The events of the novels are a continuation of the Shaper's War. The Shapers are the gods of this world. The world is the body of the first being, Uru-Alat, who had a mystic jewel in his forehead. After Uru-Alat's death, the Shapers sprang from his body, each shaper coming from a different part (head, heart, etc.). Haomane, who came first and from the head, is the god of thought; he claimed leadership of the Shapers. Out of love for Arahila, Satoris refused Haomane's command to remove his gift (reproduction) from the race Arahila created (mankind). This led to a fight between Haomane and Satoris, during which the mystic jewel shattered and the world was sundered in two. The largest shard of the jewel was like a sword and was named God Slayer. Oronin Last-Born stabbed Satoris in the leg with God Slayer, but the wound was only crippling, not mortal. Satoris seized God Slayer and fled the realm of the Gods to the newly isolated realm of mortals. Haomane, afraid to follow himself for fear of the sword, sent agents to the mortal lands in order to recover God Slayer; he provided his agents with tiny fragments of the mystic jewel.