In the beginning... 3 Gods ruled over the void. The God of light a female representing fertility, creation knowledge Water and Air, The God of darkness a male representing disease, death, secrets Fire and Earth. And Finally Fate, a giant even by God standards, this God did not have a gender, and it's domain encompassed action, both order and chaos, luck and misfortune, the duality of all things. Eventually the 3 Gods, were replaced by 9 Gods. After the breaking Cleric sects eventually replaced the old religions. Now most mortals do not truly believe in divine powers, the Monastic orders still venerate the 3 old Gods and Paladin Orders still follow the religious mandates of the 9. Clerics however join sects that operate more like academies than religious organizations.