The Northern Pantheon

Long before humans appeared in Rhodenia, the elves, dwarves, orcs, and other peoples of the world formed their

## The Northern Pantheon

An ancient shrine to an unknown deity, built within cliffs by desert elves in Ast'Aria.

own ideas of spirituality and religion. In contemporary Rhodenia, these beliefs have come to be known collectively as the Northern Pantheon - the views on the afterlife and otherworldly realms held primarily by the inhabitants of Esoa. The term “Northern Pantheon” is almost entirely a scholarly one; those who believe in its myriad members do not perceive themselves as being part of a larger group. There is no central governing body behind the Pantheon, nor any definitive text that collects or summarizes its ways; indeed, the Pantheon is ultimately far too vast and diverse to be conveniently described beyond the fact that it is simply what the peoples of the northern continent hold to be true with regards to the spiritual realm. It is composed of innumerable spirits, elemental gods, animistic deities, and ancestors, all of which Esoans recognize as being real, active forces in everyday life. One of the key aspects of the Northern Pantheon is that the vast majority of its members actually, undeniably exist in the mortal plane - unlike the Almighty and Enkai, who act indirectly through mortal vessels.

Unlike followers of the Church of the Almighty or the Cult of Enkai, those who practice the ways of the Northern Pantheon do not perceive supernatural entities as being mutually exclusive beings who demand the elimination of another. One might devote themselves to a water spirit and yet acknowledge the right or necessity of a fire spirit to exist. Another still might revere a valorous ancestor and still deem honorable that which they fought against. Belief in one member of the Northern Pantheon does not require the denial of other members; to the contrary, most peoples of Esoa regard it as a natural fact that such beings exist, and find it strange that the humans of Amarus would so stridently exalt the existence of one god over another - both are, to their way of thinking, equally real and equally worthy of consideration and worship; the Northern Pantheon embraces both the Almighty and Enkai as deities, even though they reject the manner in which humanity worships them.

Historically, the elves acknowledged the existence of fae spirits, who they perceived as being bound to specific locations, such as a forest or lake. The orcs revered their ancestors, and often called upon them for their blessings in battle. The dwarves were particularly reverent of the elements, and identified a handful of elemental lords whom they too honored in search of favor. As these three races interacted with each other over the centuries, they came to seek the favor of whatever supernatural force might be at hand, so that the dwarf who knelt before the fae spirit of a wood was no less uncommon as the elf who sought the intervention of a fire lord. While many who adhere to the practices of the Northern Pantheon may choose a particular entity to whom they devote the bulk of their efforts, none would be so foolish as to curse the name of another; the members of the Pantheon are a vital force in Esoa, and those who choose to deny them do so at their peril.