The Histories of Aliad

The Crossing

Futuatis, God of Fertility, Childbirth, Wisdom and Foresight sat at the country of Tillasian's easternmost point, Marling Beach, puffing away on his pipe and watching the sun rise on the horizon he'd soon be heading towards. It turned the sky amazingly pink which relieved him greatly. The past few days had been awash with crippling winds and soaking rains. Unlike Tilian, who was making his way across the sands to join him, Futuatis had not been born God of the Waters. If the ship taking him across to the new lands sunk, he'd sink with it and only rise again by a miracle he was unable to perform. He could swim and as a God he had superior strength to most that were making the journey with him. But he was still no match for a fierce storm. There was forty miles of water between here and the new world.

"Are you ready, cousin?" Tilian asked with a great smile as wide as the horizon Futuatis had been looking along.

Mahildrim was made up of dozens of countries. Many of them, like Tillasian, were islands. It had been a couple of hundred years since all the countries established peace after centuries of battling and conquers. The Gods of Mahildrim had since retired from the thrones of Mahildrim, leaving them in the hands of Magicians chosen. These caretakers had been in charge for fifty years. During that time there had been much prosperity. Competitiveness in battle slowly left the blood of the Mahildrim man. It was replaced by a race of another kind: discovery. To the west the seas went on for weeks and what they did find the Mahildrim kings felt was out of their reach, too far, too wild.

So when explorers from Tillasian reported back from the east that there were new lands, only a few weeks away, the kings were delighted. But that delight was quickly replaced by the Gods' worry as the countries started to bicker about who had the most right to the lands and to how much lands they had the most right too. Many of the Gods had started and ended the wars. They were tired of it, had seen its destruction and believed that removing themselves from the power they held ruling countries would help prevent it.

Maltuinak, God of Fire, came up with the idea that each island send a ship with a God on it to the new world so that every country had representatives and that together they would build the new world they were longing for. That was six years ago. It had taken time to get everyone to agree. Only half the countries had taken to the idea at first. Tillasian was one of the last. Futuatis could understand that. Their people were the ones that came back from across Tilian Sea first. Now everything was prepared.

Futuatis had come from Potzias, one of the smallest and, on any map, centremost countries in Mahildrim. It had taken him close to two months to get to Tillasian. You couldn't pass a country. The king would consider that a slight on his honour. So you had to dock in and meet and greet, sit and eat. That would take up most of a day. But eventually, as winter was ending, Futuatis docked in Marling, a fishing town where the thirty-six ships of thirty-six countries had agreed to meet.

He'd come down to the beach after drinking most of the night away with the others he'd be journeying with. As the night fell away he had started to feel sombre and worried about leaving Mahildrim. It had been his home for last twenty-eight years, since the day he'd come into the world. When at first he'd been chosen from his family to represent Potzias, he'd been delighted, couldn't have believed the luck that had blessed him. Now he was worried. He'd never be returning to Mahildrim.

"I'm... willing," Futuatis answered slowly. "Ready wouldn't be the right word, not for me."

"Oh don't be so grumpy!" Tilian said with a laugh. "Today is not only a new day, but a new world!" He pulled two silver goblets out of a pocket in his torn cloak that wasn't big enough for a single one. As soon as one hit Futuatis' hand it filled with a golden liquid."Drink and be merry friend. Together, we're going to build a world."