Oltari Deities

== Deities ==
The Repzork believe in an endless number of deities which can be broadly divided into fave categories: the Five Scribes, the Beasts, the Builders, and the Gods. Each group plays a specific role in the universe, but not all are worshiped equally, with most individuals focusing their devotion on the Gods. 
=== The Five Scribes ===
The Five Scribes are the personification of destiny, time, prophecy, knowledge, and truth. They are not considered gods in the traditional sense as they operate outside of the Unbreaking Cycle. They are omniscient and eternal, incapable of being injured or killed. They take no interest in the affairs of those beneath them, and instead commit themselves to tirelessly recording the history of each and every cycle, and all of those who dwell within it, as the cycles unfold. Because of this, many individuals seek to read the parchment of the Scribes in order to acquire knowledge of their future, for only the Scribes can paint a perfect picture. However, the Scribes are fiercely protective of their writings and permit none, not even the gods, to read it. Those small few who have successfully recovered scraps managed only to doom themselves shortly thereafter, or were cursed by the Scribes themselves. 
It is because of these curses that the exact nature of the Scribes is debated to this day. Many believe that the Scribes are impartial and take no active role in the Unbreaking Cycle. From this perspective, they are mere observers. Others view the Scribes as the true source of all creation and believe that their writings directly influence events. It is this second group that will often try to appease the Scribes with worship and offerings in a bid to uncover the truth, but such attempts have ended in failure, for the Scribes are either truly indifferent to mortal affairs, or are wholly beyond comprehension, and thus impossible to appease.
=== Beasts ===
The Beasts were the rulers of the previous cycle. Their reign was marked with endless turmoil and darkness brought about by their ravenous hunger. Being the antithesis to the modern world, the Beasts are not worshiped by the Repzork and are instead treated as a moral lesson of what one should strive to avoid, she as greed, arrogance, gluttony, and wanton wrath.
=== Gods ===
The gods are the ultimate rulers of the current cycle. Gods are often grouped into clans led by one or two individuals referred to as either the god-king or god-queen, though exceptions are relatively commonplace. Every god or clan possesses one or more domains in which they hold sovereignty; when a follower of that god dies, their soul is brought to that god's domain. Every sapient race in the universe has at least one god or clan watching over them, making it impossible to know how many gods exist and equally impossible to summarize their behavior, as every god and every clan has their own moral code. The gods are naturally immortal, but are neither omniscient nor invincible; indeed, the death of Riigr is a frequently cited example of divine mortality. 
== Clan Oltar ==
The Oltar Clan is the preeminent clan of gods and the ruling clan of Helia. It was responsible for creating the Repzork, teaching them how to live, and is believed by most to have guided the Repzork through both the First and Second Exodus. It is comprised of at least 19 named gods, though there are believed to be more, and some sects add unique gods. Most individuals will only worship the gods most relevant to their lives and aspirations, though it is not unheard of for enthusiastic believers to worship the entire pantheon. 
===== Oltavar =====
Oltavar is the god-king of the Oltar Clan and the god of fatherhood, leadership, courage, war, strategy, and blood. He is married to the god-queen Lluawit, with whom he has sired Hruthvar, Hruthvair, Riigr and Livunyr. His weapon of choice is Thaelvak, a magical two-handed war hammer.
Oltavar embodies the attributes that make both a caring father and an effective leader. As a father, he is loving and compassionate, but will not hesitate to punish unruly behavior and to allow his children to face the consequences of their choices so as to teach them valuable lessons. As a leader, he is bold, decisive, and charismatic; not binding himself to any strict code of conduct, he will sometimes use unorthodox means to resolve disputes and win his battles. He cares for his men, but expects total obedience, even unto death, as he emphasizes what is best for the whole rather than for the individual. As a warrior, he embodies war in all of its facets, from the shock trooper on the front lines to the spy operating deep in enemy territory; but most importantly, he also represents conflict from the perspective of the government and military officials responsible for waging war. In many ways, the modern Repzork governments and its world view has been shaped by the teachings of Oltavar.
===== Lluawit =====
Lluawit is the god-queen of Clan Oltar and is the goddess of fertility, motherhood, love, peace, animal husbandry, storms, and lightning. Just as Oltavar represents an ideal father, Lluawit represents the attributes of a good mother, having placed the needs of her own children above her own and tending to the needs of both her home and the clan when Oltavar was away. Lluawit is also fiercely protective of her kin, and will use her powers over lightning and storms to smite those she perceives to be a threat without hesitation; if this fails, she also wields Sutha, a spear through which she can channel electricity. 
