was pleased, drinking in the power from the blood that covered the land like an ocean. His followers revelled, and his power swelled beyond measure. With a great and immeasurable force, Belial struck Gigas, shattering him into a thousand pieces, and then again once more, until he became dust. His body, obliterated, fell to the earth like shooting stars. His very being rained down across all of Veonys, scaring the land and killing even more. Belial swelled with power, and for the first time, the moons turned their gaze to each other.

The heavens above were alight with great shows of power as the desecrated people of Veonys watched. Belial destroyed his siblings. Pehrun burst into flame like a newborn sun, and though fire was his, he could not withstand it. Riaken was battered by raw waves of energy, shattering his body. For though the storm was his, all trees snap under the weight of the storm.

The remaining moons cowered in the shadow of their swollen sibling. He could not be stopped. Zazek tried to flee, covering himself in a veil of night. But the deep was also dark, and so Belial crushed him with the void. Umala shimmered and danced, but Belial saw through the illusion, and snapped her in two, and she became dust. Hasham stood still like the winds, for there was no secret in this, Belial was too strong. And so, he crushed Hasham.

Tephim watched, but like Hasham, he could do nothing. But as Belial's great body eclipsed his, he heard the dreams from bellow. It had been so long for the people down bellow, and the bloodshed had been a thing of their past, a distant memory. No blood had been shed in many years, and the power on which Belial had grown fat on began to wane. Belial was angered by this, but could not prevent this. The era of the moons had ended, but dreamers still dreamed, as they always had.

With that hope, Tephim sought to banish Belial to the far edges of space, and so he pushed. Belial was resistant, and could not stop his brother moon. With the last of his blood soaked legacy, Belial pushed back, knowing it could not stop Tephim, but pushed anyways. And Tephim fell, his body scorching the earth as it touched Veonys surface. Blood was spilled again, and hundreds were sent to dream forever as the two of them both grew fat with power.

Belial could not turn back as he drifted away from the planet, but drew on the bloody power around them. Tephim saw this, and knew all that he could do. The land warped around him, and became his domain. No blood remained for Belial to suckle, and he was gone. The land, however, had become a dream itself. Tephim had sealed himself away, in a land where no man could walk.