Religions of Celasper

This Page describes the religions, gods and cults of Celasper at a broad level. Individual deities have their own separate pages.

History

It is said that in the beginning their was nothing, and into this nothing appeared the Celestials, beings of nigh-incredible power capable of altering the elements, the planets, the stars to their will, for they were cut from the same heavenly material. It is said that in the infinity that followed there was peace, creativity, and a growing divide between the celestials. Some of them wanted to create, others felt that this would disrupt the natural order. In time an agreement was made, with a plane of existence being created for life that would be finite, and temporary, as to not disrupt the balance. The first attempt of this creation proved a rough model, unable to be replicated and far outside their original vision or control. The second, caused outright war. 
The gods are said to have fractured among themselves over a number of ideological disputes lost to the pages of history. It is believed that countless celestials died in the war for heaven that followed, and left the remainder bitter. The war spilled over into other planes of existence, and it was in this tearing of the fabric of time and space that a calamity was alerted, Rovagug, the Rough Beast. 
The disputes of the celestials were put on hold as the remaining celestials came together to hold the great terror of existence at bay. Many of the celestials, mournful of past actions formed a chain of light to bind the Rough Beast, while a last alliance of the higher beings bound the terrible calamity, and knowing that it could not truly be killed, cast it into one of their creations, Celasper, the earth. 
In the fragile peace that followed the remaining celestials still in existence concluded that an outright war between them over their conflicting ideals would be disastrous, and so decided though the virtue of a great treaty at the dawn of observable history not to directly interfere through the affairs of newly created mortals. Since then countless ages have past, the "Gods" as the faithful called them have gone through many iterations, stories, and avatars, but direct intervention has been staunchly opposed to preserve the fragile harmony. 
Some gods have ascended and died in the years that followed. Aroden is believed to have been the first mortal to ascend to godhood, a feat that has been replicated twice, the first being by Cayden Cailean, a drunkard and mercenary from Begion. Aroden died of mysterious causes during the 3rd Era, replaced in mantle and worship by Iomadae, a heroine from Talingrad.
The balance of power amongst the gods changed about 80 years ago. In the nation of Balyntine, a mortal attempted to challenge the gods and ascend to join them in their ranks by proving the Goddess of Death fallible and asserting his own glory. Though his attempt at godhood failed, thanks to a band of heroes known as the Relinquished, the effects may have disrupted the balance. The gods have not spoken since, either to their mortal followers, or the lesser servants of those who souls share their ideals. 
Many believe one or multiple of the gods may already be deceased. Others point to the emergence of new religions and ascended deities in the years since as proof of the twilight of the gods. Those capable of directly answering such questions cannot or will not be spoken with, and many believe these are signs of an approaching end of days, that no prophecy or divination has foreseen.

Tenets of Faith

The Gods of Celasper are largely said to be the manifestations of certain ideals, given form from the stories and myths told about them. The veracity of such claims is tenuous at best, as many stories contradict one another, and indeed many of the actions supposedly proposed to the gods are verifiably false.

Ethics

Clerics are granted power by their gods but the actions of a cleric or paladin may not reflect the ideals of a god they serve. Frustrating matters, some gods grant power to people who do not actively worship them. Indeed, the work of a cleric of Urgathoa healing a Paladin of Desna may be granted by neither of the deities themselves. These frustrating rules make identifying a source of divine power difficult at best, and impossible at worst.

Priesthood

It is a known fact that many gods grant power to their followers, even in the age of silence. Many churches on Celasper are extremely well organized, with central places of power and worship originating in specific nations.

Granted Divine Powers

Since the Era of Silence, it is commonly believed that divination magic is far less effective than it once was. Prophecies are regularly proven wrong, leaving many to wonder if the goddess of destiny, Pharasma, can be reliably counted upon for visions any longer.

Sects

A given church may have a number of different sects with conflicting goals and interests, described on their individual pages.

Alternative Names

The Celestials, The Outer Powers, The Gods

Deities

• Abadar
• Achaekek
• AemonTrout
• Alseta
• Aroden
• Asmodeus
• Bahamut
• Besmara
• Calistria
• Cayden Cailean
• Creation
• Dahak
• Desna
• Destruction
• Erastil
• Gorum
• Gozreh
• Groetus
• Gullveig
• Io
• Irori
• Kethis
• Korggon
• Kurgess
• Lamashtu
• Malakath
• Milani
• Nethys
• Pharasma
• Preservation
• Rovagug
• Sarenrae
• Shelyn
• Tagrath
• The Cult of Avalon
• The Cult of Metal
• The Four Stags
• The Green Faith
• The Morrigan
• The Nameless God
• Tiamat
• Torag
• Urgathoa
• Zon-Kuthon