The Pantheon

## The Six

Before all things, there were the gods. They alone existed in a hollow void of unrealized potential; the "Ginnungagap" in the old Dwarves tongue. In times unknown, the gods came together in a moment of creation, and brought reality into being.

The six gods, affectionately referred to as "The Six", are an immaterial pantheon of deities of immense power that created the universe and mortals. They feed off of the psychic energies and actions of their mortal creations. Their relationship with their creations are akin to a symbiotic need of one another. Every action a mortal takes fuels them, granting them more influence over aspects of the mortal world.  In turn, mortals rely on them for their gifted creation and life. The six are neither evil nor good; merely necessary for reality to exist. Through some great and arcane cataclysm many eons ago, all of creation within this universe came to be.  The primal aspects of the Six came together, after which the gods themselves seemingly departed the mortal plane in its entirety. They reside now in their respective elemental planes, far from the intrusive gaze of mortal eyes.

Even without the gods' presence, their influence and power remains woven within the very fabric of the world. Each god represents a fundamental element that makes up the fabric of reality and their creations. These elements of creation, remnants of each god’s energy (commonly referred to as Aether), and their influence gave rise to Malm, shaping the world and all things in it. Aether in its many varieties forms the building blocks of all matter. Through study, a mortal can gain the ability to manipulate this energy, most commonly known as Magick. The Elves, one of the oldest remaining of the mortal races, still worship the Six as their sovereign gods, even as their understanding of them fades with the centuries.

* Nom’ani, The Brilliant: Avatar of light. She is the embodiment of order and stagnancy.
* Fion, the Blaze: Avatar of fire, and war. He is the embodiment of power and destruction.
* Jion, the Swift: Avatar of air, and time. She is the embodiment of speed, travel, and the winds of fate.
* Kui, the Unbound: Avatar of water. She is the embodiment of life and adaptability.
* Ul’El’Baren, the Unmoving: Avatar of earth. He is the embodiment of wisdom, steadfastness, and death.
* Zom, the Umbral: Avatar of dark. He is the embodiment of chaos and change.

The elements of creation have a considerable influence over the mortal realm, and the beings within it. The living soul may be considered to be a tiny echo of the gods’ senses of identity and will, giving form to a living creature for the span of it’s life. As such, while the gods may influence the living, so too may the living influence the gods. Knowledge, emotion, and will may manifest into physical and esoteric power, through the essences of the Elements.  It is perhaps no surprise then, that faith and prayer have a very real impact on both the world and the self. When a living being willingly and truly devotes itself to one of the six, that devotion, in time, impacts the balance of their mana and soul, shifting the blend of their intermingled essences to lean in favor of their patron.

### The Godborn and Lowborn races

Amongst the races that live on Malm, only three races are what is known as "Godborne"; those mortal species whomst were directly fashioned into existence by the gods themselves. Elves, Monsters, And Dwarves were forged from the Six’s hands to roam Malm itself. The Elves from water, the Dwarves from fire, and the Monsters from earth itself. The Humans, Beastfolk, and most all of the Monsters of Malm gradually came to be in the countless years since, evolving through means yet lost to history. It is as such that Elves hold their reverence to the Six in the highest regard, while the other races remain far less concerned with such piety. These mortals, born of the Six or not, still feed into their plans with every action they take.  Thus, they nourish the gods further.

## Ascended Beings

### Helma

Helma is a notable deity, worshiped by Imperial Humans of Asien. While originally a mortal Human, she ascended through the collective willpower and belief of her followers. Such a faith was enough to drive the aether of the world to gather around her, much as aether bends to the faithful of the Six.  In time, a massive amalgam of aether infused and empowered the human saint, elevating Helma into something more than a wayward soul. Her true nature escapes even the most faithful of her human constituents, and yet they remain ever faithful to her, never questioning her benevolence and light. To humanity, she is an eerie reflection of their collective will, made manifest in the Weave. She is their deepest desires, dreams, and determination. She is an eternal mother to humanity; guiding them, teaching them, protecting them from the ills of the world. Or so they believe.

### Legendary monsters

There are monsters across Malm which hold a power high above others of their kind. They are creatures of legend who reside in every reach of Malm. The stories told of these mighty beasts feed their power, allowing it to grow far beyond that of their more common brethren.

### Ascension

Much like the six, when an emotion or belief in the mortal realm grows strong or widespread enough across the world or universe, it becomes embodied as a sentient denizen who can grow and feed from a continuation of said emotion or belief.

## The Mother Tree

 Deep in the province of Sha'an a gift from the gods in the form of a tree lay rooted. This tree is known as the "Mother Tree" (By many others it goes by "The World Tree") The mother tree is primarily followed and protected by the beastkin tribes, notably, the Union. The belief system of the Union varies from tribe to tribe, but most follow a core set of spiritual doctrines.

The heart of the Union’s spiritual hierarchy revolves around the Mother tree. This towering oak reaches dozens of kilometers into the skies, and spans far more in every direction from its massive trunk. It is said that the World Tree is the spiritual heart of Malm, and that the flow of the mana of the world originates from its roots. The Beastkin believe that the tree's condition reflects that of the entire planet. When Malm is threatened, thus does the Tree wither.

 Following the Great Monster War, it is written that a great branch of the World Tree fell, sparking panic and premonitions of the end of times among the various Shamans of the disparate beast tribes. Following this event, a great council of the Elders and Shamans of the tribes was called, and it was here that the one who would become the first Mag'ii of the Union spoke on the coming together of the tribes, to reverse the damage done to Malm, and restore the World Tree. Much deliberation carried on in the weeks that followed, but in the end the Elders, Chieftains, and Shamans of the tribes agreed to an alliance, and thus the Union was formed.

