The Eritremic Pantheon

The Pantheon consists of six Upper Deities, as well as a multitude of Lower Deities. The Upper Deities are the most commonly worshipped across Oud’vhar, and consist of:

* Saffine, Goddess of the **Sea**
* Rudah, God of the **Earth**
* Osmoton, God of the **Flame**
* Neloth, Goddess of the **Tempest**
* Tylaephone, Goddess of the **Cosmos**
* Thandrian, God of the **Pendulum**

## The Folly of Neloth

*The Pantheon consists of six*

*Upwards to which we pray,*

*Their guidance helps us through our lives*

*Their Tenents lead the way.*

*Saffine lives within the sea,*

*While Rudah blesses clay,*

*Osmoton resides in fire*

*Whose burning tongues betray.*

*Neloth stirs the waking wind*

*And birthed a double heir,*

*Sister Darkness, Brother Time*

*The omnipotent pair.*

The first four are said to have been birthed from the left and right hands of **Morzurath**, the Originator.

From their left hand came the Beginning - two deities burdened with the gift of creation. **Saffine** was tasked with ruling the oceans and seas, and **Rudah** was to govern the things that grew upon and within the land.

From their right hand came the Ending - two deities burdened with the gift of destruction. **Osmoton** was to oversee heat and flame, while **Neloth** was to control the swirling winds and air.

These four, said Morzurath, would create balance in the universe. They could never themselves walk the land with mortals, for that was forbidden. However, they would help oversee the breathing of life into the plains of Oud’vhar; they would shape the universe as they saw fit.

Osmoton and Rudah worked together as brothers, creating rocks and lava. Rudah and Saffine created flora, fauna and humanoid life. Osmoton and Saffine, although they tried to work together, were diametrically opposed and would always defeat each other; flame scorching water, and water quenching flame.

But Neloth? She was as chaotic and tempestuous as the winds she controlled. She did not work with her siblings at all, blown apart from the other three by virtue of her temper. Although mortals who walked upon Oud’vhar needed her air to breathe, they also feared her violent storms, where typhoons would wreck ships or tornadoes would blow towns apart. No mortal or god could tolerate her; Neloth was lonely.

During one particularly ferocious storm, Neloth’s loneliness overcame her. She wanted a child, desperately; someone to love her in ways her family could not. So, she took pity on a beautiful sailor whose ship she had destroyed on the ocean. Plucking him from her sister’s watery grasp, she transformed into a blue-skinned spirit and made love to him on the wind - just for a few moments - before he plummeted back into the sea to meet his fate. He had served his purpose.

Quickly realising that Neloth was with child, Morzurath summoned Neloth to the space between night and day where their throne resided. They told Neloth that it was forbidden to walk among mortals, let alone lay with them; and that the child she now bore was to punish her for eternity.

Morzurath decided that Neloth’s fury needed to be restricted - bound in how high her winds could blow, and how quickly her storms could spin. And so, reaching out to touch Neloth’s growing stomach, they split the growing child in two and ripped each from her womb. Both were to become Morzurath’s children - the first, a god, would dictate the order of time , while the second, a goddess, would rule the chaos of space. They would ensure that mortals understood morality, morbidity and fate, and that their existence in Oud’vhar remained in balance with the universe.

Neloth would be left to wail, riding the tempest alone, while her children - Tylaephone and Thandrian, two of the same whole - would serve as heirs to Morzurath himself.

## Tylaephone, Goddess of the Cosmos; The Huntress

As well as the stars, moon and night sky, **Tylaephone** is said to be the goddess of dreams and fortune-tellers; navigation and wandering; virginity, purity, young women and childbirth; chaos; and the wilderness. She is the twin deity of Thandrian, and is commonly referred to as the Huntress, the Mother of Stars, Sister Darkness, and the Silver Maiden. She is chaotic neutral in alignment. Her symbol is an open eye resting on a star shaped flower.

Most sources depict the Goddess as a waif-like woman with long grey hair – sometimes radiating from her head like a crown, and sometimes intricately braided and decorated with the stars themselves. Although the colour of her skin varies between regions - Eastern Eritremic folklore depicts her as pale, almost transparent, while those from Southern Edarah characterise her skin as deep black/blue – all tend to agree that her eyes are always a bright, radiant purple.

