Faith & Gods

A deity, also known as a god or goddess, is a spiritual entity capable of granting their power to mortal beings through divine magic. A deity is associated with a specific alignment, several domains, and a location (typically a natural area, such as a spring, forest, cave; or a village, town, or city). Deities are commonplace in the world, with most being reminiscent of the kami of Japanese lore, and some few being representative of the greater pantheons acknowledged in Western cultures.

Deities gain their power and influence through worship. Lesser deities can be pacified through simple sacrifices and prayers, while the strong gods of cities might require more elaborate festivals and and tributes. Deities run the gamut of personalities and alignments; while most are good, they can also be capricious, violent, or malicious. Some might demand simple sacrifices of material goods, or fasting and meditation. Others might require a seasonal blood sacrifice (usually livestock, but uncommonly human sacrifice).

If you are playing a particularly religious character, such as a cleric, you're welcome to choose one of the greater deities, or you're welcome to serve a lesser known personal village deity. Come up with a basic concept for your patron, choose a domain, and select an area of influence for that deity's home location. Come up with traditions or customs your family/tribe/village utilizes to worship or appease that god. Customization of your patron god is encouraged.

Religion Amongst the Tribes

The daiharu have no particular deities; they tend to worship local nature deities or deities native to their home city. Most daiharu are casually religious, as a race they're not given to zealotry. A few gain strong enough faith to willingly proselytize, but even then they're not the most fervent worshippers.

Theru, on the other hand, tend to be particularly religious; focusing most of their faith towards their own tribal deity. While the larger concerns in their life are directed at the tribal gods, the lesser concerns might be directed at their local deities.

Humans are the most fervent in worship, especially amongst the Wyld humans, whose only protection from the blight are their local deities.

The Greater Gods

Phoenix. The creator deity, who brought everything into existence. Currently bound and chained in torment within the Endless Blight. When betrayed by her children, the humans, she laid a curse on them that brought about the Blight and Corruption. Phoenix was said to appear as a great raptor made of fire, or as a human woman with flaming hair and eyes. She was said to be patient, kind, and loving; but with a harsh and sudden temper.
Dragon. The summation of Phoenix's creation, Dragon exists as everything and in all things. He is both matter and energy. Today he is worshipped by tribal barbarian humans, the reclusive Dragon tribe, and few others. Dragon actively rejects worship, and it is thought that he has a quiet disdain for modern humans as well. Barbarians tend to sacrifice heavily to appease his wrath, all to no avail. When Dragon spoke to his worshippers, it was in the form of a great serpent with a shining halo over his back.

Intermediate Gods
The Fates. Three gods that work in synchronicity, the Fates are named Andra, Feidra, and Nourna. They represent the past, present, and future. Together, they forge destinies and tie families together. They are responsible for Mate Bonds, where they tie two individuals together and allow them to produce offspring. A mated pair are the only individuals that are guaranteed offspring and can produce viable young outside their own races (a daiahru and a Theru, for example). The Fates can appear in many guises, but they usually appear together.

Theru Tribal Gods
Most of the Theru tribes have a particular racial deity that they serve to the exclusion of others; while they might give lip service to any local gods, they focus most of their reverence on their own tribal deity.

Varuun ♦ Albatross; Sky, Oceans, Commerce

Varuun (Vay Rune) is commonly seen as a god of fair weather and trade. He appears as an elderly Albatross man wearing blue and white robes. He is the central most god in regards to trade, and looks favorably on Midairn for her calm nature, and Masaat for his roadwork and cities. He considers Senna a little too flighty, but amusing. Varuun is most commonly called upon during trade voyages for fair weather, or during trade negotiations. Despite the Albatross proclivity for prophesy, he is not seen as a source for divinations.

Midairn ♦ Bear; Civilization, Diplomacy, Strength

Represented as a massive female bear in human form, Midairn is said to rarely take her hybrid form. She is the goddess of diplomacy and encourages exploration for the sake of developing new lands. She is close friend with Masaat, the builder; where she blazes trails, they set up the camp. While commonly worshipped by Bears, she's also frequently praised by Wyld humans seeking to blaze new trails into formerly blighted lands. She's also the patron of many non-Bear bards and is respected by even Tiger diplomats. She is the goddess of friendly competition, and many tourneys or championships are dedicated to her.

Tiamat ♦ Dragon; Chaos, Storm, Mother-hood

Formed in the chaotic maelstrom outside of Phoenix's creation, Tiamat is both the most powerful demon prince in existence (bearing the mantles of Crystal, Aether, and Storm) and a goddess raised to divinity by Phoenix herself. Tiamat came to the world before all other demons, and was welcomed as a friend and peer by Phoenix. Early on she was revered as a goddess of family and growth, but the betrayal of the humans led her to become spiteful and hateful towards humanity. She rages against Phoenix's imprisonment and constantly seeks to free her sister from the cage.

Despite her antipathy towards humans, she can be entreated for mercy from powerful storms and is still a patron of familial bonds. She is a solace for mothers when grieving lost children, and is called upon during difficult births. Mothers the world over master Tiamat's Gaze as a stern warning for misbehaving offspring.

She is sometimes called the consort of Dragon, although the two have no romantic interest in each other. She simply holds him in the greatest respect and has fashioned her corporeal form is honor of him. She calls him her elder brother, and is perhaps the only entity that he is willing to speak with. While nominally the racial deity for the Dragon tribe, she defers all worship and praise to Dragon himself.

Amongst the other gods, she is considered a terrifying and troublesome presence. She is uniformly respected for her vast power, and spoken to carefully. Even the Fates are careful in her presence.

