Astorian Pantheon
The Astorian Pantheon is the grouping of deities worshiped throughout Astoria. Its history is fraught with conflict and contention, corruption and deceit, and what once was a united pantheon is today split between those of the good or neutral alignment (known as The Benevolent Gods, or simply "The Benevolents") and those of the evil (known as The Betrayer Gods, or simply "The Betrayers").
The Benevolent Gods
- Avandra - Chaotic Good; Trickery domain
- Bahamut - Lawful Good; Life & War domains
- Corellon - Chaotic Good; Light domain
- Erathis - Lawful Neutral; Knowledge domain
- Ioun - True Neutral; Knowledge domain
- Kord - Chaotic Neutral; Tempest domain
- Melora - True Neutral; Nature & Tempest domains
- Moradin - Lawful Good; Knowledge & War domains
- Pelor - Neutral Good; Life & Light domains
- The Raven Queen - Lawful Neutral; Life & Death domains
- Sehanine - Chaotic Good; Trickery domain
The Betrayer Gods
- Asmodeus - Lawful Evil; Trickery domain
- Bane - Lawful Evil; War domain
- Gruumsh - Chaotic Evil; Tempest & War domains
- Lolth - Chaotic Evil; Trickery domain
- Tharizdun - Chaotic Evil; Trickery domain
- Tiamat - Lawful Evil; Trickery & War domains
- Torog - Neutral Evil; Death domain
- Vecna - Neutral Evil; Death & Knowledge domains
- Zehir - Chaotic Evil; Trickery & Death domains
Mythology & Lore
The War of Creation
In the beginning, when the world was new, the beings that found their way to Astoria from the distant parts of the cosmos coexisted peacefully. Each had their own realm on this new world on the Prime Material Plane to rule over and shape as they so desired. Each was content. There was no good, no evil. There just was. When mortals first began to emerge into this new world, they viewed the beings who had arrived before them as gods -- higher powers that shaped the world to their own designs. Through their worship, these precursor beings began to grow in power, until they indeed lived up to the mantle of godhood.But not all beings that rose to power were good. Tharizdun, an unknown entity from a far corner of the galaxy found his way to Astoria. Nothing is known about where he came from, and nothing is known about his ascension to godhood, save that whatever act he committed was so purely evil it tore him apart, breaking his body and mind and transforming him into something truly nightmarish. Tharizdun sought to also stake his claim on this new world. As he set out to do so, however, some of the other gods intervened. They saw the pure chaos that was Tharizdun and they wanted no part of it for the mortals of this world. Tharizdun was driven back, prevented from planting his seed of chaos on Astoria. Incensed with rage, Tharizdun retreated to the Astral Sea, biding his time and plotting his revenge.
Tharizdun reached out to the gods who had not stood in his way, whispering in their ears thoughts of power and corruption. Most of the gods were content to allow the mortals to live peacefully with them, under their careful guidance and care. Under Tharizdun's influence, however, some gods grew mad with the newfound power from their worshipers, and sought to subjugate the mortals and bring the world to heel. Thus formed the first tiny cracks of the schism in the pantheon, and thus began the first whisperings of what is known today as the War of Creation.
As the strength of the gods became more and more prevalent, their acts of power had some unforeseen consequences. The imbuing of their power upon the world around them gave rise to the Primordials: beings of pure elemental energy. These beings saw control of the world as their divine right, and those beings who lived upon it their subjects, to do with as they saw fit. Soon, they rose up and began wreaking havoc upon the world and its citizens. The gods, as yet undivided by Tharizdun's machinations, pushed back against them (all save Tharizdun and Torog, the latter having set off into the deep parts of the earth just before the first blow was struck against the Primordials and thus could not be found in time). Thus the War of Creation began in earnest. Little is known about the many battles that the two sides took part in. What is known is that the war raged on for millennia, with the gods eventually defeating the primordials and either destroying them or driving them to the far reaches of the world where they dwindled and eventually ceased to exist.
As the gods recovered from their long and arduous war, Tharizdun set his schemes in motion. He redoubled his efforts to corrupt his ally gods, further increasing the discord between the pantheon. Eventually, he urged them to take action before they too were put down by their fellow gods. His allies finally rose up and lashed out against their fellow gods, declaring the world, and those who lived in it, theirs to control. Thus the pantheon was broken, and thus began the second half of the War of Creation, this time pitting god against god. The gods who sought to protect the mortals from enslavement, torture, and death became known as The Benevolent Gods: Bahamut, Erathis, Ioun, Melora, Moradin, and Pelor. Their counterparts were labeled as the traitors they were, becoming The Betrayer Gods: Asmodeus, Gruumsh, Tharizdun, Tiamat, and Zehir.
