Great Pantheon of Gods
Structure
Background
Ever since the separation of the divine and mortal, there have been many schools of thought regarding the gods. Some believe them to be them to be all-powerful in their domains, while others believe that they are closer to us but simply powerful and immortal. The modern school of thought was first theorized by Justiciar Grumok Wulfric sometime during the Fall of Humanity. Grumok was a paladin of Zudos. While much of Justiciar Grumok’s work as a paladin is unknown, we do know that he was one of the thousands of revolutionaries who helped liberate Ilthiam from the Dynasty in mid 1221 eh. His body, along with the manuscripts of his meditations on divinity, were found the city now known as Grumok’s Rest. The manuscripts were discovered by the family of Grumok after the revolution’s success. Upon their rediscovery, these manuscripts were published under the name A Meditation on Divinity. By 23-25 ce the theory had gained substantial renown and acceptance within many of the powerful churches.Theology of Celestial Order
While the exact source of these theories is disputed by some, Grumok in the first passages writes:The celestial appeared before me. With snow white wings and a cloth of gold and crimson around it. In its left hand it held a sword and in its right a scroll from which he read. The celestial announced I come before you now to announce and declare the words of Zudos the Supreme Arbiter, Master of Justice, Archon of Divinity, and God of Law and Order.
The question of if Grumok was atually visited by a celestial of Zudos aside, most all agree the contents and theories within the meditation are accurate or close enough to accurate. The meditations explain that the Celestial Order is divided as such; deities are part of many subcategories but the most important is their Divine Strata. There are four Divine Strata: Supreme Celestials, Majestic Divinities, Astral Spirits, and Minor Entities. While Grumok’s Meditations claim that divines are able to move between the Divine Strata all major churches agree that this has not happened in recorded history. Some divine have been created, such as IO or Vecna, but none have moved on their own accord.
Levels of the Divine Strata
Supreme Celestials are the most powerful of the divine. These are the creator gods, the ones whose domain rule the functioning of the world, and have the largest base of worshipers. These divine are immortal to all things, including other gods. They are the ones who sit upon the Divine Counsel and rule over the heavens and hells.
Majestic Divinities are less powerful than the Supremes but still a force unto themselves. These divine have the ability to affect the world in major ways with their domain. They also have a sizable base of worshipers. While they are immortal to most anything, they can eventually be harmed and weakened by other divine, internals, or celestials.
Astral Spirits are the “average” deity. They are known by many and worshiped by some. Their domains do not control essential elements of the world and they have a hard time forcing change onto the world at large. These deities can be killed by other divine, internals, or celestials but are immortal to all other attacks.
Half-Divine Entities are not full-blooded divine but rather a cross between celestial/infernal and the divine. These are normally granted divinity by a Majestic. They hold extremely limited domains and are not widely known or worshiped. Rather than official churches many of these deities have cults. It is believed that there is many Half-Divines that the world has simply forgotten or never knew.
The Divine Circles
In later mediations Grumok discusses the Divine Realms. It was theorized that each god has three elements that make up its core being a domain, a strata, and a circle. The Divine Circles are collections of deities whose domains are all closely aligned. These circles are thought to have an easier time communicating with each other and are more interested in the actions taken by those within their own circle. Since the meditations, some have theorized that this is due to the locations of the Divine Realms and those of a given circle have built their realms close to one another, though there is much debate over this theory. The Grumok theorized that there were six circles – Civilization, Knowledge, Luck, Nature, Passion, and Creation – however, modern theories have added a seventh for the Hells.Culture
Each deity has a church dedicated to them. Much like in the Forgotten Realms, Roman, or Greek mythos deities have friends, family, and enemies. A church dedicated to Vulcan can also have a shrine to Krutia in it, but would never allow followers of Mayim or Dalilu Hewa into the church. The churches are as different as they are many. It completely depends on what the gods is of as to how they will be set up.
Sects
Supreme Celestials
- Amero deity of death and burial. Symbol is a tree who's branches curl and twist at the end. A member fo the Circle of Nature
- Eeus goddess of misfortune, trickery, and omens. Symbol is a frowning face on a coin with a full moon below it. Patron of the cursed and fortune readers. A member of the Circle of Luck
- Huthos god of life and birth. Symbol is a child in its parent’s arms. A member of the Circle of Nature.
- Mayim goddess of the hells, pain, and misery. Symbol is two lightning bolts striking the top of a mountain. A member of the Circle of Hells and Circle of Creation.
- Teeus god of good luck and divination. Symbol is a smiling face on a coin with a sun above it. Patron of the lucky and diviners. A member of the Circle of Luck.
- Terrathal deity of earth, rock, and land. Symbol is a turtle with a city atop it. A member of the Circle of Nature and Circle of Creation.
- Church of Vulcan god of fire and the sun. Symbol is a dragon face on a red field. A member of the Circle of Nature and Circle of Creation.
Majestic Divinities
- Ados god of wealth, trade, and contracts. Patron to merchants, bankers, and entrepreneurs. Symbol is a pile of gold coins and bars, gems, and art. A member of the Circle of Civilzation.
- Dradite goddess of poison and killing. Patron of assassins and poisoners. Symbol is a dagger with a drop falling from it. A member of Circle of Hell, formerly a member of the Circle of Civilzation.
- IO goddess of the sea, storms, and wind. Patron of sailors, mariners, and Waterfolk. Symbol is a raging thunderstorm. A member of the Circle of Nature.
