The Upper Pantheon

The Upper Pantheon are a collection of seven greater divine beings, the eldest of all the gods and the first ones to form during the Age of Magic. The Upper Pantheon's worship is allowed in all regions of Teren Maseda.

## Members

The Upper Pantheon consists of seven gods. They are considered separate from other gods based both on their incredible age, born within the first century of the Age of Magic, and their immense power.

### Heuroch

Heuroch, the God of the Hearth and Home, is portrayed as a defender and a protector, the shield in the hand of the desperate and the blade forged from plowshares. He is the patron god of blacksmiths, and men worship Heuroch for protection, safety, and comfort, as well as for the strength to defend themselves and their loved ones.

Heuroch was once a staunch advocate against the teaching of magic to men, fearing it a tool meant solely for destruction. However, after Quill gifted him the last embers stolen from the great dragon Harpy, Heuroch took to tempering, and later cultivating, the flame. From his study, he developed protective magics, forming what would later be known as the school of abjuration.

Heuroch is the father of the race known as minotaurs, great bull-headed folk made in his image. In the first of them he instilled the virtues of bravery, selflessness, and loyalty, hoping to inspire men to follow suit.

His most common form is that of a minotaur. He stands nine feet tall, with thick woolen fur a brilliant red-orange. His horns resemble that of highland cattle, curved slightly forward and darker at the tips. Heuroch is normally bare-chested, with old, battered iron pauldrons and bracers without adornment.

The symbol of Heuroch is a warhorn. They are often hung above doorways or fireplaces as a charm of protection.

### Nohr

Nohr, the twin-headed serpent, is the God of Desire. They represent both greed and restraint, lust and chastity, gluttony and temperance. They are the patron of brothels and shrines, and of gamblers and bishops.

Nohr studied the magic of creation, changing one thing to another, always seeking to replace what one has with that they desire. Their magic became known as the school of transmutation. They gladly taught to any willing to learn, and still encourage the development of magic among men.

Their most common form is a massive twin-headed python, their scales marbled pale gold and white. They’re swathed in fine wine-colored silks and delicate golden jewelry. One head has eyes of pale blue, the other a deep vermillion.

Nohr's emblem is of two snakes consuming one another's tails, similar to the ouroboros. Blue-eyed serpents are seen as symbols of purity and favor, while red-eyed serpents are considered lucky, but also greedy and selfish. Twins themselves are also seen as either especially good or especially bad luck.

### Au

Au is the God of Cold, patron of a dozen dark things. He is the grey stone beneath the first snowfall, bones stripped clean by fire ants, the first fox kit of the spring. He is a gentle god, presiding over life and death, and the woods in deep winter. Au is prayed to by those seeking fair weather and bountiful harvests. He is favored among farmers, hunters, and druids, though any familiar with death and cold may seek his guidance.

He takes the form of various woodland beasts, but his most common form is that of a great pale grey stag with brilliant glowing silver horns and a crown of bracken. He is otherwise unadorned, shirking the company of others and the warmth of the home, seeing such things as outside his domain.

Au was uncertain about teaching magic to men, afraid that with it would come only suffering. His magical talents lie in that which he is familiar: death, and occasionally its delay or even reversal. He is the father of the school of necromancy, ever striding the balance between life and death.

The symbol of Au is a skull wearing a crown of holly. Crowns of holly are sometimes placed on the heads of the deceased, a charm to help their spirits find peace.

### Hector

Hector is the all-knowing God of Sight, the Lord of Rats and the patron of scholars and spies. He is the keeper of a thousand secrets, and nothing escapes his eyeless gaze. He studies the very nature of existence, tearing apart reality just to see what comes next.

Many libraries and research halls double as temples to Hector. He is reclusive, unpopular among common folk but beloved by scholars and scientists. Ratcatchers also erect small shrines, asking for forgiveness and favor.

Hector takes the form of a malformed humanoid resembling a great hairless rat. His skin is a faded pink, and he swathes himself in dark grey robes. His face is particularly rodentlike, with nothing more than shallow indents where one would expect eyes. His gaze is usually covered in a swath of old grey cloth.

