Seven Kingdoms Pantheon

The Eight Gods
Introduction

The people of the Seven Kingdoms live by a complex and often deeply held faith.  It is focused primarily on ritual, both public and private, and the devout inevitably become adept at living according to these rituals.  While its cosmology admits reincarnation, there is a direct path to a joyous afterlife.  This afterlife is attainable by anyone able to live according to the dictates of the (somewhat variable) religion, participating in the rituals and partaking of the sacraments prescribed by tradition and ancient text.
    The pantheon itself boasts eight primary deities with countless hundreds of lesser gods and spirits, many a part of local tradition and practice.  The major deities will be covered separately; the lesser gods and spirits fall into a complex hierarchy of gods, demigods, angels and servitors (of various orders), demons, spirits, faerie, saints and ghosts.  Most lesser gods, demigods, and powerful angels/servitors and spirits are associated with specific places or regions.
    As a “church”, it has something of a central authority: the High Priest of Pedar.  For the most part, he is not the head of an overarching, centralized institution, but rather the recognized “moral authority” in matters of dispute between regional versions and practices related to the main pantheon.  This is mostly a holdover from the ancient empire of the Over-Kings, when the High Priest of Pedar was, in fact, the ultimate spiritual authority of a centralized church.  Even under the Over-Kings, when the church was “the Church” as an apparatus of the state, the various cults of individual deities within the pantheon and local minor deities had a great deal of autonomy.
    Currently, most kingdoms have a high priest who is considered the spiritual leader of the nation.  These high priests -- much like the monarchies they support -- wield varying degrees of authority over the various clerics and temples within their jurisdictions, and universally little sway over the priests of local cults.  
    As an institution, the “church” is really a loose confederation of local jurisdictions which support the pantheon as a whole, regional cults to the individual deities within the pantheon, and clerics of specific local deities.  Some clerics follow multiple deities within the pantheon and/or local deities, some one, and the “church” clerics serve the pantheon as a whole.  In spite of the decentralized nature, there is a tradition of monasticism and active evangelism, which leads to an ambivalent relationship with science and magic at times, but is generally able to reconcile advances in either with the basic shared theology.

Cosmology
In its basic cosmology (and the philosophical underpinning of most science), there are two major principles: Substance and Essence.  Both are parts of nature which cannot be sustained without the other, and all things have in some part a component of each.  There are two balanced functions of the universe: order and chaos.  Where there is order, there is Form and Being.  And where there is chaos, there is nothing but a swirling oceanic limbo.

    Form is matter, which is comprised of the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.  Being is spirit, the spark that makes matter animate and sustains change.  Spirits have substance but no Form.  Inanimate material object Form but no Being.  All living things have both Being and Form.  It is the divine spark of Being, something which transcends all things, which is ignites the fires of life in all of us.
   In the world, it is the force of will, both divine, mortal, and animal, which sustains nature, as Being begets Being.  There are many creatures with Being and/or Form.  There are spirits which lack Form but have Being (which is what all mortals become when they die).  There are numerous semi-divine creatures which can create Form from their own Substance and other uncreated Substance innate to the world.  These are devils, demons, faerie, angels, etc.  Only the truly divine beings can create true Being either from their own uncreated Essence or from other sources of uncreated Essence.  This is the act of Divine Will.
     There is a special loathing for the undead -- the undead are a sacrilegious attempt by mortals to create true Being.  The result is either a sustaining Essence which animates the body of the dead, or a forced (or worse, willing) possession of the Form of the creature by a Being (either a spirit, devil, angel, etc.).
    There are many places in the universe, created by the myriad offspring of the First God (the Great Mystery, the Unmoved Mover).  There are the Heavens and Hells in which the deities, angels, and demons reside.  In the Heavens lie the Celestial Palace, where the Elder Gods once lived.  Also in the Heavens lie the palaces of all the gods, which are places of great bliss.  There is also the Sea of Despair, a realm beyond the Heavens and the Hells, a place of darkness, where the Elder Gods are imprisoned and damned spirits go, their Being slowly dissolved into pure Essence and chaos by the Elder Gods’ malice.  There is the land of the Fey, which lies beyond the Heavens and the Worlds.  There there are the Worlds themselves, as numberless as the stars in the sky, each a place where men live and die.