## The Great Symmetry

Those who venture too far into their patron’s domain will find their souls colored almost entirely to their element, and eventually, corrupted in both body and mind. While worship and devotion will most commonly shift the balance of the mortal soul’s own magick, worship on a continental scale can in turn shift the balance of the Fundaments themselves.

Worship by a great number of souls will impact the degree to which a god’s power influences the land, tilting its balance with the others like weights upon a scale. Should any one god’s worship outstrip the others by a great margin, for a great enough time, so too will their influence over nature. The balance of the land itself will shatter, and a great cataclysm anchored in the exacerbated aspect will consume all things. Such a great calamity has happened only once since the departure of the Six, so long ago that nary a mortal alive in this day could hope to remember it.  Not a soul, not even the fabric of reality itself, could hope to survive a second fracture. Smaller imbalances happen more frequently, and are generally less impactful than a cataclysm, but are still quite dire, such as an increase in Darkness bringing about great foes like the Shadow Lord and his legions of Chaos.

Each god's power has a profound impact on nature, holding the universe together in a very delicate balance. Their respective elements and the emotions connected to them provide the very framework for all of creation. Each god receives its strength from the actions of mortals, intentional or not. The more users of a god’s element, the more powerful that respective god’s presence will become. However, if one force or god becomes too powerful, the delicate balance of nature can shift, requiring balance to be restored for the sake of all beings.

When neglected gods hunger, they will intervene more directly to restore the balance. Gods whose aspects wane will send forth champions to spread their influence upon Malm. An example of one such champion is the Shadow Lord; an agent of Zom.

## The Wheel

The Symmetry lends itself to another fundamental truth within the world, one that is not truly understood, nor observed, by most of the mortal races. In truth, only a few of the most ancient of creatures, such as dragons, may have even noticed such a thing within the world. The reason being for this is rather simple: the so-called "Wheel of Fundaments" is a process so slow in its progress, that few creatures live long enough to witness it in its entirety, much less understand its presence within the world.

In simplest terms, the Wheel is a cycle in which the aetheric balance of the world gradually shifts, ever so slightly favoring a single one of the six fundaments at a time. This change may happen in any number of ways, but it almost certainly always occurs, and in doing so precipitates times of great change within the living beings that dwell upon Malm and beyond. This means the cycle alternates between ages of great chaos and destruction, then times of reformation and peace, and repeats once more. It oft takes at least a millenia for this cycle to fully complete itself, but as per the nature of the symmetry, the actions of the living may speed or slow this process in turn.

Beginning from the zenith, the order is as such:

* **The Dawn of Nom'ani**
* **The Crest of Kui**
* **The Embers of Fion**
* **The Twilight of Zom**
* **The Breath of Jion**
* **The Bloom of Ul'El'Baren**

The stages within the cycle may also be known in more scholarly terms: Creation, Expansion, Upheaval, Destruction, Dispersion, Reformation. As each fundament waxes within the world, so too do the world and those living within it come under the influence of that facet of the six. The rise of Nom'ani's light sees the greatest heights of peace, while the decline into the depths of Zom's shadow foretells the coming of great discord, chaos and war. Even as the precise happenings of each cycle vary with the will and acts of those who live within it, the cycle itself remains a permanent fixture within the events of history. It promises war, but so too does it promise peace. The Elves, one of the longest living races, make reference to these cycles of time in their calendars.

## The "After Realms"

When a mortal passes on, they will first meet with an entity named "Death", and their souls will be judged and after they will be passed on to one of the gods’ "After Realms". Death will sort souls depending on the life they led or whatever god held the most influence over them.  These are spaces constructed by the six after creation, where they reside beyond mortal reach. Though set aside for themselves, they nonetheless welcome their followers with open arms after their passing.

Death is a creation of Ul’El’Baren. It exists as a pathway for aether to return to its respective worshiped deity after the mortal passes on.

Life is a creation of Kui. It is the entity that creates affinity for the gods’ will in mortals. It sets newly created mortals upon their destined path.

These two entities work together respectively under the guidance of the gods to keep order within the distribution of aether.

### The Void

The After Realms and Malm exist within a “bubble” of creation. The space outside of this bubble is a featureless realm of nothingness and manifest will. The void is not of the gods, and thus, any entity, be it creature or object, is slowly eroded of its aether while in this realm, corroding its very existence. Magick in the traditional sense does not function within the Void, as the aether that feeds it is not present. Within the Void, the unprotected will find their spirit slowly drawn from them, weakening their body and mind over time. Those that are sapped completely of their aether, become husks of their former self.  These mindless creatures are driven only with the need to feed, and are known as the Voidlings.

There are far older and more terrifying entities within the expanse of the Void, unknowable in their age and true origins, who may dwarf even The Six in their power. There are hushed tales of some beings making deals with the ancient denizens of the Void in exchange for power, however the details of such pacts are hidden well.

Within the expanses of this realm, willpower may manifest into tangible reality. An especially potent will may be able to create from the nothingness, much as the Gods themselves did long ago. In some rare instances, tears in the fabric of reality have drawn portions of Malm into the Void, dooming any hapless individuals pulled within, and leaving the corroded husks of their civilization floating within the realm for brave or foolish adventurers to discover.

## Elder Gods

Deities of whom little is known. They existed long before the creation of the Six, or any god of Malm. Some scholars postulate that they themselves created The Six, and were the curators of the universe before them. However, these are simply theories, and not much is known of their true origin, or intentions. It is unclear how many there could be, or what the extent of their power is. Currently there is one known to have revealed themselves, by the name of "Mahna", that takes the form of a whimsical owl. According to Mahna, Elder gods exist inside the Void.