VII: Heaven’s War with Taiyo and His Marriage to Eleenian

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

***

This is Chapter 8 of the most authoritative account of creation contained in the Stone Philosophic. A full table of contents can be found here.

***

Text

One day Eleenian woke to a great clamor. Wondering if her father had returned from one of his many trips to distant places, she stepped outside to find her brother Taiyo grappling with another man high in the sky. Entangled in his enemies fighting chain, Taiyo struck at his foe with his sword, drawing blood not once, nor twice, but three times and Taiyo bore many wounds himself as he prepared to deliver a killing blow against his foe. A great storm raged in the sky about them, and Eleenian saw bolts of lightning strike her brother even as sheets of rain choked and blinded him.

Eleenian cried, “Taiyo, stay your hand!”

Taiyo shouted down to her from way up in the clouds “Why do you meddle, my sister? Should you not aid me in war against this stranger?”

“My brother, you do not fly,” she replied.

At this, Taiyo held his hand.

And still Heaven smote Taiyo with all his might.

“Stranger!” Eleenian called out once more, “Why do you make war upon my brother?”

Heaven looked down to see Eleenian and held his own hand for a brief moment; “In truth, I do not know. I had only come to see the sun as he set it in the sky. Your brother pounced upon me, sword in hand, angry that I would steal a moment of its beauty.”

“Oh dear brother, you must learn to share” Eleenian paused a moment and continued, “Stranger, it is not the sun’s virtue that my brother seeks to protect, but my own. If you will but stay your own hand, I will be your bride, and neither you nor my brother shall have cause to vanquish the other.”

And thus it was done.[1]

***

[1] Of course the rivalry between Taiyo and Heaven continues to this day, their conflicts being the cause of many great storms and terrible winds. Each wars against the other through the kingdoms falling under his dominion. It is commonly supposed that each stops short of killing the other out of respect to Eleenian, but as the Inuli sage, Eserea, has pointed out, there is absolutely no evidence for this supposition. It may well be that both Taiyo and Heaven actually mean to slay one another, and that their plans are thwarted only by the continual efforts of Eleenian herself as she is always working to make peace between them.

 

Omus Thal

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

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“Indeed the Axe of Omus Thal proved to be the finest of all creation, all save one. The same soon proved true of his sword, of his armor, and of his shield. When his hammer too proved to be nearly the finest ever made, this was the end of the contest, of the judges, and of the building in which the contest had taken place.”

– Maul Dammengarren, High Priest of Mognir

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“Indeed the Axe of Omus Thal proved to be the finest of all creation, all save one. The same soon proved true of his sword, of his armor, and of his shield. When his hammer too proved to be nearly the finest ever made, this was the end of the contest, of the judges, and of the building in which the contest had taken place.”

– Maul Dammengarren, High Priest of Mognir

    ***

Description: Omus Thal appears to be great giant of some sort. His features are twisted and ugly and his skin calloused wart-ridden. Omus is Thal is the father of all giant kindreds. He is a practitioner of magic, and a dedicated craftsman, focus his energies on the creation of weapons and armor. Omus cares little for the affairs of men, but he will go to great lengths to protect his progeny.

If the Lord of Giants has a weakness, it is his temper. When Omus Thal is frustrated, no-one is safe, not even his own followers. Omus and his followers have shown little interest in the affairs of men, but the same could not be said of men themselves as they often seek out giants for their skills in crafts and magic. Omus has always set the tone for such dealings, insisting that men must pay dearly for the skills of his kindred while offering little guarantees of his own. Omus will finish a task when he sees fit to do so and not before. Should he prove dissatisfied with his creation, Omus may well destroy it, even if it has been promised to someone else.

Religion: Omus Thal has a dedicated cult of worshippers among the frost giants, and a number of followers among the ranks of other giants. Outside the giant kindred few would count themselves as followers of Omus Thal, but many of the wretched kindreds have been known pay homage when crafting weapons and armor.

Domains: Crafts, Giants.

Symbol: A Hammer over a Shattering Anvil.

Favored Offerings: Well-crafted weapon.

Relations with Other Deities: Omus Thal regards Mognir with a mixture of admiration and hatred. He is oblivious to other deities.

VII: A Conspiracy of Creation

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

***

This is Chapter 7 of the most authoritative account of creation contained in the Stone Philosophic. A full table of contents can be found here.

***

Text

Deep within his cave, Gnea Sharn grew jealous of those living under the sun. To no-one he spoke words of anger and resentment.

And no-one answered, “Do you not wish a place in the sun for yourself?”

“Yes,” snarled Gnea.

