Gods And Religions

[Chariste]

Notes from Lyanna: Kaysel and Iringold still need work. And any reference to the Overdeity must necessarily be vague, or else highly-specific but not included in the main history (subject to my approval). The 9 Greater Gods are now available for use, though. The earlier discussion about this same topic can be found here.

 

The Nine Greater Gods

 

Despite having many different racial beliefs, there are some gods and goddesses that are common across all cultures in these Lands. These are reputed to be the ancestral gods of the races, and while they have now come to be associated more with their particular divine attributes rather than racial affiliations, nevertheless it is rumoured that some of the greater gods still hold soft spots for their chosen races.

 

Aluwen: The Goddess of Life, Goodness and Truth. She believes strongly in the intrinsic worth of all living things, constantly striving to heal the sick or wounded. She has a tendency to choose diplomacy first and foremost, and violence only as a last resort. Her race, the Elves, have inherited her love of nature and the sanctity of life. She also believes that there is an order, a purpose, to all living things and spends much of her time striving to influence that purpose towards the ultimate good. As such, she is constantly at odds with her evil counterpart, Mortos, and fights constantly with him to determine the direction of the Lands – Good or Evil. Originally having enormous sway over the populace, she was briefly able to establish a reign of peace over the Lands during Mortos' banishment, but later had to sacrifice a large portion of her power and influence to mitigate the curse of the undead that had fueled the destruction of the Great War.

 

Elandria: The Goddess of Home, Love and Invention. The patron of lovers and families, she is well-loved for her kind, protective nature and is the most popular goddess to invoke during marriage ceremonies. After Dvar had abadoned his Godly duties, Elandria assumed part of his role, in order to protect her children. Thus, she became the patron goddess for the Humans and the Gnomes, both races that are well-known for their inventiveness in overcoming difficult problems. She hates the destruction visited upon cities and their inhabitants by nature, and hence constantly strives to invent new ways for the races to protect themselves form the chaotic forces in which Centau revels. She, even more than Aluwen, doesn't want the horors of impermanance - particularly war - in the world, so continually assists the races in building structures of strength and longevity. However, she can be a bit loose with nature, which causes the over-harvesting of materials for building and provokes Centau. Of all the deities, Elandria is perhaps most involved in the races' day-to-day life - leading some of her brothers and sisters to accuse her of being a bit too meddlesome at times.

 

Zarin: The Goddess of Freedom, Beauty, and the Arts. Zarin is constantly fascinated by the variety found in nature and the souls of mortals, taking infinite care to nourish it. She is more than willing to become militant abut that, a ruthless side to her which mirrors her fascination with nature itself. Zarin is the patron of all artists and rewards all those whose ambitions lead to the development of the soul. She wants to make the world a brighter, happier place through artistry. Unfortunately, her methods may be a little too eccentric at times which earn her some rather doubtful looks from her fellow Gods. But Zarin cheerfully continues on her way, believing that it is only through complete freedom that beauty and spirit can arise. She hates anything that tries to enslave or dampen the beauty and joy of life and therefore fights an ongoing invisible war with Selain about the social ills that plague the Lands.

 

Glilin: The God of Craftsmanship, Discipline and Skill. Originally a master craftsman of the Dwarves, he marshaled his race during the War of the Gods and was elevated to Divinity as a result. Although he fought on the side of Good in that battle, Glilin is not primarily predisposed to it, still maintaining Dwarvish practicality and neutrality. He is the patron of all craftsmen, from jewelers to blacksmiths, who pray to him to grant them skill in their work. With the wisdom gained from a long life as a mortal, he is a little more inclined to think about the quality and type of people involved, rather than the number. A merry god who doesn’t take his Divinity too seriously, he delights in the invention of new things and often has many discussions with Elandria and Unolas about the properties of different materials and elements. A strict disciplinarian who believes that hard work is the way to achieve any worthwhile goal in life, he tends to favor those that are willing to follow the system rather than the eccentric geniuses that Zarin prefers.

 

Glydoc: The God of Combat and Warfare. He is the patron saint of all warriors who call out to him for strength in their sword-arms, resilience in their shields, and cunning in their wits. He values honor and justice yet is beset by the battle-lust that rages within. His chosen race, the Orchans, reflect that nature. A paradoxical god, beset by conflicting natures, he tries to maintain neutrality in all things, not daring to swing too far in one direction or another. In fact, he does his best to avoid entreaties by Aluwen or Mortos to help their cause. With his recent defeat due to the machinations of Selain and his own initial naivete about the effectiveness of underhanded tactics, Glydoc has been forced to reevaluate his philosophy, and is now seeking to research new methods of warfare. Thus, he is slowly becoming god of not only the honorable general, but also of the traitor and the spy. He still bears a grudge against Selain for stealing the Orchans out from under him though, so hopes one day to return the favor, in a similar manner.

