Long ago, before there were men, there were demons, gods and beasts. Each lived in their own world, but visited frequently and peaceably. Above them were Titans, powerful beings neither beast nor demon nor god, but fathers and mothers to all. Queen and mother to the Titans, and thus to all things, was Talahm, for she was the first Titan born and made of the world. And Talahm loved her children and wanted to see their works.
As Talahm searched her domains she found a cave that glowed with light. Inside she found a strange beast. It had four arms, four legs, four eyes and ears, two mouths, but a single heart. This beast was not hunting or resting, but rather striking stone upon stone to produce fire. As Talahm watched this beast, she grew fascinated and approached. "Where did you learn to do that?" Talahm asked.
"A demon taught me," said the beast, "but the demon is gone. It ran laughing, because it knew that I, the Beast of Knowledge, could never be happy knowing only one thing."
Talahm loved the demons and their cruelty, but she also loved the beasts and their arts. If a bear could not slumber or a tiger could not kill, it would be just as cruel as a Beast of Knowledge not learning all things. Thus she smiled on the beast as she extended her hand. "Come," she said, "I shall bring you before the beasts of the wild, the gods of the aether and the demons of the wake. For I am their mother and queen, and can make all teach you their arts."
And so the Beast of Knowledge and Talahm courted gods, beasts and demons to learn their arts. From the beasts were learned all manner of physical skill and prowess. From the gods were learned feeling and the manipulation of spirit through song and magic. From demons were extracted thought and logic, craftsmanship and weapons of the mind. All these things did the Beast of Knowledge consume and incorporate into its being. As Talahm watched the Beast grow and mature, her love for it grew as well. Before all other creations, or ever her Titan kin, the Beast of Knowledge had secured a position in Talahms heart as her favorite in all the world.
At last the Beast of Knowledge had learned all things from beast, god and demon. Talahm asked Torm the Doom Maker, chieftain of the An Chead Dia clan of gods, to accept the Beast of Knowledge among them. "I cannot," doomed Torm, "for god and beast cannot be kin."
"But the Beast of Knowledge has learned divine arts," said Talahm. "Is he not a god already? Does not knowledge of your ways make him equal?" Torm sat upon his throne and pondered is response, for the the word of Torm is doom and cannot be gainsaid. Talahm squared her jaw and pressed her position. "If you are to remain quiet, allow me to propose replacement. Let me strip yonder god of their divinity that the Beast of Knowledge may use it. No god is lost, and you gain the Beast's knowledge."
"Nay, Mother of All!" thundered Torm. "If you or your kin harm my brethren in divinity, I shall call all my kin to bring an end to yours."
Torm's doom spoken, Talahm wept and told the Beast what had transpired. "I know the Doom Maker cannot be gainsaid, for Torm's word is doom. But I am the Beast of Knowledge, the beast that learns all that the world offers." The beast lifted Talahms face to his. "The arts of gods, beasts and demons are known to me, but the arts of your kin remain to be known. Teach me how gods are made, that I may create a son worthy of my arts."
Talahm agreed, and lay down with the Beast of Knowledge for one hundred days and one hundred nights to create a god child. The child she named Creideamh, and passed on her newest son to the Beast that the father may bless his son. The Beast of Knowledge smiled and held his son aloft, chanting words Talahm had not heard before. It was not until the Beast slew her babe the Talahm knew what had happened, for the Beast had twisted god magic with demon logic, preparing the son for consumption via beastly arts. This foul ritual had transferred the divinity of the child Creideamh to the Beast of Knowledge, thus transforming him from beast to god.
Talahm howled in rage and grief, heart broken and bleeding in the wake of betrayal. She seized the Beast and Knowledge and tore him in two, casting aside the the bloody and squealing halves. Thus, Talahm had doomed the Titans to war with the gods.
But gods are never so easily slain. The Beast of Knowledge, in pain with a loneliness he had never known, crawled until the two halves met and attempted to rejoin. The union was imperfect, clumsy and could never be maintained for long, but still the Beast tried. Each union was a failure, and each failure bore a copy of one half or the other into the world. The beast noticed them after his cave became too crowded for another joining to commence. Worse, he noticed these duplicate halves were also attempting their own joinings, and producing yet more of their kind. He named the beings that resembled his right half men, and those like his left he called women. He taught them the arts he had learned from gods, beasts and demons, but none could learn all he had gained. Still, the Beast of Knowledge withheld from his children the Final Art he had stolen from Talahm, lest it ever be used to destroy him. Men and women left the cave of the Beast of Knowledge, to take the gift of knowledge and use it to make their way among gods, beasts and demons.
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