The Ninefold

The Ninefold are the nine major deities in the pantheon of Eumaea. Each deity represents one of the nine moral alignments, and may have any number of minor deities under them. Of these, Querina and Aldir are the most widely-known and worshipped. Sessana is sometimes worshipped, but her faith is less common within civilization. The three neutral-aligned deities are less well-known, but still worshipped by many. The three evil-aligned deities are almost unknown by most citizens of Eumaea, save for those who are either studied in religion or follow their dark faiths. Each major deity may have one or more lesser deities or major divine individuals under them. See each deity's page for subordinate deities, if any.
The Ninefold consists of:

	Lawful	Neutral	Chaotic
Good	Querina Goddess of Glory	Aldir God of Protection	Sessana Goddess of Life
Neutral	Dennitos God of Law	Eccoh God of Magic	Tokoti God of Luck
Evil	Izidra Goddess of War	Azagog Deity of Death	Kazka God of Chaos

What Everyone Knows

Regardless of religious upbringing, the following are more or less what every person knows about deities in Eumaea:

• The gods are demonstrably real. From village clerics who bestow divine magic upon their congregation all the way up to invasions by extraplanar beings, the existence of the divine is palpable for most. While it may not have an influence on their day-to-day lives, it is still easy to notice the touch of the divine on many aspects of the world. While not everyone necessarily worships deities, it is difficult to deny their existence.
• The basic nature of divinity. Deities are incomprehensible entities that exist on a higher plane of existence, but sometimes take on avatars in order to communicate with their followers, that they might better understand. While most deities are potentially omniscient, they are not omnipotent. Even the good deities who are said to care for their followers are unable to interfere with the Material Realm due to the existence of the Dividvar, the divine gate. Lastly, deities are extremely ideological, and require followers who support their beliefs in order to maintain their power. Deities who are forgotten or no longer worshipped fade away and die out.
• Judgment does not require faith. When one dies, their soul is judged by the alignment assigned to them as a consequence of their actions in life. Being an avid worshipper of a deity might grant you a higher status in their ranks, but this is not required in order to experience the afterlife.

History

This is the myth of creation, as told by most religious doctrines of the world:

In the beginning, there was only infinite darkness. The darkness coalesced to form Uman and Imir, the primordial beings of Light and Darkness, respectively. Their energies opposed one another for a countless time until some unknown force allowed Uman to gain a temporary victory over Imir. Uman gave birth to the world of Eumaea (derived from an ancient word meaning "Begotten of Uman").
Over time, the Ninefold were born. First was Sessana, the mother of all nature, who created life on the planet's surface. She created the plants and animals. She then gave birth to the Three Brothers: Dennitos, Eccoh, and Tokoti. The Three Brothers imparted civilization, knowledge, and willpower upon the land. Thus the three old races were born: The Dwarves, from Dennitos; the Elves, from Eccoh; and the Gnomes, from Tokoti.
Seeing these new forms of life on her planet, Uman created Aldir, a loving and nurturing god to guide and protect them. Aldir and Sessana then bore two daughters: Querina and Izidra. The two were charged with preserving order on Eumaea, however their philosophies differed greatly. Querina believed in leading by example, and taught that people should be a shining beacon to their citizens. Izidra believed that order should be established through force and fear.
Eventually, two new gods appeared, birthed from the distant Imir itself: Kazka and Azagog. Kazka was an unhinged god who sowed devastation upon Eumaea. While Kazka caused the previously-immortal races to wither and die, Azagog received their souls, however the pious might gain the favor of a good god, allowing their soul to be saved before being consumed by Azagog.
Izidra found herself completely taken by the wild frenzy of Kazka, and became his wife, much to the chagrin of Querina. The two have been at odds ever since. Together, Izidra and Kazka created the violent races: Orcs, Goblins, Dragons, etc. In response, Querina and Aldir created the Humans, a fast-spreading, adaptable race that could combat the forces of evil in the world.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Alternative Names

The Nine

Location

Celestial Plane

Controlled Territories

• Dividvar