The Old Gods
The Old Gods are also called "the Goldwyndian Gods", "The Jori Gods" or "The Emperial Gods". Today theological scholars define The Old Gods as a collective name for Gods who can be tracked back to the early Goldwydian culture. Some of the Gods were worshipped in the Jorpagnian Empire and were spread along with its expansion.
In the present day the worship of The Old Gods are found in Trakorien and Furgia, but are followed and honoured all over Ereb Altor. A realm with a special connection to The Old Gods are Berendien whom today worship a Panthenon commonly known as The New Gods. In Berendien The Old Gods are mostly a representation of ancient evil, darkness, oppression, revenge and the slavery of Erebs population.
There are many Gods and Goddessess which are a part of the panthenon The Old Gods, these are a few of them:
- Anxalis: Anxalis is the Goddess of the Ocean in Imperium Jorpagnia. In present time most of her followers are found in Trakorien but the memory of her lives on in much of the folklore around the Coppersea. In the ancient time the people worshipped her through sacrifices before a long journey or fishing expedition, and she demanded the life from a land dwelling creature. If the people who were going to travel, or the expedition was very important, humans where sacrifised to appease her. Some times even children were sacrifised. Mostly the human sacrifises was slaves, but there are tales of powerful individuals being sacrifised to appease Anxalis. But the most common form of sacrifise was an animal. Many modern scholars suggests the common gesture of flipping a coppercoin aboard before entering a boat derives from Anxalis worship. Dolphins are said to be heralds of Anxalis and her messengers, and the tales of mariners being saved by Anxalis are plentiful. On the other hand she is also said to be represented by sharks as another perception of her as the Goddess of the ocean. The vicious and bloodthirsty ocean who hold no remorse and takes what she wants. Both perceptions are just as true and the mariner will never know which of the both sides of Anxalis he will meet. Within the old traditions the sailors often refer to the ocean as an unforgiving lover, and it is Anxalis they are talking about.
- Enki: Enki is the God of freshwater and considered one of the most powerful, or vital, Gods amongst The Old Gods. Enki is still worshipped in Trakorien and Furgia. The worship of Enki are considered to have surfaced somewhere around the Golwyndasea very early in the history of human history. Enki have many names such as Amci in and around Felicia. Enki have his home in the bottomless Abzu and his wife is the Goddess Ezgela.
- Ezgela: The Goddess of the skies, the rain and the birds and Enkis wife according to the lore of The Old Gods. The priests and priesstess of Ezgela foresee the future by gazing on the many gatherings of birds and their behaivour. In the land Felicien where still some of the Old Gods are worshipped and where Ezgela is called Azgigal many sailors and priests of Paridon still claims to be able to foresee the future in the flight of bords, and the formation of the clouds. Very specialised tolanerpriests (called aruspixer) foresee in the flight of birds but also in the liver of the birds.
- Ereshkigal: The Goddess of death amongst The Old Gods, worshipped in the Golwyndacultures and the Imperium Jorpagnia. Today she is mostly worshipped in Trakorien but there are much left of the worship in ritulas and folklore in other realms where Imperium Jorpagnia existed. Ereshkigal rules the kingdom of death and keeps a watchful eye on faith and the passing of time. She knows every creatures birth and death. Her clerics were somber and serious and very well respected. They tended for the dead and where often called when someone became sick, as their Goddess where said to know if someones time was up.
- Fraschikel: Within the Jori panthenon Fraschikel is the Goddess of justice and today she is most known as Goddess of protection and the realms foremost religion. Frashcikels foremost saint is S:t Gorge.
- Hemaiquel: According to the Black Book once Hemaquiel where a peacful deity whose realms where fertility, wisdom and joy. But around 100 A.O. the church of the shining path declared him as Etins dark and evil counter and the shining path main enemy, he became angry and declared "If the servants of Etin claims I am their enemy, then I shall be!"
- Luvena: Luvena is the Goddess of the moon and her symbol is called Lünia, the moon. According to some stories she is Anxalis secret lover and the tide is when Luvena is temping her. Although she was not considered an evil Goddess, she were not considered a good Goddess either. When the moon were full werewolves roamed the lands at night, and unrest were more common. She was also associated with madness and lust. Some of her most outlandish cults during the Jorpagnian age relished in the madness and tales of orgies ending in massmurders were abound. There are surviving courtproceedings which indicates it really did happen.
- Marduk: Marduk is a God of storms and as such descibed as fierce and temperal. He still worshipped in both Furgia and Trakorien, where he is called Simei. Marduks symbol is a stylished gust of wind or lightning. The worship of Marduk where many times intertwined with Anxalis. When the sailors sacrifised the Anxalis for a good journey they often asked her to protect them from Marduks wrath as well. Marduk belief is considered to have been formed somewhere around Golwyndasea very early in the history of humanity.
- Mingar: in the Old Imperium Jorpagnia was Mingar the smith of the Gods. In the story of the starfigure Auros Mingar is said to have refused to give the people of Altor metals to work with. The hero Hôrgar-Nîr catched the goat of Auros whose clofs and horn where made of different metals, and as such ore was formed in the mountains for the people to use.
- Parikilia: Parkilia is the mother of the birds. According to fragmented texts from the Goldwyndian myths she created the birds song using her golden harp, smithed by Belerofon to protect the birds from the prince of the dark. Unfortunatly the crow were held captive by the prince of darkness at the time, and therefore the crow cant sing, only caw.
- Shamash: Shamash is the God of justice, truth and often the sun. He belongs to The Old Gods panthenon and are said to have been worshipped in different forms since the first human Mformed around Golwyndas sweetwater sea. Today there are followers of Shamash is found wherever The Old Gods are found. But Shamash are consider a very important God in Trakorien and Felicien where he is known as Khemosh.
- Terra: The God of mountains, stones and earth according to teachings of The Old Gods. Many human scholars considers Terra to be the creator of different species tied to his realms such as dwarves, and as such a synonym with the dwarven God Kargôr. The dwarven scholars do not agree.
- Tidsgudomarna:
- Trocuspa: Trocuspa is the warrior God in the Jori panteonet. Trocuspas rules of living is written in the Book of blood, sometimes called Banzikan.
- Uelgeric: The God of no bounds and frivlity according to The Old Gods. The worshippers on Palamux are very known.
- The prince of darkness: There are no surving stories or scriptures explaining The prince of Darkness in the lore of The Old Gods, but he is mentioned in their stories. Some of The Old Gods oppose him while other are his allies. The scholars of The Shining Path usually defines him as Hemaiquel but scholars who follows other religions states there are no proofs they are the same.