Gods and Beliefs

By the Age of Triumphs, religious worship had faded and the majority of Omerians considered themselves areligious. They did believe in gods and higher powers - knowing for a fact that gods and goddesses existed - but they considered the deities of Omeria strange and fantastic creatures that had little care for worship.

The true nature and status of the beings that were worshipped as gods in Omeria were not necessarily definable or clear. Most of the gods of Omeria were conceptual and rarely if ever, interacted with life on Omeria. What few gods did appear were often seen as alien and too bizarre to understand.

The non-aberrant gods and forces in the world, such as the sun, storms, and even the sky were also seen as deities but there were others who worshipped the four major elements responsible for creation.

## The Four Major Elements

The four core elements were air, earth, fire, and water. Along with the eight energies of reality, they existed before the cosmos and were responsible for its creation and that of the beings known as dulons. They aided the dulons in then creating the world of Casar and the four progenitor species: titans, danaavrakt, elves, and humans.

Worshippers of the four major or 'core' elements were known as Elementalists. Some Elementalists worshipped all four elements, but most chose one of the four to follow. The most well-known Elementalists were the citizens of Castlegrasp who worship the dao Gasta-Harrak. Gasta-Harrak grants Castlegrasp’s greatest warriors, the Stonearms, the power of petrification.

## The Eight Energies of Reality

The eight energies of reality were abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation. Very few worshipped the energies as gods but there were many who drew on their nature and power for magical purposes.

## Dulons

Some of the gods were dulons. Extinct by this age, dulons were created by the twelve arcane energies that preceded the Cosmos. With assistance from the four major elements, the dulons had created Casar and later the four progenitor species: titans, danaavrakt, elves, and humans. Unknown to most of their worshippers in The Summer Land and Presson’s Enclave, the Four Generals were actually dulons. Pexian scholars also believe that Vapul, the God of Ice and Death was originally a dulon, though some argue it’s more likely he was once an elemental.

## Titans

The dulon’s first created race, the titans, had also been worshipped as gods, although, not as frequently as the dulons themselves. The three most commonly worshipped titans were T’qin the Double Mantis, the Demon Brar’enaath, and Ereyth, Mother of the Fey.

## Danaavrakti

Danaavrakti, the power-obsessed creatures who the dulons created after the titans, had also been worshipped as gods. Some scholars believed that Usteus, The God of Judgment, and Yrena, The Goddess of Destruction, were both danaavrakti in disguise.

## The Four Generals

Worship of The Four Generals was mostly centered in Northern Omeria, particularly in The Summer Land and Presson's Enclave. The beings that inspired this worship were actually dulons, though their worshippers were not aware of this fact.

### General Asnas, the Spring

*Alignment: Lawful Good*

*Domain: Life*

*Symbol: Asnas' helmet*

### General Ilwyn, the Summer

*Alignment: Lawful Good*

*Domain: Light*

*Symbol: Ilwyn's helmet (sunrise behind it)*

At the easternmost end of the Noble Ward of Greatwell in The Summer Land was a Temple of Ilwyn. By the late Age of Triumphs, attendance at church service was no longer required by Epochal law. However, most Pressonians attended sunset prayer within the temple (the rich) or in the courtyard in front of the temple (the poor). Many of the Greatwell Pressonian young refused service, however, having adopted the atheist attitudes common throughout Central Omeria.

### General Thinir, the Autumn

*Alignment: Lawful Good*

*Domain: Knowledge*

*Symbol: Thinir's helmet*

### General Tuteus, the Winter

*Alignment: Lawful Good*

*Domain: Death*

*Symbol: Tuteus' helmet*

## Other Gods

### Grimera, Goddess of the Land

*Alignment: Neutral*

*Domain: Nature*

*Symbol: A cluster of vines*

### Imes, God of Strength

*Alignment: Unknown*

*Domain: Unknown*

*Symbol: Unknown*

Most aukfolk revered a god named Imes, the God of Strength. In aukfolk mythology, Imes stood against Vapul and beat back the demon's chill winds by playing his Great Drum, Astus. Although the wounds Vapul caused never fully healed, Imes rid Husweagua of the demon's destructive presence. Life in the north continued unhindered.

### Qilan, God of Winter

*Alignment: Chaotic Evil*

*Domain: Death*

*Symbol: Unknown*

This deity was worshiped by the Khuzhuk people found in the Basilisk's Spine Mountains and was often depicted as a smiling man. Worship of Qilan, however, was quashed by the monks of Presson’s Enclave when they banned the worship of any gods who weren’t The Four Generals (circa 900AT).

It was believed by some scholars that Qilan was secretly an aspect of Vapul, God of Ice and Death, but these claims were never substantiated.

### Meri-em-a, God of Rain

*Alignment: Unknown*

*Domain: Tempest?*

*Symbol: Unknown*

Meri-em-a is known to be the Naqqadi god of rain but not much else is known.

