A Primer to the known
Deities and immortal figures within the landscape of the Multiverse.
Abstract
Since the dawn of Aelyria, mortals have catalogued their relationship with beings of incredible and everlasting powers. These
Deities are the forces which have guided the development of the modern Aelyrian Faith, preserved by the Church of the Faith, and they have been found as personifications of concepts and ideas. Some are gods, others are
Planetars, and more are archons and anti-archons that fill the ranks of immortal beings.
Further Reading: Church of the Faith
Ranks of Immortals
Aetherians are
Deities that inhabit the Celestrial Realm while
Aeternians inhabit the Infernal Realm, often called anti-gods. For all known history,
Aetheria and
Aeternia have been at cross-purposes and meddle in the Material Plane to sway mortals to their influence and plans. These are the only deities officially recognized by the Church of the Faith, despite the known existence of divine beings living on other planes.
Gods: Gods are mighty, knowledgeable beings thought to be the primal powers responsible for the governance of the Cosmology of the Multiverse. They are the immortal figures most known and widely worshipped by mortals. Each god represents a particular aspect or collection of related ideas, such as Chaos or Fertility. It is unknown how gods come to be or if they can die, but their existence is independent of mortals’ belief.
Archons: Thought to be the second rank of
Aetherians and
Aeternians, they also represent a particular aspect or idea, but usually of a smaller and more precise region, such as Martial Tactics. Most archons serve the will of a particular patron god, though some have been known to gain enough power to be their own individual deity.
Planetars: Usually mortals or lower-ranking immortals who experience some dramatic or traumatic event to ascend to godhood,
Planetars inhabit their own alternate planes of existence which grants them control over their particular aspect, such as the Plane of Hate. While not present on
Aetheria or
Aeternia, they will however often involve themselves in their doings, especially since their entire existence and swath of influence is directly dependent on the amount of mortal belief in them.
Caelesti and Inferni: Minor creatures of
Aetheria or
Aeternia respectively, caelesti and inferni are the grunt-filling of their particular armies. As the lowest-ranking creatures, they are most often sent to interfere with mortals on the Material Plane. Powerful Thaumaturgists, Necromancers, and Summoners also have been known to be able to summon these creatures.
Further Reading: About Aelyria
The Aetherians
The
Aetherians are the primary deities that inhabit the Celestial Realm of the gods. They serve under the will of
Ioannes, King of Gods, and his newly-made queen,
Carmelya. They are eternally at odds with those of Aeternia.
Ioannes: As a three-faced supreme being,
Ioannes governs the Celestial Heavens as the God of Gods. He is the embodiment of all Law, Order and Justice. He rarely directly interferes with mortals and has never once been sighted by them, even as an avatarial form. He is often depicted as a three-faced man atop clouds wielding a mighty lightning bolt.
Diana: Formerly an
Ancient Aelyrian warrioress who defeated the dark
Cyraxians and was the patron of the
Aelyrian Empire,
Diana was Queen of the Gods until her inversion, disgrace, and destruction during the
Eclipse of Chaos. She was portrayed as an eternally beautiful winged Aelyrian, but all reverence for her has since ceased.
Aslan: The Prince of Aetheria,
Aslan is the Warrior God of Truth and Honor. He represents righteous warfare and single-minded loyalty. Believed to be the son of
Ioannes and
Diana,
Aslan most often invoked by holy crusaders when they face denizens of darkness to cleanse the Multiverse of Aeternian taint.
Orod: The God of Logic,
Orod is the patron-god of Mathematicians and Theoreticians throughout the
Aelyrian Empire. He is also the patron of prophecy, reason, and rationale. He most often
Guides, rather than interferes with, mortals through indirect means. He is regularly portrayed as a physically frail, short man with a distant and emotionless gaze.
Carmelya: The Goddess of Nature,
Carmelya is worshiped far and wide in the
Aelyrian Empire and celebrated as the benevolent caretaker of the natural world. She is the embodiment of Hope and is often portrayed as Nature itself. She was imprisoned during the Darkening, but after
Diana's fall
Carmelya was released from her prison and walks the Material Plane once again.
Maj: The highest ranking
Archon in Aetheria,
Maj is known as the Arch
Archon and serves as the captain of the Archonic Phalanx that defends Aetheria. He is destined to one day march into the infernal depths of Aeternia and put an end to chaos in perpetuity.
