Parables of the Gods
“A Collection of Parables of the Gods
— In-game description
Acquisition[edit]
Automatically created from the incomplete version upon completing all six Storyteller achievements in Siren's Landing.
Text[edit]
A Parable of Abaddon
- A Parable of Abaddon
- Page One
- This sheet is titled the same as the other parables, but it looks like a copy. The paper isn't ancient parchment, and it hasn't been as weathered.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
Put it away.
- Page Two
- Page Three
- The people of Orr decorated it with gold and gems befitting the gods who protected them.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Four
- The gods were pleased, and so it came to pass that the gods came to Orr and made it their home.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Five
- With the gods came artifacts, relics, and secret knowledge, and the gods wished for a safe place to store these treasures.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Six
- Page Seven
- These reliquaries he connected on a magical grid that illuminated them all. Thus, he kept thieves and defilers at bay.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Eight
- This copy of the parable has notes in the margin, written by a modern hand.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Nine
- Abaddon sent away. Gods wipe the records of him. Childish! Why so many Abaddon relics here if true? Is this even a parable?
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Ten
- No mention of reliquaries in the history books. Gods hid it with a magical veil? Did they sink it too? But post-god maps show the region existed. May never know truth.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Eleven
- Put it away.
- A Parable of Balthazar
- A Parable of Balthazar
- Page One
- Walking upon a battlefield strewn with the dead, Balthazar, the god of war, blessed each of the corpses for their valor, until he came across one who had not fought but had cowered.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Two
- Balthazar could smell the stink of fear, and so he reached into the man and pulled forth his soul. He held it in place as he scrutinized it.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Three
- The soul was no more courageous in death than it had been in life, and it trembled and whimpered. It bowed its spine and hid its face.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Four
- "You," said the god, "do not belong here. You sully these brave men and women who died in honorable combat. You will cower behind them no more."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Five
- Balthazar folded the soul, bent it and broke it, crushed it until it was hidden inside his clasped hands. Then he opened his mouth wide, and shoved the soul in, consuming it whole.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Six
- Once it was gone, Balthazar shouted to the dead, "You carried this coward when he lived. Now, I carry him, for he serves as my reminder that strength and courage are never to be taken for granted."
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Put it away.
- A Parable of Dwayna
- A Parable of Dwayna, detailing the perils of disobedience.
- Page One
- Upon a cold, moonless night, there came a man to a farm. The night was so dark, he carried a lit candle to find the path.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Two
- The farmer heard him and called out. "What business have you here?" The farm was dark as pitch.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Three
- "I seek shelter from the coming storm," said the traveler. "Would you invite me to your hearth?"
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Four
- The farmer feared riding out the storm in the dark, but more than that, he feared strangers. The farmer replied, "No, I cannot."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Five
- Saddened, the traveler wished the farmer well and forged onward. Farther down the hill, he found a family who gave him hospitality.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Six
- The farmer suffered the darkest night of his life. A tree fell on his house, crushing his leg. He did not call to Dwayna for help as he knew he didn't deserve it. For him, the morning never came.
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Put it away.
- A Parable of Grenth
- A Parable of Grenth
- Page One
- To Grenth's ears, there came a cry from the soul of one who had suffered long and profoundly. The god was drawn to the woman who called, for she had no mercy left in her.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Two
- Seeking vengeance for her husband's violence against her, she evoked Grenth's judgment upon the husband even as she plunged the knife into his heart.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Three
- As Grenth stood over her and the husband she had murdered, he saw that she had loved him once, that she had borne him children, and that she had been a good and loyal wife.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Four
- He saw that the man had never loved her, but had resented her and their children for draining his pockets. He saw that the man had not been loyal, and had never been kind.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Five
- He saw the abuses he had rained down upon his wife. And so, the god of death said, "I find you guilty, woman, of murdering your husband. When it is your time, you will pay for what you have done."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Six
- "I understand," said the woman as she bowed before Grenth.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Seven
- "And now," said Grenth, "I give you a choice. You may come with me now and watch your husband suffer for the wrongs he has done. Or you may walk away, and I will claim you only when it is your time."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Eight
- The woman said, "I gave my husband my love and life. I will come now, to see this tale's end and to share his suffering. It will hurt him more to know that I am witnessing his pain." And so it was.
