Lore: The Benevolent Pantheon

Benevolence – The gods listed here share two commonalities. Firstly, they act with the well-being of mortals in mind, though their conceptions of mortal flourishing may differ wildly. Secondly, they are sworn by choice to the Divine Accord, under which they refrain from interfering in mortal affairs, except in proportion to another god's interference. A benevolent god acts directly in mortal affairs only to counter another god doing the same. Likewise, they send their divine servants only to act against another deity's servants. It is accepted, however, for the gods to grant their priests and adherents limited power and guidance.

Physical Representation – The gods are fundamentally immaterial beings. They have no true physical form. There are, however, some typical depictions. On the rare occasion a god appears to mortals, with the intention to be recognized, that god takes on the physical form that their audience would anticipate.

Arawl, the Duskwalker

Lore – He is the god of mournfulness, wanderers, wilderness, and death. Early in the world, he looked with distaste on the prayers and sacrifices enjoyed by other deities. To Arawl's mind, the gods are ultimately fallible and undeserving of worship. He, therefore, created orckind to carry different values into Thindul. He taught them that the happiest life is one lived contemplatively in communion with the land. Arawl was aghast, as well, that the gods had created thinking beings who would one day die and fade. So, he went to the Gray Man, and together they ordained the afterlife. Arawl now presides over reincarnation, and the Gray Man the afterworlds.

Symbols – A bear, a dead figure in the hollow of a tree, a traveler's stave.

Depiction – Most often Arawl is drawn or sculpted as a great bear. At other times, he is depicted as a cloaked traveler.

Realm – Arawl wanders in Thindul's most remote places, in the form of an ancient mottled bear. For this reason, many cultures have a taboo against bear-hunting.

Assandai, the Shepherd

Lore – Assandai came late to Thindul. Perceiving the suffering of mortals, she descended to share with them her healing magics. Her followers establish hospital-temples in Thindul's cities. Often their chapels are adjoined to orphanages or other altruistic ventures. To tend to rural settlements, they send out wandering priests, called travelers of Assandai. During periods of war, the blessed of Assandai follow armies to battle, healing the wounded from both sides. Assandai does not strictly condemn violence. Rather, she teaches that, even when necessary, it must never be out of proportion. Her followers are called upon to show compassion to defeated enemies. While her worship is central to no particular culture, Assandai is venerated in almost every nation of Thindul; the only major exceptions are the Empire of Steel and the Thulgrähbar dwarves.

Symbols – A pair of hands clasping an antidote, a feverfew leaf, a dove.

Depiction – Assandai's depictions vary. Sometimes she is a golden dove. Among dwarves she is a tree with deep roots, and by humans she is shown as a gentle woman with a shaven head.

Realm – Assandai is a wanderer among the stars of Eternis.

Endessa, the Indomitable

Lore – She is the god of might and resoluteness. The followers of Endessa often run fighting schools, or else they travel the world learning new martial practices. They believe that self-control is rooted in assuredness that you are as strong as you need to be. Many renowned fighters have received instruction from Endessa's swordmasters, and in retirement support Endessan academies. In the divine wars of the first ages, Endessa fought beside Geledron, Ostic, and Beladar. She is the creator of both the Aeohtar and the Anakim. Some say, though, that the Aeohtarn Steel Empire perverts Endessa's teachings, mistaking mastery over others for master of self.

Symbols – A runic shield, a crossed sword and spear.

Depiction – Endessa is shown usually as an armored warrior in a contemplative pose, or a scholar-soldier dispensing wisdom. Her dress and armament varies from culture to culture.

Geledron, the Untarnished

Lore – Geledron is named by his adherents the patron of righteousness, justice, and obedience. He names himself the champion of the benevolent pantheon. In the early days of Thindul, he fought against the chaotic gods who descended on it. Today his servants travel the world, rooting out cultists, demons, and arcane threats. His church in human lands claims greater authority than king or noble, with the right to judge any who trade in dark secrets. Some think the justiciars of Geledron to be dangerous zealots, while others sleep better at night, knowing that someone stands between them and the ancient powers that threaten Thindul.

Symbols – A sword backed by rays of light, a golden hammer, an angel with blade and shield.

Depiction – An armored figure clad head to toe in shining steel, winged and bearing a golden warhammer.

Realm – Geledron resides in the Eternal Citadel, a fortress of unyielding stone. It floats on an infinite cloudless sky, guarded by a thousand, thousand angels.

The Gray Man

Lore – The Gray Man dwelt in the void before it blossomed into Eternis, and the Gray Man was the void. All things were, and are, the Gray Man. His aspects are energy and stillness, made manifest in the outer gods Beladar and Nerophet, from whose intermingling the stars and the gods arose. Among mortals, the Gray Man is venerated as the god of death and the afterlife.

Symbols – A hooded figure, a hand gently cupping a skull.

Depiction – The Gray Man is always depicted as a hooded figure, showing no features beyond the folds of its robes.

Realm – The Gray Man exists within himself, and commands the realm of afterlives.

Hegesh, the Whisperer

Lore – The voice of Hegesh is heard by those who suffer and cry out in anger. She is a patron of the weak who would rebel against the strong. She has no church, but throughout history, those who are touched by her power rise up to shatter empires and slay cruel masters. She is the god of vengeance, anger, and rebellion.