Many stories tell of the Goddess descending from the heavens, taking the form of one of her many constellations and walking amongst mortals. The most popular is a tale of her riding the form of **Orlanius***,* the great sky boar, and protecting a mountain village from a pack of vicious wolves.

## Thandrian, God of the Pendulum; The Timeless

Not only a god of time, **Thandrian** is believed by many to oversee death and dying; mourning and burial rites; sleep and dreaming; historians and philosophers; knowledge and learning; law and order; justice and balance. He is the twin deity of Tylaephone, and is commonly referred to as the Timeless, Brother Time, Protector of Order and the Knowledgeable One. He is lawful neutral in alignment. His symbol is an empty hourglass.

Folklore often portrays Thandrian as being a benevolent god, albeit law-abiding and strict.

## Rudah, Osmoton and Saffine

**Rudah** had relationships with both his brother and sister; balancing the line between the chaotic forces of the sea and the flame.

Rudah’s relationship with **Saffine** was driven by a duty to populate Oud’vhar with life and abundance. They recognised that they were bound by Mozurath’s intentions as children of the Beginning, and loved each other accordingly. From the union of The Earth and The Sea sprang three beautiful goddesses- naïve Oliae, timid Mina and headstrong Dryath. Each child ensured that the continent was populated with flora and fauna; that nourishment was plentiful, that the seasons were regular and the hunt was long. Each child – much like Rudah and Saffine’s dutiful love - had a purpose.

Rudah’s relationship with **Osmoton**, on the other hand, was driven by nothing but passion. They loved each other as soulmates do – as solidly as Rudah’s earth, and as warmly as Osmoton’s flame***.*** They exemplified the delicate balance between The Beginning and the Ending; just as Mozurath had intended.

Although they could not produce a child of their own, both gods longed to raise an heir which epitomised this balance. This heir arrived in the form of an orphaned mortal baby with dark skin and warm eyes, who had been abandoned by his father after his mother died in childbirth. Both gods adopted the boy and named him **Locathor**; the first demi-god of the Pantheon, he was nursed by The Flame and The Earth as their only child.

## Oliae and Locathor

Locathor grew up to be industrious, dutiful and kind. He was talented at forging objects from his fathers’ clay and fire, creating weapons, armour and magical items for those who lived on Oud’vhar. He never questioned his diligence as anything but The Forge until he saved Oliae - the red-haired goddess with the crown of everblooms - and fell madly in love.

**Oliae** was the eldest of the so-called ‘Verdant Trio’. She was created to fill the world with flora; she formed every tree, flower and bush from her own hands, shaping them out of her father’s earth and nurturing them with her mother’s water. Despite this talent for creation and seemingly deep understanding of nature, Oliae was incredibly naïve and innocent – almost leading to her being kidnapped by a jealous mortal man during a brief period walking the continent as a humanoid. She was only saved from this encounter by Locathor, who sliced the mortal in two with a silver broadsword and carried her to safety. Oliae fell in love with Locathor from that day, and demanded they be quickly and happily wed. Eritremic newlyweds are often blessed with a phrase which translates to ‘may the flower bloom eternal within the forge.’

Oliae and Locathor’s union produced four children.

The first, **Isreole**, was said to be born covered in blood and with fire in her eyes; fitting, as she grew up to become goddess of the Fight.

The second, **Avora**, was the born the opposite of her sister. She would become goddess of the Heart, inheriting her mother’s gentle nature and openness to love.

The third, **Sai**, was a curious child. Neither male nor female, they would become the protector of the Wilds; the outskirts of Oud’vhar where light refused to touch and where strange beings chose to reside. Although loved by their family and siblings – none more so than Avora – their mischievous streak was often reflected back onto their Pantheon family in the form of pranks and trickery.

The last is **The Stranger.** Little is known about the final child of Locathor and Oliae, except that they are incredibly powerful - they oversee all magic gifted to the Eritremic people. Out of respect, their true name is never spoken or written. Many believe The Stranger to be responsible for the Lightbourne Plague’s calamity, due to their distaste at the Eritremic people’s carelessness for magic use.

