Eloritu

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 Lost 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, Kasatha, 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 Lashunta 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.

Assets

The few public temples to Eloritu act as both homes and places of teaching and learning for the clergy. They also often serve as museums or repositories for ancient artifacts, especially items predating the Gap. Temples of this type are called upon to house and study newly discovered magic items. However, hidden worship spaces far outnumber these public temples. Most of these secret temples serve as schools, libraries, or similar research institutions; staff and regular patrons at these locations are usually totally unaware of the organization’s affiliation with Eloritu. Maintaining a covert presence in such institutions allows the faithful access to information and, even more importantly, oversight of curious students who could potentially join the circle. Some followers form social clubs or professional organizations that serve as fronts for the group’s more esoteric activities. 
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE A notable hidden circle called the Invisible College hides in plain sight in Absalom Station's Arcanamirium. Its leader and archmage, Hypatia Cruiz (N female Human technomancer) uses cutting-edge technology to learn more about ancient spell techniques and effects. Several years ago, Hypatia built a data-mining program to find potential references to spells in ancient records. The program is dependent on having records scanned and machine-readable, so Hypatia is always on the lookout for new material to add—and new linguists to help her. A woman in late middle age, she stays on the cutting edge of both programming and fashion; her high-necked tops, long coats, high-waisted pants and high boots are often imitated by her followers. She keeps a higher profile than other members of the Invisible College and actively encourages younger researchers—a rare trait among senior academics in the cutthroat environment of academia. This allows her to keep tabs on the student population, extending anonymous invitations to those she considers worthy of initiation into her circle.
Hypatia’s secretary, friend, and finder of lost key cards, Counselor Vrnicka Upik (LN female Ysoki operative), also acts as her bodyguard, and is secretly a high-level operative and the circle’s foremost counselor. As Hypatia expands the college in hopes of improving her data-mining algorithm, Vrnicka is growing concerned that some of the newer initiates lack the discipline and discretion necessary for the circle’s safety. She is now seeking recruits of her own and training them in martial techniques to ensure the group’s security.
While Vrnicka worries about the newer initiates, Examiner Daaresh Retskaya (NG male human mystic) concerns himself with his fellow examiners. Newly promoted to his position and the lone mystic among the group, he is unsure how to approach Hypatia with his concerns over favoritism and infighting among examiners. Hypatia has organized junior initiates who share a similar focus into inner circles, and each examiner serves as mentor to one of these groups. A group’s progress is then judged by all the other examiners—a process that encourages examiners to dissect the work of their colleagues’ students.
This trial-by-fire method of evaluation drives some students to improve rapidly, but it discourages others. Daaresh’s own protégé, an initiate named Indigo (N agender Android technomancer) is already feeling the pressure. In a previous life, Indigo’s soul was a citizen of the Shadari Confederacy. After being killed under mysterious circumstances, the soul fled the system and now occupies Indigo. Strangely, Indigo retained a third eye and several cryptic spell files. Indigo had to teach themself the Shadari Confederacy’s language to understand the spell files (becoming one of the few outsiders to become fluent) and turned to the Arcanamirium for further assistance deciphering the spells. Hypatia immediately initiated the young technomancer and set them to work identifying spells containing what Hypatia calls the shadow rune (see Symbols of the Sigil), but otherwise left the anxious young android on their own in the circle’s competitive environment, leaving Daaresh to provide emotional support. Daaresh fears that the other students’ jealousy may drive Indigo to drop out, taking their valuable skills with them—and nudging Vrnicka’s suspicions further toward full-blown paranoia.