All of this was merely a distraction, however; the Betrayers merely pawns in Tharizdun's grand scheme. While the gods waged war on themselves, Tharizdun moved to a remote location in the Astral Sea and, gathering several small, unknown demiplanes together, he planted the seed of his evil and set it adrift. In no time at all, its corruption surged outward, claiming more and more dominion and increasing Tharizdun's power and influence exponentially. This act caused a momentary lull in the War of Creation, as both sides watched in horror as Tharizdun played his trump card. Taking advantage of their distraction, the Benevolent Gods overpowered the Betrayers, banishing them to the Outer Planes. They then turned their full focus on Tharizdun and the chaos he had wrought.
Bahamut, Melora, and Erathis set to work attempting to contain the rampant growth of chaos, while Pelor, Moradin, and Ioun sought to put an end to Tharizdun once and for all. Their struggle was long and fierce. Tharizdun's power had grown to such vast proportions that it took all of their strength just to hold him at bay. Eventually, Pelor, Moradin, and Ioun put all their energy into one last, desperate charge. Tharizdun was driven back, and Pelor was able to seal him away in the heart of his own creation. However, Ioun was grievously wounded in the effort, and to this day she has never fully recovered. With Tharizdun out of the picture, the gods were quickly able to contain the chaos he had created, though they could not destroy it completely -- it had spread too far and was beyond their ability to destroy. So they focused instead on containment, and what remains of the Chaos is now known as The Abyss.
The Astral Weir
Once the War of Creation had ended and the Betrayer Gods either banished to the Outer Planes or sealed away, the Benevolent Gods sought to ensure that Astoria would never see horrors of this magnitude ever again. And so they decided it was time for their kind to remove themselves from The Prime Material Plane for good. They gave the remaining Betrayer Gods, left severely weakened by their defeat, a choice: be utterly destroyed or agree to remain out of The Prime forever, never to set foot upon that plane again. The Betrayers grudgingly agreed, and each set about carving a place for themselves in the Outer Planes. The Benevolent Gods, fearing that no simple promise would keep the Betrayers at bay forever, banded together and created the last great work of power they would gift to Astoria: The Astral Weir, a barrier of pure divine energy preventing any deity -- good or evil -- from crossing over into The Prime Material Plane. Their final gift completed, they departed from The Prime themselves, each making a part of The Outer Realms a place to call their own.Divine Origins
The origins of the original pantheon (The Benevolents Bahamut, Erathis, Ioun, Melora, Moradin, and Pelor and the Betrayers Asmodeus, Gruumsh, Tharizdun, Tiamat, Torog, and Zehir) remain unknown. It is speculated that they did not create Astoria, but merely happened upon it, one by one, and began to shape it in their own image and ideology. As the ages passed, however, more deities ascended to godhood from mortality. Most of these rose to power in ages that have long since been forgotten as more and more of their people spread throughout Astoria, and now Avandra, Corellon, Kord, and Sehanine have long been staples of the Benevolent Gods, while Bane, Lolth, and Vecna have similarly been worshiped on the Betrayer side. All accounts and histories agree, however, that The Raven Queen is the youngest deity, though even her age of ascension has been lost to time.
The method of The Raven Queen's ascension remains shrouded in mystery, as upon claiming the mantle of godhood, she helped the Benevolents to erase the knowledge from history (much to Ioun's ire). With her ascension, the Astorian Pantheon as it is known and worshiped today was completed.
The method of The Raven Queen's ascension remains shrouded in mystery, as upon claiming the mantle of godhood, she helped the Benevolents to erase the knowledge from history (much to Ioun's ire). With her ascension, the Astorian Pantheon as it is known and worshiped today was completed.
Territories
The Benevolent Gods
- Avandra - no realm, but occasionally holds court in Brightwater, city in Arvandor, on Arborea.
- Bahamut - The Platinum Throne, in Mertion, on Mount Celestia.
- Corellon - The Grove of Amaranthine Twilight, in Arvandor, on Arborea
- Erathis - no realm, but occasionally holds court in The Temple of Order, on Mechanus.
- Ioun - The Endless Athaneum, in its own pocket dimension among the Outer Planes.
- Kord - THe Hall of the Valiant, in Ysgard(layer), on Ysgard.
- Melora - no realm, but occasionally holds court in The Everbloom, in Arvandor, on Arborea.
- Moradin - Erackinor, fortress in Solannia, on Mount Celestia
- Pelor - The Palace of Dawn, in Amoria, On Elysium
- The Raven Queen - Letherna, in its own pocket dimension among the Outer Planes.
- Sehanine - The Grove of Amaranthine Twilight, in Arvandor, on Arborea.
The Betrayer Gods
- Asmodeus - Fortress Nessus, in Nessus, on The Nine Hells
- Bane - The Black Bastion, in Avalas, on Acherus
- Gruumsh - Nishrek, in Avalas, On Acherus
- Lolth - The Demonweb Pits, in its own pocket dimension, among the Outer Planes
- Tharizdun - The Heart of the Abyss, remote layer, on The Abyss
- Tiamat - Tiamat's Lair (Cave of Greed), in Avernus, on The Nine Hells
- Torog - Gargash, Far Realm (banished)
- Vecna - no domain
- Zehir - The Slithering Labyrinth, in Cathrys, on Carceri.
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