## Mina and the Menagerie

The youngest of the Verdant Trio, **Mina** was created to work alongside her sisters and provide the world with wildlife. After Oliae shaped the trees and grass, and Dryath provided grain and produce to eat, Mina introduced fauna to the world – everything from the tallest bear to the smallest mouse. She never took a partner; a renowned recluse, she imparted every bit of her love into the animal companions she nurtured.

## Dryath and the Harbingers

Both Rudah and Saffine knew that the verdant universe their children were creating required oversight and order, as the earth would be overrun with greenery and wildlife otherwise. Hence, they breathed life into **Dryath**, their youngest daughter and goddess of the Harvest. She was to ensure that the natural universe balanced; that the seasons changed, that crops were equal parts plentiful and famished, and that life and death had equal hold upon her sisters’ creations.

While her elder sisters inherited their mother’s genteel nature and compassion, Dryath instead took after her father- diligent, but head-strong, stubborn and quick to react. She did not suffer fools like her sisters did, for she knew that her role in the Pantheon was perhaps the most important of them all.

She established what the Eritremic people named the Crescent of the Equinox- a council comprised of four of the Upper Deities of the Pantheon responsible for each season (being Rudah - autumn, Saffine - spring, Osmoton - summer). Despite her attempts, she could not secure the co-operation of Neloth, instead inviting Tylaephone to attend in her outcasted mother’s stead as Winter’s representative. Without the regular negotiation of this council, the seasons would not turn as they were meant to and Oud’vhar would be stuck, perpetually, in one season.

Despite her absence from the Crescent, Dryath always felt an affinity to Neloth’s plight. Both goddesses didn’t feel quite right amongst their siblings, and both acted as the colder, harsher counterparts to their siblings foolishness and fancy. Dryath grew jealous that she would never find a passionate love like Oliae had with Locathor, or that she could never appreciate the companionship that Mina shared with each of her animal creations. Thus, out of pure spite for her sisters, she followed Neloth’s path and took matters into her own hands.

In the form of a white haired elven woman, Dryath abandoned her duties as chair of the Crescent and Guardian of the Seasons and began to walk the world as a mortal in desperate search of a partner. The Crescent was thrown into chaos; with no oversight, the four Upper Deities struggled for control, meaning that the seasons varied wildly from the coldest winter to the warmest summer within days of each other.

Dryath found **Vin** - an older elven widower of little words, his hair grey and his pale skin adorned with golden jewellery. He was an ironsmith of simple means, and reminded her of Locathor. Yes, he wasn’t a demi-god, but he was strong and kind (if a little gruff). If an ironsmith was good enough for Oliae, it was good enough for her.

Dryath lived with Vin for years, bearing a red haired daughter named **Rholdre**. She finally felt happy with this familial love - the very thing she, and Neloth, had been craving their entire existence. However, she could not ignore the chaotic season changes outside her window. When the entire township where her and Vin lived - a small village on the outskirts of Luta - was forced into famine by a particularly harsh winter, Dryath knew that she had to return to the Realm of the Gods and resume her duties as chair of the Crescent. Leaving Rholdre in Vin’s care, she disappeared one night and was never seen by her family again.

Much like Neloth was, Dryath was called before Mozurath and scolded for her decision to lay with a mortal. Mozurath warned her of the folly of her spite, and instructed that she was never to leave the Realm of the Gods again - not even to see her daughter. Dryath rebelled against this decision. To take away the only safe haven she had ever found - safe in Vin’s protection, away from the expectations of her parents and sisters - was unforgivable.

She left the care of the Crescent to Rholdre, to be handed over upon her turning 18 and discovering her godly origins. Tylaephone was to govern in the meantime, a role that she adopted with diligence - although accidentally causing the coldest two decades Edarah had ever experienced (the Long Winter).

Letting her spite and grief overtake her, she descended once more to the world as a white haired woman. However, while attempting to find Vin and Rholdre again, she caught the eye of **Kireth Stoneraker** - a bloodthirsty thief, provocateur and leader of a violent bandit gang, renowned throughout Luta for committing an extensive list of criminal acts. From him she gave birth to five demi-god children who the Eritremic people would call the Harbingers of Grief. These children would oppose the values that the Pantheon held dear, and would teach the Eritremic people of vice and sin.