Creation
The primal energies of the universe are embodied in a chaotic sea of un-Formed Substance and Beingless Essence.  There is one Being who Came Before.  He is the God of the Twilight, or simply the First God.  His name is known only to the High Priest of Pedar and the high priests of the kingdoms, and is revealed to them only through a sacred rite.  From the First God came the gift of Order.  For companionship, he created Xallana, his daughter, and Morgothimord, his son.  And when he had done this, he was well pleased.  He spoke to them and said, “Create the Heavens for me, that I might have a place to dwell.”
    Xallana and Morgothimord set to this task, and created the stars in the Heavens upon which to build the Celestial Palace for him, wherein dwelt the God of Twilight and his children.  And when they had created the Celestial Palace for him, he commanded them, “Create someone to serve us, that we might dwell here in eternal rest.”  And so Xallana created the Angels and Morgothimord created the Demons to serve them in the Celestial Palace.
    There they dwelt for countless ages.  In this time, Morgothimord sired seven sons and seven daughters by Xallana, whom he had taken for his wife.  From these descended the Elder Gods.  The seven sons and seven daughters created the worlds, one for each star in the heavens, beautiful jewels for their parents and creator-grandfather to look upon.  After many ages, they in turn, gave over their creation into the hands of the Elder Gods.
    The Elder Gods brought life to the worlds.  But these they ruled with great cruelty.  They made war with one another for sport, using their mortal creations as their playthings.  In the end, their offspring, the Younger Gods, united with three of the Elder Gods (Arsalon, S’sslarn, and Jograth) made a great war upon their creator-parents.  Being unable to slay them, they imprisoned them within the Sea of Despair.  At this time, Xallana and Morgothimord and their children followed their creator-father and took their leave of creation, to watch it from beyond, leaving all that they had made to the Younger Gods.

Life and Death
When mortals die, they are judged by Xoxox.  If they have led a praiseworthy life, they ascend to the Heavens to dwell with the gods they worshipped and their ancestors before them.  If they have led a blameworhty life, they descend into the Hells and are condemned to the Sea of Despair, which is a bitter and terrible place where they are tormented as they gradually fade to nothingness.  The dead, however, do not necessarily remain dead.  Sometimes those who are truly repentant of cruel fates, or who are marked by some divine whim, are born again to live and face Xoxox’s judgement once more.  And sometimes there are those who are not yet ready to die, either because of magical intervention or an unfulfilled duty in life.  These might wander as ghosts until either they fade beyond the call of duty or they achieve in death that which they could not in life.

The Gods of the Pantheon
This is a brief list of the major deities of the pantheon.  Longer descriptions can be found elsewhere?!?.