“Place a stone under the moonlight and it will be done.”

Hval Maluk grew bitter in the north, jealous of his beautiful new siblings at play in warmer waters under the sun.

And he too heard a voice; “Do you not wish to be known to your siblings?”

And the beast howled his assent.

“Spit upon a rock and it will be done.”

Zhidastra too sat alone seething with rage at the very sight of lives well-lived in pleasant places.

“Would you have their children know of yours?”

And the great monstrosity nodded.

“Throw a piece of ice into the distance and it will be done.”

Each of the abominations carried out its appointed task. Climbing to the surface, Gnea Sharn placed the oldest of stones from his cave under the moonlight in the cold lands of the north. Turning to see the rock for himself, Hval Maluk spat upon it, and his saliva soon froze into a block of ice. And then Zhidastra took the rock encased in ice and threw it with all his might.

Born thus of malice and magic, the great comet Hoklan soared up into the distance, but before it could clear the skies, three small shards broke apart from it and fell to the earth.

Seeing the first shard fall to the earth amid the filth of the wastelands, the great tortoise, Ayomichi, tried to catch it. Ayomichi was not quick enough, and the shard fell to the ground, becoming the Goblin King, Bit Nuluk. Born in the knowledge that he and his own would never be welcome among men, Bit Nuluk soon set about the creation of his armies, siring goblin and hobgoblin alike. In time, he would also create the kobalds, carefully instilling in each of his children knowledge of war and impressing upon them a way of life filled with that which they know best.

Seeing the second shard fall toward the mountains Ayomichi climbed as best he could in the hope that he could safely catch the falling piece of rock, but alas the great turtle could not manage the ascent. The shard fell into the mountains and became the Omus Thal, Lord of Giants. Omus looked out upon the world and saw no-one he might call a friend. Retiring to a great cavern, he set about crafting a world to his own liking. In time, he would sire all the kindreds of giants, none of whom would show kindness to man. Omus taught them all to keep to themselves.[1]

Seeing the third shard falling toward the sea, Ayomichi swam quickly to its destination, only to be struck soundly upon his back with a force the likes of which he had never seen. Ayomichi swam to shore and rested along the beach and nursed his wounds. Off his back stepped a full grown man of great nobility and profound courage. He thanked the great turtle and flew up into the sky whereupon he created a great and beautiful storm.[2]

The great comet Hoklan returns every hundredth year to bear witness to the creation of the lesser abominations, and of Heaven himself. Ayomichi’s shell still bears the scar left by the falling of heaven.

***

[1] Some scholars have questioned the accuracy of this passage. Sea Giants, for example, get along well with humans and all the fair kindreds of the world, and benign individuals have even been found among the kindreds of Fore Giants and Frost Giants. Attempts have been made to explain this contradiction, but none have proven successful. In view of this, some scholars have suggested that one shouldn’t trust any giants, not even those who trade with men or craft items of use to all. Still, the greatest scholars of the Library Philosophic have been known to wink at the passage, and to suggest that some words are best taken in half measures.

[2] The final stage of this chapter has been the subject of some debate, both as to the intended outcome and effect of Ayomichi’s intervention. In the end, the plan produced two lesser abominations whereas most would suppose it was intended to produce three. The Tierzen have long held that Svezedira himself was to be the third creature formed of the falling shards. Still others have suggested that some still greater beast was to have appeared when the third shard fell to the earth. Among the Hobgoblins, it is often suggested that no such terrible plan was ever in the offing. Indeed, the great Hobgoblin sage Venik Kull held that Heaven appeared, just as he was intended to, just as the Goblin King and just as the God of Giants did. Each of these gods, so Venik maintains, is exactly what it was intended to become. The elves of course regard this as preposterous.

Rabbit Sage

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

***

“Do you not see the rabbit on the moon? He is a great and wise sage, and he has given many gifts to the kindreds of this world. Rabbit Sage gifted the first spell to Dragon-Kind. He gifted the blessings of literature to the people of the east, and the same to those across distant waters. The secrets of herbs, Rabbit Sage gave to the elves, and to the peoples of the forest everywhere. To us here in the West, he gave knowledge of wines and the secret of Brewing. To the people of the desert, and to those that sail the seas, he gave knowledge of maps. To the Brutish creatures in the wastelands, Rabbit Sage gifted pain and hunger with which to save themselves. For it is only in these miseries that such creatures find the wisdom to survive.