Dryath became known as **Envy** herself.

**Loka**, the eldest son, embodied Pride. The spitting image of his father, he was darkly attractive, with deep set brown eyes and mousey hair.

**Ewar** and **Bron**, twin boys, embodied Sloth and Greed respectively. Ewar was born poorly, with bad lungs and poor eyesight. Bron was the opposite - toweringly tall and muscular, many assumed that (if not for fate) he would have eaten Ewar in the womb.

**Silf**, a daughter, embodied Wrath. She was a seething mess of a girl, her anger only accentuated by her bright red hair - the same colour as her mother’s natural tone. She reminded Dryath of Rholdre, and Dryath hated her for it.

And finally, **Jure** - the youngest daughter - embodied Gluttony. Dryath, previously Goddess of the Harvest, had a soft spot for her; ensuring that she was spoilt beyond reproach with the finest produce and fineries that Edarah could offer.

The Pantheon were ever aware of the Harbingers’ existence in the world. They were demi-gods, yes - birthed to a fallen goddess stripped of a family - and indeed, they were necessary to teach mortals about sin. However, they were never to be recognised in the Realm of the Gods, and were to remain as outcasts - much as Dryath was.

*\*NB: during her relationship with Bron and Silf, Avora was recognised as the final Harbinger - Lust.*

## Rholdre and the Hearth

**Rholdre** grew up on the outskirts of Luta with Vin. Her father had always told her stories of her mother - a white haired woman whose eyes were as warm as the forge he worked on daily. She had disappeared when she was five, without so much as a warning to her father; a mother that she longed for. Her and Vin made do, though, and were supported by the town in which they lived. She had been raised by a village - always under the watchful eye of a neighbour, a tradesperson or a tutor.

Vin passed away from pneumonia and frostbite when Rholdre was 13 - a fate many suffered during the Long Winter. She was distraught, as she had been certain her elven father would live for many years yet. He was the man she loved the most above all, and he had promised he would stay by her side for as long as she could. In effect, his departure felt more cutting than her mother’s did. However, the village in which she was raised came together to support her in her time of need, rallying together to provide her with shelter, food and companionship. Her second family rose around her, softening the ache left by Vin’s death just a little. She was taken in by the blue eyed wife of the town’s militia leader, where she helped care for and raise their young elven children.

The day she turned 18, Rholdre decided that she wanted to travel away and explore Edarah and its surrounds. The village residents bid her a tearful farewell, sending her off on horseback laden with all the rations, warm clothing and money she could need. However, Rholdre didn’t travel far. During her fourth day of riding, her horse was spooked by a bolt of lightning, causing Rholdre to tumble and hit her head on the path below. She awakened to find her - and her horse - transported to the Realm of the Gods, lying at the feet of Mozurath themselves. Eritremic art often depicts Rholdre atop a horse, or lying down next to a standing horse.

It is here that Rholdre was told that she was the daughter of a goddess, and a rightful heir to the Crescent of the Equinox. Mozurath spoke of her mother, the scorned goddess of the Harvest, and why she had abandoned Rholdre at such a young age. They offered Rholdre a place in the Pantheon as the Harvest, on the condition that she never walk the mortal world again.

Rholdre was excited by Mozurath’s offer, but reluctant to leave her village family - the militia leader, his wife and children, and the scores of villagers who had raised her alongside Vin. She gave the Originator a deal; she would take her mother’s place in the Pantheon, if she could bring her father back from the dead and ensure that he told her village family what had happened to her. Mozurath told her that this was not possible - all Beginnings required Endings, and Thandrian’s lawful rule over the afterlife ensured that no soul could ever return once exhumed. However, they recognised that Rholdre was not her mother’s daughter. Her sacrifice to save her father demonstrated her selflessness; she was warm and nurturing, trusting and protective. This prompted Mozurath to anoint Rholdre as goddess of the Hearth, responsible for protecting families and homes throughout Edarah. Seeing the love of her village that burned inside her, Mozurath permitted Rholdre to walk among mortals whenever she pleased, blessing each doorstep of Edarah as she went.