History

THE HIDDEN TRUTH There are truths not meant to be known. This is one of the tenets of Eloritu, god of knowledge and secrets, of esoteric magic and mundane history. Those secrets include the god’s origins, on which he remains silent.
While all deities grant magic to their chosen followers, Eloritu is the only major deity to specialize in it. Despite this, he is not always the most popular deity with other spellcasters. His teachings chafe some technomancers, since magic in his eyes is more art than science. Magical study for Eloritu is not systematic, and its results are not always repeatable. While this frustrates those who favor a more methodical approach, Eloritu’s teachings leave room for individual insight and moments of creative genius. Many followers of Eloritu have discovered their magical abilities through focused study of seemingly mundane topics rather than the standardized testing of modern magical schools. Their dedication and willingness to find meaning behind the universe’s exterior surface allows them to pierce the veil separating the mundane from the supernatural—and draws them into Eloritu’s service.
Unlike other deities, Eloritu does not support the spread of all knowledge, or of knowledge to all individuals. For him, knowledge is power, and not everyone seeks to use that power wisely. Sometimes a creature—or even the universe itself—is better and happier in ignorance than it would be when exposed to the truth. Priests of Eloritu present endless riddles and puzzles to would-be initiates, designed to force adherents of the faith to develop discipline, wisdom, and restraint.
Initiation rites are widespread among Eloritu’s faithful. The first and most meaningful initiation comes after an initiate’s first successful casting of a spell, when the caster experiences the first rush of power and enlightenment. For some independent followers, this may be their only initiation, commemorated as the individual sees fit. For more formal circles, societies, or cults, a sequence of initiation rites may commence, marked by increasingly elaborate rituals as members gain more and more arcane knowledge, spells, or abilities. Initiation rites are highly idiosyncratic throughout Eloritu’s worship, tailor-made for the initiate and their own unique perception of the god of secrets. A group of Elorituans dedicated to a particular mystery, field of magic, or line of research is known as a circle. In areas with fewer followers, each contributes to a single circle; in such circumstances the circle generally follows the agenda of the strongest spellcaster, or just the most dominant personality.
Spellcasters who do not worship Eloritu may scoff at the layers of secrecy imposed by the church, claiming that followers of Eloritu cloak their research with metaphor and esoteric trappings—when they share them at all—to obscure the true nature of their findings, which are often seen as inconsequential. Elorituans conversely contend that failure to understand the layers of concealing discourse or the final conclusions they point to proves the benefit of initiation and illustrates the Hidden Truth. Some spellcasters even suspect that Eloritu’s followers maintain a magical conspiracy to elevate their faithful to the exclusion of others, and in a sense, this is true: Elorituans have founded innumerable secret societies, funneling arcane knowledge to carefully selected members. While these societies might muster considerable magical power, however, they rarely impose themselves into the political arena or seek wealth beyond what is necessary to fund further research. In fact, powerful spellcasters may even be rejected by prominent circles if they fail to respect Eloritu’s other values; the god of secrets does not look favorably on those who cannot exercise discretion.
Non-spellcasting followers of Eloritu often worship his aspect as a god of history or secrets. These aspects are especially appealing to scholars of the Gap and those who seek historical knowledge but fear its misuse. These fears may stem from the belief that some technology or magic is too powerful for most civilizations, or perhaps from hard-learned experience with political leaders who manipulate history to gain or maintain power over their populations. While operatives and soldiers who pursue self-improvement usually follow Yaraesa or Oras, Eloritu’s faith has a martial component as well, appealing to those whose arcane abilities manifest later in life or after a brush with the occult. These followers are often soldiers with the arcane assailant style, or operatives with the disciple specialization. Finally, the Hidden Truth is sometimes worshipped in secret by individuals with magical abilities but who have been stigmatized by their own culture. These followers look for the Hidden Truth to help them conceal their powers (and hone them in secret).

