THE BAALAIAN HEALERS
THE SPECIES OF FISTBUMP THE SKY #4
INTRODUCTION
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A long time ago, shortly after planet Fistbump the Sky was created, the first creatures came into existence.
They were little more than children tasked with gardening the Great Frog’s accidental creation. As you might recall, these first creatures became gods (or demigods) in their own right after the Great Frog taught them how to create life. Initially, each demigod only made a single creature. One of them was Lahba.
Lahba was the first creation of Piesang, the god of invention and curiosity, and was made from banana seeds and liquorice. Whether due to her appearance or intense bashfulness, Lahba preferred to spend time with the plants and animals, rather than the other demigods’ creations. According to The Historian and other researchers, Lahba was Piesang’s favourite creation despite her antisocial behaviour. Not that anyone’s ever asked me, but I suspect Piesang purposefully waited until they had a good enough grasp on creating life before approaching her.
Unfortunately, by the time Piesang reached Baal, Lahba had nearly gone mute from isolation. With an entire territory at her disposal, Lahba had formed a connection with the creatures and plants made by the planet who shared their knowledge of medicine and the inner workings of the “natural” world with her. Lahba revelled in her herbal knowledge. Piesang, however, knew that a territory could not function with only one inhabitant. The demigod tried to persuade Lahba by telling her of all the fun she would have with more companions. They could help her build structures to keep out of the rain and protect her from the planet’s watchers.
Yet Lahba had heard that the demigods used parts of the first creations to create other species, and dreaded sharing a mental link with strangers. A territory that starts unwillingly has no future. However, more creatures needed to be made. Thus, Piesang decided to compromise.
To avoid overwhelming Lahba, Piesang decided to create a generation which simultaneously consisted of two species, each with only one creature. The demigod hopes the creatures would help Lahba establish a civilisation while warming her up to the idea of companions. If not, then at least the new creatures would have company.
THE SECOND GENERATIONS
It was discovered not long after the territories had been founded that some of the porous areas within the cake-planet’s crust had become tunnels, allowing water from the five oceans to reach the territories, shaping their landscape and character. It just so happened that Baal’s water came from the fertile Central Ocean, which made its way through the poisonous Pink Forest, before passing through the Blue Forest of healing on its way to Baal.
Thus, for the first species –let’s call them Generation 2A– Piesang deliberately chose cake crust that came from within the water tunnels in hopes that the soil might contain some residue, however faint, of the plants in the Blue and Pink forests. According to Piesang’s monks, this decision was made so that Lahba might feel more inclined to approach Generation 2A. As the planet and its inhabitants were made from baking ingredients and the first botanical seeds in the universe, the demigod suspected that rice might have become embedded within the planet.
As you might have guessed, Pieang’s assumption proved to be true, and the demigod decided to add rice along with their banana god-seed to Generation 2A’s DNA.
While Generation 2A’s ingredients were busy merging, Piesang promptly started on Generation 2B, fearing that 2A might not be strong enough to build any structures. Even worse, they might end up like Lahba and refuse to do so, even if they could.
To ensure that Generation 2B’s creature would be physically strong while still having a connection to the natural world, the demigod chose to mix dead twigs and leaves from Baal’s purple trees with the territory’s cake crust. As an extra measure, cinnamon was chosen as a baking ingredient for its strong character. Needless to say, they, too, received Piesang’s god-seed.
Once the creatures returned from the Birthing Grounds, Piesang could hardly stop praising themselves.
It turns out that both species not only had a strong connection to the natural world, as Piesang had planned, but also looked like Lahba, with 2A’s limbs made of swamp vines, and 2B’s body entirely made of wood.
Baal eventually became the territory best known for its expertise in medicine and poison. As Piesang predicted, Lahba was intrigued by the new creatures. The three worked together, using their link to their god and the natural world to build structures hidden inside caves and hollow trees. According to the monks, once Lahba became accustomed to interacting with others, the demigod appeared again, promising to create more inhabitants, as three were simply not enough.
No one seems to know when that will be, but what I can say for certain is that Piesang’s next territory was Metallica.
INTRODUCTION
< THE JENGUNS
THE METALLICANS >