## Avora and the Classification of Love

With deep dark skin, voluminous black curls and curves, **Avora** was outstandingly beautiful. As goddess of the Hearth, she was not unfamiliar with this fact, as she was reminded every time she rebuffed Thandrian’s near constant attempts at courtship. The Pendulum was way too cold and law-abiding for her tastes; her father’s blood had instilled in her a little bit of warmth, a small flame, that needed companionship.

Rholdre’s appointment to the Pantheon caught Avora’s eye in a way it had not been caught before. This demi-god was plain looking by the Pantheon’s accounts, with her red flame hair the only remnant of her god-like origins. However, it was this plainness that attracted Avora the most; the way her freckles stood out against her pale skin, the clear grey colour of her eyes, the way that she held herself as she sat at the head of the Crescent, speaking matter-of-factly with gods much purer in blood than her. It was not long before Rholdre and Avora were wed.

Mozurath told Avora of her purpose - to descend to the world and gather information from within the Harbingers. Although their omnipotent eye could theoretically see all mortals, the Originator could not follow Dryath’s - now Envy’s - movements, as she was of god heritage. Mozurath directed that Avora catch the eye of Bron, and exploit his weakness - greediness - to obtain what she could about Dryath’s motives.

Avora was reluctant to leave Rholdre’s side, let alone be with another, as she knew Rholdre was her true love. However, Mozurath promised that their union would not be tarnished should Avora lay with another. Rholdre vowed to wait for her return, keeping their home warm for the both of them whilst Avora was away.

Avora descended to Edarah in elven form, but disguised herself as a street performer. Before long, she had been noticed by the burly but idiotic Bron, who whisked her away to the Harbinger’s abode on the outskirts of Edarah proper as his lover. It is here that Avora came face to face with Dryath - the fleeing goddess, responsible for the Long Winter which had killed her beloved’s father - and the rest of the Harbingers. To them, she was but a common folk dancer who was to be yet another of Bron’s greedily obtained possessions.

Over time, Avora realised that Dryath’s envy came from a place of misunderstanding. She fled from the Realm of the Gods because she valued herself over the wants and needs of the rest of the Pantheon. This was a type of love, too - one that the Pantheon had not yet acknowledged, and one that Mozurath had punished Dryath for. Due to her unrelenting stubbornness and selfishness, Dryath had lost sight of the other types of love she had experienced - the familiar love of her sisters and parents, the companionship of the rest of the Pantheon, the respect offered to her by the Crescent, the undying love shown to her by Rholdre and Vin.

Avora sat and spoke this truth to Dryath while the elder goddess wept. Finally, someone understood her and Neloth’s choice; both had acted selfishly, and protected themselves, when faced with great tragedy. She had no motive in creating the Harbingers besides her own trauma; she had searched for another family to replace Vin, Rholdre and the Pantheon, and shaped her own out of grief and sadness.

Different types of love were no more unusual or bold than the other; they just served different purposes. Avora understood this, and with some assistance from Dryath, set out to categorise the five types of love which the Eritremic people felt.

* ***Oliit*** - self love, as within yourself (vanity, selfishness, confidence)
* ***Rathot*** - familial love, as between siblings or parents (belonging, friendship, affection)
* ***Xanht*** *-* undying love, as between soulmates (eternal - can be used platonically)
* ***Lirot*** - passionate love, as between lovers (lust, intimacy, desire)
* ***Korat*** - companion love, as between colleagues or familiars (respect, reciprocity, hospitality)

Avora encouraged Dryath to return with her, at least temporarily, to the Realm of the Gods. It is here that Dryath reunited with Rholdre - now much more womanly and statuesque than she’d remembered her - as well as Saffine, Rudah and her sisters. Mozurath, upon hearing Avora’s explanation of Dryath’s motivations for fleeing, granted the goddess a partial pardon on behalf of the Pantheon; understanding how love worked within the self, as well as towards others, would be crucial to the future of Edarah.

