Core Pantheon

Woe to those who would challenge the gods, infinite in their wisdom.
— cleric

The core pantheon, better known by most as 'the gods', is the overarching pantheon of true gods that reach out to Istralar's mortals. Though prohibited from manifesting as themselves on the Material Plane directly due to concessions made after the First Divine War, they often send their heralds and servants, or speak to mortals through their dreams and prayers.

Dark's Malice by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

This pantheon is considered to include all primary deities of other pantheons like the Elven Pantheon and the Dwarven Pantheon, but does not include deities that have little-to-no interaction with mortals, like Sothime or any of the Draconic Pantheon. Whilst it, in theory, does not encompass the large number of demigods and other lesser divine beings that interact with Istralar, many do nonetheless consider those lesser gods to be part of the overarching core pantheon. The pantheon is worshipped throughout Istralar by a wide range of individuals, most of whom choose to focus their worship on a much smaller subset of gods. As the wider pantheon consists of entities from all of the outer planes from Heaven to the Abyss, it cannot be used as a specific focal point by those strongly motivated in terms of alignment - for instance, paladins must choose to dedicate themselves to specifically deities of law or good.

The core pantheon stands in direct opposition to the Shards of the Void. Though the cause of this deep animosity and concern was not originally understood, recent events with the Harp of Virtue of Virtue have revealed that the Shards were originally deities - likely all expunged from history in the Second Divine War, as deities so far gone that they could not agree with the Arcane Compromise.

Ascension

For a mortal to step into the realm of the divine... it is unheard of.

In staggeringly rare cases, mortals may ascend, their form and memories largely intact. Indeed, many of the most significant deities have been former mortals: Iomedae was in charge of the armies of Heaven, Nethys possesses power and understanding over all knowledge and magic, and Urgathoa stole the secret to undeath from under Pharasma's very nose.

There seems to be no consistent way for mortals to ascend. Some, like the aforementioned Nethys, achieve it as a result of great power. Others, like Urgathoa, steal power for themselves. Yet others still pass tests laid out by other deities, and through those pathways climb the impossible stairway to the very highest echelons of power. It was this last method that empowered the trio of Iomedae, Cayden Cailean, and Norgorber, and it was them who fell to the bitter powers of the Unbroken March in 5626, when the Champions sent to destroy the Shards unintentionally empowered it by drawing the Shard to Pharasma's own realm. For most mortals seeking to reach the highest heights of power, it is usually enough to reach the status of deific servant. There are countless tales of mortals who, after achieving great feats, have been granted the right to leave mortality behind and rest at their deity's side - similarly, there are stories of foul villains whose villainy has attracted the darkest of deities, and seen them claimed by will or force as servants.

Ascension by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Some lucky few might even be placed as their deity's heralds - a feat most possible in the Core Pantheon, as repeatedly demonstrated through history.

Secrets of the Gods

It is their right and their responsibility to hold secrets we must not know. Do you not see what happens to those who dig too deep?
— cleric

Chaos's Reach by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

The gods are known to hold their many, many secrets - and the Core Pantheon's have long been a topic of heretical discussion. Heavy consequences await any who would look to find the most hidden of secrets. Deific servants watch over repositories of knowledge, ready to stop mortals too eager to learn, and curses worse than what an oracle bears are embedded to much of the knowledge. The secret of the Shards, the terrible knowledge that they were once gods, is one such serious secret - and there are further hidden whispers about the Shards that have still yet to be revealed. Trying to speak their names, or to ask how they were created, or to ask anything more of the intricate situation they are in - that draws down direct deific attention. The Champions have found this attention manifesting in pain and censorship; others may be able to ask it, but they do risk far worse. The Divine Censer is always watching.

Whispers have long existed of other deities and pantheons that lie beyond the realm of mortals. Perhaps, far into the night, there are other pantheons larger and greater than the Core Pantheon. If this is the case, though, they have not chosen to make themselves known.

Light's Call by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Alternative Names

the Gods of Istralar; the Central Deities; the

Related Species

Outsider

Related Myths

Whispers of Divinity

Related Information

Deities of the Great Beyond

Lost Deities

The known fallen deities - those of the Ascended Trio, and those that would become the Shards - are not the only deities of whom all information has been lost. The Draconic Pantheon holds murmurs of a draconic deity expunged from memory. The Qualic Scriptorium has entire halls dedicated to grief and pain for this greatest of losses. And though the Shards are known to the world in some form, they were not the only deities to fall in the Arcane War. It would seem, then, that the gods may keep their secrets - and enforce their judgment on mortalkind with more than just their censoring flames. Perhaps it is with vast agreement across the Core Pantheon that a god may be erased from history - or perhaps it is an action easily taken by the most powerful of deities... How many gods have been erased? How much of history has been repainted to go on without their presence? Why erase them entirely, and replace their influence on the world? These questions and more linger in the minds of the curious and the heretical, never to be answered.