In certain respects, Lluawit is also the opposite of her husband. To many, Oltavar represents destruction and change, the call to place duty above one's own personal needs. Lluawit instead embodies rebirth and tranquility, as while there is a time for battle, there is also a time for rest. Thus, the two gods create a duality in which neither aspect can exist without the other.
===== Hruthvar & Hruthvair =====
Hruthvar and Hruthvair, male and female respectively, are the twin gods of travel, messengers, psychopomps, teaching, hospitality, and medicine. Having hatched from the same egg, Hruthvar and Hruthvair have spent their entire existence together, only parting from one another temporarily for specific circumstances. Even as young children they have constantly been on the move, exploring anywhere they could reach and learning all that they could about the world. By the time they were adults, they knew the cosmos by heart, and used their knowledge to guide wayward travelers and heal the sick and wounded. They are attested to have sometimes disguised themselves as mortals and lodge in towns where they would provide their services for a time before moving on. It is because of their eagerness that Oltavar will use the two as his messengers and take charge over the spirits responsible for guiding the dead to the afterlife.
===== Riigr =====
Riigr was a son of Oltavar and the god of martyrdom, guardianship, heroism, dueling, and weaponry. Though his life was short, he was admired by Oltar for his unparalleled bravery and his skills as the clan's best duelist. He often sparred with Athovat, one of the few capable of matching his skills with a sword, and was said to be romantically attracted to the goddess, though he was forced to accept that such a relationship could not be. He was also close friends with Visar, who provided him a large collection of weapons. When he was not sparring, he spent much of his time in the mortal realm, protecting the young Repzork from various threats and teaching them how to fight right up until his death at the hands of the Nygalara. To this day, his death is a national day of mourning throughout the empire.
===== Livunyr =====
Livunyr is a daughter of Oltavar and the goddess of agriculture, cooking, poison, and spite. Despite being a child of Oltavar and being responsible for cooking all of the gods' food, she is generally considered a minor deity. This is partly due to acting primarily as Lluawit's assistant and for being a recluse, seldom leaving Oltar's palace. She is amicable to visitors, but can also be remarkably spiteful, a trait sometimes spurred by her mother. She will deliberate sabotage the meals of those who cause offense and can make a wide variety of deadly poisons, some of which the gods use for battle, particularly Vyras, Livunyr's closest friend.
===== Saertu =====
Saertu is one of Oltavar's brothers and the god of law, justice, retribution, fairness, honor, oaths, wisdom, and birds. Also known as the One-Winged, Saertu is one of Oltavar's most trusted advisors and in many regions is considered almost as important as Oltavar himself, as while Oltavar embodies leadership, Saertu embodies the elements required to make an effective ruling body. He is the wisest of the gods, and as a result, many come to him for his guidance. He also judges the souls of the dead and helps Oltavar to resolve disputes between the gods. His servants are birds, which he sends out to acquire knowledge.
===== Visar =====
Visar is the god of forging, construction, engineering, stones, metals, and the arts. Though considered to be one of the Oltar's worst fighters in some sects, Visar more than makes up for this with his unparalleled skills in construction and engineering. He is known for having forged the gods' weapons and armor, including Thaelvak, countless magical items, and for constructing Oltavar's palace. As a practitioner of the arts, he has also produced many paintings, statues, mosaics, and engravings, which are featured prominently on his creations. A sometimes obsessive perfectionist, Visar will sometimes spend days or even weeks ensuring that every detail of his creation is to his exact specifications. While often more than happy to create tools and artifacts for others, he only gives freely to his fellow Oltar gods, and demands fair compensation from others, going as far as to recruit the help of Golgolag to punish those who do not pay their debts.
=====Sarikarak=====
Sarikarak is one of Oltavar's brothers and the god of writing, poetry, singing, runes, magic, fortune, and tattoos. He is regarded as one of the most important of the gods even among those who do not directly worship him, as without his teachings and his discovery of the runes, magic would be nearly impossible. A scholar beset with a desire to understand the inner-workings of creation, Sarikarak often travels to the far corners of the world to study the primordial chaos and the domain of the Builders. He will also accompany Hruthvar and Hruthvair on their travles from time to time, during which time he formed a close bond with the two. Like the two explorers, Sarikarak will disguise himself to walk among mortals, where he will often test the moral character of those he encounters; those who pass his test are well rewarded, while those who fail are punished through trickery.
