Pantheon

Alcua has an expansive list of Gods and Deities, this page attempts to discuss the religions of the world.

## Creation Story

Acuabos, a primordial, spent near a trillion lifetimes in **Tractus Deus** (an Upper Plane, and the home of Acuabos) alone, happy to see no change in anything in the multiverse. He did not understand the multiverse or why he originated there, but sought to preserve it. He realized he held immense power over the world around him. His power stemmed from the balance he maintained. In a different plane, **Caonis**, another primordial, **Chaotid**, began creating beings of all sorts, including fiends, monstrosities, and humanoids. Acuabos responded by creating celestials to populate and protect Tractus Deus. This was not enough and balance continued to be shifted endlessly. To diffuse the situation developing in **Caonis**, Acuabos used an his immense power to create a third plane of existence, **The Mortal Plane**. He believed he could save the humanoids from the cruelty they faced in Caonis, where they were enslaved by fiends. Acuabos ripped Caonis apart and battled with Chaotid in an event known as the Planar Clash. Acuabos freed humanoids and sent all of them to the Mortal Plane. The Planar Clash saw Chaotid's realm laid to waste and Acuabos wounded. His wounds saw a great deal of power escape his body, and this power would become the magic used across all planes. He retreated from Caonis and met with humanoids in The Mortal Plane. He told them of his ways, his mission, and why he saved them. They thanked him and asked how they could repay him. He said for them to simply remain free, maintain balance in their world, and to never forget his heroic deed. This would be the only time Acuabos visited the Mortal Plane, and he left behind three of the items he carried with him into combat, his helmet, his axe, and a small coin that he inscribed his name into.

Early humanoids banded together; at first, into small groups, then into larger ones. At this point, no other races existed. All were simply humans. The pre-era humans were immortal in Caonis, where they were created. But they paid the price of mortality to remain free. They now needed food, water, and breathable air to survive. Early humans remained true to Acuabos' wishes to maintain balance. He rewarded them by creating plants to be harvested, game to be hunted, and water to satiate thirst. The first creation directly in the Mortal Plane were the beasts by Acuabos. Animals now populated the world which many came to call Alcua. All was good in the Mortal Plane for a long time. Chaotid spent this time in Caonis rebuilding his strength and creating more beings. He created the dragons, the fey, and the goblinoids during this time.

Pre-era humans were the first to travel between planes besides Acuabos himself. The first to do so was a human named Stag-Qihor; his attunement to the magical energy was unlike anyone of the time. He is widely known to be the first *veneficus*, old common for wizard. He transported himself into the Astral Plane, where he was discovered by Acuabos and was brought to Tractus Deus. At this time, there were no Gods nor mortals in Tractus Deus. Acuabos offered Stag-Qihor a permanent home in Tractus Deus, but he declined, insisting that he must return to humankind to continue learning and pass on his knowledge to the next generation. Acuabos was moved by Qihor's devotion to his people. Qihor returned to his people and continued learning and teaching for the remainder of his life. Acuabos took Qihor's soul from the Astral Plane and rebirthed him in Tractus Deus with 'a body as large as his mind'. Stag-Qihor was the first giant. Slowly his people began to grow as well and, inch by inch, eventually grew to stand tall over pre-era humans. Stag-Qihor was worshiped for his dedication for centuries to come, and found that as he was worshipped more and more, his power over the Mortal Plane grew stronger and stronger. Qihor was the first God, and became known to humans as Garone, God of Knowledge and Magic.

When Chaotid saw what Acuabos did with Qihor, he grew angry and believed he would be powerless to stop another raid on his realm if Acuabos had an army of Gods with him. Thus, he began to grab souls from the Astral Plane. He was dumbfounded that, when reincarnated, the souls of warmongering and bloodthirsty humans would turn into orcs. Despite making many attempts, Chaotid could not perfect the reincarnation of these souls and decided to abandon his idea, dumping the orcs back into the Mortal Plane. The orcs reproduced surprisingly fast compared to humans, and grew their tribes to formidable size. Little did he know that these warmongering orcs would worship every orc that died in battle. Chaotid sat back and watched; he wished to have the strongest orc as his 'chosen one'. Meanwhile, Acuabos was conflicted. If he were to intervene and kill the orcs, he could set a precedent of interference in the Mortal Plane, which he did not want. All eyes eventually turned to one orc, known as the Dragar, or the conqueror in the orc language. Dragar laid waste to Pre-era humans. The first human civilization, known to many as Primum, was reduced to rubble by Dragar's war clan. During the battle he was slain. As a result, he was the only soul to be reincarnated twice when Chaotid made him the God of Orcs, Conquest, and Destruction.

## Planar Expansion

Acuabos knew that each of the four main elements used to construct the Mortal Plane would require a plane in which they originate. Thus, the Air, Earth, Fire, and Water Planes came into existence at the same time as the Mortal Plane. Each of these planes offers integrity to their corresponding material in the Mortal Plane.

Acuabos also knew that humanoids, now being mortals, would die. When they died, their life force would need a place to go. He created the Astral Plane to act as an ever-expanding storage area for souls and knowledge.

When pre-era human began experimenting with the strong magical forces around them, they slowly learned how to harness them. The Ethereal Plane was discovered during this time, not an entirely different plane of existence, but not the same either. Pre-era humans learned how to travel to the Ethereal Plane early on, and many magic users had to go there as a rite of passage. The Ethereal Plane was created at the same time as the Mortal Plane.