Even among the uninitiated, it is known that Maia was not born into divinity, but ascended from a once mortal form. She began life in a time before records, one of an ancient, primitive, now long-extinct race. Nothing is known of this race other than they were not able to tame the Myst and wield magic. Maia sought knowledge, believing that there was more to the cosmos than what was known. She found the single source of power, a gateway to the Myst Aether and ventured forth into the unknown. The Myst consumed her body and her soul was lost for generations. Then, without warning or premonition, she resurfaced. But now she was imbued with the power of the Myst and had the ability to draw power from it's whispers.
It is said that while her soul was lost in the Myst Aether, she had fought against all manner of ethereal beasts and outsiders . What was left of her mind only survived through sheer determination and the will to return to the realm of the living. The Myst gradually restored her body as she remained in the Realm between Realms. But the Myst is not of the material realm, and her resoration had her being transformed. She was as much part of the Myst as that she was in it.
Seeking ways to return to Myrth, she found a way to bind herself to the fissure between realms. It enabled her to step into and out of the outer plains, but also bound her as the primary conduit between the Myst Aether and Myrth. Thus, she became the source of magic in the world.
Using her new-found power, she began shaping her world to better the lives of her people and soon became revered as a god by her primitive kin. But as their civilization faded into myth, the immortal goddess knew her destiny and purpose would be far greater than being the patron of one people. New races were born. New entities rose to challenge and rival her powers. She was magic, the first and true conduit, the fissure between realms, the Goddess of Arcana.