Religion

The Old Tenossian Pantheon is widely regarded as the dominant religion across Thenos. It is made up of fifteen gods and goddesses, each with their own attributes, realms, personalities, champions, and devotions. There is no supreme deity, though some gods are worshipped more widely than others. The Pantheon encompasses traditionally “good” deities and those with a positive influence on Thenos, as well as their mortal enemies. Certain populations or regions may have a preference for a god or goddess, or view them as their patron. If a deity of the Old Tenossian looks favorably enough upon a mortal, they may take them as a champion, bestowing them with gifts, apparitions, goals, and honor. Champions of traditionally evil gods and goddesses should especially be treated with extreme caution.

## Pantheon

Silva, goddess of the forests, harvest, and natural growth

Gallus, god of the skies, honor, and hunting

Lammus, god of the hills, justice, and blacksmithing

Canopius, god of the wild, archery, and song

Koraphas, goddess of the plague, poison, and unnatural death

Nefas, goddess of caves, bitter cold, and anger

Krivya, god of the mountaintops, fire, and betrayal

Fester, god of the underworld, filth, and necromancy

Aurelia, goddess of the city, motherhood, and pure life

Evander, god of the suns, light, and birth

Sonera, goddess the shadows, stealth, and survival

Lucien, god of the stars, candor, and fair trade

Adrian, god of the ocean, tide, and the cycle of life and death

Gorund, god of the plains, crafting, and acts of service

Helene, goddess of the moons, dreams and nightmares, and ancestors

## History

Tradition holds that before recorded history, the Old Tenossian deities lived in harmony on the plane of Altus. The land that would come to be called Thenos was molded into creation out of the matter of the universe, each god moving toward a section that would be their own. Silva grew branches into the forests, Helene and Evander hung the moons and suns in the sky, Krivya built the mountains on top of Lammus’ hills, and all the other gods and goddesses too established their niche on the island. Naturally, gods friendly to each other grew close and breathed life into the land they would occupy and nurture together. When this grew to become too much work, and conflicts arose between territory, morals, and personalities, certain gods created mortals in their image and in their individual desires for the island, and thus the Archaic Age began with the Great Creation.

## Worship

Different territories and groups have several ways to worship the Old Gods. In all seven major cities, there are street shrines and plaques abound for several deities, though a patron or patroness of a city would have the most dedication. Fallhaven, a populated and diverse area, has representation for nearly all good and neutral gods, where Mellmere is almost exclusively dedicated to Aurelia. Public worship or religious displays for evil gods and their worshippers is not illegal under Thenos law, but is highly discouraged and these displays are subject to destruction and vandalism with no penalty. The exception to this sentiment is worship of Krivya in Hellrend, being the shaper of the fell-walkers in Hellrend himself. All seven major cities (and Frostjarn) have at least one temple dedicated to a number of Old Tenossian gods, where offerings, priests, and blessings can be found.

