The First (comics)
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'The First' are a group of fictional gods who appear in the various comic book series published by CrossGen, including a self-titled comic. Styled after the Greek gods in many ways, the First represent very powerful, nearly immortal beings, who nevertheless experience very human emotions and drama.
The full powers of The First were never clearly defined. They could kill ordinary humans (and alien) creatures by the thousands. However they could kill each other so they were not immortal. They could create force fields and seem to have no need to eat or breath. They could teleport vast distances in an instant (across a galaxy) if they knew where they were going. They could change their shape and costume seemingly at will. They appear as gods on other worlds and they could transfer a bit of their own power to one (or more) ordinary mortals, making the effected mortal nearly god-like (see both Sigil and Scion). However, when faced with science fiction type technology (starships with immensely powerful lasers) it seemed The First could be defeated.
Originally, the First were a single united group, led by a god named Altwaal on their home world of Elysia, in much the same way the Greek gods were led by Zeus on Mount Olympus. War broke out when some of the First decided Altwaal no longer deserved leadership. Altwaal's love, Raamia, had been killed, and he had brought her back to life. Some of the First furiously stated that Altwaal violated the natural order by this; the remaining First saw an act of selfless love and praised Altwaal. Thus, war broke out.
Altwaal ended the war long afterward by splitting the First into two Houses. The more selfless acting gods became House Dexter; the gods showing more selfish attributes became House Sinister. To keep the peace between the once-feuding Houses, and to keep them separated until they could one day agree to be united, Altwaal created the Eidolon Rift, a vast chasm nearly uncrossable even by the gods. To reach the other side one would be completely drained of power, left in a weakened state and at the mercy of their opposing brethren. These gods settled into the lands they were matched with; House Sinister to the left of the Eidolon Rift, ruled by Ingra; House Dexter to the right, ruled by Pyrem.
Peace and boredom settled in on Elysia. Some of The First went off to live as gods on other worlds while others were exiled. On at least one world, one of The First was imprisoned by a group of powerful (but mortal) wizards (see Mystic #7-#15).
The First are shocked out of their stale games by a new threat, in the form of the Sigil-Bearers. These beings, granted amazing powers by forces unseen (later revealed to be Danik and Solusandra), have the ability to drain the energies of the First (and even kill them under rare circumstances). Since the First believe themselves the creators of the universe, and the most powerful beings in it, the incredible power of the Sigil-Bearers and its mysterious source causes alarm among the First. At the same time, this new threat provides an opportunity for further uprisings to take place, as political maneuverings are attempted once more.
Various members of the First are sent to monitor, or control, the Sigil-Bearers, often (but not always) one from each house. Examples are: Mai Shen, Bernd Rechts, Darrow, Rho Rhustane, The Bard, etc. Other members of The First were exiled (Animora - exiled by Ingra) or captured (Evinlea - captured by Charon, see Negation for more details). Still others (Enson and Wyture) are not actually members of The First at all but are fragments of Danik.
Partly as a result of the chaos caused by the Sigil-Bearers, House Sinister falls under the control of a younger god (called a Secundae) named Seahn. Shortly after he takes over, The First learn a shocking fact: they did not create the universe. The First discover that they are far younger than at least one other race, the Atlanteans.
In the last group of comics it was revealed that the First were created by Solusandra. She created Atwaal to be her playmate, then she created other, lesser "toys" for Atwaal to play with. These gods were designed to personify important emotions such as: Anger (Ingra), Determination (Trenin), etc. This revelation nearly destroys the leader of House Dexter (Pyrem) and he resigns his position as leader. A new leader is choosen at the very end of the series, the daughter of Pyrem and Ingra named Persha. In the last published issue, Altwaal returns to Elysia, and both Seahn and Persha die (?) by the Sword of Altwaal (one of the seven Weapons of Altwaal), so bringing the story of The First to an abrupt conclusion.
Due to CrossGen's bankruptcy in 2004, the plot of The First, both in their own self-titled comic and CrossGen's other titles, was cut short. The role of the First in the Negation War, a storyline in which the Sigil-Bearers and First were meant to defend the universe against invaders from another universe, is therefore unclear. One thing is known: The First were betrayed by one of their own. A duplicitous Godess of House Sinister named Evinlea had been kidnapped and taken to the Negation universe to be studied by that realm's mad god, Charon. Eventually she became his consort and top level advisor on invading our universe, leading the Lawbringers, a set of gods from the Negation universe, to her own homeworld Elysia to battle. In the first few minutes after Evinlea's arrival on Elysia, Altwaal's love, Raamia, was once again killed, this time by Lawbringer QZTR. What would have happened next may never be known.
[edit] Publications
The First comic book series was 37 issues long starting in November 2000 and lasting till December 2003.
CrossGen released three trade paperbacks containing the first 40% of the series.
- The First Volume 1: Two Houses Divided
- The First Volume 2: Magnificent Tension
- The First Volume 3: Sinister Motives
In addition CrossGen announced three future books but they were never published due to CrossGen's bankruptcy.
- The First Volume 4: Futile Endeavors
- The First Volume 5: Liquid Alliances
- The First Volume 6: Ragnarok
