The City of the Gods

The Hall of Indar was a large and magnificent building. It seemed an architectural impossiblity. The entire hall seemed to be carved out of one large piece of stone. Obsidian, to be exact. Coal black obsidian with swirls of bright ruby running throughout. Two trenches ran along the walls. Both were filled with fuel, one that burned a bright blue and another a shimmering green. The light of both fires was caught by the blood red ruby, illuminating the entire hall. A throne made of the same ruby sat at one end of the hall, behind which the two trenches met in a dazzling display of fireworks. Upon the throne sat the only being capable of drawing the eye away from the shooting flames. Upon the throne sat Indar.

The throne glowed around the god as he sat, emotionless. His garb was simple, as always: a white skirt with a gold belt, golden bracelets, and black leather boots that ended at the calf. He was the epitomy of the human form. Muscles capable of uprooting mountains lay dormant behind his bronze skin. His bald head reflected the flames that danced behind him. His ice blue eyes, while penetrating, betrayed no emotion, no indication of the thoughts of the god. Being the most powerful among them all, Indar was a very private god.

As he sat, his servants and priests bustled around him, performing the minor "miracles" and answering the prayers of his worshippers that were necessary to keep them believing in his power. And, with each miracle, Indar could feel the new converts, the new believers, his power growing with each one. He smiled to himself, though he made no indication of his amusement to all those around him. He smiled to himself as his mind wandered... literally.

Imperceptable to his priests and servants, Indar's consciousness left his body and rose through space, through the roof of the hall and out into the free air. He kept rising, higher and higher, surveying more of the city with each passing moment. First, he saw his hall, larger than a ship, larger than many of the cities on the mortal world. Then, the rest of the city of the gods, Zerua, started to come into view. His hall faced Plaza of the Ancient Gods, a hexagonal shaped area with a tower of light emitting from the center, dancing and changing colors constantly but imperceptably. Directly opposite from his hall was the road that led from the main part of the city to the Plaza.

The other faces of the hexagon featured the halls of some of the other powerful gods. On the left were Lehen and Hil. They were the last of the ancient gods. Lehen had been the chief amongst all gods before Indar had simply become more powerful and usurped that role. His hall was a white marble, though it was becoming grey in places, a sign of the diminishing, yet still formidable, power commanded by Lehen. To the left of Lehen's hall was a strange looking building. The base, about four stories high, was made of one ton blocks of sandstone, forming a circle. The top was open, but above it hung, suspended in space, a large globe, an immitation of one of the moons of the mortal realm. The moon glowed, it's light reaching each and every inhabitant of Zerua. This was the home of Hil, the god of Death. Hil was a constant in the lives of the mortals that had never changed. Hil was the first among them and, unless Indar's centuries of planning succeeded, would most likely be the last to stand among them as well.

To the right stood the halls of two of the younger gods, gods that had risen in power at the same time Indar had. First, there was Liki, the goddess of love and lust. Many of the lesser gods that populated Zerua and the surroundings owed their parentage, either as father or mother, to Liki. Although, Indar was responsible for more than one of those offspring. Liki had no hall to speak of. Instead, the area was covered by a lush garden. Tall oaks and palms formed the walls, bright ferns and grasses covered the ground, and every imaginable form of vegetation in between flourished in Liki's realm. In the center of the garden sat a small wooden building, the home of Liki, where she rested. Smaller wooden structures were scattered throughout the garden, the homes of her servants.

Next to Liki's "hall" stood that of Taiu. Indar smiled when he thought of Taiu. She had served his purpose well. The rise to power of their son, Ander, in the mortal realm marked the beginning of Indar's own rise to power in Zerua. Without her, his plan may never had succeeded. He had needed a follower that could win over both sides of the political spectrum: the blood thirsty warriors and the deceitful beaurocrats. That is exactly what he had gotten in Ander, son of the god of war and the goddess of lies. None of the other gods had suspected that Indar had orchestrated Ander's entire life. Not even Taiu. She had become quite drunk on the new found power given to her by the sudden increase in worshippers. Besides Indar, she had gained the most out of Ander's empire. But, she was never strong enough to see through Indar's schemes.

The city of the gods stretched around the Plaza for as far as the eye could see. It was here that the dead that had found favor with the gods came and spent eternity, worshipping and serving the masters of Zerua. The city appeared, for the most part, like any other city. The market was always buzzing with activity. Patrons were seated on the stools at the local tavern. Lovers enjoyed each other's bodies in the privacy of curtained bedrooms.