===== Akla =====
Akla is the god of hunting, nature, forests, trees, the Wild Heart, animals, and fury. He represents one's independence and the untamed wilds; he avoids civilization, preferring to instead live a nomadic life in the woods where he will sleep in caves, his only companions being the animals that live alongside him. He frequently disguises himself as an animal to stalk those who enter his grounds and will exact swift retribution on those who defile his lands. Unbound by notions of ethics or politeness, Akla can be crude and irreverent, particularly to those who have not earned his respect. This has led to a sometimes difficult relationship with some of his fellow gods, such as Saertu and Hunovo. At the same time, all acknowledge Akla's skills in hunting and his willingness to help those who have earned his approval. 
Visar at one point created a bow for Akla known as Hilfig; though the bow was of exceptional quality, Akla refused, preferring to instead use a stone dagger and a bow he himself had made from a tree. The bow was instead gifted to Vyras. 
The so-called 'wild heart' is the primal core that is said to inhabit all sapient life. When pressed hard enough, even the most civilized of individuals will be consumed by their wild heart, overriding all inhibitions for better and for ill. A soldier in a desperate situation can call upon it to perform otherwise impossible feats; simultaneously, a Repzork driven to madness through isolation can be reduced to little more than a cornered animal. As all Repzork possess the wild heart, none can truly escape Akla's grasp, and all must learn to tame their spirit. 
Akla is worshiped by many, but his anti-social behavior is, particularly in modern times, viewed as a warning. While independence is not in and of itself inherently bad, Akla's behavior is sometimes detrimental as it pushes others away and leaves him to fend for himself; even the solitary Akla sometimes requires the help of his Clan to overcome obstacles.
===== Xitav =====
Xitav is the god of the sky, light, sleep, meditation, and dreams. Though he is the embodiment of the sun, Xitav is generally calm and reserved, spending much of his time in meditation while his radiant rays bring light and warmth to those around him. He meditates to tame his sometimes temperamental spirit, which can transform his radiance into a scorching heat that brings with it drought and fire. Being nocturnal by nature, the Repzork use Xitav's time to rest, either sleeping or basking in the sun to warm themselves and recharge. Xitav predominantly communicates to his followers through dreams and during meditation.
===== Faea =====
The wife of Xitav, Faea is the goddess of darkness, constellations, space travel, the Void, and visions. She is the most prominent of the solar deities, embodying the hours in which Repzork society is most active, the night. Her prominence has only grown with the advent of space travel, with the goddess now considered crucial to the empire's continued survival in much the way that Faiok once was. She is credited for having produced the wormhole that led the Repzork to Alrukai during the Second Exodus, and is thus regarded as a national hero. Appropriately, Faea has an outgoing and energetic personality, but whereas Xitav can bring searing heat, Faea retains an inner peace which she employs to soothe Xitav's anger. Faea uses visions to communicate with her followers.
===== Yinve =====
The daughter of Xitav and Faea, Yinve, known also as the Blood Dancer, is the goddess of lust, dance, joy, parties, intoxication, dawn/dusk, youth, and beauty. She is often described as the most worldly of the gods; unconcerned with the future and the inevitable end of all things, Yinve lives in the present, making most of the time she has available to enjoy herself and spread joy to others. She will host lavish parties in which she and those attending lose their inhibitions in an intoxicated haze and indulge in their desires. She is also known for traveling throughout the realms and lodging with whoever permits her; one notable story involves both Hruthvar and Hruthvair. She is also close friends with Akla, who admires her free-spirited nature and her beauty. Being unmarried, Yinve is free to go from partner to partner as she pleases without consequence. 
Because of her overt association with physical desire, Yinve is often misunderstood by outsiders. While Yinve does embody carnal lust, her lust refers to desire in general, such as a desire for adventure or battle. Likewise, her intoxication is also interpreted to mean that one has lost themselves to whatever activity they are engaging in at the moment. In fact, Yinve has shown a particular thrill for adrenaline and combat, with some stories depicting Yinve painting herself with and dancing in an enemy's blood as she cuts them down, earning her title as the Blood Dancer. As a result, Yinve is a popular deity among shock troopers and Chosen. 
