# Tales of Obra

##### The Joy of Creation #### By Evan Martinez

\page # The Creation of Obra In the beginning, the cold planet that would one day be Obra spun lazily in the void. The indifferent warmth of it's star falling upon a silent world for centuries. That silence was shattered by the arrival of the Architect of Form in a blaze of light and the explosive chords of the Joy of Creation that heralded his coming. The Joy of Creation burning in ever fiber of his being Form reached out with massive hands and set to work on the lifeless dust. Where his hands touched the earth grew molten, pulling mountains up towards the heavens. The very bones of Obra flowed as his gentle palms smoothed out the valleys and his thumbs pressed deep to form the future oceans depths. The lightest trace of a fingernail cut new canyons and dry river beds upon the previously blank rock. All the while the Joy of Creation burned within him until in ecstasty he let out of a shout of joy. "I know thee now Obra and I see thee made! Come brothers and sisters our work awaits and a new world awakens!" As his call rolled through the Cosmos the first among those to arrive to christen this new world was The Blooming. The most ancient of Architects, The Blooming took no physical form for itself but instead blew into existence with a swirl of green leaves and delicate petals. Seeing peaks and valleys still molten it let out a gentle, cooling breath. The very first rainfall landing upon Obra cooling molten earth and being sucked into the previously dry dust. Soon water rushed over barren stone and poured down to fill rivers and cause the ocean's to swell. As Architect of the Green World, The Blooming raced across the now cool stone and where it went the wonders of the Green and the raw power of life awoke Obra in a riot of colors. Flowers from a hundred previous worlds sprouted and the very first tree gave out a groan as its roots dug deep into the soil and its branches stretched towards the empty sky. Awoken to darkness the Green called out in hunger, and hearing this age old cry the Architect of Light burst forth. With a clap of her hands Obra's once indifferent star was gentled and glowed with the warm light of a sun. Its new light falling across the lands to reveal what had been wrought. With the sun awoken the Architect of the Firmament appeared to spread the sky, a gentle mantle, over Obra. Her many students rushed to paint the firey colors of sunset and the promising tinge of dawn to separate the night and day. Seeing the night empty the Achitect of Firmament drew several of the raindrops from her hair and cast them into the sky. With a whisp of magic she affixed them to the sky and they swelled and grew into the moons of Obra. Capturing and muting the light of the sun they lessened the darkness of the void into night. As night and day were separated the Architect of the Vast set the oceans of the world to flow, creating the tides and tying them to the path of the moons. The eldest of the Architects looked upon Obra's rough canvas and knew it was ready for their more delicate creations. With this first riotous burst of growth completed the other Architects who had been waiting in the wings while their elders worked sprang to action, vying with one another to spin the finest of leaves or the most graceful of flowers. Meanwhile, the Architect of Form's students spun from the raw elements the beings of fin, claw, wing, and fur that would inhabit the world of Obra; some familiar creations still seeking perfection from other worlds, while others would be wholly new and born of Obra. His studendts held up each creation eagerly to their mentor, so that he could give his blessing. The number of creations so vast many have long since been lost to history. So Obra spun and the Architects were abuzz with inspiration for some time. ### The Birth of God and Mortal Watching his students in the the ecstacy of creation the Architect of Form set out to recreate one of his enduring creations, Humanity. The template he used on so many worlds, built for versatility and cherished for their ability to adapt and to be adapted. Once the clay was formed and he knew they were complete the Architect of Form and the Architect of Light came together to breathe Tenacity into the first people of Obra and watched it flicker within their fragile chests. As their bodies began to wake the Architect of Wonder fired their minds with the desire to explore and learn. Seeing this ignited the imagination of the other Architects, soon Obra would be alive with the minds of its new people's as they trod a world as yet undiscovered. As their labor of love continued to reshape the face of Obra, the Architects laid plans for the care and stewardship of their new world. Knowing that the Joy of Creation would call them away before long The Architects created the Gods of the Hand and the Heart. They would become the new Gods of Obra, gifted with a fragement of the Creation magic that reshaped worlds. Their children would be charged with caring for this delicate new world and its denizens when it was time for them to move on. For even now each Architect was filled with the restless call of creation, driven to seek out new worlds waiting to be ignited by life. Only one Architect, The Blooming, would remain as each world inhabited by their creations needed The Blooming to thrive. It would leave behind a piece of itself to grow, connecting this world always to the other works of The Architects. Setting to it's task of balancing the world The Blooming created its own children by instilling its powers into the primal elements of Obra. So the Wild Gods were born, a mirror to the Gods of the Hand and Heart, they would be guardians of the natural world. Each Wild God would oversee Obra's health and guard it against destruction and imbalance. Each of its children then created their own race to serve as guardians of the balance upon Obra. Finally the day came that The Architects looked upon the world and realized that it was no longer being created but was instead ready to become. The peaks and valleys of Obra now swelled with new life as the young races of Obra took their first, faltering steps. The oceans depths teamed and the flutter of wings filled the air. Seeing this they set upon one last act of Creation. Working together the eldest Architects shaped one last Goddess. To this Goddess they gave the duty of protecting Humanity and crowned her with the Light they used to quicken the world and imbue their creations with life. She would be chief among the Gods of the Hand and Heart and her name was Illustriel. \page So Obra's people were left in the care of Illustriel and her siblings as the Joy of Creation called The Architects ever onward to new worlds. Some whispered final promises to return one day, while others had eyes already turned to new projects. As they departed Illustriel and the Gods of the Hand and Heart turned to their work, an entire world and eternity before them. So newly born Obra would blossom and some Architects would be remembered always by their creations and others names would fade from memory. Yet none could ever deny the mark their work left upon Obra.

**-Excerpt taken from *'The Tales of Sister Minia, Troubadour of Devina.'* **

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