Divine Origins

Eloritu’s most important holy text, The Hollow Stone, is an odd compilation of riddles, mysterious poems, and contradictory phrases. Followers believe they understand the answers to some of these riddles, but others inspire endless (and sometimes contentious) debate. Digital editions are available, but most devout followers make a point to acquire a print version. These can range from binders of paper printouts to scroll sets, and can even include codices in the style of Lost Golarion. Throughout the course of their studies, each follower customizes their copy in their own way with notes in the margins, custom appendices of extra material related to favorite passages, and elaborate sketches of runic circles and symbols to show individual study and intellectual development.
Most circles share a reference copy with minimal markups for use in rituals, which they may share with potential initiates. If a newcomer shows deeper interest, the circle will provide a print copy and observe what the initiate does with it. Those who read the text but do not otherwise engage with it are allowed to go their own way, while those who begin marking passages and writing their own interpretations are drawn closer to the group through subtle encouragement. Those who request digital files are reminded that a single hard copy, kept secret, is far more secure than any computer file, and that the oldest security measures are often considered the wisest.

Cosmological Views

Normally content to be left to himself, Eloritu is known for his neutrality and knowledge, making him an arbiter of last resort among the gods. Hylax and Abadar make for better negotiators with more connections, but Eloritu strikes a balance between law and chaos that can be a benefit in some situations.
His relations with Talavet and Yaraesa can be strained at times. While all three are deities of knowledge, Yaraesa and Talavet prioritize sharing information, while Eloritu restricts it to the initiated. This occasionally leads to conflict between their respective clergies, particularly when Eloritu’s followers take possession of artifacts Talavet believes belong to a community. Yaraesa’s methodological approach to magic as a science is another point of disagreement: Eloritu and his archmages resent the reduction of their sacred discipline to mass-produced technology.
Despite philosophical and fundamental differences with Weydan, the Hidden Truth maintains a cordial relationship with him. Followers of Weydan and Eloritu sometimes find themselves in discreet competition, the Endless Horizon urging exploration of matters the Hidden Truth wishes kept secret, but these situations rarely lead to violence; enlightened observers characterize the two deities as engaging in a never-ending contest.
Eloritu’s interactions with Ibra are even more sedate. Followers of both deities occasionally cooperate to investigate intriguing metaphysical phenomena, and sometimes even share temples at sites with particular magical and astronomical resonance, but they otherwise maintain a tranquil silence.
Eloritu also has a quiet partnership with Triune. Some suspect that Triune’s revelation of and the spread of Drift beacons was done with Eloritu’s approval, if not outright support. Lao Shu Po enjoys a similar tacit understanding with the Hidden Truth; they share responsibility for secrets and darkness, and while not all their followers fully respect each other’s methods, the deities themselves work together well. One noted point of cooperation is their opposition to the Dark Tapestry, the Outer Gods, and forces of destruction in general. As a god of history and its preservation, Eloritu disapproves of wanton and indiscriminate destruction, and Grandmother Rat encourages her followers to use institutions for their own benefit, not demolish them outright. It is not unheard of for their followers with more foresight to cooperate in infiltrating and unmasking cults of The Devourer, or even darker forces. In dire straits, even Iomedae and Sarenrae have called on these two to hunt in the shadows—where brighter gods dare not tread—for knowledge of creation’s greatest dangers.

Tenets of Faith

Learning is the first duty for any follower of Eloritu. Practice follows closely behind, as Eloritu’s faithful understand the importance of improving a particular skill and attaining mastery of a subject. While spellcasting is the most prestigious discipline to practice in honor of the deity of magic, other honored pursuits include historical research, espionage tradecraft, and other methods of acquiring, preserving, and passing on knowledge. The third duty is to teach. Those who wield magic or specialize in rare skills are expected to take on at least one apprentice, so that their hard-earned knowledge is not lost to the passage of time.
Research is also vitally important to members of the church of Eloritu, particularly the recovery of knowledge lost during the Gap. Development of new spells and casting techniques, whether original or based on archaic methods, are especially encouraged. Once recovered, knowledge and artifacts are to be preserved, no matter how obscure or dangerous. In fact, there are rumors of a technomancer circle dedicated to preserving obsolete computer equipment, ensuring the knowledge stored on those systems is not lost forever.
The duty of preservation inherently precludes wanton or careless destruction. Magic can be destructive, even devastating, in the wrong hands. Elorituans are reluctant to interfere with each other’s goals, but their god insists that they take responsibility to police each other when those goals lead to overt violence. Believers are encouraged to report dangerous research and experimentation, especially endeavors that pertain to the Dark Tapestry, the common name of the voids between galaxies.

