Chapter 10: Gods Born from Humanity
The arrival of humans injected unprecedented vitality into the continent of Faerûn.
Under the protection of the gods, this newborn race demonstrated astonishing adaptability and learning capacity; they learned magic from the elves, forging techniques from the dwarves, and more.
They rapidly established settlements across Faerûn, developing diverse forms of civilization.
The Seven Deadly Sins bestowed upon humanity by Shar indeed made the race imperfect, but it was precisely this imperfection that made humans seem real and complex.
Greed drove exploration and accumulation, anger sparked resistance and reform, envy fostered competition and progress, sloth birthed convenience and innovation, gluttony brought enjoyment and celebration, and lust continued procreation and emotion.
The human population grew rapidly, soon becoming the most populous intelligent race on the continent of Faerûn.
Other races were surprised to discover that while individual humans had short lifespans, the species as a whole exhibited incredible vitality and speed of change.
Ling Hao observed the development of humanity. As a human himself, he naturally understood their traits: short lives prompted them to act quickly, and diverse characteristics allowed them to adapt to various environments.
As human society became more complex, new concepts began to emerge from the collective consciousness.
Negative concepts such as intrigue, deception, lies, and tyranny gradually condensed divinity, eventually giving birth to new deities.
The first god born from a human concept was the God of Intrigue. He drew power from courtly schemes and power struggles, quickly gaining a following.
Next to appear was the God of Deception and Lies, skilled at twisting the truth and creating illusions. He enjoyed seeing mortals fooled by lies and frequently spread false information within human society.
To Ling Hao's surprise, these gods of negative concepts were not all created by Shar.
Most were products of humanity's own collective consciousness; Sharmerely pushed things along from the sidelines, accelerating the birth process of these deities.
"Look," Shar observed from the Shadow Plane with satisfaction, "humans chose the path of darkness themselves. I merely provided the initial seeds."
However, not all deities born from human concepts were negative. Some positive concepts also began to condense divinity.
The most famous was the birth of Waukeen, the Goddess of Wealth and Trade. She manifested from a large human trade fair, holding a scale representing fair trade.
"Wealth should flow," Waukeen declared, "and trade should be fair. I bless honest merchants and punish the fraudulent."
Waukeen quickly gained a large number of followers; not just humans, but even some among the dwarves and elves began to worship this new goddess.
She established her own divine realm, setting rules for commerce and principles for the distribution of wealth.
Subsequently, the Goddess of Love was born, drawing power from humanity's finest emotions; then the God of Art, inspiring creation and the pursuit of beauty; there even appeared a God of Hope, representing the unquenchable optimism of humanity.
Chauntea observed the birth of these new gods with mixed feelings.
She saw that the humans she created produced both gods of darkness and a pantheon of light; this complexity was exactly what she sought.
"Humanity is indeed full of possibilities," Chauntea said to Sulen, "capable of both the most noble deeds and the most despicable acts. This is precisely the balance I wanted."
Sulen nodded in agreement: "Light and darkness coexist, hope and despair intertwine. Humanity perfectly embodies the duality of the universe."
The gods began to pay attention to these newly born conceptual deities. Some gods tried to win them over, some kept their distance, and others directly expressed hostility.
Corellon expressed disgust for the God of Lies: "Elves value truth and elegance; such a deity should not exist."
Moradin, on the other hand, appreciated Waukeen: "Fair trade and the accumulation of wealth align with dwarven values."
Gruumsh was skeptical of all the new gods: "Only combat can prove worth; these weak conceptual gods are not worth mentioning."
As the God of the Sun and Law, Amaunator appreciated order and rules, but certain conceptual gods clearly violated his principles.
"Tyranny is not the correct order," Amaunator declared, "and deception is not a legitimate means."
However, these conceptual gods had already been born and could not be easily eliminated. They became new forces within the pantheons, altering the original balance.
Ling Hao noticed that as the number of new gods increased, the struggle for faith became more intense. Different deities were all vying for human followers because, while human faith was scattered, its total volume was staggering.
Waukeen was particularly successful. She skillfully balanced the interests of various parties and established good relations with the gods of multiple races. Her priests were found in every major city, and her temples became centers of trade.
"Wealth is a universal language," Waukeen declared during a divine assembly. "Whether elf, dwarf, or human, all need trade and wealth."
Even the habitually aloof Dragon Race began to deal with Waukeen. Those greedy dragons found that cooperating with the Goddess of Wealth could bring them more treasure.
Lolth held an open attitude toward these new gods. She believed that magic should serve all deities, regardless of alignment or philosophy.
"Magic is a tool," Lolth said. "The key lies in how it is used. These new gods provide more scenarios for its application."
She even collaborated with Waukeen to develop magical contracts and magical currency, further promoting the development of trade.
Mystryl was satisfied with the expansion of the Weave. The more deities used magic, the more stable the Weave became, and the more powerful she grew.
However, Shar's shadow operations continued. The Goddess of Darkness secretly supported those negative conceptual gods, expanding their influence.
"Let humans choose the darkness themselves," Shar whispered. "The darkness within their hearts is more effective than any external force."
Indeed, intrigue and deception occurred frequently in human society, and tyranny and oppression were common. The negative conceptual gods thus gained a continuous stream of power.
But surprisingly, the positive conceptual gods were equally powerful. The God of Hope gave solace in times of suffering, the Goddess of Loveconnected hearts, and the God of Art enriched lives.
Ling Hao observed a delicate balance forming. Negative and positive gods constrained each other, much like the eternal game between order and chaos.
Chauntea observed this balance and concluded: "This is the essence of humanity and a microcosm of the universe. Perfection lies not in the absence of darkness, but in the coexistence of light and darkness."
Human civilization continued its rapid development. They built great cities, developed complex social structures, and created rich culture and art.
Relationships with other races fluctuated. Sometimes humans allied with elves to fight orcs, sometimes they clashed with dwarves over resources, and sometimes wars broke out between internal kingdoms.
This dynamic change actually promoted human development. Pressure drove innovation, conflict prompted reform, and exchange brought integration.
Ling Hao noticed that humans began to develop a unique system of magic. Unlike other races, human magic was more practical and diversified.
Some Human Mages focused on combat magic, developing a large number of offensive spells; some researched healing magic, becoming excellent physicians; and others explored enchantment magic, creating magical items.
Lolth was delighted by this: "Humanity has brought new possibilities to magic. Their pragmatic tendencies complement the theoretical research of the elves."
She began to recruit human apprentices, teaching them advanced magical knowledge. Some Human Mages even reached the level of elven masters.
Mystryl also benefited from the development of human magic. The utilization rate of the Weave increased significantly, and the magical order became more stable