Aesvoth ♦ Hawk; Power, Order, Battle

Aesvoth is a sun diety, and seen with a raptor's head and an unadorned hairless human body. He is a cruel deity who demands complete obedience from his worshippers. He only accepts worship from male Hawks, and scorns all others who would offer him tribute. He is usually called upon as the ultimate judge between two Hawk patrons during mediation, trial, or battle. He is also called upon during particularly difficult raids against other tribes. Otherwise, its thought best to leave him be.

While once considered a close ally and friend to the other Theru gods, he is now scorned by them for his survival of the fittest views. He is particularly disliked by Senna and Cliotus.

Senna ♦ Panther; Love, Change, Freedom

While technically the Panther tribal goddess, she's revered by nearly all of the tribes in her capacity as the goddess of love. She is the goddess of romantic love, filial love, and even parental love. She is also the goddess of necessary change and freedom. She is a passionate soul, who encourages her worshippers to live to their fullest hope and happiness. She has an appreciation for order, but teaches that traditions can block innovation and passion.

While Senna is the goddess of love, she is not known to have ever taken any permanent lovers or paramours. It is said that Varuun, Cliotus, and Masaat all attempted for years to court her before subsiding into on/off flings with her. She is the younger sister of Baekho, and resides in a palace in the clouds with a large harem of Panthers and Were-panthers.

Moired ♦ Raven; Death, Travel, War

The goddess of the extinct Raven tribe, Moired is a death goddess who dwells in the astral space beyond the mortal realm. She is sometimes called the Valkyrie, or the Harvester, for going to fields of battle and choosing souls that meet her criteria. It is said that she might be building an army, or perhaps seeking to bring back her tribe. Moired is largely worshiped in her role as a goddess of long journeys. She is the vanguard during travel, leading to safe places to rest. In many cases, she is considered the escort for a soul when departing life and its entrance into its rebirth.

Moired has little to do with the other Theru gods. If discussed at all, it is usually in hushed tones and whispers, as you never know when she might be listening.

Masaat ♦ Serpent; Health, Construction, Service
The Serpent tribal deity, Masaat is also the general deity of engineering, construction, and skilled labor. They are also worshiped as the god of revelry, alcoholic spirits, and communal gatherings. Masaat has many forms, but generally appears in an androgynous humanoid torso atop a snake body. They have a snake-accented human face with a sharp jawline, slightly pointed ears, and flowing tresses. Masaat encompasses both male and female, and accepts any pronoun during worship.

Masaat is well-thought of by the other Theru deities. They have actively pursued relations with Senna and Varuun, and are pursued romantically by Cliotus. They are friendly with Baekho, but conversations between the two often devolve into lectures about his people. They are, perhaps, the only Theru deity that Tiamat will actively seek out for companionship, but even Masaat knows to treat the mercurial dragon goddess carefully.

Baekho ♦ Tiger; Skill, Pride, War

Sometimes called the West Wind, Baekho is the racial deity for the Tiger tribe. He appears as a particularly massive Tiger male, with brilliant white fur with black stripes. He wields a halberd fashioned from storms and lightning. Amongst the Tigers he is seen as a paragon of nobility. In truth, Baekho is something of a cad. While worshipped as a god of Order, he is actually a chaotic individual who cherishes his freedom. He is in love with the demon prince Raksha, but was forced to put her aside when commanded by the Fates to search out the seven virtues.

He is easily the most physically adept of the Theru deities next to Tiamat, and even Wolves and Hawks respect him on the field.

He has a long standing feud with Cliotus; Baekho misses the close friendship the two once had, but Cliotus abandoned their friendship when Baekho was forced to leave Raksha. Cliotus further refuses to accept any explanations or attempts to bury the hatchet. He is the older brother to Senna and views her exploits with a brotherly attitude of combined respect and dismay. He's the only person to ever call the Panther goddess ugly and get away with it.

Scylluun ♦ Unicorn; Magic, Creation, Art
Appearing as a tall human man with alabaster skin and a single glowing horn of cobalt, Scylluun is the god of magic; the arcane arts, magical items, rituals, and prophecies. Its thought that he was once a sorcerer of great power and was involved in the wars that ended in Phoenix's imprisonment. Whilst other sorcerers fought for power and glory, he fought to protect the normal humans caught in the tide of conflict.
Scylluun is orderly and good-aligned. He promotes healthy relationships, close-knit and caring partnerships, and education to bypass stigmas and barriers. He understands the cultural bias against arcane magic, and lends his voice to discussing the topic through exposure and education. His worshippers are primarily Unicorns, and he is closely involved in their growth as a tribe.

Many of the other Theru deities see him as a paternal figure, with Cliotus and Midairn alike actually referring to him as their father. Senna, on the other hand, has been heard calling him daddy.

Cliotus ♦ Wolf; Community, Hunting, Nature

Called the god of many faces, Cliotus is the tribal deity of wolves. He teaches that family is everything, and that every family is different. Respect your elders for their wisdom and experience. and embrace your children for they are the future. Many hands make light work.

He is a devout hunter; of prey, secrets, romance, and conflict. He is sometimes capricious and a rogue, playing tricks on people to teach them lessons. He is bold and forthright, however, and is considered to be one of the few truly good deities. It is well known that Cliotus bears an immense grudge towards Baekho for putting aside Raksha in favor of his harem. Likewise, he despises Aesvoth and the Hawks. He views Midairn as a motherly figure, and frequently visits Senna and Masaat in an attempt to seduce them.

Worshippers praise him in three fashions; as the god of family and teamwork, as the god of the hunt/subsistence, and as the god of trickery.