A Primer to the Gods

The Pantheon of the Gods "The hall was covered in glimmering crystal, and the small vestibule opened into a rotunda flanked by columns. Within each vessel of the wall was there a statue made of marble that towered above us like a colossus, depicting one of the Gods of the Celestial and Infernal realms. When I had asked the curator why the Aeternians had been placed side by side with their Aetherians, the response was true enough: both were born of the same Eternal Conflict, and there can be no righteousness without the temptation of failure. For one who was never very religious, I felt quite moved that day." -Princess Rhea, "The Sisterhood of Ioannes, A History"

Since the dawn of Aelyria, Mortals have catalogued their relationship with beings of incredible and everlasting powers. These deities are the forces which have guided the development of the modern Aelyrian Faith, preserved by the Church of the Faith, and they have been found as personifications of concepts and ideas. The Pantheon of Gods in Aelyria Prime houses a marble statue of each of these omnipotent beings. Outside of the official mandate of the Church to worship the Ideology of the Sacred Three, and celebrate Diana's ascension into the heavens, each god has a cult of followers that is regularly disavowed from having any relationship with the ecclesiastical administration. A particularly distasteful breed have also begun to pray to the gods of malevolence, feeling that in destruction there shall be power and glory to be gained.

Unlike the Aetherians and the Aeternians, who are omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient beings believed responsible for the governance of the Cosmology of the Universe, the Planetars are demi-gods that reign on their own alternate planes of existence, deriving their power from the faith and fear of mortals and exerting their influence in an autonomous way on the World of Telath. Much to the Gods' dismay, demi-gods have absolute power within the alternate planes of their creation and answer to neither Aetherian nor Aeternian in divine matters. An Ancient Aelyrian adage, "when you make a wish, a god is born," is believed to refer to the fact that there are innumerable planetars whose power vary from the insignificant and forgotten, to the overwhelming and near god-like.

THE AETHERIANS
Celestial Realm of Gods

IOANNES - Also known as Ioannolius in the Ancient Tongue, Ioannes is a three-faced supreme being that governs the Celestial Heavens as the God of Gods. He is the embodiment of all Law, Order and Justice and exists as the direct counter to the entropy which emperil it. He is often depicted utop clouds wielding a mighty lightning bolt, but no one has ever witnessed a sighting of the most illusive yet undisputed leader of gods.

DIANA - The embodiment of the young Ancient Aelyrian warrioress who defeated the dark Cyraxians and inspired a nation, Diana is now seated at the right hand of Ioannes and rules the heavens as Queen of the Gods. She is regularly portrayed as an eternally beautiful winged Aelyrian and has been featured in many works of art, scupture and monumental architecture. She has been known to manifest to meddle in the political affairs of Aelyria and is seen as the Patron Goddess of the Aelyrian Empire.

ASLAN - The Prince of Aetheria, Aslan is the God of Honor. He represents noble virtues and righteous warfare. Believed to be the son of Ioannes and Diana, Aslan is believed to infuse himself into the spirits of all Holy Crusaders when they face denizens of darkness. When he manifests in such a fashion, he is praised in prayer as 'Aslan-Immanuel', or "Aslan the World-Bound".

OROD - The God of Logic, Orod inspires as the patron-god of Mathematicians and Theoreticians throughout the Aelyrian Empire. Orod was responsible for aiding Ioannes in establishing Divine Prophecy and set about the creation of Reason and Rationale. He is regularly portrayed as a physically frail, short man with a distant and emotionless gaze.

CARMELYA - The Goddess of Fertility, Carmelya is worshipped far and wide in the Aelyrian Empire and celebrated as one of the most benevolent caretakers of life. She is the embodiment of Hope, and is often portrayed as Nature itself. Many druids, paladins and clerics pray to Carmelya, but none more so than the farmers of the rich plains or couples who eagerly desire children.