Nevertheless, Yinve is among the more contentious of the gods. Few take issue with her broad attributes, but while her carnal behavior is to some degree expected and even permitted among the youth, sects cannot agree on whether or not it should carry over into adulthood. Some firmly believe that an individual should either settle down and marry, abandoning their wild youth, or instead commit themselves to another deity, generally Athovat, once they are of age. Others view this course of action as demeaning to Yinve and needlessly constricting.
===== Hunovo =====
Hunovo is the god of money, business, trade, and ethics. A close associate of Oltavar, Saertu, and Visar, Hunovo manages Oltar's treasury and acts as the middleman in the clan's affairs with outsiders. He ensures that all exchanges and agreements are fair and that both parties receive the exact compensation they had agreed to. He almost exclusively utilizes oaths in his dealings as an extra layer of assurance and to dissuade parties from attempting to alter the deal at a later date. Hunovo is also an advocate for the common worker, demanding that their masters treat them with dignity and provide them with fair wages. Those who fail to heed Hunovo are said to be cursed with poverty in the afterlife.
===== Nilzeli =====
Nilzeli is the goddess of snow, ice, mountains, melancholy, burial, and ancestral worship. As the queen of Lyrthra, Nilzeli spends much of her time among mortal souls, particularly those in need of comfort. As a result, she has taken a keen interest in the mortal world, and is said to often visit merely to observe how mortals live and to occasionally comfort the relatives of the deceased. Though associated with death, she is gentle and benign, leaving the role of judge to Saertu and Golgolag. However, she will curse those who intentionally defile one's funeral or grievously offend their ancestors.
===== Golgolag =====
Golgolag is the god of frostbite, hypothermia, divine punishment, revenge, fear, and nightmares. He and his servants punish those who are sent to the Pit for committing heinous crimes. Golgolag's punishments depend on the crime and its severity; for example, if one's crime was of breaking a blood oath, the perpetrator's blood will be drained by ripping away one or both wings. Once the punishment has been delivered and the guilty proves innocent, Golgolag will then allow them to leave, though the scars of their punishment will remain with them forever. Among his brethren, he is Oltar's enforcer, using his immense strength and powers over fear to ensure that those who deal with the clan perform their part of the deal. 
Some sects associate Golgolag with war, him and his servants embodying the terror and confusion of combat. This is especially true in some branches of Central Intelligence which make use of his iconography.
Despite his connections to the underworld and to ice, Golgolag is not related to Nilzeli, instead having been born directly from chaos.
===== Athovat =====
Athovat is the goddess of strength, perseverance, athleticism, sports, sharpshooting, and chastity. She is the opposite of Yinve, denying herself any and all worldly pleasures in the pursuit of glory and strength. She is constantly training, testing her own willpower, or exploring the world in search of challenges to overcome and beasts to slay. As a result, she has become Oltar's best fighter, surpassed only by the deceased Riigr, who had been Athovat's closest companion. After mourning his death, she vowed revenge against the Nygalara and is said to be awaiting the day that she can avenge her companion. 
Athovat's relationship with Yinve is contentious. Some myths depict Athovat holding the dawn goddess in outright contempt, though others show that they can and often do tolerate one another from a distance. Nevertheless, this does not stop Yinve from trying to win Athovat over, though she has yet to succeed.
===== Faiok =====
Faiok is the god of the oceans, floods, fishing, the tide, and navigation. Much like the ocean, Faiok is unpredictable and enigmatic. He can be calm one moment, and then enter a state of intense anger the next. He holds himself and high regards, and shows great respect for those who can traverse the raging seas. In ages past, he was considered a major god due to the necessity of ocean travel, particularly during and after the First Exodus. Fishing was a major industry throughout Repzork history as Kalkria's cold climate made it difficult to grow many crops. But as ships were supplanted by aircraft and then by starships, Faiok has fallen from the wayside and effectively became a niche god, though his connection with navigation has helped to keep him relevant beyond the lives of sailors and fishermen.