### Naeyer, God of the Sun

*Alignment: Lawful Evil*

*Domain: Light*

*Symbol: The Sun*

Very few worshipped Naeyer outside of the blighted lands in Central Omeria. Those that did were known as the 'Cracked', as their faces were often a blistered mess of damaged, bleeding skin.

Naeyer was feared more than both Yrena, Goddess of Destruction, and Suen, Goddess of Storms, combined and he was seen as the culprit responsible for the land known as the Desolation of Ditimaya.

The city of Castlegrasp, which was situated closest to the Desolation, had a very antagonistic view of Naeyer and his worshippers in particular. The 'Cracked' were not allowed into the city even though it actually contained a shrine to Naeyer. The shrine itself was small and ramshackle and existed only to appease the cruel god. When the first rains fell on Castlegrasp following the Autumnal Equinox, Castlegraspians traveled to the shrine to mock and shame the god, believing that once again the Children (water sprites) had protected them from Naeyer's wrath.

### Ollan

Alignment: Unknown

Domain: Unknown

Symbol: Unknown

Worshiped by the notorious cult The Purification of the Valiant, containing Hellbringer engineers.

### Or'oleg, God of Madness

*Alignment: Chaotic Evil*

*Domain: Death*

*Symbol: A screaming face*

### Suen, Goddess of Storms

*Alignment: Chaotic Neutral*

*Domain: tempest*

*Symbol: A crashing wave*

Suen was primarily worshiped by sailors, fishermen, and others who worked in and around the sea, especially on the Weysevain Coast.

The worship of Suen was not especially structured or reverent but more an effort to appease her chaotic nature and seek favor while sailing and working on the water. In the village of Haver in the Sunrise District, Suen's temple was open-air and gifts of fish, crabs, and shrimp were laid by fishers and sailors before her statue. While in the city of Castlegrasp, her temple doubled as a popular tavern where the high priest would serve drinks and issue prayers.

### Tholona the Dawn, Goddess of Life

*Alignment: Neutral Good*

*Domain: Life*

*Symbol: A rising sun*

Not much is known about Tholona the Dawn, though statues have been found depicting her holding a wreath of roses.

### Usteus, God of Judgment

*Alignment: Neutral*

*Domain: Life, Death*

*Symbol: Two masks*

Particularly worshiped by halflings, the God of Judgement had a major temple in the Azen'qod Ward of the city of Orbea on the Weysevain Coast. He was typically represented as having two aspects, Usteus the Punisher and Usteus the Liberator.

### Vapul, God of Ice and Death

*Alignment: Chaotic Evil*

*Domain: Death*

*Symbol: Three circles arranged in a triangle*

Vapul, the demonic god of winter and undeath, remains a subject of hot debate among Pexian scholars. Some believe that Vapul is one of the enigmatic dulons, the creators of Casar and The Real. Others think it's more likely that Vapul is a rogue elemental.

### Yrena, Goddess of Destruction

*Alignment: Chaotic Evil*

*Domain: Destruction*

*Symbol: A ram's head surrounded by eight skulls*

Her temple in Castlegrasp depicted Yrena as a ram-headed goddess whose lover, Zealdir, God of Retribution, lay broken at her feet. Blind seers, known as Yrena's Witnesses, served as temple attendants and would offer human sacrifices every year to appease the goddess.

The destruction clerics that served Yrena were also known as her Witnesses. They used their borrowed magic as a means to hasten the end they anxiously awaited and believed Yrena desired—the moment when Omeria and Casar plunged back into the Void, erasing all of creation from existence. There was contention between different sects of the Witnesses as to whether Casar would then be reborn anew or there would just be the Void.

### Zealdir, God of Retribution

*Alignment: Neutral*

*Domain: Life*

*Symbol: A red circle on a gray field*

Lover to Yrena, Goddess of Destruction.

### Zuton, God of Luck

*Alignment: Chaotic Neutral*

*Domain: Trickery*

*Symbol: Three overlapping coins*

The Temple of Zuton in the Azen'qod Ward of the city of Orbea on the Weysevain Coast was more a casino than a conventional place of worship.

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Broadsword - Issue 4 (DMDave Patreon access required.)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Omeria Campaign Primer
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hand of the Eight: Chapter 7 - The Summer Land
4. ↑ 366 Days of Monsters, 167-168 Aukfolk (access to DMDave's Patreon required)
5. ↑ Tom Cartos Presents Kaldrfjell: 5th & 9th Level Adventure (DMDave Patreon access required.)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Hand of the Eight: Chapter 3 - The Black Bird
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Titan's Heir: Chapter 1 - Flight of the Predator
8. ↑ Hand of the Eight: Chapter 1 - Storm of Mega
9. ↑ 366 Days of Monsters 159: Wailing Wind (requires DMDave Patreon access)
10. ↑ Cleric Divine Domain: Destruction Domain (DMDave Patreon access required.)