But for all kindred of the world, Rabbit Sage keeps our history. You can see him writing up there. Every night, Rabbit Sage records the history of every nation and every kindred. Whether this be another gift or a curse depends on the fate of those in question. You see, to all the kindreds of the earth, Rabbit Sage gifts the certain knowledge that our history is recorded, and that the records lie well beyond our reach. Some would change this if they could. Others may rest easy in the knowledge that their glory is written eternally in the sky itself.”

– Marlis, the Wise.

***

Rabbit Sage can indeed been seen on the moon. He is the source of many great sciences. Indeed all peoples in the world, owe some share of their knowledge to this gentle and generous creature. And all can see him sitting in the light of his home, hard at work recording great insights and wisdom, some of which he may just gift to the peoples of this world.

It is said that Rabbit Sage gained his own wisdom by jumping into a fire. Called to sacrifice something in honor of creation itself, Rabbit had gathered only a small clump of grass. Wishing to make a sacrifice worthy of the event, he jumped instead onto the very fire prepared for the sacrifice. But Rabbit Sage did not die of the flames. Instead, the fire planted a small secret in Rabbit, and with that Secret Rabbit nourished great wisdom and learning.

Rabbit Sage is eager to share his knowledge with those that value it. The particular use to which people put the gifts given to them by Rabbit Sage is of little concern to him, but he does not share his secrets with those who do not value learning.

Religion: The Priesthood of this deity is not terribly concerned with gathering worshippers. Each is content to honor Rabbit Sage with their own prayers and with the quest for knowledge and the perfection of skills he has given to the world.

Those seeking to learn anything through careful study of books and literature will often do well to make a small sacrifice in honor of Rabbit Sage.

Domains: Scholarship and Literature.

Symbol: Scrolls or Writing Tablets.

Favored Offerings: Rabbit Sage is most honored when a small bundle of grass is burned in his honor.

VI: The Wrongening

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

***

This is Chapter 6 of the most authoritative account of creation contained in the Stone Philosophic. A full table of contents can be found here.

***

Text

When Mirona next found herself with child, she sent for Eleenian to aid in the birth of her child. She sent word through Hare, but Hare couldn’t find Eleenian, so he asked Raven to take wing and search for her from up high in the skies. Exhausted, Raven returned to ground and asked Coyote to try the desert, but Coyote soon became distracted with a small bird. In the end, he returned with feathers in his mouth and a small cricket in his paws. The cricket tried singing for the Goddess, but this only took away her dreams and filled her with fear. When Raven returned at last to Mirona, he brought only clay. Hare tried to fashion the clay into a baby, but he succeeded only in making a rattle. This too irritated Mirona, and thus her mind became winter. At the first signs of quickening in her womb, Mirona felt strife within her. In the evening, she heard wolves howling in the night, and foxes could be seen hunting about in the morning. By midday, bears and wildcats wandered about Mirona’s home.

Mirona did not give birth to one child, this time; She gave birth to three. Only two of them survived. Effinthistle, Goddess of the Elves made her appearance first, followed soon after by Ogath, Lord of the Orc hordes. It is said that the two of them, brother and sister, smiled upon each other for a brief moment before the birth of their youngest brother.[1] Who he was, and what kindred should have been born with him, nobody will ever know. That child and all its domain was lost to the world in the stillness of its birth, as was any hope of peace between its siblings. To this day, each blames the other for the death of their youngest sibling, and their words soon gave way to blows, and Mirona wept for an age.[2][3]

Ogath called his hordes into being and Effinthistle sang the trees into being along with the elves and so many of their kindred. but Ogath brought fire to kiss the branches of her sylvan fortress. Effinthistle sang the fire back upon the orc hordes, even as Ogath cut down the greatest trees and scorched their seeds.

Exhausted, Mirona finally stopped weeping long enough to beg her youngest children for peace. Neither listened to her.

Hearing a sound just beyond his sight, Ogath chased it all the way into the wastelands whereupon Coyote finally dropped his rattle and slipped away. Seeing her brother with his back turned, Effinthistle readied a great arrow, but Raven threw sparks into the skies and the elven goddess soon turned her attention to the wondrous new stars. For his own part, Hare taught all the gentle creatures of the earth how to hide and to run, and thus to survive the presence of new creatures with which they now had to share the world.

And finally, there was peace.

When winter finally gave rise to spring, Mirona gave her blessings to all the new creatures of the world.

Rabbit Sage took note of all of this from his home upon the moon.

Nobody ever learned where Eleenian had been, but her apologies were met with forgiveness and love.[4]

***

[1] A minor sect among the Łigen holds that the stillborn child of Mirona was neither male nor female, being neither or both. They maintain its legacy is carried in their own kindred, and in the lives of all who escape the logic of two genders. Most Łigen deny this of course, and few outside their circles doubt that the stillborn child was anything but a male, or that its nature was lost in the stillness of its birth.

