TheFallOfVaruna
The Fall of Varuna
In the time before time, before the Gods first rose against their Primordial Masters, Varuna was known as the Lord of Creation. To him fell the role of making sure that the sun moved through the sky on it's correct course, that day gave way to night as it should, and that the maidens and the stars followed their proscribed courses through the heavens. He was responsible for bringing life to Creation, in charge of the Celestial Waters, the rain that falls from the sky and in turn the cycle of life. Varuna was preeminent amongst the Gods. SoulSteel, with it's link to Souls, and the cycle of life was most precious to him.
As with many beings of power however, his hubris lead to his downfall. Vritra, the great water serpent, and Regent of the Western Quarter was jealous of Varuna's mastership over the Celestial Waters, feeling that all waters of the world fell under his purview. Vritra stole the waters from Varuna, and for many years, creation was subject to a drought the likes of which had never been seen before. For all his power however, Varuna was unable to best Vritra and recover the Celestial Waters. Eventually, Sol rose to the task, and pursued Vritra, before finally slaying him and returning water to the world.
The Gods, unhappy with Varuna's mishandling of the situation, removed him from his position of eminance, instead, forcing him to take the now vacant role of Regent of the Western Quarter. Varuna was still a God to be feared, but he had lost his position as a Celestial.
Long after these events had transpired, the Gods, empowered by their removal of Varuna from power, turned their eyes to larger goals. The Primordials themselves. The remaining Celestials, taught by Autocthon, created their Exalted warriors. Sol created his Solars, aspected to Oricalcum. Luna, mother of the Lunars, bound to Quicksilver. Gaia, creator of the Elemental Dragons, precursors to the elementals, and creators of the Dragonblooded, aspected to Jade. Finally, the 5 maidens, mistresses of the Sidereals, aspected to Starmetal. Though they were powerful, they were not complete. They lacked balance, for SoulSteel, once holy of Varuna, had no patron Celestial, and thus no Exalts aspected to it. This balance caused the Gods many setbacks in their quest to overthrow their Masters, yet still, they prevailed.
With the death of the first Primordial, Creation was changed. The cycle of life was disrupted as the Underworld appeared. No longer were souls guaranteed a return to the wheel of life in a timely manner. With the advent of the void, some souls forever lose their place in the cycle. This fundamental change echoed closely in SoulSteel, the metal linked so closely to Souls and the wheel of life. SoulSteel, once a pure and clear metal, took on a death oriented aspect. The torture of the souls trapped in the Underworld echoed in the very nature of the metal itself.
It is often argued that Varuna's fall was fortunate, for with the pollution of SoulSteel, it is possible that Varuna, in his aspect as Lord of the cycle of life would have been forever changed as well. The exact consequences of such a change are something best left unexplored.
Comments
Much of this has been blatantly ripped from Hindu mythology, and transplanted to Exalted to suit my own needs, but I figure it worked for the rest of the Exalted backstory, so why shouldn't it work here? :) - NightRain
