Gods

Amongst even the most powerful and unmeasurable of beings, there are still strata of power that must be recognized and respected. Mortal understanding of the Divine is limited in scope, the knowledge only really coming from the mouths of those same Divine beings or their servants. However, through ages of research, they have been able to distinguish three levels of Divinity, rudimentarily named: Cardinal Gods, Newer Gods, and Lesser gods.

## **Cardinal Gods**

Also called the Apathetic gods, the ten Cardinal Gods that are recognized by the mortal populace of Djor, though one more has been counted by scholars to be among their number in terms of power and influence. The Cardinal Gods are the eldest of their make, each controlling a fundamental aspect of creation and having claimed their spheres after the **War of Divinity** with Primordas and his Primordial kin. The Cardinal Gods have the least variance in strength, all of them roughly equivalent in divine might and influence. No single Cardinal God could ever vanquish another, even if the Divine Mandate allowed it.

### **The Cardinal Gods**

* Akaene, Cardinal Goddess of Fate
* Bhalla, Cardinal Goddess of Life
* Desnae, Cardinal Goddess of Chance
* Karthex, Cardinal God of Death
* Lumeth, Cardinal God of Light
* Mortius, Cardinal God of Time
* Nyxas, Cardinal Goddess of Darkness
* Selufron, Cardinal God of Magic
* Vaers and Vinkeg, Cardinal Gods of Nature

### **Ashmedae,**The Diabolical King

When the War of Divinity ended, creation's foundation was torn asunder, and the Cardinal Gods were forced to leave their newly created realm, least they unravel the Prime Primordial's prison. The gods debated among themselves, unable to agree as to how they would split their conquered cosmos. From the shadows came Ashmedae, neither god nor primordial. Held in his clutches was a contract, a Divine Mandate, that would divide the fundamental powers of the universe between the gods and ensure the stability of Primordas's prison. Despite the existence of the Divine Mandate being irrefutable, there is no exact recollection of what was said between the gods and this mysterious being that caused them to agree.

Ashmedae is the irrefutable ruler of the realm of Perdition, the Nine Hells. From his Red Iron throne, he sees to the eternal punishment of the Damned. There are whispers that he builds an army to eventually overthrow the very contract that he brokered, but no movement from the nether stirs even eternities later.

## **Heeding Gods**

The Heeding Gods, also referred to as the New Gods or simply Gods, are fully divine beings that came into existence after the War of Divinity and the creation of the Divine Mandate. Generally, they hold control over some aspect of the Universe, whether physical or immaterial. However, their control over their aspects is not as uncontested as their Cardinal elders, and it is not uncommon for multiple Newer Gods to hold sway over the same domains. The Newer Gods vary in strength, with some being vastly more powerful than others. Generally, their strength is determined by their age and number of worshipers. This is not a universal truth, with several younger Gods being immeasurably more powerful than their brethern.

Though not held directly held to the commands of the Divine Mandate, the Newer Gods know intrinsically better than to break the tenants, or they will face the unyielding might of the Cardinal Gods and risk their own destruction. There have only been a handful of foolish gods who thought themselves able to avoid detection; their names and history are unknown for they have been stricken from the testaments of time by Mortius and erased from the tomes of fate by Akaene.

### The Xotrossian Pantheon

The Queendom of Xotross welcomes the worship of many gods, but five churches have noticeable political power, those being the so-called Pentemal faiths. The other noticeable recognized faiths are often referred to as the Decorous gods. There are few illegal gods within the lands, known as the Exoras Gods. Finally, there are those that are unknown to the lands of Xotross, but by no means are they any less powerful the aforementioned Newer Gods.