 

Unolas: The god of Magic, Wisdom and Knowledge. Having attained his godhood through the guidance of Mortos then being forced into war against Aluwen, Zarin, and Glydoc, Unolas now strives to remain aloof and throws himself into the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and mastery of magic instead. Even as an Elf, he was acknowledged as the brightest among his race, but as a god, his knowlege soon exceeded all the other deities. He is the patron of teachers and mages. He often has lively philosophical debates with both Aluwen and Mortos, attempting to ascertain the true natures of Good and Evil, refusing to accept traditional definitions. Often, Elandria or Glydoc would go to him for a fresh perspective on their own problems, and Unolas enjoys dabbling in invention or research.

 

Centau: The God of Change, Chaos and the raw Forces of Nature. Originally advocating the need for constant change and opposing the efforts of Elandria to find a permanent shelter for the races, he caused his race of Centaurs to live and die by his whim. The rebellion of his people against him shattered his confidence and Mortos drove him mad with insidious thoughts. Now he dwells in the depths of the oceans, constantly swaying before his fury, and unleashes his madness against all of the Lands. Beyond the control of any of the other gods, he creates havoc for all those who dare to work with or in the elements, and is especially irritated by Elandria's excessive usage of natural materials to fuel "her hobby", as he calls it. He still retains enough of his personality to have semi-lucid moments, though, in which he recalls his grudge against Mortos, and affectionately tries to help Zarin in the creation of beautiful things in nature, though he tends towards striking examples of raw power, rather than subtle beauty.

 

Selain: The God of Wealth, Corruption and Vice. Selain came from a rough mortal childhood, and perhaps more than any other God understands the realities of a harsh life. He constantly seeks to better his position and power in any given situation, using any means possible (usually corrupt). He worked his way up the mortal social ladder, and then achieved godhood, aided and abetted by Mortos, which precipitated the War of the Gods. Although his initial efforts in the War involved only bribery and drug-control, throughout the long centuries, Selain has become a master in his field, surpassing even Mortos in his ability to twist the bodies and souls of mortals to his use. He is the patron of all merchants and criminals and the developer of Summoning and Conjuring. Most of the monsters were invented and given life by Selain. Upon developing a way to extract the life essences from the very substance of the Lands, he was able to create new and fiendish caricatures of living things to plague Aluwen and Zarin, whom he dismisses as extremely naive Goddesses pursuing ridiculous goals.

 

Mortos: The God of Death, Destruction and Evil. He strove to ruin the creation of life in the Eternal Lands from the beginning and constantly plots to destroy it. That kind of suicidal hatred of everything is difficult to comprehend for many. But Mortos is old. He decided a very long time ago that he wished not to exist, wished to forego the agony of reason. Long before, and long after the tiny lives of mortals he will still be here, and he doesn't want to be. There could be no greater torture than to be immortal and hate your very existence. To see these tiny beings, with that ability to die, to cease existence, flit past him as a sparrow flits past a man... he hates it, hates the reminder that afflicts him in every moment of every day. To destroy it would perhaps dim his pain. Aided and abetted by Selain and his minions, he nurtures terror and war among the unsuspecting races whenever possible and using whatever means necessary to achieve his end. Every day he calls out to the wickedness and evil he planted in the natures of the mortals, cajoling them to murder, to war, to corrupt and destroy. In his latest, greatest achievement, he placed a curse upon the Lands during the Great War, turning the majority of the populace into undying immortals like himself, that we may understand his agony.

 

The Shadow Deities

 

These are the Gods and/or immortals who, in different ways, have removed themselves from the day-to-day interests of the mortals in the lands, and are only remembered as myths and legends.

 

Dvar: The lost god of Balance, Invention and Craftsmanship. In the prime of his powers, Dvar was on par with Aluwen and Mortos and was responsible for maintaining the balance between Good and Evil as they fought over the Lands. Originally the god of the Dwarves and Gnomes, he was led astray by Mortos into the depths of the earth, seeking out new materials and ways of invention. This has resulted in the loss of a moderating influence on the world, allowing both Good and Evil the possibility of achieving total dominance over the other. His godly duties of craftmanship were taken up by Elandria and Glilin, but nevertheless, no one knows what could have happened if Dvar had remained. His disappearance has led to the skepticism in the Dwarves regarding religion, as they have no God to tell them otherwise, and the Gnomes deserted their cousins, attracted by Elandria's inventive nature.

 

Kaysel: First and most powerful of the Dragons, the first race on the planet, she was given eternal life by Aluwen to watch over creation. Not as powerful as the Gods, she was grieved when her race was destroyed in the Dragon Wars. Redefining her role as protector, she now sits as guardian over the scattered and hidden continents, hoping, waiting, and watching for the time when she will be able to reverse the course of history, to send a common man back in time, and prevent the wars from happening. Thus, Kaysel began to study the mysteries of Time and Fate, hoping to assuage her grief.

