The Atenai Pantheon

* Aten
* Aunon
* Arerok
* Aeroe
* Ashalu
* Aphyr

## Important Information

### Being(s) of Faith

Aten (god), Aunon (goddess), Arerok (god), Aeroe (deity), Ashalu (goddess), Aphyr (devil)

### Core Beliefs

The sanctity of life and the finality of death; the balance between tradition and change; the pursuit of knowledge, wealth, and happiness.

### Known Adherents

Lucas Sunday, Howard Sunday, Zedryk Sunday, Mariana Sunday, Ruth Valencia, Faith Aeolus, Theovald von Beaumont

**The Atenai Pantheon** is a faith that worships 5 deities: Aten, Aunon, Arerok, Aeroe, and Ashalu. Adherents of this faith also believe in Aphyr, a former sixth deity of the pantheon that has since been regarded as "fallen" and conceived of as a devil.

## Deities

Each of the pantheon's 5 deities (as well as Aphyr) have their own aspects and domains, and are often worshipped individually rather than as a whole.

### Aten

Aten is the god of Life, Family, Light, Peace, Prosperity, Community, Protection, and Hope. He is held as the leader of the pantheon -- hence why the faith is named after him -- and as the husband of Aunon. Aten is primarily represented as the sun. His tenets are as follows:

* Respect your fellows, regardless of your differences.
* Take care of those close to you.
* Protect, cherish, and enjoy life.
* Never crush hope -- inspire it wherever you find it.
* Always follow the light, never the darkness.

Worshippers of Aten include Howard Sunday, Lucas Sunday, Mariana Sunday, and Zedryk Sunday.

### Aunon

Aunon is the goddess of Death, Night, Time, Secrecy, Wisdom, Protection, Guidance, and Twilight. She is believed to be the wife of Aten, and the matriarch of the pantheon. Aunon is primarily represented by Ardwind's moon (also called the Wanderer). Her tenets are as follows:

* Know that death comes for all, and do not avoid it.
* Ease the suffering of the living.
* Do not disturb the dead.
* Resist the darkness, but do not fear it.
* Never cause more pain than is needed.

### Arerok

Arerok is the god of Earth, War, Order, Conquest, Authority, Strength, Labor, and Devotion. He is the commander of the pantheon's divine armies, and is primarily represented by mountains and plateaus. His tenets are as follows:

* Overcome challenges -- do not run from them.
* Be noble in using your authority.
* Abide by just laws.
* Achieve to your fullest potential.
* See your duties through to the end.

Worshippers of Arerok include Theovald von Beaumont.

### Aeroe

Aeroe is the deity of Wind, Love, Fortune, Trickery, Freedom, Fate, Travel, Change, and Wealth. They are the most enigmatic and ephemeral of the pantheon's deities, being primarily represented by the wind. Their tenets are as follows:

* Collect the wealth that brings you happiness.
* Spread the love in your heart.
* Embrace change; do not fear it.
* Fight against oppression, even that of others.
* Trust in your own good luck and fortune.

Worshippers of Aeroe include Faith Aeolus.

### Ashalu

Ashalu is the goddess of Knowledge, Magic, Storms, Nature, Discovery, Ambition, and Creativity. She is regarded as the pantheon's scholar and keeper of knowledge, and is primarily represented by the sea. Her tenets are as follows:

* Wield your power with care.
* Seek to understand that which you do not.
* Follow your passions and aspirations.
* Hold the pursuit of knowledge and truth sacred.
* Respect the natural world.

### Aphyr

Aphyr was the deity of Fire, Destruction, Chaos, Creation, Renewal, Greed, Sacrifice, and Pride. However, not long after the faith's establishment, Aphyr fell out of favor with the pantheon's adherents and became forbidden to worship. They have since turned into the religion's primary devil (or evil deity). Aphyr is represented by fire; orange fire before their fall, and red fire after. Their tenets were once as follows:

* Believe in your own strength and ability.
* Destroy and create, both with a purpose.
* Follows your whims and desires without restraint.
* Know that every gain comes at a loss.
* Abandon those who would hinder you.

## Asuras

**Asuras** are a class of lesser divine beings, typically angels in service to one of the pantheon's deities (or demons in service to Aphyr, though those are typically referred to as **arunas**) or demigods.

### Zardaar

Zardaar is an archangel in service to Arerok, and is regarded as his lieutenant. He is the asura of Dust, Knowledge, Destruction, Magic, Tactics, and Weaponry. Ichor is a warlock bound to Zardaar's will. The Tome of the Dust Warlord is a holy artifact said to contain all of Zardaar's military knowledge.

## Mythology

Below is a list of the Atenai Pantheon's various mythological stories.

### The Land Where Dawn Broke

The Atenai Pantheon's creation myth, first told after worship of Aphyr became heretical, describes the pantheon shaping the world and the feud it created, eventually leading to Aphyr's fall.

*In ages before the world breathed with life, there was one being: Aten, his form made of pure light. He lived among the stars, journeying to find others like himself. And find them he did; the first he found, Aunon, was made of pure darkness. Then together, they found four other such beings -- the next was Arerok, made of stone; followed by Aeroe, made of wind; then Ashalu, made of water; and lastly Aphyr, made of fire. The six of them united and formed the Atenai Pantheon named after Aten, the eldest of them all.*

*They continued their search, but never again would they find another like themselves. However, they found one thing none of them had ever seen in their eons of existence: a world, drifting in the endless abyss. The pantheon decided to protect and cultivate this world, naming it Ard'alhayaa -- "the Land of Life". Aten created the sun, to bathe the world in light. Aunon created the moon, to illuminate the world's darkest nights. Arerok enriched the land, to allow life to flourish. Aeroe created the sky, to shield the world from the abyss. Ashalu created the seas, to connect the world's many continents.*

*Yet Aphyr could do little. Their fire boiled Ashalu's seas, choked Aeroe's sky in smoke, and turned Arerok's earth to magma. They despaired at their inability to create... but their despair turned to hatred and jealousy as their fellow gods shaped Ard'alhayaa to their heart's content. Before long, Aphyr's wrath took over and they resolved to burn the world in flames. They started their crusade of fire in the easternmost continent, but as the land burned around them, Aten himself came to put an end to the destruction.*

*The two battled among the flames of the burning continent. It lasted for one day and one night, but as the sun rose over the horizon, Aten finally struck a fatal blow. Aphyr's form waned, and as it did, the fire they'd created faded away into naught but ash and cinders. Aten banished Aphyr below the land they'd scorched -- where once a lush forest stood, now an endless desert remained. The pantheon renamed it to Sahra Al-fajr: the Dawnbroken Desert. The heat of Aphyr's flames can still be felt there to this day, but under the watchful eye of Aten's sun, it is kept safe.*