#### Pentenal Gods

* Andronos God of Civilization, Vanguard of Humanity
* Seranas Goddess of Redemption and Renewal
* Illumer God of Strength and Triumph
* Chreyja Goddess of Trade and Coin
* Freydia Goddess of Sex and Fertility

#### Decorous Gods

* Artemeon God of Hunting and Forestry
* Aurorus God of Transitions
* Bahamut God of Justice and Father of Metallic Dragons
* Calestra Goddess of Retribution
* Caydus God of Travel
* Corellon God of Artistry, Father of Elves
* Cyrolalee Goddess of Companionship
* Gorthax God of Metals and Creator of Orkids
* Koræk God of Judgement
* Mimiron God of Knowledge, Curator of the Apeiros Library
* Moradin God of Craft, Creator of Dwarves
* Morphia Goddess of Dream, Ruler of the Ethereal Plane
* Nivera Goddess of Enlightenment
* Tiamat Goddess of Deceit, Mother of Chromatic Dragons
* Tuxnae Goddess of Luck
* Tyron God of War and Battle
* Yondalla Goddess of Family and Marriage, Mother of Halflings
* Zovlik God of the Wildness and Creator of the Eldest

#### Exoras Gods

* Auril Goddess of Winter and Decay, Mother of Hags
* Cystila Goddess of Monster, Creator of Goblin-blooded
* Foutur God of Nightmares
* Horungr God of Treachery
* Jormund God of Giantkin
* Lolth Goddess of Drow, Queen of Spiders
* Manem God of Cowardliness
* Ramet-Hotem God of Undeath, Forefather of Liches
* The Elemental Lords, Rulers of the Elemental Planes

## **Lesser** G**ods**

Lesser Gods are beings that hold only an ember of divinity, holding no actual dominion over an aspect of the universe. Regardless, they are incredibly powerful beings, generally immortal, with the capability to become Newer Gods if they are able to wrest a domain for themselves or gather worshipers. Lesser gods come in many forms, with a vast range of power, and can originate in a number of ways, the most common being birthed by a more powerful gods.

The most significant deviation of the Lesser Gods from their more powerful kin is that they can be slain by mortal hands. If they are slain in their true form, even by mortal hands, Lesser Gods will lose their divinity and perish. They tend not to directly impose themselves into the affairs of mighty beings due to their possibility of death, though that should not be confused with vulnerability. Lesser Gods, weaker they may be of deities, are still astronomically stronger than mortals. It is only the most powerful of mortals, usually empowered by other gods, that can even hope to defeat them.

Unlike their greater kin, Lesser gods are not held to the tenets of the Divine Mandate, as they do not have enough power to influence the Primordial Prisons. Most live in the outer planes and are under the eye of a stronger god, though some plot in secret within their demiplane-realms.

* The Archdevils of Perdition, the Nine Hells
* The Empyreal Lords of Mount Celestia, Elysium, and Arborea
* The Four Horsemen of Karthex's realm of Abbadon
* The Demon Lords of the Abyss
* The Eldest, Rulers of The Faewild and Progenitors of Faefolk
* The Lesser Elemental Lords, Masters of the Edges of the Elemental Planes
* Fengrin, Goddess of Djorig's Larger Moon
* Eilistraee, Drow goddess of Beauty and Light
* Vecna, the Arch-lich, the Whispered One

### **Demigods**

Though not actually divine, unable to grant power to their worshipers as true gods can, Demigods are powerful beings with a spark of divinity. Demigods tend to be servants of other gods who have granted them the power to aid in their duties. Demigods vary the most in terms of power, from extremely powerful mortals to significantly strong outsiders to even beings that could rend entire realms. The most notable of Demigods are the Heralds of Cardinal and Newer Gods.

* The Titans, spawn of Primordials and Gods
* The Kython Elders, rulers of the Maelstrom of Limbo
* Hemea, the Eldest Star, Herald of Lumeth
* Exuo, Archmage, Lord of Exuosia
* The God-Touched Mortals of the Age of Divinity
* The Goblin Heroes, Legendary paragons of Goblin-blooded
* The Infernal Dukes, servants of the Archdevils
* The Principal Inevitables, primary of the Inevitables of Mechanas