Pantheons

## The Old Gods

Worshiped in Andikhat before the discovery of the Seven Powers and the founding of the Six Nations - ancient and ineffable, the Old Gods have fallen to the wayside as the pantheons of each race and nation begin to take more priority. There is no proof they exist.

## The Seven Powers

The Seven Powers are miraculous objects of great import, each of the nations worships one in particular with its energy expanding throughout the country and influencing their way of thinking. What the Seven Powers are exactly isn't quite known, but they cannot be destroyed and they cannot have their powers diminished.

The Seven Powers have chosen nations that they have changed and manipulated over the centuries, and physical marks known as Sigils can develop on the bodies of those with a strong connection to one of the Powers - granting unusual abilities.

Example: Khor Ralais has the First Power and its effects are more commonly seen on Ralaisan citizens, while its not unheard of for someone of another nation to have a tie to the First Power it is very rare.

The Seven Powers are:

The First Power, Might - You are Ralaisan and know that true power comes from within, not without. Only by understanding that you yourself must be mastered to be able to master the world can you exercise any modicum of strength.

The Second Power, Savant - You are Sidrin and seek to see the world as it could be, a visionary who sees beyond the now and into the possible, or even beyond. You know that the truth is never found, and that you must always be seeking to understand.

The Third Power, Faith - You are Jeledi and know that some things simply are. There isn't always an explanation or a cause or even a reason, and it's okay to not know - from this peace of mind comes clarity and functionality.

The Fourth Power, Mantra - You are Saramese and know that true power comes from community and cooperation,

The Fifth Power, Shikar - You are Khalaihan and know that the world gives more than it takes and that you can always find abundance within it.

The Sixth Power, Sowing - You are Hadan and know the world can be a cruel and dark place by its own design, only through careful cultivation can you truly create a world that can prosper.

The Seventh Power, Cozen - This Power is spoken of only in legends and has never exerted its influence on anyone.

## Saramese Gods

With the most bountiful pantheon, the Saramese have a deity for anything and everything - though their most important are known as the *Seinaru*,

## Khalaihan Spirituality

The Khalaihan are animists who believe that in all things there lies three Souls - or *Din* - these Souls are called: the Name-Soul (ner-din), Clan-Soul (dan-din) and the World-Soul (suna-din).

The Name-Soul is what makes you who you are as an individual - if you lose your Name-Soul after death you become what they refer to as a Ghost (Khii) and you forever seek the sense of self you've lost,

The Clan-Soul helps you tell right from wrong and how to express or suppress your emotions - if you lose your Clan-Soul after death you become what they refer to as a Demon (Jyn), anger and violently desiring life.

The World-Soul connects you to all other creatures, providing a tethering hold to reality and life. Should you lose your World-Soul after death you become what is known as Lost (Ald), completely cut off from all things in the universe to wallow in darkness behind the stars and never to be reclaimed.

The Khalailan are most deeply connected to the Fifth Power.

Beyond this belief in Souls there are several other main facets of Khalaihan spirituality:

The most important locations for the Khalaihan are the Mountain of Ghosts (where the souls of the dead go to unite with the First Tree), the Mountain of the World Spirit (where the World-Spirit lives), and the Sacred Grove (the place where the World-Spirit transforms between its two shapes).

The World-Spirit is the manifestation of the Seven Powers and the divine energy within the planet itself, in the spring and summer he walks as a tall man with the antlers of a stag and in the winter a beautiful woman with red willow branches for hair. He is the most powerful figure in the world, essentially the Khalaihan "God" if there was such a thing in their faith. The World-Spirit demands that the Laws of the Clans be upheld; you must never hunt another hunter and you must use all parts of a felled prey with respect. The World-Spirit sends the prey only if these rules are respected, and withholds them if they are not.

A persons three souls must be kept together at all costs, so before they die you must draw markings on them (a circle over the forehead, heart and on the soles of each foot) - this will help the three souls recognize each other when the person dies. It is customary to lay the dead to rest with items to make the Death-Journey easier... traditionally this includes their bow, six arrows, their dagger and waterskin. As the Hereafter is considered a reward, it is very easy to hunt and survive there so nothing else is truly necessary. You are then forbidden to speak the name of the deceased for five years, or it will draw them back from the Death-Journey to haunt you as a Khii until you do something that will release them.