Symbols – Lightning cracking a tower.

Depiction – A warrior with a sword of lightning, a throne with a stylized skull.

Realm – Her domain is the Tempest. There, Hegesh sits atop a throne of gilded skulls, on an infinite mountain of gilded skulls, in the midst of an unending storm.

Jostara, the Muse

Lore – Jostara played her harp while Tumno danced life across Thindul. She scattered the elves over the world like seeds, and taught them of beauty. She is the patron of dance and drama. She delights too in painting, poetry, and processions. Often, she conceals herself in mortal form to relish the artistry of her followers. Jostara is the consort of Tumno.

Symbols – A tragic mask, a harp, a twirling dancer.

Depiction – Jostara is typically shown as an elven woman. Often, though, she is depicted as taking other forms through the donning of masks.

Realm – When not in Thindul, Jostara dwells with Tumno in the Grove Among Stellar Tides.

Ostic, the Forgemaster

Lore – Ostic is the creator of Thindul, who brought stone and air from nothing, and birthed forth dwarvenkind deep in the earth, a place Dwarves call the Womb-forge. Blessed of Ostic are scholars, craftsmen, sculptors, and midwives. As the forger of Thindul, Ostic is typically regarded by the other benevolent gods as a first among equals in matters pertaining to the mortal realm, except by Geledron who views himself as peerless. Dwarves and humans are Ostic's most ardent worshippers.

Symbols – A hammer laid over a tome, an anvil, a bassinet, a nest.

Depiction – Among dwarves, who show no obvious sexual dimorphism, Ostic is depicted simply as a dwarf. Other mortal peoples show Ostic as a masculine figure beside a feminine, or as a single being split laterally between masculine and feminine features.

Realm – Ostic sometimes visits Thindul for the pleasure of wandering among Their people. Otherwise, Ostic dwells among the stars in Eternis, and does not hold another domain of their own.

Pludu, The Magnificent

Lore – The god of wealth, accumulation, and pleasure, Pludu teaches that the happiest life is one lived in wealth and comfort. While it is wrong to harm others to achieve these things, it is likewise foolish to give them away...and the definition of “harm” is malleable. His followers are often the heads of merchants guilds, or figures of political import. Others keep lucrative athenaeums, where researchers bargain for the price of entry. This willingness to sell their secrets sometimes put Pludites at odds with the servants of Vindyrion, and they have occasionally come to blows. Some adventurers and mercenaries, chasing fame and fortune, likewise seek Pludu's blessing.

Symbols – A heap of coins, a bursting purse, three lovers intertwined, an unbalanced scale.

Depiction – Pludu sometimes appears among his followers unrecognized, participating in their finest galas and orgies. He takes the form of a stunningly beautiful individual. Though often male, this is not always the case. In art he is typically shown as an exquisite nude figure, though in unfriendly depictions this may lean toward caricature.

Realm – Most often, Pludu dwells on a disc of gold floating in Eternis, luxuriating upon a chaise of flowing rubies. His heavenly servants bear the jeweled platters of an unending feast. Elsewise, He visits his followers on Thindul, or joins the revelries of Tumno and Jostara in the Grove Among Stellar Tides.

Tumno, the Dancing Faun

Lore – After the elements of fire and water were engendered in Thindul, Ostic beseeched Tumno to seed his jubilation into the world, in the form of living beings. Tumno danced across Thindul, and wherever his hooves sparked on the stony ground, life sprang up. When his dance was done, all manner of beasts and growing things covered the world. Tumno then sang forth gnomes, who were the first mortal people to walk upon Thindul, though he has since become estranged from gnomekind. The worship of Tumno often involves mind-altering sacraments, and can take the form of wild bachannals or quiet union with nature. He is most commonly venerated by lowland elves, but has adherents in many lands, particularly in places pervaded by wilderness. Tumno is the consort of Jostara.

Symbols – A tree, a wood thrush, a branch of blooming forsythia, a mushroom.

Depiction – Tumno is depicted as a faun with short, twisting horns. Rarely clothed, he is usually represented as male, with some art being very explicit on the matter.

Realm – He frolics at the center of the Grove Among Stellar Tides, a realm created by Jostara and Tumno. Untouched by the corruption of Nerophet, or by the sunfire of Beladar, the Grove obeys its own principles. Tumno retreated to this realm after his disappointment with gnomekind.

Vindyirion, the Solitary

Lore – Vindyirion is the god of magic, secrets, and intoxication. His followers are mages, esoteric scholars, and occasionally vintners. Greatness and excellence is their purpose, superiority their pleasure. They meet in windowless guild halls to share their rarest secrets, bound by a vow of silence to never repeat what is spoken there. Some who serve Vindyrion are guided by his hand in the retrieval of dangerous magics from those unworthy of them. They are foes of the priests of Ultur and the answer to hedge-wizards who dabble beyond their ken. This has been the task of Vindyrion since Promethea taught mortals the arcane secrets of the gods.

Symbols – A Chalice inscribed with runes known only to his priests, a tome marked with the same.

Depiction – A robed figure with a tall crown extending downward into a mask.

Realm – Vindyrion is enthroned in Eternis, gazing into the star that awoke him.