The Old Gods

The Old Gods refer to a collection of religions and mythologies. They were worshipped throughout large parts of Dliharia in the old days, but are now mostly forgotten in the continent. Still, in places such as the Deep Woods of Olmar and the Wastelands of Galkav, tribes pray to these gods, and the legend says that these prayers are often answered.

### **Dorian, God of Fertility**

Although Dorian is thought to be infertile now, he still blesses unfruitful men with his miracles.

### **Kartollys, God of Bloodthirst and Combat**

Main article: Kartollys
When times of war approach, offerings are made to appease Kartollys, with the intention of preventing war entirely. As first hinted in *The Council of Tragisora*, Kartollys was attempting to invade the realm of humanity. He and his armies had been fighting the demigod Fertrik for thousands of years, locked in battle. Kartollys finally killed Fertrik in the prologue to *Melody of Anguish*, using the Broken Blade of Menkis, which has the power to bypass immortality and cause permanent wounds, impossible to heal. Before dying, Fertrik managed to lightly injure Kartollys with the blade. Kartollys himself was defeated at the end of the book, but it is speculated that his death was not permanent.

### **Fertrik, Demigod of Companionship**

Main article: Fertrik
Fertrik, born of Dorian and an unnamed human was the demigod of companionship. For thousands of years, she was locked in battle against Kartollys and his armies. She knew she could never win, as her enemies could return from death, but she could not lose either as she was immortal. She fought, alone, in order to save humanity from ruin, knowing fully well that she would have to fight forever. She was slain using the Broken Blade of Menkis, but slashed Kartollys across the chest before succumbing to her injury. The last thing she saw before dying was the gate to the human world opening, letting her see it for the first time in thousands of years, which gave her an unexpected feeling of hope. As Dorian is infertile, Cevriks speculated that Fertrik being his kin was a prank played by some other god or gods, one of which would be Fertriks true parent.

### **Donjaran (meaning the world horse)**

*Donjaran*, (sometimes *Donyaran*, *Ton'Jaran*, *the world horse*), is the one-eyed horse that pulls each part of the cosmos and keeps things moving. Time will never stop as long as the Donjaran lives. Tribes believe that when the days become longer and the nights never seem to end, the Donjaran is slowing down, and the end of its life approaches. Nothing lives forever, they believe, not even the Donjaran. Finally, *Mungkasi* (the infinite day) will arrive and the horse will be dead. Nothing will ever sleep again and the world will end.

### **Trigavine, God of Withering**

Trigavine, elder sister of Harrust, plays an important role in many devotions of The Old Gods. It is unclear exactly what responsibilities Trigavine holds, but many believe her to be the cause of withering, ageing, and, even in some cases, death - a responsibility she shares with Karlast. Trigavine plays a vital role in the cycle of life and death, balancing the weight of both the lack of life, i.e. creatures not yet born, and death. It is also believed that Trigavine holds the responsibility of ageing and withering creatures, with many different reasons as to why this is. Through her work, and with the help of her brother, she maintains the delicate balance of living, growing, ageing, and dying.

### **Harrust, God of Growth**

Harrust, younger brother of Trigavine, holds opposite duties to that of his sister. Harrust holds the blessing of growth and that of fostering life. Although vitaly important to the balance of the living and of the dead, Harrust’s role is believed by those following The Old Gods to be much more insignificant than that of his sister. It is common for those believing in The Old Gods to put a much stronger emphasis on death and the lack of life than it is to emphasise life itself. This is mostly the result of the religion’s followers believing that death and not yet being born are identical states of non-existence while one’s life is just but a short break in between these states of being.

### **Karlast, Ender of Minds**

Karlast, a creature believed to look incredibly macabre, is tasked with harvesting those who have found themselves and the end of their natural lifetime. Karlast holds no responsibilities in harvesting those who die of disease, war-wounds or anything except the disease of ageing. Through his collaboration with Trigavine, Karlast takes those who have lived out the entirety of their natural lives and puts them back to the state they were in before being born. Many have described his collaboration with Trigavine as a very peaceful harvesting, something akin to the harvesting of a ripe fruit, with Trigavine being responsible for the ripening, and Karlast responsible for the harvesting.