The Masked Pantheon

Structure

The particular positions of most of the gods is immaterial or questionable, seeming to change from day to day amongst themselves within their archaic court-like politics, however two positions are immutable: The Lion Mask is at the head of the pantheon, and the Vulture Mask is its adversary. The cults of the individual masked gods have different structures from one another. 
The gods in their current positions are as follows:  The Lion Masked, the maned crown, king of gods and god of kings.  The Raven Masked, the shrouded seer, goddess of magic, fate, and prophecy.  The Bug Masked, the city builder, god of architecture and home defense.  The Bear Masked, the behemoth, god of great battles and feasts The Rabbit Masked, the root biter, goddess of fertility, both of lands and of lovers The Moth Masked, silk weaver, goddess of textiles and entertainment The Crow Masked, quick handed craftswoman, goddess of craft and revelry Wolf Masked, the man-hunter, god of mercenaries and brutality The Turtle Masked, the stealbone, god of fortifications and the forge
The Vulture Masked, the rotwing, god of rot and decay

Assets

Godly powers, large religious orders and large numbers of holy warriors, servant celestials and/or fae.

History

The Masked Pantheon and the individual gods of it began to be worshipped during and shortly after the War of the Masks thousands of years ago, wherein the champions of the individual gods fought in great battles against one another.

Mythology & Lore

long ago the people were fractured and warring in petty ways, broken and hateful. The Masked Gods saw this and came to mortal champions, and instructed them to unite the people of the world, to fight the great battles against demons and outsiders, to strike down the monsters which haunt the night and bring unification to the peoples of the land, whilst the Vulture brought further discord, and strengthened the forces of an orcish horde of marauders. The champions of the gods fought in the lands of the world, while the gods themselves fought in the heavens.

Cosmological Views

The masks made the world from their unconcious wills eons ago, and slept silently, contently, each feeling that they were alone. The only thing that could wake them was the great war between the peoples of the land, the intense hatred between them and the extreme violence woke them from their slumber, and they realized they were not alone. They fought to be the dominant will, and fought on behalf of and beside mortals whom they favored or who favored what they favored. It took many years but eventually the gods came to understandings and agreements, and the war slowly came to an end.

Worship

respecting all the gods is necessary, but most people only truly worship one. For those individuals who worship multiple gods however the few religious festivals during which masks are not only permitted but necessary are a fraught thing, requiring care and precision.  During such religious events people are required to wear a mask dedicated to the god they worship, whilst the only ones truly allowed to wear such a mask normally are the most dedicated of worshipers, priests, shamans, and prophets, and the only ones required to wear it constantly are the leaders of their cults.  For those who worship multiple gods however wearing a mask at all is a fraught and risky thing, requiring care and thought. If you put too much of one god, the other will get jealous. if you put too little of a god into it, they will get furious. Their jealousy or fury are not idle however, a mask is a direct conduit to the consciousness and the power of a god. They are aware of you and all you see, and if they feel slighted they can set it right. 
Masks dedicated to a god are relatively easy to get, and some cults even mass-produce basic masks for those who can't acquire a personalized one, however such a thing isn't quite possible for someone who worships multiple gods. You must have elements of both in your mask.  For instance, if you worship the crow and the moth you might have the ebony beak, but perhaps instead of black feathers you have white ones, or grey ones made out of silk. There are many possibilities, but they must all be considered with care.

Political Influence & Intrigue

All governmental leaders, The King, The Mane, high ranking nobility and generals are required to be worshipers of the Lion Masked, and the only sanctioned mercenaries are those who worship the Wolf Masked.

Sects

Each of the gods has a Cult dedicated to them, with some having various sub-cults dedicated to specific parts of worship or serving them in different ways.

Founding Date

3

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Notable Members

• The Lion Masked
• The Vulture Masked