===== Yuvon =====
Yuvon is the wife of Faiok and the goddess of beaches, sand, oases, gift-giving, and glass. Though little is recorded of her, she is regarded as being just as important as any other god, as she saw beauty even in the most hospitable of environments, made use of that which was once thought to be useless, and possessed a boundless, soothing positivity. Many consider her to be the most loving and compassionate of the Oltar gods as her stories resolve solely around teaching and helping those in need; she can fight, but is only ever shown to engage in sparring matches with Riigr when he visited her. Some sects go as far as to claim that Yuvon is a pacifist, though this is disputed.
===== Vyras =====
Vyras is the goddess of illusion, deception, lies, theft, and espionage. She is a relatively recent addition to Oltar, having been first recorded shortly before the First Exodus; unfortunately, due to the timing, a great deal of information regarding Vyras was lost, leaving her origins uncertain. It is known that, though she is a member of the clan, Vyras is viewed almost as an outsider by some deities, such as Hunovo, as they find it difficult to trust her. Vyras often uses her powers to punish individuals for hubris and to acquire information for Oltavar when others cannot. The goddess also has a more playful side which she often presents during festivals, though not to the same extreme degree as Yinve.
=== Nefal ===
Nefal is an umbrella term describing entities born of the primordial chaos after the Gods had established the world. Syleris is a notable example of a Nefal, though there are many others described in the Oltelkar, such as the Chereg, which are described as a race of flying serpents who roam the edges of creation; Xalku, mischievous spirits which use deception to bind mortals to their will; and the Tyrg, ghostly figures which drain the life of those who come too close. The Nefal are not a unified force, with every individual or group having its own agenda. Though many are in some way hostile towards the current cycle, some have willingly sided with the Gods or are simply ambivalent. Nefal are not typically subjects of worship, but some communities do make offerings to certain Nefal in exchange for a gift or blessing.
=== Foreign Gods ===
Foreign gods are those deities which exist outside of the Oltar Clan. As mentioned previously, it is believed that all sapient races have at least one deity associated with them, including all participants of the ongoing Great War. Many Repzork hold to the belief that actions in their world can to some extent mirror those in the spirit realm; thus, just as the Repzork fight the Peacekeepers, so to are Oltar fighting the gods of the Peacekeeper races. These foreign gods are often used in media to represent nations. None are expected to worship a foreign god, just as no foreigner is expected to worship an Oltar god, but many foreign deities have nevertheless earned the Repzork's respect, notable among them being the Diab goddess Haratahavi, a statue of whom was built on Baltreos by the Repzork following the planet's capture. The statue is dedicated to those Diabs who died honorable deaths.
=== Mythical Figures ===
==== Telkevon & Kilune ====
Telkevon and Kilune, male and female respectively, were the first Repzork, and thus are the parents of the entire Repzork species. It is said that Telkevon and Kilune became monarchs of the first Telkevan kingdom, and that their bloodline gave rise to what is now the Nezekar dynasty, as well as some or all of the other dynasties of the pre-exodus Telkevan era. Though not regarded as gods, they are revered as the 'primordial ancestors'. 
==== Yolkavach ====
Yolkavach is a legendary figure from the Oltelkar. Found as a lone egg in the woods by the gods, Yolkavach was raised as one of their own and became wise and mighty. Unfortunately, this developed pride in the young man, which emerged as a hot temper that would lead to his downfall when he broke a blood oath by slaying the man with whom he had forged the oath. He was then killed and brought to Golgolag, who had his wings ripped off and his body branded with the mark of the kinslayer. Yolkavach pleaded for an opportunity to redeem himself. Oltavar, because of Yolkavach's previous loyalty, gave him a list of challenges including the slaying of wild beasts, the retrieval of items stolen from the gods, and most importantly, making amends with the ancestral spirits of the slain man. If he succeeded, all would be forgiven. Yolkavach was placed back in his mortal body, but still bore the scars he had acquired from Golgolag, making him an outcast among the people. After many years of struggle, during which some of the gods either hampered or helped him, he achieved his assignments and made peace with the man whom he had killed. In recognition for his deeds, Yolkavach was made whole and forgiven of all crimes. He would live the rest of his days as a traveling storyteller and a royal advisor. 
The story of Yolkavach teaches various lessons, most notable among them being the severity of oaths and of kinslaying and the fact that that while one must work tirelessly to atone for their crimes, forgiveness is indeed possible for all but the most grievous of offenses.
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