History
The Rathe is a council of twelve, formerly thirteen, beings that govern the
element of earth. The Rathe was the first creation of
The Nameless. The council is an extension of the Plane of Earth itself, for if one member should fall, another will immediately sprout from the dirt below to replace him. The Rathe are the only
elemental deity to have looked down upon the material realm with interest, but remain purely
neutral when dealing with the lesser gods. Most recently, the council makes their home in a stronghold within the Plane of Earth called Ragrax. Though they govern their plane and its influence upon the prime without judgment bias or regard for mortals, they are not a force to be taken lightly. Their vengeance is delivered swiftly and fiercely.
During the Elder Age, the Rallosian Empire of
Norrath, led by a powerful
Ogre named Murdunk, became frustrated with the limitations of their already conquered world. So, with the prideful
Rallos Zek watching, they invaded the Plane of Earth in an attempt to claim the
elemental planes for the Warlord. By not understanding the
regenerative powers of The Rathe, the Rallosian Empire failed. Enraged by this failure, Rallos Zek led a second invasion himself. They captured one of the Rathe council members and brought it back to
Norrath where it was tortured and eventually slain. When the god fell and hit the earth of Norrath,
mountains shot up from the plains. The remaining twelve of the council mourned their fallen member, and it is said that their tears created the massive
lake to the east of the Rathe Mountains, Lake Rathetear. Once they regained their strength, The Rathe's wrath was felt harshly by Rallos Zek and his creations. Many other
gods of the pantheon saw Zek's actions as sacrilege and joined The Rathe against him. Thousands of Ogres were slain. The
Giants lush
grasslands were sterilized by layers of ice becoming the Everfrost Peaks. The
Goblins lost their written history. All of Rallos Zek's creations were also stricken with extremely low intelligence, ensuring that they would never be capable of attempting such a feat as invading the planes of the gods. To make doubly sure, a barrier was erected by The Rathe to deny entry to the
Planes of Power by mortals or even the lesser gods.
During the
Age of Turmoil, mortals once again found their way into the Planes of Power. This time they were on a quest to free the ungod, Zebuxoruk. The Rathe were the final target before moving on to the Plane of Time, Zebuxoruk's prison. The Rathe formed an alliance the other elemental gods and created Quarm, a four-headed dragon that would guard the Plane of Time.
Appearance
In most lore, each of the twelve Rathe council members are identical in appearance. Their bodies seem to be constructed out of mud and roots and bright green,
grass-like hair sprouts from their heads. The veins in their arms and legs are visible and course with gold and turquoise. They wear mossy
tunics and carry gnarled staves.
The Rathe are among several
gods, including the other elemental ones, who have yet to return to
Norrath during the
Age of Destiny.
Log in to comment