The Hours
The ones who made every living thing on Ayaria, from the tallest giant, to the most deadly bacterium.
One of the most famous tales of the war between the Hours and the Artificers is that each were gifted a chalice as an offering of eternal peace, at the end of their last war. While they were originally given as chalices, one of the powers of these gifts is that they were able to take on any form.
The true names of the Hours are not public knowledge, except in a scant few circles.
The First Hour
The First Hour, whose true name is Michael, is said to be the Hour of Kings.
He ruled the world from Midasgard, and is said to have ruled over the Council of Twelve, with the other eleven members always bowing to his wise counsel.
Chalice
He preferred it in the form of a crown. The crown gave him power over the minds of others, forcing them to bend to his authority.
Death
Michael died during the Burning of the Thrones.
The Second Hour
The Second Hour, whose true name is Michele, is said to be the Hour of Queens.
She is said to have stayed by her husband's side, indeed her only characterization is as loving and supportive wife. Nevertheless, for reasons unknown she enjoyed a place on the Council of Twelve.
Chalice
She made her chalice into a hair pin. It is said that her chalice granted her powers of healing and inspiration.
Death
She died during the Burning of the Thrones.
The Third Hour
The Third Hour, whose true name is Zohar, is said to be the Hour of Wisdom.
He is said to have been the wisest of the Hours, who devoted his life to the pursuit of ever greater wisdom.
Chalice
His chalice he bore in the shape of a staff, which he is said to have used in defence of himself and others.
Death
Zohar, too, died during the Burning of the Thrones.
The Fourth Hour
The Fourth Hour, whose true name is Mouse, is said to be the Hour of Wrath.
Chalice
His chalice he always bore as a sword. A sword, it is said, capable of unfathomable destruction.
Death
After orchestrating the Burning of the Thrones and hunting down the Seventh Hour, Mouse was the uncontested ruler of the world. And so he began to consolidate his rule. When he went to the Kingdom of Two Valleys to reassert his control there, they shot him out of the sky with weapons they made in secret.
The Fifth Hour
The Fifth Hour, whose true name is Maurice, is said to be the Hour of Work.
His domain was the Forge of Hours, which he designed and toiled within, creating all manner of creature for himself and his kin.
Chalice
His chalice is often in the guise of a simple wellworn stone. He would use it to create things from the environment.
Death
The Fifth Hour was devoured by The Red Duke.
The Sixth Hour
The Sixth Hour, whose true name is Drowse, is said to be the Hour of Dreaming.
Her domain was in the stars. It is said that she remained in the stars long after all the others came down to the world, and would frequently return to it when she did come down. She would always be trying to prophesize the future.
Chalice
Her chalice remained a chalice. It isn't really known what her chalice would do or is capable of, for she never cared much for the material world and preferred to stay in the Constellation of Dreams whenever possible.
Death
It is said that the Sixth Hour never died, but abandoned this world to return to the stars after the death of the Ninth Hour.
The Seventh Hour
The Seventh Hour, whose true name is Solar, is said to be the Hour of Light.
Solar ruled a realm called Sundale. It was a vast and prosperous kingdom, and even when the other Hours went to war with the Artificers Sundale would remain as a beacon of peace and prosperity, open to all. It had an artificial sun that was suspended in the sky at the center of the city.
Chalice
The Seventh Hour was so loved that he was given not one chalice, but seven. One for himself, and six for those he cherished most. It is said that only the one who bore Solar's ring could bring harm on those who wore the other six, they were otherwise invulnerable.
Death
The kind and gentle nature of Solar became perverted with time, corrupting him into a greedy and monstrous thing. It consumed the Ninth Hour, desperate for more power, at the behest of then-corrupted Three. Solar escaped the Burning of the Thrones, only be hunted down and slain later by the Fourth Hour.
The Eighth Hour
The Eighth Hour, whose true name is Lillith, is said to be the Hour of Glamour.
She had no domain of her own. She flitted between the realms of others, admired for her beauty and feared for her magic.
Chalice
Her chalice she always kept in the form of a wand, with which she was able to perform fantastic illusions.
Death
She is thought to have died during the Burning of the Thrones.
The Ninth Hour
The Ninth Hour, whose true name is Erudition, is said to be the Hour of Knowledge.
He held dominion over a vast library, long since thought lost to time. He was one of the first Hours to lose interest in their wars with the Artificers, and instead focused on the expansion of his own knowledge.
Chalice
A book which is said to have the sum of all Ayarian knowledge. One need only speak to it, and the true answer to any question would be given.
Death
Nine was eaten by Seven.
The Tenth Hour
The Tenth Hour, whose true name is Honor, is said to be the Hour of Honor.
Unlike the other Hours, Honor did not separate himself from his chosen people. He lived among them, taught them how to survive on the land personally, lived like them. His chosen people were said to be the Ordu, a people now isolated from the rest of the world north of Sundale. Among the other Hours, Honor was an arbiter and a guarantor of agreements made between two or more parties.
Chalice
Honor did not keep his chalice. He would give it to his people, and it is said that among the Ordu they use Honor's chalice to coronate their rulers.
Death
After the Burning of the Thrones, Honor went to confront the Fourth Hour. What came of their confrontation is unknown, as Honor would never be seen again and the Fourth Hour perished fighting the Valleymen.
The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour, whose true name is Entro, is considered the Hour of Artifice.
It is said that Entro ruled over the Gardens of Elysium. What Entro is most known for is betraying the other Hours during their last and most destructive war.
Chalice
Entro bore no chalice.
Death
Entro died during the last war with the Artificers.
The Twelfth Hour
The Twelfth Hour, whose true name is Morana, is considered the Hour of Winter.
She held domain over lands of eternal winter where few living things tread. She betrayed the Hours to fight with the Artificers in their last war.
Chalice
She had no chalice.
Death
She died during the last war with the Artificers.