• Mythreal is the nominal head of the pantheon.  He is comprised of three Elder Gods.  Scriptures disagree as to why the three became one, though both agree that it occurred as a result of the final battle between the Younger Gods and the Elder.  According to one, the three chose to combine as one so that together they would be the greatest and most powerful of all the gods.  Doing so before the final battle, Mythreal was able to lead the Younger Gods to victory.  The other account is darker, telling how the three betrayed their brothers and sisters and aided the Younger Gods in the final battle.  The three were so weakened by this battle that they were forced to combine in order to survive and not be imprisoned with their siblings.  Clerics of the pantheon at large are nominally priests of Mythreal.
• Arsalon is the Lion Headed god, champion of justice and courage.  Various orders of holy warriors dedicate themselves to his service, and many noblemen take him as a patron deity.
• S’sslarn is the serpent headed god.  He is said to be greatest in knowledge, specifically of magic.  As a result, many inclined toward magic worship him.  His name is invoked in many non-religious magical rituals.  There is also a monastic tradition dedicated to him dealing with acquisition of mystical knowledge of the divine.
• Jogorath is the jackal headed trickster.  Some scriptures describe his tricks as whimsical, others as dark and cruel.  His cult is known for its deception, both magical and mundane, and many a secret society is at least partially dedicated to him.  
• Brandiwyne is the goddess of war, storm, fury, and unbridled passion.  She is widely worshipped by common soldiers.  Her ancient weapon is the spear, and she has spawned a monastic tradition of semi-cloistered warrior-monks expert in the use of that weapon.  Her priestesses can be found among mercenary troops, barracks, and with most armies.
• Kieythe is the god of wisdom and truth.  He is also the Lord of the Tides.  He is married to Brandiwyne.  His priests are called “elders”, and are forbidden from touching women (to do so would be disloyal to Brandiwyne).  They are considered eccentric, but are often sought out for their divinations and odd but sage advice.  They are lone wanderers, or with a young male apprentice, who is often taken as a lover.  Brandiwyne has blessed her husband’s priests with the knowledge of an explosive potion, which can be used to great effect.
• Xoxox is the last judge, the god of death.  He is worshipped as part of funerary rituals.  His priests can be found in larger communities.  There is also a small order of “Death Knights” who battle against necromancers and the undead, which are considered antithetical to the “right order of things” -- at least according to Xoxox and the orthodoxy of the pantheon.
• Gungraeth is the Lord of Hell.  He is associated with vengeance, treachery, and, as Lord of Hell, the undead.  His role is as the guardian of the Sea of Despair, and it is his job to ensure that the Elder Gods remain imprisoned.  The nature of his worship is more of appeasement rather than devotion.  Occasional cults will appear, generally associated with oppressed peoples, and die out either with the oppression or with the cult.  Otherwise, finding a cleric of Gungraeth is difficult at best.
• Serena is the goddess of healing, hope, and mercy.  She is one of the most beloved of the gods, and her name is on the lips of many, especially in their hour of need.  Her clerics are the most sought after healers in the Seven Kingdoms -- and beyond.  The Brotherhood of Serena is a group of wizard-healers dedicated to healing in her name.  She also occasionally takes “champions”, answering the call of a young girl in dire need and making her an instrument of hope and mercy to the downtrodden.  These champions are universally female, and often their mercy is one sided in the direction of the oppressed, defending them by humiliating or destroying the oppressors.
• Allindra is the goddess of love, fertility, hearth, home and the harvest.  As such, her cult is the largest.  Priests and priestesses of Allindra can be found in most villages throughout the Seven Kingdoms.  Her worship is intimately tied to the practice of agriculture, herding, and the harvest of various natural products.  
• Kregin is the Rat-God, the bearer of the sacred fire, a god of cunning, stealth, survival, and luck (both good and ill).  In urban areas, Kregin’s followers are usually rogues of one sort or another: thieves, gamblers, speculators, etc., and as a result Kregin is considered disreputable.  However, in wilderness areas, foresters, hunters, and travelers of all types are ardent followers.  As a result, urban priests tend to frequent shrines, yet move among the people pursuing a life path similar to the other followers.  In the wilderness, clerics devoted to Kregin tend to rugged, semi-solitary lives spent tending remote shrines and leading worship on holy days.

Other Religious Entities
There are numerous minor gods, spirits, saints, etc., associated with the pantheon.  There is also a tradition of ancestor veneration and the deification of heroes and great leaders as well.  Saints can intercede on the behalf of the devout with the gods and are sometimes allowed to return to assist those who pray through them.  They also act as messengers and performers of miracles on behalf o the deity or deities whom they serve.  In life, they may or may not be clerics, monks, or simply laymen, and may or may not produce miracles.  In death, they wander as spirits, and are sometimes granted material presence.
    Ancestors can intercede as saints, but are more often granted the right to return to the land of the living (as spirits) or sneak away from the Heavens in order to grant aid to their living descendants.  This aid normally comes in the form of informations, but the ancestor spirits will occasionally grant their aid in other ways through their actions.  Sometimes such ancestor spirits, through veneration and actions taken, become much more powerful.
    A person who has been condemned to Hell through some action might be allowed to be freed and reborn in order to be retried by Xoxox after another life.  This can be attained by the intercession of the living through prayer and sacrifice.  Occasionally ghosts escape Hell and return to haunt the living in an attempt to obtain this sort of intercession.  Or, worse, they act malevolently until returned to the Hell from whence they came.
    Ghosts are spirits who have unfinished business in the mortal world.  This can happen in numerous ways, and isn’t universal.  Unfulfilled oaths, duties, and other responsibilities are one powerful inducement.  If they cannot be fulfilled, most ghosts simply fade.  Trauma associated with death can also cause ghosts to linger, eventually fading.  Sometimes, however, simple force of will is sufficient to keep a ghost from judgement.  Willful ghosts are judged harshly by Xoxox unless they can justify themselves according to some higher purpose.
    Deified heroes can achieve the status of minor deities in their own right, and are often the patrons of towns, noble houses, guild, etc., standing alongside the gods themselves in importance to those institutions.  In addition to this, there are occasional true demigods, offspring of god and mortal, who have great power, but may or may not ascend to join their diefic ancestors.
    Finally, there are other divine or semi-divine.  Some Fey are considered semi-divine by some, though whether this is true is debatable.  Powerful spirits and minor deities seem to jostle for pre-eminence within the hierarchy of theology within the pantheon.  Angels, demons, and other servitors are considered on par, beneath the gods themselves, but some powerful members are nonetheless worshipped.