Avora agreed to hold a dual role. She would reside within the Realm of the Gods as goddess of the Heart, but would assist the Harbingers as Lust - someone in control of *lirot* - when Dryath required. In exchange, Dryath would return to the Realm of the Gods for half of every year as the Harvest, and would stand by Rholdre’s side and help her govern the Crescent.

## Isreole and Loka

Unlike her sister, **Isreole** was not one for affection. The first born of Locathor and Oliae, Eritremic legend tells of her ripping her way out of her mother’s womb, screaming and covered in blood. Mozurath knew that, when she came of age, she would become goddess of the Fight; it would be her job to oversee armies and wars, as well as bless weapons and armory that they used. Mozurath anticipated that the Eritremic people would not live peacefully, and that fighting - either internally, or against other factions upon the continent - was inevitable. It was only fitting that the daughter of the Forge - Edarah’s grand designer of weaponry - should oversee the violence that they could cause.

It wasn’t that Isreole was fond of violence. As she grew, she understood violence to be a means to an end or a way to resolve problems that otherwise would languish unsolved. Any victims, and the blood they shed, were unfortunate collateral to the goal of resolving conflict - and, as she quickly realised, the world’s people always had conflicts to resolve. Unsurprisingly, she found that a lot of these conflicts derived from the bleeding heart of her younger sister; those in love were often scorned, leading to the biggest wars of all.

The beginning of the third century resulted in King Taeiloth Dawnsinger requesting Isreole’s divine aid in leading the Edarah army into battle against a rising insurgent force. The goddess did so, arriving at the armory of the King atop a golden steed, adorned in golden armour and her dark hair braided into a million intricate knots.

As twilight set in on the third day of their campaign, the army stopped on the outskirts of Fortuna to rest and recover. Isreole walked amongst her troops, taking stock of their injuries and strategising their next move. An unfamiliar face stood out to her amongst the throng; a young man, dashingly handsome and wielding an all-too-shiny silver spear. He stood, surrounded by a circle of resting soldiers, recounting a tale of glory and grandeur from battlefields afar. The listening battalion of soldiers’ eyes danced at the thought of achieving such glory in battle, and whether they could be the next folk hero whose tale was told throughout Edarah. Isreole saw within each of them the surging of a flame; the man’s words had reignited these soldiers’ desire to fight.

The next day, as the warhorns blew and her army stormed off into the throws of battle, Isreole spotted the unfamiliar storyteller - wielding his silver spear - leading the battalion with hearts aflame.

This flame was not long-lasting. Isreole could sense when each of her soldiers were slain, their fires snuffing out like lamplight. She knew that that entire battalion had perished at the hands of the enemy - each one a sacrifice to the King’s goal of defeating the insurgents. However, when she strode across the battlefield, she noticed one man stood tall - the unfamiliar storyteller, whistling to himself, cleaning his bloodstained silver spear.

Isreole watched from a distance as the storyteller returned to camp. She watched as he walked among the remaining soldiers, speaking with the wounded, gathering a crowd of those who could listen. She listened as he recounted the same tale he had told the battalion of soldiers the night previous - tales of glory and grandeur - except with added embellishment and flourishes from the day’s battle. Once again, she saw flames surge in the hearts of each soldier as they were inspired by the storyteller’s words - ready to fight for Edarah tomorrow morning, come what may.

As the soldiers settled in to sleep for the night, Isreole finally introduced herself to the storyteller. She had thought to bestow a blessing onto him, as thanks for his efforts in motivating each wave of soldiers into battle. The storyteller, however, introduced himself as **Loka**, or Pride; the eldest Harbinger, and a name Isreole knew well. He was not acting altruistically in recounting tales of glory to his fellow soldiers. He was only seeking to lure glory-seeking fools to their deaths as a means of elevating his own status as a bloodthirsty fighter - separate from his father’s name - and making himself a living folk legend in the process.

Isreole recognised that Loka’s intentions were not pure; he was a Harbinger after all. However, Pride was the surest way to lure the hearts of men into battle, and to always guarantee that Edarah’s army would be self-sacrificing, relentless and strong. So, the goddess of the Fight took Loka as her champion and consort, ensuring that war would always be incited by the Ertitremic people’s pride - whether for better or worse.