MAJ - While not technically a god, Maj is the Arch Archon, the captain of the Archonic Phalanx that defends Aetheria and is destined to one day march into the infernal depths of Aeternia and put an end to chaos in perpetuity. Maj is the keeper of the Exercitum, the 'force' that binds together the multiverse, and is regularly portrayed fully clad in Celestine Armor, wielding a shimmering blue weapon.

PHEDOS - General of the Archonic Phalanx under the pseudo-god Maj, Phedos is the guardian of Divine Magic and creator of the Ke'trala, the mother race of elves. Decidedly a schemer, Phedos is known to have created the elves in an attempt to leverage power in Aetheria and counter the influence of Diana. Though he fell from prominence shortly after Diana ensured that Maj would lead the Archonic Phalanx, Phedos nonetheless remained a proponent of intelligent war and is regularly seen as God of both Strategy and Tactics.

CETHERON - While the manifestation of any true emotion in Archons is rare, Cetheron has been said to hold a fierce loyalty to Maj and a dislike of the scheming Phedos. Where Aslan is known as the God of Honor and Phedos as the master of tactical warfare, the average soldier of the Empire tends to look more to Cetheron for guidance. Blacksmiths also worship the Archon credited with the creation of Celestine. Ever enduring, Cetheron is a tireless warrior, a masterful smith and the creator of the dwarven race.

THE AETERNIANS
Infernal Realm of the Anti-Gods

JOREL - Once the Arch Archon, or Highest Angel, in Aetheria, Jorel's lust for power was the source of his doom, and the creation of chaos in the multiverse. When he failed to overthrow Ioannes, the God of Gods banished him to an eternal prison where he would atone for his crime of self-service. Jorel breeds hate and is the God of Entropy, representative of Lawlessness, Disorder, and Injustice. Jorel is believed to have spawned the dark, demonic race of Cyraxians that invaded the World of Telath seeking to annihilate the Aelyrian race. Jorel is often represented in many forms and has been very inconsistently, but always malevolently, displayed in irreverent art.

MEEPHOS - The God of Emotions, Meephos was created by Jorel to create disorder in the idyllic paradise that was the ancient Aelyrian Conclave. When Meephos plunged the Aelyrians into raging emotions and became Jorel's tool to deliver the Blight, he forever became synonymous with indecisiveness. Meephos is portrayed as a short, plump middle-aged male draped in rich robes and carrying gifts of indulgence, such as wine, fruit and intoxicants.

HAYA - The Goddess of Lust, Haya is the wife of Meephos. She is the Goddess of Infertility and draught, responsible for all sorts of epidemic disasters and diseases. Regularly invoked as the "Plague-Queen", Haya instills thoughts of lust in men and women alike and revels in the destruction of families and relationships. She has been portrayed as a seductively beautiful, tall woman dressed entirely in black, but past her smile is a venemous and monstrous interior that frightens all.

JALAT - The God of Death, Jalat selects those to die at a prescribed time. While all the dead are judged at the Sun Throne of Ioannes, Jalat is said to inspire murder hoping that the population of those damned will increase and is the patron-god of criminals, murderers and traitors. He holds sentinel over an eternal sea of plasma at the periphery of Aeternia called the umblat. When depicted, he is always aboard the Barge of Death ferrying souls to be forever condemned, cloaked in a long, hooded silver-grey robe, hiding all features of his face.

THE PLANETARS
Alternate Realms of the Demi-Gods

KALENDRYAS - The Planetar of Time, Kalendryas is a mischievous trickster who reportedly stole Orod's Hourglass, a divine item that governs the passage of time. Though she has manifested in a variety of appearances, from a seductive dryad to an old matron, Kalendryas is most often associated with her very nature: playfulness and mischief. Ruling from the Plane of Time, where theologians believe that time itself operates in conflicting and inexplicable ways, Kalendryas has been known to grant favors lengthening and shortening time to her followers.

