And Keos loved the golem and gave it a name: Fyoldar.
Now the Hammer of Keos had never received the blessing of Odar or Lumea, for having insulted their brother with a song, the Gods had failed to bless the gift that Keos made for himself. And the creations forged by the Hammer of Keos were abominable to the Darites and Ilumites, for they perceived that without lumen his creations lacked a spirit, and without quaire they lacked intelligence. Nevertheless, Keos rejoiced, for he knew a mindless servant would obey its master, and a soulless thrall would not tire of its tasks. Even so, Keos knew that Fyoldar’s strength was terrible to behold, and he knew that his siblings would likewise name it an abomination. So Keos kept the golem in the base of the mountains, inside the great chasms at the centre of the earth. And for a time, Fyoldar stayed there, hidden from the sight of Odar and Lumea.
Now Fyoldar, being a creature of pure t’rasang, did not hunger or thirst in the manner of animals or humans, for he could not drink water, and neither fruits nor vegetables satisfied his hunger: only blood could slake Fyoldar’s thirst, and by flesh alone would his appetite be satisfied. Moreover, when consuming the flesh of beasts, Fyoldar became wild and feral, but when Fyoldar drank the blood of men, his mind was opened and his thoughts were cunning like those of men. So it was that Keos, because of his love for Fyoldar and his spite for Lumea and Odar, stole the worshippers of his siblings and sacrificed them to sate the hunger of his Flesh Golem.
But this was not all. For with the creation of Fyoldar, Keos had awakened a hunger within himself, a hunger to create more beings of pure t’rasang. For, notwithstanding Keos’s love for Fyoldar, he saw that the golem was flawed, lacking intellect, beauty and grace. So Keos retreated to the pits beneath his forge at Thoir Cuma and began labouring in secret, crafting many golems and arcane creatures as he sought to create a more perfect being of earthblood.
And he created golems from stone and called the greatest among them Klaklanrai. He created golems from metal and called the greatest among them Yarnach. He created winged golems and called their master Gargol. And after many years of labouring, he created Dortafola, the first great Vampyr. And in Dortafola, Keos found the beauty and grace he had sought.
But Odar and Lumea had not been ignorant of the creations of Keos, for they had felt Luquatra shake at their births, had heard the keening of the creatures at night, and had seen the beasts hunt those Darites and Ilumites who persecuted the Children of Keos.
Witnessing this, Odar, God of Quaire, who had not spoken with Keos since the eve of that first Regaleus, visited his younger brother. And Odar exhorted Keos to repent of his actions, admonishing him, threatening that if Keos would not repent of his creations, the priests of Odar would hunt the Children of Keos and remove their taint from Luquatra.
But Keos was wise, for he saw the hypocrisy of his brother’s words and he chastised him, saying, ‘Do not your children already hunt mine? Yea, and you support them in their retribution for you suppose their cause is just. But I have seen the crimes of your priests, and I have seen the bloodlust of your children – how they covet the land that is ours and seek to expand beyond the islands of the sea. Therefore, do not counsel me in this, for thy mind is tainted by the love of thy children, and I will not sacrifice mine to please thine own.’
And Odar went away, his intentions frustrated, and he sought the aid of their sister Lumea, hoping she might counsel their brother.
And Lumea came to Thoir Cuma to plead with Keos on behalf of her worshippers, and also on behalf of Odar and his worshippers, to beseech Keos to cease making creatures devoid of light and life. And Keos listened to Lumea but was not persuaded by her arguments.
And Lumea took the hand of Keos – yea, the very hand that had smitten Myahlai in the final battle – and she wept into it. And as she was so engaged, Lumea discovered her brother’s secret hurt: a blackened scar and withered finger. And when Lumea remembered the jaws of Myahlai – how the demon’s teeth had clamped upon Keos in his moment of victory – she perceived that Myahlai’s venom lay upon her brother.
Then said Lumea unto Keos, ‘I fear that the taint of Myahlai is upon thee, brother, for when thou didst wrestle with the Anti-God, did he not infect thee with his poison? Yea, has not thy hand been cursed with the taint of Myahlai?’
And Keos hearkened to these words and was uneasy, for Myahlai – the Incarnation of Entropy; the Father of Evil, Death, and Ignominy – had indeed bitten the hand of Keos during the final battle. And Keos had concealed his wound from his brother and sister, being afraid of the taint upon him and not knowing what would come of it. And Keos humbled himself and listened to his sister and agreed to hear Odar’s counsel a second time.
And Lumea spoke to Odar on Keos’s behalf and explained how the Destroyer’s taint had fallen upon Keos. And she persuaded Odar to accompany her to visit Keos once more.
Now this was the first time since the first Regaleus that the Gods had gathered together. And after they discussed the injury Keos had suffered during his battle with Myahlai, Odar proposed that Keos destroy his golems, yea, even all the creations that Keos had wrought from pure t’rasang. And Keos consented to Odar’s request, though he grieved at the loss of his creations. Having thus secured this first promise from Keos, Odar then demanded the God of T’rasang deliver up his hammer. For Odar feared the creations wrought by his brother’s hand, and he envied the Hammer of Keos, which Keos valued above all his other creations.
But this second counsel cut Keos to the core, for it named his virtues as evils. Yea, Keos had been willing to destroy his creations, to break apart the very things he had forged and loved, but he could not bear to give up his hammer. For Keos knew he had been wronged during the first Regaleus, and he would not relinquish the hammer’s power, neither to his brother, nor his sister, nor to anyone.
So it was that, for the second time, Keos refused to give heed to the words of Odar and was angry with him. And Lumea pleaded with her brother and threw her arms round his neck, crying that he might relinquish his hatred and stubbornness, but Keos was unmoved.
And Odar saw that Keos was intractable, that he had set his mind and heart against him and would not yield to his entreaties. Yea, and Odar took this as a sign that Keos was truly plagued with the taint of Myahlai. And as he gazed upon the hand of Keos, he imagined that same taint had begun to consume his brother, and Odar determined that it had to be removed.
Then Odar raised his staff against Keos and smote the hand bitten by Myahlai. And the palm of Keos shattered into a thousand thousand pieces and his fingers were broken in half and cast to the earth.