Secretive by nature, Hector disapproved of sharing magic with mankind, seeing it as a tool meant only for divinity. Even now, he is selective with his boons, only gifting from his vast knowledge to those he feels deserving. His magic is that of divination, seeing what once was, what is, and what soon will be.

The symbol of Hector is a crescent moon. The moon is seen as a symbol of knowledge and desire.

### Quill

Quill is the God of Chaos, the glint of a tossed coin, the charged air before lightning strikes, every bated breath and eager gaze. She is the moment of truth, the patron of discord and consequence.

As the patron of the unknown, Quill is prayed to by many. Some are fearful of that which they cannot control, while others seek to influence their fates. Quill is a fickle god, quick to grant boons to the faithful and interesting, but just as quick to punish. Those who seek change or revolution will always find a willing ear in Quill.

She takes many forms, but is recognizable by the faithful by her wide smile and abnormally long teeth. Quill is the most likely of the gods to take the form of men, and adores finery in all forms.

Quill is the mother of the bestial race known as gnolls, bipedal hyenas with dappled hides and a love for storytelling and magic. She shaped them after seeing the success of Heuroch’s minotaurs, but she felt that his prideful creatures were too secluded from the rest of mankind. She instilled in her children a desire to learn, to seek out others and to experience all that the world has to offer, and then left them to their own devices. Quill sees her hands-off approach as inspiring creativity and independence, but many gnolls feel that she has abandoned them, and a few Courts have outwardly scorned her worship.

Quill scorned the cowardly and selfish gods who sought to keep magic from men. She stole the First Flame and gifted it to Heuroch to show him its potential, and swayed Jaxom to be the first to teach his magic to mankind. Quill’s magic is misdirection and trickery, and she came to create the school of magic known as illusion.

Her symbol is a coin cut diagonally in half. Many will keep a gouged coin on them for good luck.

### Leyer

Leyer is the God of War, champion of strife and the advancement brought forth from it. He embodies the rush of battle and the conviction of the martyr. Within his talons, Leyer holds the seed of progress within all conflict.

Those who pray to Leyer often seek not war, but safety from it. His close followers see conflict as a necessary evil, one which is key to the advancement of mankind in all areas of life. He also embodies personal conviction and inner strength, and those who are lacking may pray for his favor. Any respectable garrison will have a small shrine to Leyer, and he currently resides in a temple high in the peaks of Blackreach with a few loyal champions.

Leyer currently takes the form of a great gryphon-like beast, with a pale dappled hide and the head and wings of a raven. From where the head of a gryphon would be, the torso of an orc man emerges, his skin a pale ashy grey. He is adorned in steel barding with a silver tabard, and upon his bare head rests a twist of silver thorns. He carries a glaive in one hand and a small round shield strapped to the forearm of his other.

Leyer, along with Jaxom and Quill, was determined to teach magic to mankind, seeing it as a simple tool rather than some force of evil or good. His magic is tied to the intensity of emotion, channeling it to produce physical effects in the form of evocation magic.

Leyer's symbol is a three-clawed talon. Crows and ravens are common pets and familiars of warriors, and a black feather token is claimed to deflect mortal injuries.

### Jaxom

Jaxom is the God of Travel, patron of merchants, guilds, and wanderers. He is a guide on a long and lonely road, a partner and loyal companion to the faithful.

Jaxom is prayed to for fair trades and safe travel. Small shrines dot common trading roads, and most merchants keep tokens to him. His clerics and paladins are often champions of philanthropy and merchant guilds.

He often takes the form of a great black wolf. He wears a beautiful, broad blue collar around his neck and chest. He also takes the form of a black-furred lycan, adorned with that same woven blue collar. Jaxom’s most devoted clerics may be blessed with the visage of the wolf, as a sign of their devotion.

Jaxom was the first god to teach magic to mankind, despite warnings from several of his kin. His magic is concerned with movement and summoning, and Jaxom taught to men what would come to be called the school of conjuration.

Jaxom's symbol is an archway. Black dogs are often cherished as guards and familial companions because of their association with Jaxom. Often, the bodies of black dogs will be taken to a crossroads and buried there, in the hopes that the beast's spirit will find its way to Jaxom.