Maj is the keeper of the
Exercitum, the 'force' that binds together the Multiverse, and is regularly portrayed fully clad in Celestine Armor, wielding a shimmering blue weapon.
Phedos: General of the Archonic Phalanx under
Maj,
Phedos is the guardian of Divine
Magic and creator of the Ke'trala, the mother race of
Elves. Decidedly a schemer,
Phedos created the
Elves in an attempt to leverage power in Aetheria and counter the influence of Diana. Due to Diana's interference
Phedos fell from prominence in Aetheria, but Phedos nonetheless remains the patron deity of
Magic.
Markalin: Commander of the Supreme Aethernian Navy,
Markalin is the
Archon of the Seas, Guardian of the Celestial Oceans and the brother of the Arch Archon Maj. Decreed by the King of Heavens, Ioannes, to assume guardianship over the waters of Telath, he is an image that is widely respected by the seafarers, the islandic cities of
Eunesia, the
Imperial Navy, and all who set their ships and boats into sea--even the sea bandits worship him. The people of the Sea, the
Thëlyri and
Merfolk, also pay tribute to him, though he is known by other names in their own tongues.
Cetheron: While the manifestation of any true emotion in Archons is rare,
Cetheron has been said to hold a fierce loyalty to Maj and a dislike of the scheming Phedos. Where
Aslan is known as the God of Honor and Phedos as the master of tactical warfare, the average soldier of the Empire tends to look more to
Cetheron for guidance. Blacksmiths also worship the Archon credited with the creation of Celestine. Ever enduring,
Cetheron is a tireless warrior, a masterful smith and the creator of the dwarven race.
Further Reading: Darkening Prophecy,
Eclipse of Chaos,
Recent Events in Aelyria
The Aeternians
The
Aeternians are the primary deities of the Infernal Realm of the Anti-Gods. They are tentatively led by
Jorel and are in eternal opposite to Aetheria.
Alithea: The Archon of Corruption and Lust,
Alithea is the first succubus and the mother to all those that came after. She takes great delight in manipulating individuals into falling to their most depraved desires and enjoys thwarting love when she comes across it.
Alithea is seen as a beautiful woman to any that look upon her and is most commonly seen or depicted in a gown of deep red.
Haya: The Goddess of Plague,
Haya is the sister-wife of
Meephos. She is also the Goddess of Pestilence, responsible for all sorts of epidemic disasters and diseases. Regularly invoked as the "Plague-Queen",
Haya revels in the destruction of families and relationships. She is the patron of the
Vysstichi race. She has been portrayed as a seductively beautiful, tall woman dressed entirely in black, but past her smile is a venomous and monstrous interior that frightens all.
Jalat: The God of Death,
Jalat selects those to die at a prescribed time. He holds sentinel over an eternal sea of plasma at the periphery of Aeternia called the
umblat. When depicted, he is always aboard the Barge of Death ferrying souls to be forever condemned, cloaked in a long, hooded silver-grey robe, hiding all features of his face. After the
Eclipse of Chaos, he appears to be more interested in keeping the balance than in truly serving the interests of Aeternia.
Jorel: Once the Arch Archon in Aetheria,
Jorel's lust for power was the source of his doom. When he failed to overthrow Ioannes, the God of Gods banished him to an eternal prison where he would atone for his crime of self-service.
Jorel is the God of Entropy, representative of Lawlessness, Disorder, and Injustice. Jorel is believed to have spawned the dark, demonic race of
Cyraxians that sought to annihilate the Aelyrian race. Jorel is represented in many forms and has been very inconsistently, but always malevolently, displayed in irreverent art.
Meephos: The God of Emotions,
Meephos was created or fathered by Jorel to spread disorder.
Meephos plunged the Aelyrians into raging emotions and became Jorel's tool to deliver the Blight. He is also thought to have tainted the
Vysstichi and Esh'lahier
Elves. Meephos is portrayed as a short, plump middle-aged male draped in rich robes and carrying gifts of indulgence, such as wine, fruit and intoxicants.
Further Reading: The Darkening Prophecy, Eclipse of Chaos,
Recent Events in Aelyria
The Planetars
There are innumerable
Planetars in existence worshiped by many sects. Some are small and hidden while others have gained popularity and public knowledge. However, worship of planetars is still considered heresy in Aelyria by the official Church of the Faith. These are the most well-known planetars, but not an exhaustive list.
Aedaan: The Planetar of Mercy,
Aedaan was made so at the end of the Age of the Darkening when Diana inverted and died, her power transferring to a new vessel. She is still working out the particulars to her abilities and what it means to wield mercy in a meaningful and constructive way.