Ethics

APHORISMS Like most religions, the church of Eloritu has traditional phrases that members use with one another and outsiders alike. For Elorituans, however, an aphorism is only useful if its true meaning is uncertain. If the church decides a given aphorism has become too well understood, they cast it away and create a new one.
There Is Known, and There Is Unknown: When a follower of Eloritu claims ignorance on a topic, few take them at their word. This saying divides all knowledge into two categories and acknowledges that some things remain secret, even to followers of the god of secrets. On the other hand, Elorituans are constantly attempting to cross that line, making unknown things known and known things unknown.
One Rune Has Many Readings, and One Key Opens Many Locks: Some Elorituans insist that information serves many purposes beyond the most apparent, and sometimes one item may be obscurely related to others. On the other hand, most keys are, in fact, only useful for a single lock.
Beyond Each Door Is Another Door: Some avenues of research, including the most productive ones, raise more questions than answers. This is not, however, seen as a liability to Elorituans, who enjoy the pursuit of knowledge as much as—and perhaps even more than—the knowledge itself.

Worship

Circles meet semiregularly to perform spellcasting rituals, review each other’s research progress, and reinforce a sense of shared purpose. The exact content of the rituals performed or the subject of the research shared is less important than the process, the experience members gain, and the ability to demonstrate improvement. Some circles meet at a consistent location weekly or monthly, while the more security-conscious vary their sites and times to throw off unwanted observers. Circles vary in their degree of formality; some resemble graduate study groups while others feel more like cults—complete with masks, robes, and identities hidden from junior members.
Solitary acts of devotion among Eloritu’s faithful include meditation, adding commentary to personal copies of The Hollow Stone, and individual spellcasting. Worshippers also study language (particularly Aklo and Draconic) and calligraphy, an exercise believed to aid in spellcasting through the physical dexterity and mental discipline required to master it. On a more practical level, it provides valuable practice for drawing the sigils and runes required for many archaic spells.