Status and Relationship to Culture
Most kings and rulers derive their right of rule from the gods and their sacred writings, so it is in the best interest of local churches to maintain strong religious rulers in this “divine right” model, and for these divine right rulers to maintian the strength and vitality of their local church, both its institutional heirarchy and its theological underpinnings.  This is not to say that the clergy and nobility do not often come into conflict -- both have overlapping interests -- but their social interedependence generally keeps such conflict behind closed doors.  Most importantly, the common people generally have a profound faith in the Eight, and are additionally devoted to numerous local traditions in the form of ritual practice, legends, and local deities.
    The churches have an uneasy relationship with scientists and sorcerers.  Both practice arts which lead practitioners and common men alike to doubt rather than belief.  The church usually waits science out, as one generation’s scientific genius is another generation’s fool.  When Science finally coalesces around a principle and society accepts the conclusion, the churches have always been able to adapt, generally through a reinterpretation of sacred writings.
    In the case of sorcery, the church considers magic to be a mixed blessing at best.  In some (more backward) areas, there are prohibitions against the open practice of magic.  This is not common throughout all churches, though they are generally unfriendly to magic.  However, the benevolent and religious practice of magic is thought to bring one closer to the gods (as in the Brotherhood of Serena.  So the relationship is ambivalent.

History of Development
The official writings claim that the first men (High Men), knew their mother, Vlandine -- and Elder God.  She and the other gods walked among us and taught us how to live in this world.  After we had lived several generations on the earth, she knew that she had taught us well and so she ascended to the heavens to live again in her palace.  However, the “golden age” did not last.  The gods broke the race of man apart, and brought other races to the world, each to vie against one another.  Vlandine soon turned the races of men against her enemies, and man knew nothing but warfare and suffering.  Like all races, man fell into darkness in many ages after the fall of the Elder Gods.  But the YOunger Gods provided, and the long night ended.  Civilization began with the first prophets who heralded the coming of each major deity’s Avatar.
    Throughout history, the sacred writings have come down through visions, accounts of miracles, etc., from prophets, chroniclers, and the occasional appearance of a new Avatar.  The most authoritative writings come from the Avatars.  The sacred writings are not finished -- indeed, so long as the world persists, they cannot be -- and there are many more chapters to be written into the sacred books of every deity, from the great Eight to them many minor.
    There has been but one shining moment since the fall of the Over-King in which the churches reunited under a single banner.  This was during the Great Crusade of the Demon-Song Wars.  From 2015 - 2053, the Council of Elders (which once set canon law in order to establish uniform doctrine) was, in effect, the ruling council of the Seven Kingdoms.  However, once the final threat brought about by the Semon-Singers was banished, their rule was no longer necessary and the kings and nobles reasserted their power.