- Krimon goddess of Temptation and jealousy. Patron of the envious, manipulators, and seductresses. Symbol is a smiling man or woman with gold, gems, food, and/or drinks in front of them. A member of the Circle of Passion.
- Krutia goddess of War. Patron of soldiers, tacticians, and strategists. Symbol a white dragon with claws ready to strike. A member of the Circle of Civilization.
- Marrus god of music, art, and literature. Patron of performers, artists, and bards. Symbol is a painting of a singing book. A member of the Circle of Passion.
- Night Queen goddess of winter, fear, and the night. Patron of nocturnal creatures, predators, and those with frostbite. Symbol is a cressent moon with ice dripping from it. A member of the Circle of Hell, formally a member of the Circle of Nature.
- Oneiros Master of Dreams and Nightmares. Patron of Dreamweavers, dreamers, and creatures of the dream realm. Symbol is a featureless and shadowy figure. A member of the Circle Knowledge.
- Sudon god of writing, learning, and magic. Patron of mages, scribes, and academics. Symbol is a gold dragon reading a scroll. A member of the Circle of Knowledge.
- Vecna god of forgotten knowledge, lies, and secrets. Patron of spies, criminals, and those who seek forbidden knowledge. Symbol is a left hand with an eye in the center of it. A member of the Circle of Hell, a former member of the Circle of Knowledge.
- Zudos god of justice and government. Patron of lawyers, bureaucrats, and civil servants. Symbol is a scale that is equal, the center fulcrum of the scale is a castle whose highest tower touches the center of the scales. A member of the Circle of Civilization.
Astral Spirits
- Aarae goddess of courage. Patron of revolutionaries, activists, and heroes. Symbol is a person standing with a sword raised up, they are sounded by people trying to kill them. A member of the Circle of Passion.
- Azmir god of pain and suffering. Patron of the oppressed, forgotten, and neglected. Symbol is a whip striking a back. A member of the Circle of Passion.
- Calene goddess of protection, endurance, and self-sacrifice. Patron of guardians, survivors, and humanitarians. Symbol is a shield. A member of the Circle of Passion.
- Davasil god of love, beauty, and youth. Patron of romantics, lovers, and those who seek eternal youth. Symbol is a beautiful young man or a young woman. A member of the Circle of Passion.
- Gelmis deity of discovery, invention, and crafting. Patron to craftors, inventors, and artoficers. Symbol is a tower with a cog inset in it. A member of the Circle of Knowledge.
- Haron god of medicine, alchemy, and healing. Patron to doctors, alchemist, and the sick. Symbol is a mortar and pestle with herbs in it. A member of the Circle of Knowledge.
- Ivas god of diplomacy and peace. Patron of diplomats, negotiators, and peacemakers. Symbol is a treaty, there are three different kinds a trade treaty, a diplomatic agreement, and a peace treaty. A member of the Circle of Civilization.
- Junom goddess of Madness. Patron of the mad, asylum doctors, crazed mages. Symbol is a crazed wizard casting spells at random. A member of the Circle of Hells, formally a member of the Circle of Passion.
- Lamera goddess of natural disasters. Patron of environmentalist, communities in areas of natural disaster, and survivors of natural disasters. Symbol is an erupting volcano. A member of the Circle of Hell, formally a member of the Circle of Nature.
- Necrozim goddess of dark magic, immortality, and undeath. Patron to necromancers, the undead, and liches. Symbol is a skeletal hand outstretched upwards. A member of the Circle of Hell, formally a member of the Circle of Knowledge.
- Odlo god of baking, cooking, and home keeping. Patron of bakers, cooks, and homemakers. Symbol is a father placing a loaf of bread on a plate on a table. A member of the Circle of Civilization.
- Oxdion god of the harvest, forest, and growth. Patron of farmers, druids, and rangers. Symbol is a forest with a few strands of wheat in front of it. A member of the Circle of Nature.
- Rumos Goddess of the forge and smithing. Patron of blacksmiths, weapon makers, and industrialist. Symbol is an open forge and hammer. A member of the Circle of Civilization.
- Ummera a goddess of tyranny and corruption. Patron of dictators, tyrants, and the power hungry. Symbol is three melting crowns forming a triangle. A member of the Circle of Hell, formally a member of the Circle of Passion.
- Ydon goddess of hunger, famine, and injustice. Patron of the starving, wrongfully imprisoned, and destitute. Symbol is a child dying of starvation. A member of the Circle of Hell, formally a member of the Circle of Civilization.
Current Date -
The Yet Unnamed Year of 1494 ce
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
The Faith of Vulcan
Demonym
Panthean
Subsidiary Organizations
Permeated Organizations
Notable Members
Accepting
The Great Pantheon views the Ancestors and Spirits as agents of the gods. Those who worship the Spirits and Ancestors view the gods of the Great Pantheon as just other spirits.
Cooperative
The temples of the Great Pantheon view the worship of the Sun and Moon as just another god in the pantheon. The Church of the Sun and Moon see the Great Pantheon as an ally but misguided. They work together when it comes to temples to the Sun or Moon but the Church of the Sun and Moon generally keep their distance beyond that.
Formal Inquisitions
The temples of the Great Pantheon view the worship of Mayim as devil worship and seek to stop it. The High Church views the many gods of the Pantheon as an incredible threat and seeks to end their churches and temples. Generally a nation that allows one will not allow the other.
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