Pantheon

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The Prime Material in which Avendar resides was created by the Overgods Iandir, Jolinn, and Ashur. They in turn created many deities of Their own to help steward Their new creation; over time, yet more deities came from elsewhere or ascended to godhood from ordinary mortality to preside over various aspects of the Prime. All deities ultimately bow to the will and might of the Overgods, whose power is absolute, though some more resentfully than others.

The gods are ubiquitous in Avendar and intervene regularly to the degree the Compact allows in the lives of mortals. Even the casual, passing attention of a divinity can leave a mark on a person's soul that manifests on their body in some way, known as a god touch. Particularly notable devotees of a god will sometimes be given a sigil, a usually-visible symbol of their devotion and a visible representation of a deity's investment in that mortal. These individuals will usually be quite long-lived at the very least, and some are even functionally immortal.

Deities of Avendar

Deity Chosen Lineage Values Icons
Iandir None Earth, order, law, leadership, honesty, creation a crown of any style
Aeoleri aelin Purity, romance, gallantry, refuge, guilt, charm roses, silver blades
Alil aelin Empathy, liberation, responsibility, spectacle, transformation, reaction lotuses, butterflies
Serachel aelin Corruption, provocation, secrecy, grief, obsession, preservation forget-me-nots, masks, hedgehogs
Enirra alatharya Balance, equality, rebellion, vigilance, stability, lost causes an equilateral triangle, a single open eye
Alajial caladaran Peace, healing, diplomacy, mercy, compassion, charity lilies, flowers in general, bumblebees
Chadraln caladaran Knowledge, precognition, history, diligence, continuity, pedagogy a leminscate, an open book, a quill
Jalassa caladaran Transcendence, reason, patience, meditation, restraint, penance a set of scales, a snowflake, a mandala
Elanthe chaja Stories, narratives, inspiration, heritage, drama, the bardic arts moths, any musical instrument
Kurion chaja Fate, dread, apathy, pessimism, misery, depression a spiral, spiders, a web
Kyana chaja Perseverance, prophecy, defiance, sympathy, suffering, comfort the stars, a candle
Rystaia ch'taren The Weave, freedom, passion, joy, zeal, revelation a pegasus
Vaialos ch'taren Hope, sacrifice, martyrdom, poignancy, memory, insight a teardrop
Elar ethron Cultivation, symbiosis, renewal, nurturing, natural magic, growth a leaf or new shoot, any tree
Nariel ethron Hunting, anarchism, heroism, mischief, vivacity, disobedience an arrow with white fletching, a longbow
Lielqan ethron Mortality, surrender, fate, rebirth, hard truths, boundaries the sunset, sharks
Dolgrael human War, honor, pride, metalsmithing, victory, defeat any weapon, a forge hammer, a hound
Jolinn human Water, life, protection, community, purification, healing a spear, shield, or chalice made of sapphire
Lilune human The moons, blood, wonder, ambition, duality, enervation various phases of Lunus or Rhos
Ayaunj nefortu Trade, contracts, wealth, cooperation, strategy, discretion coins of any denomination
Yolsei nefortu Air magic, travel, trickery, cunning, luck, ephemerality the wheel of fortune, a lightning bolt
Bayyal nefortu Fire, wrath, ruin, violence, consumption, malice a flame
Arkhural shuddeni Domination, bloodlust, sadism, larceny, pleasure, excess a clenched fist, a knife, a scorpion
Ashur shuddeni The Void, death, demons, apocalypse, silence, finality a void dragon or drake
Rveyelhi shuddeni Tyranny, subjugation, industrialization, efficiency, bureaucracy, attrition a black staff, interlocked gears
Fenthira srryn Swamps, evolution, fertility, shelter, supremacy, gratification a clutch of eggs, a nest
Sitheus srryn Undeath, punishment, jealousy, obedience, decay, exile a black serpent
Sythrak srryn Expedience, territoriality, the hearth, xenophobia, loyalty the hearth, claw or bite marks, red scales

Nature of the Divine

The gods of Avendar are a diverse group of immortal beings of miraculous and immense power. Each god pursues their own interests, purposes, and plans, and most of the various native lineages each have their own presiding trinity of deities that lay claim to that lineage's destiny and which have heavily shaped their chosen peoples' culture and history. Alongside this focused stewardship, deities freely welcome worshippers from any lineage or culture provided they act in accordance with that deity's values and purpose. Through their following, religious artifice, Great Houses, and individually chosen and sigiled immortal divines, deities may enact their designs and spread their influence upon the world in accordance with the ancient Compact laid down by the Overgods.

Deities rarely manifest bodily in the world, but when they do it is usually in the form most familiar to their chosen lineage, even to those not of it. The exception is the Overgods themselves, who appear in various forms appropriate to the lineage they are manifesting for. Each lineage or culture thus has wildly different ways of perceiving each of the Overgods, down to their species, gender, and general disposition.