Great Pantheon

Great Pantheon

A religion that dominated the Berian Empire, the Great Pantheon is based on the belief that there are many gods, each responsible for different parts of everyday life. It’s a very inclusive religion that allowed the Empire to thrive and avoid internal religious strife. It’s very amenable to integrating the gods of conquered nations into its belief system, forming in time a Great Pantheon of gods.

Citizens of the Empire were free to worship any or all gods of their choosing from the Pantheon, as long as it didn’t come in conflict with the imperial laws. Likewise, its modern followers consider Ziva and Altan to be just two gods out of a pantheon of many.

There are many in Din'Lux who follow this religion, most of them being refugees who only came to live in the city after the return of the Starless Nights. Most worshippers of the Pantheon are human or orcish, but the religion has recently gained an elvish following as well. There are several shrines to the various gods of the Pantheon across Din'Lux, though most of them can be found in the Stumps.

NOTABLE DEITIES

The Great Pantheon includes countless gods, goddesses, and other divine creatures. Below is a list of some of the primary gods.

The Allmother

1. Creator goddess of love, fertility, and magic.
2. Wife of the Allfather. It is believed that together with the Allfather they have created the Universe.
3. Pantheon’s followers believe that she’s worshipped by the elves under the name of Ziva.
4. She values love and kindness.
5. Priests imagine her as a sorceress of uncanny beauty who cradles the sun in her arms like a caring mother.

The Allfather

1. Creator god of order, law and power.
2. Husband of the Allmother, together they created the Universe.
3. He is a King of the Gods, putting them in line and making sure that order is maintained in all things.
4. He values obedience and traditionalism.
5. Priests imagine him as a man of powerful posture in his middle years, holding a scepter in one hand and the tablet symbolising the law in another.

The Frenzied Mistress

1. The goddess of war, madness and discord.
2. She delights in sowing chaos and testing the wills of mortals.
3. She values strength and passion.
4. Priests imagine her as an iron clad maiden with fiery red hair and wild eyes. She always grins. Her armour is built of a thousand melted swords, and her weapon of choice is a mighty spear.

The Patient Crone

1. The goddess of harvest, wisdom and seasons.
2. She rewards those who wait for their labour to bear fruit, which refers not only to farmers but also builders, scholars, cooks and so on and so forth.
3. Her followers exercise restraint in all decisions, they always take their time.
4. She values patience and hard work.
5. Priests imagine her as an old woman who always smokes a long pipe and holds a scythe in the other. Vines grow around her body.

The Rotten Sage

1. The god of death, decay and pestilence.
2. He is feared but also respected, as death is the destiny of all creatures - the aging process is considered his direct influence.
3. When you get sick, it means “the Sage has touched you”. People sometimes refer to signs of old age invoking his name, and so wrinkles are called “Sage’s marks”, arthritis “Sage’s illness” and so on.
4. Pantheon’s followers believe that he guides souls of the departed to the other side of the Veil.
5. He values modesty and solemnity.
6. Priests imagine him as a hideous, lepper-like creature who covers his body with bandages and a hood. He holds an hourglass in one hand and an almost burnt out candle in the other.

The Smiling Friar

1. God of joy, celebration, fun and mischief
2. A purely benevolent deity, a lot of happy celebrations during the year were dedicated to him.
3. He values optimism and laughter
4. Priests imagine him as a chubby, red nosed middle aged man who’s always smiling. He usually wears simple robes, and carries a wine barrel and a cheese plate with him.

The Hidden One

1. The god of the afterlife, darkness and secrets.
2. Pantheon’s followers believe that elves know him under the name of Altan.
3. He is the embodiment of the universe's mystery - his motives are always hidden and he symbolizes the unknowable.
4. He never speaks, only whispers.
5. No one knows what he values, therefore only the most dedicated follow him. His priests preach that he teaches humility, so the mortals understand that they will never know everything.
6. Priests say his form cannot be known, he is the void between the stars and the shadow in the night. His altars are the only ones that lack statues, his followers usually use simply a symbol of a black circle to give him worship.

Type

Religious, Pantheon