Priesthood

Many priests of Eloritu are spellcasters themselves, and those who aren’t generally serve as historians or other academics. Within the faithful, full-fledged priests are divided into two denominations: the public-facing Curators and the secretive Watchers.
Curators represent Eloritu to governments, interfaith organizations, and civil society. They advise leaders and law enforcement on how to handle magical items and disruptive spellcasters and support public training programs for the teaching of magic. Curators who do not themselves cast spells instead work towards ensuring their arcane and academic faithful have access to knowledge, maintaining archives and spellcasting space for other Elorituans. Curators also pursue funding for research and higher education, and seek to disabuse the public of any number of conspiracy theories (especially the ones that are actually true).
As they increase in arcane power and gain highly coveted knowledge, some priests of Eloritu fade from public view. They retreat to monasteries or shrines far from civilization, or change their identities to hide in plain sight. Known as Watchers, these priests still serve Eloritu and the faithful, but those who seek their aid must prove themselves worthy by discovering them in hiding. Some Watchers are tasked with guarding sacred sites or keeping particularly dangerous spells or magic items secret. Very rarely, one of the Watchers goes in search of a potential apprentice—a rare mind that could take the Watcher’s place when the time comes.
Curators and Watchers are all priests of Eloritu, but they are assisted by lay followers with their own titles, detailed below. It is important to note that while almost all circles include an archmage, individual groups may not have counselors or examiners, depending on size and composition—for example, a circle comprised primarily of historians has no need for examiners to teach magic, while a circle that only comprises spellcasters might not include any counselors.
Archmage: Regardless of their actual role within the faith, the strongest spellcaster in a circle is granted the archaic and honorary title of archmage. The archmage of a circle is responsible for ensuring that all spellcasting, whether ritual or experimental, goes undetected by the public. They also mentor the circle’s other spellcasters and guide them in improving their skills, overseeing initiations as members achieve greater levels of power. By tradition, meetings of the circle take place at the archmage’s sanctum, which can be any secure, private area able to accommodate the circle for regular meetings and ritual spellcasting (and which also usually doubles as a personal library). It is not uncommon for the archmage’s identity to be kept secret from lower-ranking members of the circle, revealed only to those who have attained a certain level of magical skill. This is not, as some junior members grumble, a power play; it ensures that anyone seeking out the archmage must first prove their discretion and commitment to the circle. A circle’s archmage is usually their most experienced and knowledgeable member, and wise circles guard them carefully.
Counselor: Non-magical scholars and circle members with specialized skills or knowledge are granted the title of counselor. Most are historians, archivists, or archaeologists, but some deal in other secrets; members of intelligence services, underworld information brokers, or skilled hackers can be found among Eloritu’s faithful. Such members assist and advise the archmage or head priest in guarding the circle’s secrets or finding new avenues of research. In larger groups and more technologically advanced societies, one counselor is typically in charge of technical support and computer security, helping other members encrypt their devices and ensuring the integrity of the group’s communication methods. Some studious archmages effectively leave administrative matters to competent counselors, devoting themselves entirely to teaching or research. While some examiners resent being outranked by a non-spellcaster, the wise make note of the methods counselors use to gain and maintain influence without magic, and learn from them.
Examiner: Mid-ranked spellcasters not actively engaged in teaching are expected to serve as examiners. They evaluate initiates’ casting and research in their own area of expertise, and can recommend a candidate for advancement—or punishment, if the candidate proves reckless, indiscreet, or otherwise likely to bring the circle ill repute. Intrigues that arise in circles often stem from the ranks of the examiners, especially in communities where examiners see each other as competing to replace the archmage.
Initiate: Initiates are either low-level spellcasters who have joined the circle in hopes of advancing their magical abilities, or members whose magical talent has recently manifested. Most circles hold ceremonies for these members as they improve their abilities. Some larger circles have formal ranking systems and hold ceremonies for groups of initiates at regular intervals, but most simply conduct initiations as members’ abilities manifest, or when they reach particular milestones (such as the casting of a particular spell).
Pillar: Rank-and-file but long-standing members without magical abilities are sometimes referred to as pillars within the church. They often provide administrative and logistic support—or simply know too many of the circle’s secrets to be easily dismissed.

Political Influence & Intrigue

Many Elorituans are drawn to pre-Gap cultural trends, from martial and magical arts to ancient languages to ancient fashion. Followers of Eloritu on Absalom Station and Castrovel are particularly known for this penchant, but followers outside the Pact Worlds often adopt ritual dress, symbols, and other iconography from pre-Gap ruins or surviving media. Some of these interpretations are incorrect and owe more to contemporary myth-making than intensive research. This has given the general public an impression of Eloritu’s followers as old-fashioned, robe-clad, close-mouthed know-it-alls or cultural conservatives. In addition, enough circles take on cultlike attributes to concern authorities and the general public alike. In popular media, Elorituans are often depicted as arcane cultists or relic hunters obsessed with ancient secrets.
Curators and historians try to correct these assumptions, highlighting their faith’s contributions to original magical research, cultural heritage preservation, and education in general. Dedication to ancient skills, they argue, does not preclude integration into modern society, and many followers use their abilities to benefit society at large. The best counterpoints to these negative perceptions, however, are the cases in which Eloritu’s followers work with the Stewards to infiltrate and break up cults of the Devourer. Powerful followers of Eloritu have also exposed and destroyed cults dedicated to the Dark Tapestry and the Old Gods. Curators use incidents like these to remind the public that the god of history is a preserver, not a destroyer, however strange some of his followers may seem.

N god of history, magic, secrets; Centers of Worship: Aucturn, Castrovel, Eox, Idari; Symbol: A glowing ring of magic runes

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Alternative Names

The Hidden Truth

Demonym

Elorituan