Ilbon Pantheon

The Ilbon pantheon is a rather peculiar one since it combines Gnome and Dragon deities. In other ways it is still very similar to how Dragon are revered here in Aldhir. We revere the oldest Dragon in the region whereas they revere the descendants of their main god's generals.

— High Sage Syronikir

In Oneraga the most commonly followed pantheon is the Ilbon pantheon. This is a mix between deities from both Gnome and Dragon origin and is therefore rather common in socities of both species. Several descendants of their Gods are said to be still alive.

Mythology

Creation

Just like most creation myths in the world of Niorath starts with a primordial energy that existed at the beginning of time known as the Primal Chaos. For a long time the universe remained like this the energy within grew too powerful and exploded creating the universe around it. The Primal Chaos itself would shrink and around the now smaller Primal Chaos core a new region would form, the nebula of Nervonia.
As time went by, part of the energy in Nervonia came together and would create the first God, Idarishini. Seeing that Nervonia was still empty he created the Elemental and Celestial Realms and creatures to fill them. And so the first Gods were born.
The realms of Nervonia were not enough for the Gods and they decided to go out into the vast universe outside. They worked together for many years to create great ships that could fly through the sky. When they finished their labor many boarded the ships to travel the stars. Among them was Erinaga, brother to Arinaga. Arinaga was too attached to Celestial Realms and wanted to stay but her brother longed for adventure. Before Erinaga's depature she gave him two crystals from the Celestial Realms:

Take these pieces from our home and bring part of the Celestial Realm to the universe outside.

Celestial Realms by Kefkejaco with Inkarnate

Tanajin Humanoid Form by Kefkejaco with Heroforge

Tanjin and Seeria

And so the gods departed from Nervonia. Their voyage took them through the sea of starts until they came upon an empty world. Idarishini stated that they would make a new home here and with a snap of his fingers the world that was one barren became filled with life. But the world was still silent as only the plants and trees were created. The Gods then set out on creating other creatures which would fill the world with joy.
As the other Gods made their own creations, Erinaga remained without ideas. He looked his bag to see if there was anything that could give him ideas. He took out the crystal Arinaga gave him. One of the crystals was large, blue , irregular and filled with energy. The other crystal was smaller, yellow and in a perfect shape. He decided to create two beings from them.
From the yellow and perfect crysal he made, Tanajin. A small being with a great mind and restraint. He gave Tanajin the other crystal and asked him to make something great out of it. With great frevor did Tanajin start this task. Once he was done he made the crystal into a large being, with wings and great energy and called it a Dragon. So the Gnome and Dragon Gods were made.

Path to war

The new gods were keen to create more like them and soon the world was filled with Gnomes and Dragons. Most were created from stones found on Niorath but the children of these Gods were formed from their hairs or scales. Each was given an aspect of life to oversee and the Gnomes and Dragons went to these children of the Gods for guidance on such matters.
All went well until The God War broke out and all of the Gods were divided into seperate factions. The war was devestating and many people and Gods fell in the battles of that time. Magicfall made an end to the reign of the Gods and almost all returned to the Celestial Realms. Arinaga was finally reunited with his sister and told her about all the adventures he had.
Only Tanajin remained behind in Niorath and searched a long time for survivors. He gathered all the Gnomes he found along the way and took them along. They travelled the world until they arrived at the a large floating crystal formation where Tanajin noticed four mourning Dragons. The Dragons told him they were children of Seeria and that this was her body.

Yamaderis misplaced this image by Kefkjaco with heroforge

Crystal Empire by Kefkejaco with Inkarnate

Primal Dragons

Tanajin provided comfort to the Dragons and told them that Seeria was now in the Celestial Realms where she would live a perfect life until the end of time. Still Tanajin felt the sadness of the Dragons and their need for a new purpose. He told them to go the corners of the planet to find all the remaining Dragons and guide them as they did before.
And so the Primal Dragons went to the corners of Niorath. The white Dragon travelled to cold Idravil to the north. The golden Dragon travelled to the southern continent of Avak'am with its vast desert. The red Dragon travelled west Farlis where the sun sets. And blue Dragon remained in Oneraga by Tanajin side. But the sister of the white Dragon did not want to join her in the cold north. She decided to stop closer by and would remain in the oceans near Pavanor and Mizarin.

Tanajin's End

For a long time Tanajin was content with his life but over time he grew weary and his urge to search for others like him grew once more. According to the Divine Golem myth it was at this time he created his Juggernaut with which he and several Gnomes crossed the ocean and settled in Farlis. But once his people settled and became successful in the region the vile Selefer grew jealous.