KAIMELEA - The Planetar of Dreams, Kaimelea is not widely worshipped outside of the Greater Elfish Basin and neighboring regions, but her power is said to extend to all inhabitants of the world. Portrayed as the Giver of Dreams, Kaimelea is also known as "She Who Opens the Eye". Her elusive and subtle magic was given to her by Phedos; from this gift, she developed what Aelyrians have come to call mysticism. Kaimelea is a neutral deity; she is just as likely to give terrifying nightmares as sweet dreams. Her followers include illusionists, mystics, and those who interpret dreams. Although she is constantly drifting through the dreams of all people of Telath, she rarely finds the mortals she seeks - waking dreamers. At this time, there are less than one hundred waking dreamers in the entire world. These few people are imbued with incredible powers over time; the most powerful of them can walk with Kaimelea through the dreams of others. Kaimelea manifests as many things to many people, almost always in the dreams of deep sleep, and usually looks misty or gradually changes appearances. The Plane of Dreams, her personal dominion, is said to be an airy wonderland filled with both serene tranquility as well as sudden fright, with opportunities and treasures beyond all imagination.

MATERNA - The Planetar of the Hearth and Home, Materna is an ancient goddess who, once forgotten, nearly perished. Materna nevertheless holds very real power. She is an old goddess, far older than the Aetherians, and is sometimes affectionately referred to as the mother of mother nature herself, Carmelya, though it is quite possible that she originated from an entirely unrelated celestial order. Materna is the patron goddess of mothers, hearth, and home. Women often seek her for easy birthings, just as they seek Carmelya for fertility. She watches over children and has been known to take a special liking to some, giving them strange and wonderful gifts. Materna's Plane is said to be a small common room whereupon she sits and provides aid and comfort to planar travellers, her fierce neutrality being only surpassed by her protectiveness over those whom she considers her children - a status for which her worshippers eagerly strive.

RAK - The Planetar of Power, Rak believes that the entire multiverse was born of power and in the end, power itself shall consume creation. The Plane of Power is believed a twisted realm of eternal flame whence Rak governs. Neither orderly nor chaotic, Rak purports that each individual must ultimately choose his or her own destiny and is the champion of independence and autonomy. The patron planetar of many politicians and soldiers, Rak champions power as an ends in and of itself.

SRENNIUS - The Planetar of Peace, Srennius is the defender of accord and the harbinger of harmony. Sung by the bards as the preserver of an eternal balance between opposing forces, Srennius has been manifested as a short, innocent child. Despite its appearance, the asexual Srennius has frustrated princes and potentates for centuries, the most famous of which was the premature conclusion of the Battle of Tur. Srennius has often intervened in conflicts that it deems to have "no just cause" or "no clear outcome". Theologians believe that at one time, Srennius was outcast from Aetheria for repeated meddling in the affairs of mortals. The Plane of Peace, its home and dwelling, is reportedly so serene and beautiful that the few mortals that have ever managed to enter its embrace have never left it.

THE IDOLS
The Pagan Gods

N.B.: Unlike the Aetherians, Aeternians, and Planetars, which can be considered actual divine beings with the power to shape our existence, some peoples believe in mythical gods. As with any belief, enough faith in these creatures could lead to the birth of a Planetar, but they are presently believed to be little more than fairie tales and mythology.

LUNAISA - The Goddess of the Moon, worshipped by the Dorins of Shalimar; an immense colossus of her is believed to exist in the major port of Poojaba, and her magnificent temple in Kanipur has millions of revelers making perilous pilgrimages across the desert and jungle wasteland of the Shalimari continent. She is most often depicted as a winged upright canine rampant wearing religious robes.

PECUNIA - The Goddess of Fortune, once worshipped by the humans of the Republic of Luctadomum; she was said to govern luck and be the patron-goddess of all matters pertaining to wealth and financial well-being. Her temple in Hriemalis was liquidated and converted into the First Bank of Aelyria (and modern-day building of The Exchange), though her original tall statue and temple are still considered historical sites in modern-day Abestat. She is depicted as a pristine golden woman wearing a simple stole and bearing a shield and spear.