Rak, or demons, usually trapped in the Otherworld by Khalaihan Shamans - they seek to possess and ravage the world. They can be controlled by a sufficiently powerful Shaman.

Tokoroth are among the most feared creatures in Khalaihan mythology, they are created by Shamans for dark purposes. Firstly, a child is stolen from its parents. The child is kept in the dark, with only enough food and water to barely keep it alive. Once the child has forgotten the touch of its mothers' hand and forgotten its name, it then has become a empty husk, the Shaman summons a demon and traps it inside the child. The demon's souls overpower the child's and controls the child's body - and obeys the will of the Shaman who created it.

The most sacred of all mortal creatures in Khalaihan mythology is a Spirit-Walker, a person with the ability to let their name-soul and clan-soul walk free of their bodies and take control of another creature, provided their will is sufficiently stronger than that of the other. This allows them to know the minds and powers of other beings, they are very rare.

## Ralaisan Gods

The Ralaisans have nine Gods, one devoted to each of the Seven Powers and one to rule over them all, the ninth represents an Absence of the Powers. The Ralaisan Gods are genderless and exist with no form, instead they are everywhere and influencing all things at all times.

It is a common Ralaisan saying that 'We hum and the Gods dance' - meaning that the Gods respond to the Ralaisans and work in their interests rather than the other way around, this belief likely comes from the fact Ralais is most deeply associated with the First Power.

Ajna - The Commander

Prakasa - The Warrior (First Power)

Savali - The Scholar (Second Power)

Aga - The Affirmed (Third Power)

Vara - The Musician (Fourth Power)

Samura - The Hunter (Fifth Power)

Bahara - The Gardener (Sixth Power)

Jivana - The Thief (Seventh Power)

Rikta - The Hollow (Empty)

## Sidrin Sovereigns

The Sidrin have Twelve Gods, though Sidri is less theologically minded than the other nations - seeking to find understanding without divine interference, drawing heavily on the influence of the Second Power for their beliefs. They see the Gods are merely powerful entities

Imis, God of Creation and Chaos

Sinen, God of Wonders and Honesty

Yukti, God of Riddles and Wits

Ralaidat, God Of Hatred and Love

Kalbewah, God Of Youth and Disease

Suraiq, God Of Shelter and Poverty

Charran, Goddess of Beginnings and Endings

Khalah, Goddess Of Luck and Misfortune

Saliya, Goddess of Freedom and Victory

Qhanara, Goddess Of Obscurity and Sorrow

Alos, Goddess of Destruction and Law

## Jeledi Ascended

The Jeledi still have the strongest ties to the Old Gods, being the first nation to form on Andikhat - so there are many temples to the Old Gods across Ain Jeled. They are most heavily associated with the Third Power, Faith.

The Jeledi worship their Ancestors who they believe merge with one of the Old Gods depending on their skills and accomplishments in life,thus strengthening the God, all Jeledi monarchs are believed to be a living embodiment of one of the Old Gods - something that is divined upon their ascension to the throne, at which point they are given the title "-Eliy(u/a/i)" meaning 'Divine'. Eliyu is for men, Eliya is for women, and Eliyi is for any other gender.

They also have a strong reverence for the 'River' - the massive bay that runs through the middle of their country, the water is colored like the Third Power and fades into the lighter blue-green of the Nai'r̥tya, as it floods reliably to revitalize the soil and is entirely navigable and monster-free, they call it *Uruzi* and treat it like a sentient creature.

The Third Power is a massive Labradorite gemstone pillar housed in the central chamber of the Asuhan Palace in Nineya, it is guarded constantly by what amounts to an army and is considered a site of pilgrimage for the Jeledi.

## Hadan Ghosts

The Hada worship mysterious and incorporeal creatures they call the *Arwah* (Spirits in Hadan)*,* with whom they share a symbiotic relationship. Some Hadans can take the Arwah into themselves to grant them a glimpse into mortal life in exchange for great power, they are called *Vihangi* (Whisperer in Hadan), this is a Hadan-specific discipline.

Arwah are not undead creatures, despite what outsiders might think, they are an entirely separate entity. They can change their shape into most anything, but tend to prefer the form of dragonflies. They can't speak the way people can instead 'whispering' and

The Sixth Power is a massive chunk of Amethyst kept in the Sanctuary of Dusk in