Symbols
The principal symbol of the pantheon is an octagon supported by three legs.  The eight and three motif is repeated throughout, signifying the triple deity Mythreal and the eight major gods.  Alars (of the pantheon in general, which is to say Mythreal) are eight sided, supported by three legs.  Chalices are octagonal with a three sided flute, and the main symbol is a triangle of gold (sometimes with a black or silver eye in the center, representing the unwavering gaze of the Twilight God from beyond) centered in a crimson octagon.  Crimson, the color of sacred blood, is a sacred color.
    Priests dress almost uniformly in ceremonial robes when performing rituals (although this can vary for different cults) with veils across their faces.  When not performing rituals, the priests wear more modern cut robes of the same color, or simple clothes when performing other duties.  Some of their clothing can be quite elaborate -- high priest wears an elegant flowing robe with a cape which must be carried by four attendants on ceremonial or ritual occasion.  Regardless of the situation, when in public, high priests are always veiled.

Temples of the pantheon are usually circular (or at least the ritual space is), with the altar in the center on a raised platform.  There are  usually three entrances -- one for the congregation, and two wich lead to separate wings or buildings for priests, monks, or other assistants.  Outside there is usually a small covered plaza with idols to the gods.  Before each is a small shrine.  Often there are several buildings and gardens, each dedicated to saints, gods, demigods, etc., in addition to the main enclosed ritual chamber.  The clergy generally live on the temple grounds.

For temples dedicated to a specific (and especially local) gods, there is generally only one building, a stand alone structure.  The entryway contains small idols to each of the other major gods, each placed above shrines.  There is a central room in which the ceremonies and rituals are done, and one or two shrines off from the central room, often containing large and ornate idols to the god of the cult/temple.  The grounds might also contain buildings to house the clergy or a monastery, and gardens.

Each deity has items, animals, demigods, etc., that are sacred t him, and specific to him.  Consecrated water is prevalent in many of the rituals, as are various types of crystals.  Blood is sacred, as are honey and seawater, once consecrated.  Very often the three are combined with wine and drunk in rituals.

Dogma, Scritpures, Laws, and Practices 
The Seven Kingdoms’ religion is one of ritual much more so than mystery or spiritual revelation.  Living a good life means obeying the laws set down in scripture and participating in the rituals of the faith.  Living a bad life is willful disobedience to these laws and precepts and a wanton disregard for ritual.  The specific law and ritual is dependent up which branch of the faith the follower belongs to.
    The central religious writing is the Book of the First War, which is the basis for their cosmology.  It is, like all other books, still a work in progress, as each century sees at least one meeting of the Council of Elders to discuss new “canonical” entries based on sacred prophecy gathered from throughout the world.  Most of these prophecies ultimately involve addition or repeal of previous prophecies, amendments or corrections to ritual practices, etc.  All of the deities also have writings specific to them.
    This overarching law is contained in numerous books of scripture.  Few but the largest temples hold all of the major books, though almost all contain at least a condensed form of the Book of the First War.  As a result, local practices vary widely.  In general, most devout people would have a quirk level version of Disciplines of Faith.

Rituals & Rites
The pantheon has rituals for every stage of life.  For the typical believer, this begins even  before birth.  When a couple wishes to conceive a child, there is a private ritual -- the Khavindal -- that they undertake, invoking Allindra.  Usually one or both of them is instructed in this by their own parents, but occasionally clerics will instruct them, especially in the case of new converts.  It is carried out only once for each child, and will be done even in the event of an unexpected pregnancy as soon as it is known.  It is, however, primarily a fertility ritual.
    The next stage in a child’s life revolves around a prenatal ritual, the Blessing of Serena, usually occurring when the woman begins to show.  It is almost always carried out by a cleric (a priestess of Serena if one is available), and usually involved just the cleric and the mother, the rest of the household being present but wearing veils across their eyes to obscure their vision.  This blesses the pregnancy itself and calls the child to the world to follow in the path set before him by the gods.
    Eight days after birth the child undergoes the Unveiling.  Upon birth, infant’s eyes are covered with a gentle cloth (though typically only ritually -- another private ritual, as the infants are generally unveiled until they day they undergo the Rite of Unveiling).  The Rite of Unveiling recalls the origins of all things in the primordial chaos that predates the Celestial Temple.  Before the Unveiling, the infant “lives in twilight” and afterwards is “awakened to the world.”

