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.