[2] Few scholars would doubt that the death of the stillborn child was the work of the orc lord. Still, the wretched creatures of the Stone Philosophic put the cause of his death on Effinthistle. The greatest crime in all of history, so their shamans will tell you, was in fact carried out by the fairest of kindreds, and blamed on the children of the wastelands. True evil, so the orcs and goblins will tell us, lies not in their own filthy homes, but deep in the most beautiful forests of the world.

[3] It is of course a forgone conclusion that many of the worlds creatures did not survive this long winter. One can of course find the bones of great creatures buried deep in the soil  of the Stone Philosophic. What they were and how they lived, we will never know.

[4] The Preisthood of Eleenian commonly suggests that Eleenian was lost in prayer throughout this chapter or the creation narratives. What it would mean for a goddess to pray is of course an interesting question, one asked of Eleenian perhaps more than most deities. Indeed, few of the other gods have ever been thought to pray, but Eleenian is often supposed to engage in prayer, or something like it. Critics of the cult of Eleenian are prone to suggest that the prayers of Eleenian are actually some truly malevolent form of magic. They will commonly point to her prolonged absence during this fretful chapter of creation for evidence of this supposition.

Viglili (Tunnels & Trolls)

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A General narrative about Viglili can be found here. What follows are stats for the game of Tunnels and Trolls.

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Str: .9, Con: .9, Dex: 2, Lk: 1, IQ: .9, Wiz: .1, SP: 1, Chr: 1.25.

Height: .5, Weight: .5.

Language(s): Simian.

A Viglili has the following special qualities:

  • Viglili can climb any surface with hand-holds, branches, etc. at normal speed.
  • A Viglili can turn the light of its face on to create torchlight lasting 1 minute per level. Doing so costs 1 point of Wiz.
  • Viglili automatically get a +3 bonus on save against surprise or to find something. Thy get this same bonus on any save for sleight of hand.
  • Viglili do not use weapons, wear armor, or cast spells, but they get 1d6 per level in melee combat.
  • A Viglili can make a special Luck Save to avoid damage versus 1 missile or the damage from general combat. To do so it makes a Luck Save against the total damage it would take from the source of damage. Success reduces the damage taken by the Viglili by 1 for every time its total roll can be divided by the damage in question.

Standard Monster Rating: 20.

Viglili

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 3, 2026.

***

“Who the Hell keeps taking the buttons off my coat!?!”

– Umpalouie Babalau, Renowned Explorer

***

Viglili appear to be medium-sized monkeys with prehensile tales. Well, that is what their bodies look like anyway. Their round bulbous faces are white colored, leathery, and aside from some slight wrinkles, they are completely devoid of features. It isn’t really noticable in daylight, but this face always has a faint glow to it, When desired a Viglili can light up this face like a great torch.

Although very intelligent, Viglili generally behave much as other monkeys. In rare cases, a Viglili may take an interest in other sentient creatures. If one of these creatures takes a fancy to someone, she can be quite helpful. No Viglili can resist the allure of bright and shiny objects, however, and these creatures are constantly stealing items for no practical reason. Viglili usually stow their prizes in one or more secret locations. When travelling a Viglili may try to stow something away in hopes of returning, or she may try stashing it in the gear of a fellow party member. This has been known to cause problems.

Rules for playing Viglili in Tunnels & Trolls can be found here.

Riaspa (Tunnels & Trolls)

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          A General narrative about Riaspa can be found here. What follows are stats for the game of Tunnels and Trolls.

***

              Riaspa: Str: 1, Con: 1, Dex: 1, Lk: 1, IQ: 1, Wiz: 1.25, SP: 1, Chr: 2.

Height: .1 (on all fours), Weight: 1

Language(s): A Riaspa can speak Ursine and the Light Tongue.

A Riaspa has the following special qualities:

  • A Riaspa can choose to mirror one ability belonging to one character in her presence. This can be a language it speaks, a single stat score, or a special ability of any kind. The effect lasts for up to 1 minute per level of the character, but it ends immediately if the mirrored character dies or leaves her presence. Triggering the ability costs 1 point of Wiz per level of the mirrored, 2 if the mirrored character is higher level than the Riaspa, 3 if the mirrored character is twice the level of the Riaspa or more.
  • If a Riaspa is affected by a spell, it can choose one character within 3” to receive the same effect. If the new recipient wishes to resist, them opposing Luck saves determine the result. Triggering this effect costs 2 point of Wiz, 4 if the target is higher level than the Riaspa.

Standard Monster Rating: 50.