Tanajin Fight by Kefkejaco with Heroforge

Snake Devil Fight by Kefkejaco with Heroforge

They attacked Tanajin's people and a large war broke out between the Gnomes and Selefer. The Selefer forces were being led by the monsterous Snake Devil, also know as Akishasho. When Tanajin and Akishasho met on the battlefield the result was a disaster as the Akishasho used dangerous Chaos.
And so Tanajin himself returned to the celestial realms as well as the last God to do so. But still the Gnomes and Dragons can count on him for their blessings since Tanajin never forgot the time he spend with them while he was on Niorath.

Gods

Main Gods

Tanajin

Tanajin is the main God of the Ilbon religion. To his followers he is seen as both the father of the Gnomes and the one who breathed life into the Dragons. Many of his direct underlings were Dragons and some of the Dragon nation's leaders came to be descendants of these Dragons from ages ago.
His domains are wisdom, trade and crafmanship and many artisans make frequent sacrifices to the god to get divine inspiration.
His knowledge and creations are said to have helped his side during the The God War . When that war ended due to Magicfall he is believed to have been the only Prime Asmer who remained on Niorath.
According to the Divine Golem myth, Tanajin lost his life because the Selefer who used unholy magic to kill the God.

Seeria

Seeria was the first Dragon and is still seen as the motherfigure to all of Dragonkind. Originally she herself was made by Tanajin but eventually she would make many more Dragons herself.
Her domains are nature and protection. Many worshippers keep a small charm of her to keep away evil and protect them from dangers to come. Her shrines are often located on mountain tops or other places with natural beauty. Creating beautiful gardens is seen as a way of honouring her and protects the household.
During the God War she was a fierce leader leading her fellow Dragons in battle. She is believed to not have died during the war but rather after Magicfall. According to legend she was flying above Onerage at that time and crashed into what is now the center of the Crystal Empire.
Many pilgrims still visit the floating islands at the center of the empire to pay their respects to her.

Primal Dragons

The Primal Dragons form an important part of the Ilbon pantheon. They are the Dragon that travelled to the corners of the planet to gather all of Dragonkind after Magicfall. Each Dragon is believed to be linked to a certain domain. It is not known if any of these original Dragons are still on Niorath or if they are also in the Celestials Realms now.

Name	Color	Location	Domain
Sanjoo	Blue	Oneraga	Her domains are the sky, wind, storms and the season of spring
Umari	Gold	Avak'am	His domains are fire, the sun, daylight and the season of summer
Bayami	Red	Farlis	His domains are earth, mountains, metallurgy and the season of autumn
Gensui	White	Idravil	Her domains are ice, night and the season of winter
Mizanu	Black	Pavanor and the oceans	Her domains are water, sea and the moons

Other Gods

There are also other Gods in the Ilbon pantheon with their own domains. These are all children of the either Tanajin or Seeria. All of them are believed to have perished during the God War or shortly after and now remain in the Celestial Realms.

Name	Type	Domain
Sanijin	Gnome	Their domains are rivers, fertility and agriculture
Ibanashi	Gnome	Their domains are justice and order
Otokoshi	Gnome	His domain is war
Onokoshi	Gnome	Her domain is children and family
Inaraki	Dragon	Her domains are trade and travel
Erinaga	Asmer	His domain is magic
Arinaga	Asmer	Her domain is death

Worship

Priesthood

There are not many true rules for followers of the Ilbon pantheon. The priests are often more of an advisor role instead of forcing people to behave a certain way. No absolute morals exist in this religion and good are bad are more based on intent and circumstances. A greater emphasis is placed on values to uphold such as respect and honour.
The priests ensure that a worshipper can have a good relationship with a god and in such a way gain a blessing. This is mostly done through offerings to the gods at shrines. If you bring regular offerings, respect the Gods and act in a good manner you are more likely to gain blessings from the Gods.

Creatures and places of worship

Older Dragons are said to be in closer connection to the Primal Dragons and should always be respected and heard. Some of them even rule nations and are believed to be direct descendants of the Primal Dragons.
Just as certain creatures can be revered so places can also be celebrated. An Ilbon shrine is frequent sight at locations with great natural beauty. It is said that in these places the spirit of Seeria dwells.

Yamaderis misplaced this image by Kefkjaco with heroforge

Further Reading