 

Iringold: The father of the Draegoni. A resourceful dragon not particularly noteworthy during the course of the Dragon Wars, Iringold proved the key that turned back the invading horde of Mortos's evil in the final battle of the war. He sacrificed himself in Tiral Pass, slipping from the icy slopes of a ravine and causing a mage's magics to go wild in the middle of the invaders. Their ranks decimated and morale crushed, the monstrous army retreated to regroup, giving the humans, gnomes, dwarves, and elves the time they needed to meet the threat. Raised to an avatar of Aluwen, he is not a dragon and not a god, but a wandering spirit and intermediary. The Draegoni were created when his heartsister, the human mage Coral, took blood from his fallen body and mixed it with her own in a ritual of eternal friendship. The Gods, taking pity on them, transformed her into the first Draegoni, combining the best of both races.

 

The Overdeity

 

There persist rumors that there exists a Divine Being or Force of some sort that is above the Greater Gods, and rules over them in some way. Several visions, recorded throughout history by the churches, have included conversations in which the Gods refer to that entity. We are not sure whether it has a personality, or whether it is some sort of impersonal force, or unbreakable law of the universe, but whatever this Overdeity is, it apparently has even greater power than the Gods themselves.

 

 

Minor gods / Demigods

 

Lyanna - Goddess of Healing who was promoted by Aluwen. Her blessing will not only include removal of adverse affects on youir character and healing but also healing at certain fountains throughout the game.

 

Ramsie - God of Might who was promoted by Glydoc. His blessing will increase your might by increasing your physique by 10 temporarily. Also clicking on an item of Ramsie will give a temp. boost.

 

Carnelus - God of Wisdom who was promoted by Unolas. His blessing will allow you to read faster for an hour, however you will not be able to recieve the blessing for 2 hours (must be ingame) when it runs out.

 

Zartou - God of Luck who was promoted by Elandria. His blessing will give the follower a boost in their chances in creating enriched items and possibly even affecting Tankel's repair rate, a temporary artificer affect.

 

Jayden - Goddess of Mixture who was promoted by Zarin. Although Unolas would more than likely promote a potion maker, Jayden pictured Potion making as an art form and had its own form of beauty which caught Zarin's eye. Her blessing will give a temporary boost in the Potion skill.

 

Vlasian - God of Form who was promoted by Selain. His blessing will give a temporary boost in the shape shifting skill.

 

Axin - God of Labor who was promoted by Glilin. His blessing will give a temporary boost in the crafting skill.

 

Lucaa - God of Chance who was promoted by Centau. His blessing will give a temporary effect like the no more tears perk. Also he will increased your chances by 10% to recieve a good event while harvesting.

 

Vesepia - Goddess of Demise who was promoted by Mortos. Her blessing will increase the amount of damage done with damage rings, spells, and perks for a certain amount of time.

 

Dryx - God of Secrecy who was promoted by Dvar. Why Dvar left isolation to promote a mortal is up to the one writing the story. His blessing could be good of bad, probably

Edited November 26, 2005 by Roja

[Hammen]

Well, fisrt off all, I would consider making some of the changes that Saii suggested in the old post, because they give the Gods and Godesses more character...

 

Also, Glydoc is the Crafting god in the game, so his character should reflect that in some way...

[Chariste]

Well, as far as I can tell, Lyanna already incorporated Saii's ideas (his post is right after Saii's) and I simply modified and expanded what was already there. Having said that, however, there is always room for revision...

 

Glydoc has, I believe, been pretty much universally accepted as the god of Combat with Glilin taking over as god of Craftmanship. The game is about to face some major modifications so while this is incorrect now, these discrepancies will be remedied in the update(s).

 

But do you have any suggestions for lesser deities/demi-gods? "Heroes" perhaps that have achieved immortality but are not gods, have "powers" which greatly trascend their humanity (or gnomity, elvity, or whatever ) but are not god-like. If you have some ideas, post them here, maybe something done like the gods, names, attributes, a few sentences summing up how they became heroes...

[Quinticus]

I have some interesting ideas for how heros could achieve immortality. I think they are anyway. However, i'm pretty fuzzy on the whole Gods issue. Give me a lesser God and a brief background (alignment and such) and i believe i could arrange a short (hopefully) story that could illustrate his/her ascension (bad spelling) to immortality. We'll take it from there if you like it or not.

[Lyanna]

By the way... no, I never got around to incorporating Saii's posts into my main description. It was always on my to-do list, by got pushed down by the other developments. I was also planning to remove the alignments (i.e. Good Goddesses, Neutral Gods, Evil Gods) and just make each god/dess stand alone, but that's really up to you now, Chariste.

 

(I love my freedom. )

 

-Lyn-

[Chariste]

Yes, it's a lot of work but it's very fun too. I'll keep that in mind about Saii, especially since I can't seem to get a hold of him. It's so much work though, that whatever this morphs into, I'm going to try and keep as much of it as I can. Right now, I'm going through the backlog and trying to get caught up. Any suggestions or ideas you have are always appreciated! Stop by anytime you get a moment

 

Thanks!

Chariste

[Lyanna]

Mostly done. You guys are free to use the 9 Greater Gods, and Dvar now. I'm still working on the Kaysel, Iringold, and the Overdeity though. This is now the master copy for information about the Gods. The god quests will eventually be changed to fit. (That's probably going to take a while, though...)

 

-Lyn-