Pantheons of Aurin

The various races and cultures of Aurin worship a variety of deities and practice different philosophies. Depending on who you ask, you will receive different answers regarding whether or not there is a connection between these religions, for example, the Dwarves do not feel any reason to worship or recognize any Gods aside from their own, Hastur. However, the Shroomfolk wholeheartedly believe in the Aldani God, Vahluuhhn, despite being committed entirely to Maecillia. The following is a list of religions and deities recognized by the people of Aurin, as well as any available info about them. Note that certain exceptions may exist on a case by case basis; not all members of a given race hold the same beliefs - this page catalogs the theological trends of the vast majority of each race's members.

## The Aldani Pantheon

The Aldani have a rather small pantheon. The only entity they revere is Vahluuhhn, and they recognize Keyyathhu as a deity, but despise her. Keyyathhu is the Aldani name for Maecillia. It is incredibly rare for Aldani to worship or recognize any other deities than Vahluuhhn, as the religion is very inherently against all other deities even being recognized as existing; or at least publicly so.

### Vahluuhhn

Vahluuhhn (*Grand Shell* in Yurian) is the god worshiped by the Aldani. They depict him as a massive chimera of various sea creatures. 2 mollusks, a fish, manta ray, squid, lobster, crab, and shrimp. The Aldani believe that at the beginning of time, Vahluuhhn released the water of Aurin from the mouth of his fish head. They also believe that he created them from one of his eyes, which he removed using his 3 pincers. He then spit up from within his central face, a deep, violet-blue skinned woman with the tail of a Mer. Her name was Maecillia. He ripped from her a single eye, replacing the one he previously used to create the Aldani. She would sacrifice her other eye by her own intuition to create the Maecilli, embedding her knowledge into it. Vahluuhhn did not approve of this, and would go on to bind her arms above her head, her binding having an extension of 4 tattered wings and 2 arms. In one of these arms, she would wield a halberd. A sect of the Aldani would question Vahluuhhn's actions. In a fit of rage, Vahluuhhn cursed these Aldani, deeming them the Urutan (*Dryskin* in Yurian), removing all moisture from their bodies, and sending them out into the desert, far from the domains of the Aldani. The Aldani have lived in fear of Vahluuhhn since then, though it has been a long time since they've directly heard from him. The last thing he told them was to live as a powerful people, maintaining their control of the coast. They believe that when they die, their spirits will be consumed by Vahluuhhn himself. This process is referred to in the Aldani language as "Trahnlootvincoo'uh".

### Keyyathhu

Keyyathhu is depicted as a deep, violet-blue skinned woman with the tail of a Mer. She is the Aldani equivalent of Maecillia, Goddess of the Shroomfolk. To the Aldani, she is seen as evil and a betrayer. They believe she swims blindly and eternally in Inhhcu'uhh, the Stratum inside of Vahluuhhn. As added punishment for her betrayal, the Aldani who have died are said to chase behind her, attempting to take her spear and kill her.

## The Gharif Pantheon

Chomog Khaan came to the Gharif in the beginning of the Advent Cycle, and informed them of the events of the Zodiark Cycle. Bestowing this knowledge to the Gharif is what caused the Gharif Pantheon to be formed. Gharif hold strong reverence to the seasons, so their pantheon's members are assigned seasons which they supposedly create.

### Chomog Khaan

Chomog Khaan in Ghar, or Marrow King in common, is the name of the Deity the Gharif view with the highest reverence. This deity is a large bird, with the body of a snake, terrible claws, red feathers, and the face of a human with a beak. Chomog Khaan has always had control over the realm of Yasnysav (The Basin of Bones). This is the Stratum which the Gharif believe their spirit is sent to when they die. That is, if they remove their mask upon death. The story goes that when Aurin was new, and there was no life, Chomog Khaan created the Gharif, so once they died, he would be able to populate his Stratum. To achieve this, Chomog Khaan let out a terrifying screech through the skies of Aurin, and in an instant his body burst into flames. As his Feathers, Skin of his face, scales of his body, the organs within him, and the blood in his veins were obliterated, these aspects of him were spread through the land in the form of various animals. The only aspect of Chomog Khaan which remained was his skeleton. When appearing within the material realm, the deity is still seen in this form, but his original full-body form is how he is seen within Yasnysav. Chomog Khaan told the Gharif to value the sacred air of death, not to be wasteful in their killing of animals, and to look forward to being able to join him in Yasnysav. The core of Gharif mask design is the goal of recreating the look of Chomog Khaan, the horns representing His wings, the front of the mask representing his beak, and the layers of dye representing layers of scales, seen on the snake-like body of the deity. The use of bones for decoration is also in tribute to Chomog Khaan's sacrifice.

* The Gharif recognize Chomog Khaan as the Source of Fall, and the Deity of Passion.

* The Gharif recognize Hastur as the Source of Winter, and the Deity of Egoism.

* The Gharif recognize Estur as the Source of Spring, and the Deity of Altruism.

* The Gharif recognize Zodiark as the Source of Summer and the Deity of Reason.

## The High Elven Pantheon

The Pantheon followed by High Elves is quite different than that of the other races - The various revered deities within the pantheon are all seen as reincarnations of the god Hin's mortal form. It should be noted that all reincarnations of Estur after Hin have their name preceded by an Apostrophe, denoting their cultural and historical significance.

### Hin

Hin is the first mortal incarnation of Estur. In the early 1st Cycle, Hin led the Senex Collective in driving the Ogal out of the Avloth Heights, as well as in the conquering of the Sandroot Coppis from the Eastern Gnomes. Because of her historical significance, Hin is usually worshiped as the chief deity of the High Elves as opposed to Estur, though they are, technically speaking, the same entity.

### 'Eloquiin

'Eloquiin was a High Elven philosopher and historian in the 2nd Cycle, who ultimately would develop Enchanting. She would go on to also develop both the arts of Avitast and Avikarnes, which she would teach to the High Elves. These arts permeated into the High Elven culture, and still serve as the pillars of their societies. Most warriors and healers would point to 'Eloquiin as their most worshiped deity.