## Regional and notable practices

* Fallhaven has the largest amount of religious diversity of any area in Thenos. All fifteen gods and goddesses have some type of shrine or building dedicated to their worship, even evil deities. Religious disagreements are common, and defacement of rival temples, shrines, or statues accounts for a number of crimes weekly. Nevertheless, there is more scholarship on Old Tenossian religion in the libraries of Fallhaven than anywhere else, and there are surely priests of all gods to be found roaming the aisles and streets of this area.
* Ravenwood is a deeply spiritual realm, owing much of their bounty and cultural history to Silva and Canopius. These two gods, commonly depicted as lovers in Wood Elven history, represent the nurturing and rich side of forests (Silva) as well as the wild, unpredictable, and intense (Canopius). The elves of Ravenwood are quite fond of statues and iconography, and one can observe numbers of statues lining Ravenwood territory before even approaching the realm’s official boundaries. Silva and Canopius are widely worshipped, though Ravenwood has no official religious decrees, and some wilder wood elves can be found following the teachings of Gallus.
* Mellmere is widely known for its singular, ordained worship of Aurelia, though Evander is also held in high esteem due to his partnership with Aurelia. The high elves have boasted for hundreds of years that the Golden Lady has blessed them with strong walls, long life, a healthy city, and protection from evil deities who would do them harm. Every block in the golden city has some reference to Aurelia, and the most magnificent temple is dedicated to her and Evander at the top of the city hill, adjacent to Mellmere Keep. Aurelian worship is required by law, though this is rarely “enforced” due to overwhelming generational support for the goddess already.
* The Blackwater monks in the Lost Isles have a special relationship with the goddess Sonera, who is rumored to have helped the first headmaster Krieg in forming the monastery and imparting her wisdom on its shadowy arts. Though not much is known of the monastery’s esoteric practices, it is common knowledge that Sonera and the Blackwater monks have been connected since the First Age.
* Hellrend and its fell-walkers have a special relationship with Krivya, dating back to the Great Creation of the Archaic Age. Krivya blessed his race with long life, unique abilities, and craftsmanship in a way that no other deity did at the time, though choosing to make the fell-walkers evil in his endeavor. Thus, the fell-walker citizens of Hellrend and its diaspora praise their creator and spurn other gods and goddesses, especially those of light, life, and good will such as Evander, Aurelia, Gorund, and Gallus. Krivya is the only evil deity to be openly worshipped in a major city of Thenos.
* The Blue Dragonskins, a specific but impressively influential clan of dragonskins originating near Hornhall, worship Evander and spread his word as an inquisitorial squad. Toward the end of the Third Age and into the Dusk Age, they forcefully converted hundreds of Hornhall citizens and punished those who did not repent. From Year 319 of the Third Age onward, they swore a pact under Ishmael Emmanuel, then-leader of the Blue Dragonskin clan, that they would follow him through inquisitorial conversion missions for as long as they lived and served Evander. Shortly after the beginning of the Red Plague which began the Dusk Age, they left Hornhall and migrated to Ash Town, where they believed the unstable conditions of failed revolution and corrupt baron rule would provide easy grounds for conversion. Within the first year of the Dusk Age, while the Red Plague ravished populations, the clan began converting Ash Town residents and enacting forceful rule while essentially turning the baron into a figurehead, with the concessions of forgiving everyone’s bounty and jail time from the failed Third Age revolts and providing food and supplies to Evander worshippers taking care of Red Plague victims. After the events of the Red Plague and Dusk Age, they relinquished their rule and left Ash Town a more pleasant place, with many residents still choosing to peacefully worship Evander.
* Hornhall is a more lawless place, leaving many disillusioned with the concept of religion, especially after the inquisitorial Blue Dragonskins left their mark. Though the city has run for hundreds of years, it is well ahead of others in terms of filth and crime, and evil gods (particularly Fester) have more representation in Hornhall than other urban areas. Residents of Hornhall, if they choose to participate in religious rites at all, prefer to leave offerings and sacrifices outside their doors to the gods they decide to worship (instead of proper temples or shrines).
* While dark elves have no official realm of their own, the diaspora and enclaves almost exclusively pray to Lucien and Helene. They view the two patrons of the night sky as fair gods, compassionate to their cause. The lack of a physical city or territory means they cannot craft temples or statues, and many dark elves who choose to practice spirituality commonly wear amulets, rings, or carry small religious artifacts to remind them of their faith.

## Relations between deities

* Helene and Evander are historical enemies, dichotomous to each other. Prior to the Great Creation and Archaic Age, in the time before mortals, they warred for hundreds of years over their shared presence in the sky before coming to a stalemate as mortals came into creation. Gallus, god of the sky itself, warned that their relationship could tear his realm apart, so they agreed that the sky would finally reflect their creations, opposite of each other. Evander and his suns could blossom during the day, reflecting on growth, life, and progression, while Helene and the moons illuminated the movements of the night, joining an old friend Lucien as his stars appeared too.