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Put it away.
- A Parable of Lyssa
- A Parable of Lyssa
- Page One
- From out of the darkness, there stepped a child into the campfire's light. And she said, "I am Lyssa, and I have come to teach you what is illusion and what is truth."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Two
- But the soldiers there did not believe her. They laughed and said, "If you're Lyssa, then show us your beauty, for we can surely use it on this dark night. We have lost hope that this war will end."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Three
- The child approached, and her smile held divine grace. "Share your food with me, and in return for your kindness, I will show you beauty the likes of you will never see again."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Four
- And so the kind soldiers did, and the child ate with ravenous hunger. When the last bone had been tossed aside, and the last bean swallowed, the child began to skip around the outside of the campfire.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Five
- She touched each man on his head, one at a time, as they laughed and jibed her until, one at a time, they fell into a deep slumber.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Six
- Each man dreamed a different dream, but each dream was a vision of the life they would lead once the war was over—wives, children, riches, open air, health, and peace.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Seven
- And when they awoke upon the morrow, the child was gone and the enemy had arrived. They fought joyfully, with all their might, because they all remembered their dreams and knew they would win the war.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Eight
- Each man put his heart and soul into the battle, and each man, one at a time, was slaughtered.
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Put it away.
- A Parable of Melandru
- A Parable of Melandru
- Page One
- One day, the goddess Melandru came upon a den of foxes, and she heard within the hungry cries of kits. She bent her ear to the ground and learned that the mother fox had been killed by a farmer.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Two
- The cubs were doomed to starve to death, and thus was the way of nature. Melandru sought out the farmer, and asked him why he had killed the fox, thus condemning its kits to sure death.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Three
- The farmer explained that the fox had killed one of his chickens, and therefore he had taken his vengeance upon the fox. "Thus," said Melandru, "is the way of nature."
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Four
- Later that year, the farmer prayed to her, calling her name in his darkest moment. In his presence, she saw that he was in mourning and asked what had happened.
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Five
- "Wolves," he said, "have taken my daughter. Can you not bring her back to me?"
- Read on...
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Page Six
- Melandru was not unkind as she said, "No. Thus is the way of nature."
- Return to the beginning of the book.
- Put it away.
- Put it away.
The Parables[edit]
A Parable of Abaddon[edit]
(This sheet is titled the same as the other parables, but it looks like a copy. The paper isn't ancient parchment, and it hasn't been as weathered.)
And thus, Arah was built, sector by sector, in honor of the gods. It rose into the clouds and sank deep into the ground. The people of Orr decorated it with gold and gems befitting the gods who protected them. The gods were pleased, and so it came to pass that the gods came to Orr and made it their home.
With the gods came artifacts, relics, and secret knowledge, and the gods wished for a safe place to store these treasures. Abaddon—god of secrets, knowledge, and magic—designed a set of reliquaries to hold these priceless items. As a gift, he gave one to each of the other gods and created his own as the centerpiece. These reliquaries he connected on a magical grid that illuminated them all. Thus, he kept thieves and defilers at bay.
(This copy of the parable has notes in the margin, written by a modern hand.)
Abaddon sent away. Gods wipe the records of him. Childish! Why so many Abaddon relics here if true? Is this even a parable? No mention of reliquaries in the history books. Gods hid it with a magical veil? Did they sink it too? But post-god maps show the region existed. May never know truth. Orr gets sunk, then rises. Veil shredded? Reliquaries revealed. Hehe. Abaddon, Keeper of Secrets, has the last word.
A Parable of Balthazar[edit]
Walking upon a battlefield strewn with the dead, Balthazar, the god of war, blessed each of the corpses for their valor, until he came across one who had not fought but had cowered. Balthazar could smell the stink of fear, and so he reached into the man and pulled forth his soul. He held it in place as he scrutinized it.
The soul was no more courageous in death than it had been in life, and it trembled and whimpered. It bowed its spine and hid its face.