Ainlar: The Planetar of Hatred, Wrath, and Revenge was once regarded as one of the fairest and beautiful of Archons. The fall of Jorel however led to
Ainlar being consumed with wrath and hatred, leading to his exile from Aetheria. However, he was too tumultuous even for the Aeternians, and shortly after being thrown out of Aeternia became a planetar in his own right.
Kalendryas: The Planetar of Time,
Kalendryas is a mischievous trickster who reportedly stole
Orod's Hourglass, a divine item that governs the passage of time. Though she has manifested in a variety of appearances from a seductive
Dryad to an old matron,
Kalendryas is most often associated with her very nature: playfulness and mischief. She is thought to be responsible for the Longest Winter and is currently presumed dead or lost.
Kaimelea: The Planetar of Dreams, Kaimelea is not widely worshiped outside of the Greater Elfish Basin and neighboring regions, but her power extends to all inhabitants during sleep. Portrayed as the Giver of Dreams, Kaimelea is also known as "She Who Opens the Eye". Her Risthal, the Planetar of Nightmares, is her opposite. She is currently presumed dead or lost due to the prevalence of nightmares in the Material Plane.
Materna: The Planetar of the Hearth and Home,
Materna is an ancient goddess who is far older than the Aetherians and is quite possibly from an entirely unrelated celestial order.
Materna is the patron goddess of mothers, hearth, and home. Women often seek her for fertility and easy birthings. She was recently seen to be involved in the attempted overthrow of Aetheria during the Eclipse of Chaos, but her current whereabouts and condition are unknown.
Olsyréa: The Planetar of Love,
Olsyréa resides on the Plane of Love and believes that the only true power on Telath is that of love. Olysréa does all that she can to sow the seeds of love into the hearts of mortals (and sometimes deities), believing that all in the world would be happier if they only had someone to love.
Olsyréa stands neither for the Aeternians or the Aetherians but is a rather neutral party, with her and those that work with her focusing only on bringing hearts together, sometimes regardless of the consequences.
Rak: The Planetar of Power,
Rak inhabits the Plane of Power, a twisted realm of eternal flame. Neither orderly nor chaotic,
Rak purports that each individual must ultimately choose his or her own destiny and is the champion of independence and autonomy. The patron planetar of many politicians and soldiers,
Rak champions power as an ends in and of itself. He, with
Materna, lead an attempt to overthrow Aetheria during the Eclipse of Chaos but was thwarted.
Risthal: The Planetar of Nightmares, Risthal exists with the sole purpose of absolute opposition of her older twin sister, Kaimelea. Born of jealousy, murder and pain, Risthal derives worship from the experience of fear and the emotions from all walks of life in the Material Plane while they sleep. As such, worship of Risthal is only found in small cults or individuals who harbor the same anguish and pain that Risthal herself was subjected to in her mortal life.
Srennius: The Planetar of Peace,
Srennius is the defender of accord and the harbinger of harmony. Sung by the bards as the preserver of an eternal balance between opposing forces,
Srennius has been manifested as a short, innocent child. The asexual
Srennius has frustrated princes and potentates for centuries, the most famous of which was the premature conclusion of the Battle of Tur. Srennius has often and repeatedly intervened in conflicts that it deems to have "no just cause" or "no clear outcome". He is thought to be lost after the Eclipse of Chaos, sacrificing himself to imprison Materna.
Xenarius: The Planetar of the Wilds,
Xenarius is a planetar who cares for the untamed places in the world, most notably woodland places. He is sometimes known as the Woodland King or the Savage. He is most known for his strong opposition of civilized places and mankind due to the destruction both bring. Xenar favors overrunning cultured areas, such as villages (or even cities) and farmland, to revert them back into the wild areas they once were.
Zyrgra: The Planetar of Starvation and Torture, Otherwise known as the Queen of Pain,
Zyrgra is a planetar who resides in the Plane of Torment. Originally the Demoness of Starvation and serving under
Haya in Aeternia, the Longest Winter of Era XVI Post Fractum served as the catalyst that would cause her ascension to planetarhood. She feeds off of pain, hate, and fear, and what she demands of her followers is simple: inflict pain and suffering on oneself and others by starvation and torture.
Further Reading:
Recent Events in Aelyria, The Darkening Prophecy, The Longest Winter, The Eclipse of Chaos
