"For what is a god but something we allow to have power over us? Couldn't anything be a god?"
From a "sermon" by He Who Waits For All Things, "prophet" and street performer
Perhaps it's hard for the people of Ostelliach today (or us as readers) to grasp what gods meant before The Breaking. They were not simply higher concepts, personified carrot-and-stick to inspire or dissuade action. They were symbols, sure, but they were also living beings that many, many people (some even semi-credibly!) reported coming into contact with. They performed acts for their followers, they had tangible jobs in the world that they were responsible for. Blessing weddings or funerals, tending to crop blight, building fences--these were things that the gods were reported to do.
Until one day they were gone.
Now You're Thinking With Dual-Sided Conceptualism!
But even in their absence--felt so keenly by those who'd known their presence--they still were known, represented, feared and adored in truly equal measure. Certainly one might align with one god more than others, but there were no illusions that one was "good" and another "evil." In fact, all of the gods were said to be yes and no, good and bad, loved and hated. In this, they were symbols of the dichotomy of all things to those of Ostelliach.
Each god represented a school of magic, along with the traits that could be associated with what that magical school's domain symbolized. For some, like
Eldaeous-Cide, deity of Evocation, that's easy to describe: They represented the elements (fire, water, air, and so on) and water can quench thirst, give life, just as easily as it can thoughtlessly take it. For other deities, however, we must think a bit more broad-minded.
Take, for instance,
Divaia, the deity of Necromancy. Death, decay, yes, truly, but as the people of
Eria Nil Aldur (known for its necromancy) will tell you, what is Necromancy but also the
giving of life again? So, then, Divaia was death and pestilence and stagnancy, but also the god of healing, life, rebirth. And to further abstract the concepts, Divaia was also the god of both pessimism and optimism, of an inability to let things go and of hope. For what is necromancy if not giving life, rejuvenation, a love everlasting, but also an inability to accept the truth or say goodbye?
Shapeshifters
It is important also to note that the gods were not generally represented with statues or iconography that nailed down a specific form (or at the very least, one form that is considered the only canon). The gods were concepts personified, and thus were not pinned down to one look, gender, body type etc. Instead, those who followed them or wished to pay homage (as most people did/still do pay respect to each in turn depending on the situation) rely on symbols and talismans related to each deity. (In addition, "god" is considered a nongendered term, much like some use "actor" agnostic of gender.)
I Still Hear His Voice Sometimes...
There are, of course, those who swear the gods are not dead. They're hiding, they're transmuted, "of course I know him, he's me" imposters etc. Others may not insist they are still alive in the sense you and I are, but they still feel their touch sometimes, or send a prayer to them despite there being no temples dedicated to each one anymore to visit. It is not considered strange or silly to say that you are fond of, are praying to, or thank a specific deity; it is less common to find "followers" of them, but even that would only net you a slight eyebrow raise, the same way a strange hobby or favorite food might.
The Cast List
In no particular order, the deities and their associations are:
Lothiniel Anai
Law-thin-ee-ul Uh-nigh, the god of
Conjuration and thus,
creation. To them, we praise resourcefulness, bounty, charity, cultivation, and growth...and warn against greed, waste, theft, jealousy, and addiction. For what is a love of creation if not bounty to give away and also things to covet?
Eldaeous-Cide
El-day-us Sea-day, that of
Evocation,
energy, the elements (all they give, and all they take away).
Mor Shaxieth
More Shock-see-th, they who represent
Enchantment, and thus,
control of those around us. In Enchantment, we see harmony, order, peace, unity, connection, and bonds. We also, however, see manipulation, domination, co-dependence, conflict, and abuse. Those of a
charismatic sort see much in this deity.
Irtotoninax
Ear-toe-tone-ih-knocks, of
Transmutation and of course,
change, is beloved by those who prize creativity, innovation, evolution, adaptability, reuse, ingenuity, and tenacity. However, Irtotoninax is also that of stubbornness, unreliability, fickleness, chaos, upheaval, revolt, and dissent.
Avanetta
Ah-vuh-net-tuh of
Abjuration and
protection reminds us that all things we cherish can twist us. They represent protection, security, loyalty, devotion, caution, independence, and courage...but also isolation, selfishness, fear, cowardice, distrust, paranoia, and apathy--that which our need to protect can drive us to.
Divaia
Dih-vie-uh of
Necromancy and thus, yes, of
life. They represent the giving of life: healing, light, hope, vitality, health. They also represent the loss, the taking of it: stagnancy, decay, pestilence and disease, the inability to let go. They represent both pessimism and optimism, those double-edged blades, alongside hope and love in some way.
Unun
Ooo-nun, the short name for the big god of
Divination and
knowledge. They are tied to exploration, forethought and planning, proactivity, mystery, curiosity, understanding...and uncertainty, anxiety, confusion. Unun carries perhaps the most double-edged blades in fortune, luck, truth, secrets, and knowledge--all things that can be brilliantly bright or devestatingly destructive.
Bramos Szeeth
Bra-moze Sih-zee-th dwells in the land of
Illusion and the shifting nature of
perception. They represent the dreams, faith, wishes, ambitions, and confidence we hold dear but also the deception, betrayal, insanity, and self-indulgence that plague us. Bramos Szeeth also represents memories and senses, for all the good and ill they do.