"You," said the god, "do not belong here. You sully these brave men and women who died in honorable combat. You will cower behind them no more."
Balthazar folded the soul, bent it and broke it, crushed it until it was hidden inside his clasped hands. Then he opened his mouth wide, and shoved the soul in, consuming it whole.
Once it was gone, Balthazar shouted to the dead, "You carried this coward when he lived. Now, I carry him, for he serves as my reminder that strength and courage are never to be taken for granted."
A Parable of Dwayna[edit]
Upon a cold, moonless night, there came a man to a farm. The night was so dark, he carried a lit candle to find the path.
The farmer heard him and called out. "What business have you here?" The farm was dark as pitch.
"I seek shelter from the coming storm," said the traveler. "Would you invite me to your hearth?"
The farmer feared riding out the storm in the dark, but more than that, he feared strangers. The farmer replied, "No, I cannot."
Saddened, the traveler wished the farmer well and forged onward. Farther down the hill, he found a family who gave him hospitality.
The farmer suffered the darkest night of his life. A tree fell on his house, crushing his leg. He did not call to Dwayna for help as he knew he didn't deserve it. For him, the morning never came.
A Parable of Grenth[edit]
To Grenth's ears, there came a cry from the soul of one who had suffered long and profoundly. The god was drawn to the woman who called, for she had no mercy left in her. Seeking vengeance for her husband's violence against her, she evoked Grenth's judgment upon the husband even as she plunged the knife into his heart.
As Grenth stood over her and the husband she had murdered, he saw that she had loved him once, that she had borne him children, and that she had been a good and loyal wife. He saw that the man had never loved her, but had resented her and their children for draining his pockets. He saw that the man had not been loyal, and had never been kind. He saw the abuses he had rained down upon his wife.
And so, the god of death said, "I find you guilty, woman, of murdering your husband. When it is your time, you will pay for what you have done."
"I understand," said the woman as she bowed before Grenth.
"And now," said Grenth, "I give you a choice. You may come with me now and watch your husband suffer for the wrongs he has done. Or you may walk away, and I will claim you only when it is your time."
The woman said, "I gave my husband my love and life. I will come now, to see this tale's end and to share his suffering. It will hurt him more to know that I am witnessing his pain."
And so it was.
A Parable of Lyssa[edit]
From out of the darkness, there stepped a child into the campfire's light. And she said, "I am Lyssa, and I have come to teach you what is illusion and what is truth."
But the soldiers there did not believe her. They laughed and said, "If you're Lyssa, then show us your beauty, for we can surely use it on this dark night. We have lost hope that this war will end."
The child approached, and her smile held divine grace. "Share your food with me, and in return for your kindness, I will show you beauty the likes of you will never see again."
And so the kind soldiers did, and the child ate with ravenous hunger. When the last bone had been tossed aside, and the last bean swallowed, the child began to skip around the outside of the campfire. She touched each man on his head, one at a time, as they laughed and jibed her until, one at a time, they fell into a deep slumber. Each man dreamed a different dream, but each dream was a vision of the life they would lead once the war was over—wives, children, riches, open air, health, and peace.
And when they awoke upon the morrow, the child was gone and the enemy had arrived. They fought joyfully, with all their might, because they all remembered their dreams and knew they would win the war. Each man put his heart and soul into the battle, and each man, one at a time, was slaughtered.
A Parable of Melandru[edit]
One day, the goddess Melandru came upon a den of foxes, and she heard within the hungry cries of kits. She bent her ear to the ground and learned that the mother fox had been killed by a farmer. The cubs were doomed to starve to death, and thus was the way of nature.
Melandru sought out the farmer, and asked him why he had killed the fox, thus condemning its kits to sure death. The farmer explained that the fox had killed one of his chickens, and therefore he had taken his vengeance upon the fox. "Thus," said Melandru, "is the way of nature."
Later that year, the farmer prayed to her, calling her name in his darkest moment. In his presence, she saw that he was in mourning and asked what had happened. "Wolves," he said, "have taken my daughter. Can you not bring her back to me?"
Melandru was not unkind as she said, "No. Thus is the way of nature."
