Eloritu

(a.k.a. The Hidden Truth)

Eloritu is a mysterious deity who has been worshiped on a variety of worlds for millennia. When the species of the Pact Worlds first ventured into space, Eloritu’s worship was already well-established, with early explorers encountering his faith simultaneously in several different unconnected cultures. Eloritu’s church teaches that he hails from a place called Gemmenad, but whether that is a planet, a star system, or some extraplanar realm in the Great Beyond is unknown. Some believe that since the Gap and the fate of Golarion rank among the greatest secrets of the universe, Eloritu must have had something to do with both, but if so, that is just one more secret that the god keeps carefully hidden. Eloritu teaches that while science and technology can do wondrous things, they are constrained by the laws of physics. Only magic can supersede those restraints, and those who employ magic to bend and exploit the natural laws of the universe possess a power that others can only dream of. This does not mean that Eloritu is opposed to technology. On the contrary, both magic and technology are tools that mortal races can use to unlock the mysteries of the universe. But while technology is generally designed to be as intuitive and user friendly as possible, magical practices are often deliberately obscure, requiring dedication, training, and a mastery of secrets that have been passed down for untold generations. Eloritu believes that history is both the story of the past and a guide to the future, and he teaches that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.
Unsurprisingly, many mystics and technomancers worship Eloritu as the god of magic, along with historians, kasathas, and xenoarchaeologists who seek an understanding of the past. Many of Eloritu’s priests and followers are Starfinders, as their work always holds the promise of uncovering new secrets. Eloritu’s temples host academies of magical learning and research, but they are often concealed or veiled in some way, requiring those who want to study the ways of the Hidden Truth to work to discover the knowledge they seek.
One of Eloritu’s most obvious mysteries is that of his holy symbol: a ring of six strange magical runes. While the lashuntas had utilized one of the runes for millennia in their magic, it wasn’t until the kasathas arrived with knowledge of one of the others that it became clear that some greater game was afoot. Today, the Pact Worlds have managed to identify four of Eloritu’s six sacred runes, all related to magical traditions of different races. What strange cultures might understand the remaining two—or what secrets combining all six might reveal—remains anyone’s guess.

Divine Domains

History, Magic & Secrets

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Eloritu's holy symbol is a ring of six magical runes. One has been used by lashuntas for generations. When the kasathas arrived in the Pact Worlds system, they brought with them another rune, which launched a secret race among Elorituans to identify the other four. A third rune was later discovered in the earliest arcane academies of the Shadari Confederacy, where it was associated with darkness. The fourth was found through careful studies of the Trafodi Paradox, which was discovered on Vesk-2, in ancient ruins of an advanced civilisation that predated the ijtikris and might have left traces on Vesk-5 as well; although the Trafodi Paradox itself was lost when transported to Vesk Prime, several three-dimensional representations remain. Parts of the rune have been found elsewhere across Vesk-2, but never the entire rune, as if people feared to engrave it whole. According to a theory, each rune is linked to an aspect of Eloritu's portfolio: the lashunta rune to focus and discipline, the kasatha rune to knowledge and divination, the Shadari rune to shadows and secrecy. The Vesk-2 rune's connotations are still under debate, and suspected to be space, time and the Drift.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Due to his neutrality and knowledge, Eloritu sometimes serves as a deific arbiter of last resort. While Hylax and Abadar are better negotiators, Eloritu's balance between law and chaos can be sometimes beneficial. Eloritu has strained relations with Yaraesa and Talavet, who prioritise sharing information, while Eloritu restricts it to the initiated. Eloritu's followers often come to blows with Talavet's by seizing an artefact that Talavet regards as communal property, and view Yaraesa's application of the scientific method to magic as the reduction of their sacred discipline to mass-produced technology.
Eloritu is cordial with Weydan, despite their philosophical and fundamental differences. Their followers occasionally secretly compete with each other, Weydan advocating for the exploration of matters Eloritu wishes to keep secret, but these contests rarely turn violent. Eloritu's worshippers sometimes cooperate with Ibra's to investigate metaphysical phenomena, even sharing some temples at sites of magical and astronomical resonance, but the two deities otherwise maintain a tranquil relationship.
Eloritu has a quiet partnership with Triune and Lao Shu Po. Some suspect that Triune revealed the Drift and spread Drift beacons with Eloritu's approval, while Lao Shu Po shares his responsibility with darkness and secrets. Eloritu disapproves of wanton destruction, while Lao Shu Po teaches her followers to co-opt, and not demolish institutions, and some of their far-sighted followers often cooperate against forces of destruction like the Devourer and the Outer Gods. Even Iomedae and Sarenrae have sought the help of these two to hunt for dangerous forces in creation's shadows.
Scholars of pre-Gap Golarion have connected Eloritu to Nethys, Golarion's lost god of magic and knowledge. While Eloritu himself remains silent, his followers have pointed out that Nethys is portrayed as destructive, irrational and disdainful of non-spellcasters, while Eloritu notably possesses none of these traits

Divine Classification

Deity

Alignment

Neutral

Current Residence

Gemmenad