The Old Gods

*"Should we trust him"*
*"He says he's a God, so surely he could kill us if he wanted to?"*
*"Maybe he's a trickster God and this is him trying to kill us?"*
A conversation between Morival the Last Dragon Rider, and Laura the Cleric, regarding the wisdom of following an "Old God's" instruction of driving a silver knife into their chests

## Pantheon

### General

Unlike the New Gods, this pantheon appeared to be formed with no coherent reason or pattern, and with no clear number or reports of the deities within. According to Sellederre culture, every conceivable force upon the world of Varia is in some way attributable to one of the deities, meaning that hundreds, if not thousands of divine beings must have existed prior to the Period of Ruination.

The identity of the Old Gods, or “Lost Gods”, have been fiercely debated, with some claiming them to be a species apart from man, and others claiming them to be mere mortals held above others of the time as heroes. What little knowledge of them we now have is what has been passed through folklore and rumour, for little by way of documentation survived the destructive forces of the period of ruination. Perhaps most famous of those folklores is that of the tongue twister “Ilthin’s bane”:

Ilthin’s bane,

Was cloven in twain,

Atop the fields,

Of Abernday Cleald,

No more walks,

The dotherny hawks,

For tall one Bizzard,

Took his Gizzard,

And threw it down for the lizards!

When’s done is done,

Rriseth the sun,

And no more will to-morrow,

When’s done is done,

gone is the fun,

And no more will to-morrow.

To you I say,

Listen this day,

To knoweth the way,

To-morrow!

Through the fire,

You must aspire,

Or fate conspire,

Lest ye be dire!

When’s done is done,

riseth the sun,

And no more will to-morrow,

When’s done is done,

gone is the fun,

And no more will to-morrow.

Tall one Bizzard,

No longer a wizard,

Rose like a blizzard,

Only to be withered!

The witherer be gone,

Before too long,

And alls gone to wrong,

So don’t hold your tongue!

When’s done is done,

riseth the sun,

And no more will to-morrow,

When’s done is done,

gone is the fun,

And no more will to-morrow.

Debates over the origin and meaning of the rhyme are many, though most agree that it was written some time after the ruination of the land, and relates to the warring nature of The Lost God’s or their disciples. The cause for their warring nature is unknown, though some scholars have suggested an innate desire for power or supremecy as being the primary cause.

### Worship

Worship of the Old Gods was more akin to what would now be considered slavery. Certainly, the relationship appears to have been entirely one-way, with humanity being treated as slaves by their divine counterparts. This is perhaps most evident in Sellederre culture, which most closely resembles a pre-ruination civilisation, complete with a cultural reverence of pre-ruination artefacts, and deeply entrenched religious slavery and hierarchal systems.

## Influence

### Culture

Culturally, the Old Gods shaped the ancient and modern world. Their enslavement of humanity ensured that much of ancient civilisation was based around their worship. With the period of ruination that came about by their departure, the ancient world was reshaped into modern geography, an apocalyptic process resulting in great scars upon the landscape. Because of this, the Old Gods often feature in cultural works, either as feared or despised beings of intense anger, arrogance, and cruelty.

### Direct

The Old Gods seem to have been able to manifest physically within the mortal world. Certainly, Diascurom was reputed to have been able to do so, and ancient depictions indicate that other Old Gods were also able to do so. It is this oddity which has left some scholars to question the origins of these beings, and whether or not they could truly be considered Gods, or simply highly arcane beings.

## Power

Without a doubt, the Old Gods were immensely powerful beings, capable of performing destructive deeds far superior to any mortal. A common pseudonym for the Old Gods was simply The Immortals, referring to their apparently immortal nature. Powerful arcane mastery is suspected for their immortal status, and also to their immense destructive capabilities.

Little is known of their creative capabilities aside from the presence of extremely rare and odd magical artefacts dating back to pre-ruination times. These artefacts are thought to have once been close personal belongings of the Gods, and it is believed that power still resonates within these artefacts. Though millennia old, for the most part, these artefacts seem to remain partially functional, indicating at the immense power that must have gone into creating them.