Losana Pantheon
As the name implies, the Losana Pantheon is the one that is present among the people of Losana. It is a very spritualistic, animistic faith, and relies heavily upon the support of its worshipers. During Jakonian rule over Losana, the pantheon was suppressed and made illegal, but the average person in the kingdom remained devout and linked to the practices of their ancestors. Although it remains illegal to this day, the faith is still a slim majority in the Kingdom of Losana, facing constant oppression from the monarchy and the Church of the One Sun.
Gods of the Losanan Pantheon
| Deity | Alignment | Suggested Domains | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damballah, creator of the world and gods | LG | Order, Life, Nature | Serpent encircling the world |
| Ayida, goddess of the rainbow | CG | Tempest, Nature, Twilight | Pair of intertwined snakes |
| Marinette, goddess of freedom | CN | Trickery | Owl with a broken collar |
| Kalfu, god of the night and luck | CE | Trickery, Arcana, Twilight | Face with black tears |
| Zaca, god of the harvest | N | Nature, Life, Light | A smoking pipe |
| Loco, god of wild vegetation | N | Nature, Light, Grave | Stone in swaddling cloth |
| Legba, god of the sun and messages | N | Light, Knowledge, Arcana | Old man with a cane |
| Mamam Brigette, goddess of death and justice | LN | Grave, Death, Order | Red pepper |
| Ogun, god of war and metalworking | N | War, Grave, Forge | Sword in the ground |
| Agwe, god of sea and rivers | CN | Tempest | Mermaid |
| Erzulie, goddess of love, beauty, and passion | CN | Life, Peace | Curvaceous woman |
| Samedi, god of death and travel | N | Trickery, Forge, Grave, Twilight | Top hat |
Structure
The Losanan gods have no organized clerical structure beyond traveling priests and a handful of hidden shrines scattered through the Kingdom of Losana. The gods are revered equally by their practitioners, and while a priest may embrace one god over the others, they recognize that all are part of the greater whole. The organizational structure has been forced upon the faith by centuries of oppression from the Church of the One Sun. The Fellowship of the Palm has frequently led inquisitions and purges against the followers of the faith, which are often conflated with the Cult of the Old Ones. Therefore, those who become priests of this pantheon frequently find one of the gods as their particular patron as they travel, ministering to the faithful.
Assets
The priests of the Voudoun faith have very few resources available to them besides what they can carry. There is no organized building or warehouse, just a handful of shrines. Nearly every major Losanan town and city has at least one shrine to one or more of the gods, and the graveyards of Losana are filled with the sacrifices and offerings to the dead and the gods. Necromancy is a common tool for the priests of this faith, and there are a handful of hidden shrines protected by the undead, which is another element that has led to much dislike from the Church of the One Sun.
History
The Losanan pantheon is said to be younger than faith in the One Sun, but still a faith of the old world nonetheless. According to what few records exist, the Losanan pantheon was present during the times of the Nameless Empire, but relegated to a small minority of people. When the collapse of the empire came, the Losanans found their patrons more active in protecting them through the troubled times. Priests of the Losanans brought forth the ample resources of the dead to serve them in reconstruction, and in harvesting the fields and resources of the countryside. The bodies of those who died helped to serve the living.
The Losanan towns and communities had a very independent streak, but the service of the undead was expected by most for centuries to come. Even as the original bodies of the dead of the Nameless Empire eventually decomposed and became useless, it was considered an honor to have the bodies animated for use to improve the lives of the towns. These dead frequently saw use in warfare too, with Voudoun priests leading the charge with armies of undead clashing in the Losanan bayous and fields. Unfortunately, outside forces looked upon these affairs and saw only evil.
The emperors of Jakonia were initially content to sit with their Circle Sea empire, and saw only trouble with an invasion of Losana. Although Riveraineville, once a center of Voudoun faith, was occupied in 267, it would be nearly two hundred years before the Church of the One Sun could bring about an invasion, seeing the undead as an abomination. The Jakonians launched a series of brutal wars against the townships of Losana, most of which failed to unify against the common foe. After that, necromancy was banned in the region, and the followers of the pantheon were sent into hiding. When the Jakonians vacated Losana in 868, the traditional followers rejoiced, but only briefly, as the new line of aristocrats and kings proved to remain loyal to the Church, although they began turning a blind eye to more practices than the old imperial regime.
Mythology & Lore
Followers of the Losanan pantheon merge somewhat with the Church of the One Sun, in agreeing that the Sun is the origin of the species. However, they assume that the sun was just a tool used by Damballah as the means to establish all of creation. The Losanans very much believe in spirits departing the body upon death and beginning a new life. They view necromancy as a holy art, which allows the dead to continue to make lives better even as the spirits have moved on to other worlds. The gods themselves aid in this practice, and each help in their own way, as active entities devoted to creating better lives for their followers. Most of the myths and stories of the faith involve when the gods end up at odds in the best ways to help mortals.
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