Other rituals similarly denote major passages in a believer’s life, carrying them through childhood, into adulthood.  They mark the chosing of a profession, marriage, aging, and eventually death.  

    Most other rituals are conducted in the household.  Clerics conduct services only holy days of their deities, which for most occur only a handful of times a year.  For Mythreal (and the pantheon in general), there are holy days every month, with minor services conducted weekly.  Most rituals are conducted at the request (and paid for by) individual families, and are specific to those families.
   
Holy Times and Places
The standard day for pantheon rituals is Saturday.  For most cults, these rituals take 1 - 6 hours.  There are festivals, holy days, days of weakness, etc., almost every day.  Eight major gods, and countless minor gods with attending saints, servitors, etc., makes the church calendar a full one.  However, the equinoxes and solstices are holy days for most gods -- in addition to much secular celebrating, they are distinctly religious holidays.  In practice, local worship is centered around a handful of patrons rather than the full pantheon, and so most festivals are not celebrated.  Only in the larger temple complexes and monasteries are the full local calendars maintained.
    There are shrines everywhere in the Seven Kingdoms.  Most homes and households have a small (possibly portable) consecrated shrine, generally dedicated to a special saint, demigon, or ancestor in addition to one or more gods.  There are also 2000+ years of holy sites in the Seven Kingdoms.  These are shrines to saints, heroes, ancestors, and the gods themselves.  Most of these are small, many attended by communities, solitary priests, or devoted individuals.  Often these holy sites are abandoned and their dedication is forgotten, leading people to avoid them lest they offend the saint, spirit, or god who was once worshipped there.  
    One of the rites that most undertake is that of pilgrimage.  This can be a short of a long affair.  For the poor, they might undergo a “virtual” pilgrimage, spending a few hours a week tracing a path in a local temple for as many as 10 years.  After that they will spend an entire week parading around town (or their local area), begging for food, with the final day spent at a local shrine (no more than a day’s journey away), completing the ritual.
    On the other hand, the wealthy generally undertake quite long pilgrimages.  The best sites are for the most part in the west, especially in the Pedar League.  Those who live there generally visit the sites in other cities.  There are some important saints enshrined in distant lands, and the journey is sufficiently dangerous and costly to satisfy that aspect of the ritual (i.e., the physical struggle).
    As most of the cults and the pantheon itself are centered (at least in terms of moral authority) in Pedar, most of the high temples to the gods are located there as well.  Pedar is constantly inundated with pilgrims.

Heirarchy and Organization
The church is organized with two general ranks: priests and high priests.  Under the Over-Kings, there were numerous titles and honors, generally denoting relative rank within the administrative apparatus of the church as an institution.  However, even then there were only two clerical ranks.  Currently, though titles are often applied in a variety of confusing situations, each individual political jurisdiction has its own high priest and attendant priests.  
    The same situation exists in parallel with the various cults of the individual deities, with high priests generally utilizing the same temple complex as a ritual space.  By default, the “first honor” always goes to the priest of Mythreal, so there is at least a slight hierarchical difference between the pantheon and the cults, but this only applies to the performance of rituals.  Administrative relationships among the cults are dealt with differently in each kingdom and major principality.
    The only body approaching a ruling council is the Council of Elders, made up of representatives from every High Priest in the 15 historical “great” jurisdictions (the Seven Kingdoms plus various conquests).  These councils argue over additions to scripture and alterations in religious ritual practice.

Relationships with Other Religions
The pantheon generally acknowledges other gods.  Whenever possible, correspondences are found with deities that already fall under the umbrella of the pantheon.  In these cases, they are declared to simply be those deities in another guise. Theologies contrary to their own as either simply incorrect or occasionally dangerously wrong.  In the former case, they’re ignored.  In the latter, they’re condemned.  Generally, this means that quiet religious minorities are ignored, while active minorities are persecuted.
    The one great dark heresy -- one which some suspect may even be “true” -- is that of the other “spontaneous” gods, those spawned by their own will, living outside of the creation of the Twilight God.  There are legends and even cults to these dark gods, and wherever they appear, they are sought out and systematically destroyed, usually with the active interest of local High Priests.