Od in a Prologue

Od stood alone on a vast, featureless plain.

He was fine with this.

Then he decided that maybe this was kind of boring.

He walked for a while, all the way around the world. But there wasn't anything anywhere, as far as he could tell.

"Perhaps I should make things more interesting?" Od considered. Then he did.

Now there were mountains and valleys, weather patterns and seas and deserts. "This is much more interesting!" Od decided.

But eventually Od got bored of that too. "Let there be life!" he cried, and raised one hand dramatically.

Then Od paused. "That won't work very well," he realized. "There's no food or fertilizer anywhere! The entire world is barren, covered in rock or sand or water."

So he decided to start small. With one finger he touched the dirt, and within it he engendered a multitude of tiny creatures, that they might photosynthesize and cover the world in the organic chemicals required to support life.

For a while, Od followed them around. They multiplied and spread and changed, and covered the entire world, from the highest mountain to the deepest abyssal chasm. Od found them fascinating to observe.

"Hm," Od remarked. "I can see that some of them are becoming dependent on each-other. What if I do this?" He fused two of the creatures.

The combined creature jerked around awkwardly for a bit, and then died.

"Erm," Od said somewhat sheepishly. "That didn't work. What if I..."

Od continued to tinker. Larger creatures formed, composed of many smaller creatures all working like the gears of a (very messy) machine. Some were immobile, rooted in place, while others roamed the land. Some grew to be nearly as large as Od - or even larger!

Od was completely fascinated. From a plain and boring world, there had evolved a vast and complex set of systems. He roamed all around, looking at the many plants and animals and stranger things. Then he noticed something peculiar.

"Look at these creatures," Od said, surprised. "They're using sticks to get insects out of logs. A very sophisticated behavior!" He watched the creatures a little longer. Then he got an idea, and, naturally, executed it.

Now there were people! They walked and talked and thought funny thoughts. All the things that people do!

Od watched the people. He found them very interesting. They used tools for everything! "But their tools are boring," Od complained to himself. "I could make much better ones!" He found a nice cave in a scenic mountain, and sat down to think. Occasionally he got boring of sitting, and stood up, or planted flowers. He found he enjoyed horticulture.

One time, a sage traveled up the mountain and visited Od. "You are a master of machines, O great one," the sage said. "Why do you not create ears for yourself, that you might hear?"

But Od couldn't hear the question! Oh, the irony!

Later, the humans built a five-lane highway to Od's cave. It seemed more convenient.