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The Greatest of the Gods
Of all beings in the Godshards universe, none were as powerful as Omnitus, the Lord of All. Before his being was shattered in Godfall, he was a deity of near omnipotent power, hence the name. Like all deities, his true name and origin are unknown. He was the leader of the Celestial Host, with his younger brother Tenebrous and his wife and lover Terra following close behind.
No one knows how these deities came across the Mortal Realms, but they did and were aghast to see it under the cruel rule of daemons. After a brief skirmish, they realized they needed backup. So they sought help from the angyls. It took the deeds of Omnitus, the martial strength of Marius, the God of War, and the honeyed words of Mendax, God of Seduction to convince them to help.
The First War in the Heavens was brief and brutal. The power of the Celestial Host was mighty indeed. The daemons retreated to the Underworld. That done, the deities wished to restore the Mortal Realms, to heal it from the trespasses of the daemons. How much of the Mortal Realms of today was the creation of the Omnitus and how much of it was already there in part is unknown. What is known is Omnitus kept getting into disagreements with his brother.
The story goes that Omnitus wanted the world to be illuminated at all times, while Tenebrous wanted darkness to reign, so they compromised by creating day and night. This was one disagreement of many. What proved to be the last straw was what to do about a strange race, one who was barely sentient; Humanity. Omnitus saw a similar spirit to their own in humanity, creatures of boundless potential. Tenebrous disagreed, dismissing humanity as weak and flawed, bugs who should be put out of their misery. Terra broke the tie by siding with Omnitus. Tenebrous, incensed, broke off from the group, wandering the world for several years.
The Lead Up to Godfall
Omnitus tried keeping an eye on his brother. Tenebrous caused havoc on his travels, it is said he created volcanos like Mt. Ignis for example. But Tenebrous would disappear entirely, much to his brother's confusion and sadness. Despite their misgivings, Omnitus loved his brother and cherished their bond. But soon their relationship would fall apart for good.
Tenebrous reappeared and demanded a meeting between all the Gods. Once together, Tenebrous accused Omnitus of lying. He claimed he had been to the Underworld, and had spoken with daemons. They told him that humans were meant to be slaves, that the Mortal Realm had belonged to the daemons and played into Tenebrous' insecurities. Tenebrous scorned his brother and ordered him to cease and desist their work and give the Mortal Realm back to the daemons.
Confused and outraged, Omnitus refused. Tenebrous warned him of war if he didn't leave promptly. Tenebrous then left once more, taking half the Gods with him. The Second War in the Heavens began soon after. It was the largest war in the history of the Mortal Realms. Hundreds of thousands of angyls and daemons clashed. It was a much longer affair, for the magic of Tenebrous as well as the War God Marius, combined with daemonic sorcery to enhance Tenebrous' side. Inch by inch, the forces of Omnitus were driven out of the Mortal Realms.
But in truth, the real reason why Tenebrous got as far as he did was because Omnitus was holding back. He believed there was still hope for his brother. The Arch-angyls and other Gods disagreed and demanded he take to the field himself. Terra also wasn't involved in the fighting, for she was more interested in keeping their Son safe. The forces of Omnitus were driven back to the Heavens, the daemons right on their tail. Tenebrous meanwhile performed his most insidious act. Working in tandem with Gods and daemons, the Soul River, the mighty construct that guides all souls from all planes to the true afterlife was rerouted, and the vast amount of soul stuff and cosmic energy was sent careening into the Underworld, empowering daemonkind greatly.
Omnitus himself led the coalition forces in a mad dash to the Soul River. They were to hold off the daemons while the Gods tried to fix the damage. Omnitus pleaded with Tenebrous to stop this madness, but Tenebrous was drunk with power and hatred. His darkness was nurtured by the daemons and with a mighty sword created by Marius. Omnitus watched in horror as he bested four arch-angyls in combat. A wail from the Soul River caused both brothers to stop.
Omnitus saw his Only Son sink beneath the waves of the Soul River, his being evaporated. Omnitus fell to his knees, crying in despair. Tenebrous laughed at the sight. A raw, naked anger filled Omnitus, his white glowing eyes turned red. Omnitus realized his brother was dead. He couldn't hold back anymore. The two Brother-Gods clashed in a fierce duel of celestial might and magic. Tenebrous was strong, daemonically enhanced with a magical sword, but Omnitus was always the more powerful and he had nothing to lose.
The two mauled and mutilated each other, the sheer ferocity caused them to fall back to the Mortal Realm improperly, and they hurdled in the sky, heading for the earth. Yet neither Brother-God cared, all that mattered was the other's demise. Even as they hit the ground, they were locked in combat, wrestling like feral beasts.
The two Brother-Gods shattered into countless Shards, in the midst of a gargantuan explosion akin to the meteor impact, one with magical essence. Gods usually cannot die, indeed turning into Shards is the closest thing to death. As far as the Mortal Realms were concerned, the two Gods were gone, in an event called Godfall.
Shards: The Legacy of the Brothers
But Omnitus yet lived on in his Shards and eight centuries after Godfall, the first one came back to earth, entering a human named Adam. Soon more and more Shards would enter humans. These newly dubbed Godshards would go on to be among the most prolific of the heroes of the Mortal Realms.
The narrative among humans is that the Shards were content to flutter in the heavens, until they saw what had happened with humanity and they remembered what they used to be. Humans also believe that most Godshards will inherently use their power for good, because Omnitus himself was a God of goodness and virtue. They say the Magical Leanings are his various aspects.
Lastly, they claim that all the Shards are of Omnitus. For if Tenebrous had Shards too, surely there would be more wickedness from Godshards. No one knows why the Shards only pick humans, not any other race. Certainly it can be said that since Omnitus believed in humanity, that this as the reason.
The ugly truth is that humans don't know nearly as much as they claim. The Benelim claim the only reason why Shards prefer human souls is due to how a human soul is different to most other types of souls and essences, simple preference. But even the rest of their narrative is mired in flaws. After all, no one knows what was said between Adam and Terra, when he visited her Realm for answers.
The legend among the Benelim is Terra told Adam that out of all the aforementioned he believed about the Shards, he got only one thing right. What that 'one thing' is, no one knows for sure...
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