Carcosan Pantheon

> *"In the beginning the world was naught but a sea as pitch as night, barely lit by the stars in the night. The primordial waves licked at each other, no land to brush against, nor to meld with. The King in Yellow, Hastur took pity on the waves and the empty sea, and descended from his kingdom of Aldebaran with his brethren to bless the land."* - The Book of Hali on the Creation of the World.
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The Carcosan Patheon of Gods are the creators of the island of Carcosa and the wider world, and the primary deities worshipped under Halism. Each God represents an abstract aspect or concept, and holds dominion over said aspect. Each God is worshipped all across Carcosa, but receives specific honoration in a region considered holy to that God. These Gods can die, and indeed several have, but a part of them almost always remains in some capacity, even if their physical form is destroyed. Out of every being, Gods have the highest concentration of quintessence in their bodies.

## The Pantheon

* Hastur, the God of Life and the King of the Gods
	+ As the most worshipped God in the Carcosan Patheon, people of all alignments rever the King of the Gods. Most dedicated followers of Hastur are True Neutral, however. Hastur's clerics wear yellow robes that cover almost the entirety of their body and hide their face, emulating the style of dress Hastur was said to wear.
	+ Worship of Hastur is the most widespread of all of the Carcosan Deities, but special reverence is given to Mount Levyne, where it is said that he is sealed away.
* Apep, the God of War and Vengeance
	+ Most dedicated followers of Apep are Lawful Evil, but people of all alignments pray to him to avoid wars. Clerics of Apep often wear armor and other battle gear, and are considered soldiers in equal part to being clerics.
	+ Worship of Apep is mostly done in times of war to placate the wrath of opposing armies. Worship to Apep is done even in times of peace in the city of Camelon, where the descendants of Apep rule.
	+ Despite his physical body being destroyed in a war countless eons ago, Apep's spirit is able to possess descendants of his with weak willpower. This spirit was eventually destroyed, or at least placated for the time being.
* Azathoth, the God of Darkness and Secrecy (Deceased)
	+ Most dedicated followers of Azathoth are Neutral Evil, but people of all alignments pray to him to avoid the spreading of their secrets. Clerics of Azathoth are few and far between, but numerous thieves and dark mages count themselves as among his most devoted followers.
	+ Worship of Azathoth was most prevalent in the city of Aldones before it fell. After its destruction, and the movement of much of its citizens to Avalon, worship of Azathoth followed.
	+ Azathoth's physical body was destroyed of his own will, in a bid to gift all mages and clerics a deeper understanding of quintessence. It is said that due to this, his spirit suffuses the very essence of dark magic itself.
* Baal, the God of Peace and Justice
	+ Most dedicated followers of Baal are Lawful Good. As such, Baal has attracted a large number of clerics, who work dutifully to bring about peace.
	+ Worship of Baal is done all throughout Carcosa to maintain peace and placate war, but special reverence to Baal is given in Chard, as his descendants ruled there for many eons.
	+ It is currently unknown what has happened to Baal's physical body, as there is no record of his death. Most Carcosan scholars believe that he is slumbering alongside Hastur, and potentially other Gods.
* Cassilda, the Goddess of Sex, Birth, Fertility, Fire, and Passion, and the Queen of the Gods
	+ As the second most widely worshipped deity in Carcosa, Cassilda's followers vary in alignment. However, dedicated followers find themselves chaotic in alignment more often than not. These followers consist of mage knights and clerics primarily, and are known for their scarlet robes.
	+ Worship of Cassilda is not centered in any one place in Carcosa, and there is no specific holy site or city where she is venerated above the other Gods.
	+ Cassilda is alive in her physical form as the Queen in Red, the ruler of the country of Wisteria. This fact is little-known, however, but most of the leadership of the other three countries are aware of this fact.
* Cthu, the God of Nature
	+ Most dedicated worshippers of Cthu tend towards neutrality, as nature does not usually choose sides. Clerics of Cthu often adorn themselves with parts of nature, and some even forswear metal in entirety.
	+ Worship of Cthu is done in areas outside major metropolises, but also in Morganeux, the capital city of Elroy, as he is the patron God of that city.
	+ Cthu's physical form was bonded to that of a dragon a few hundred years before the events of Aldebaran's Light, and it is unknown where his physical body is - if he even has one anymore.
* Elohim, the God of Light and Knowledge
	+ Most dedicated followers of Elohim are Lawful Neutral, although people of all alignments pray to him. Clerics and light mages are Elohim's most abundant servants, with most of them wearing simple white or teal robes.
	+ Worship of Elohim is the most prominent in Avalon, where his descendants have ruled for many years.
	+ Like many of the other Gods, it is unknown where Elohim's physical form is, or if he even still possesses it.
* Geryon, the God of Luck and Trickery
	+ Many across Carcosa worship Geryon regardless of alignment, but most dedicated followers are Chaotic Neutral. Followers of Geryon scarcely fit into one group of people, so there is no shared style of dress between them.
	+ Worship of Geryon is done almost everywhere, but the city of Quimper was seen as the holiest location or his worshippers. Due to the city's partial destruction at the hands of Bedivere von Camelon, and the marriage of Geryon's sole descendant, Mortigen von Quimper to Loholt von Tintagel, Quimper's future remains up in the air.
	+ The location of Geryon's physical form is unknown, like many of the other Gods. Some say that he died, and instead his essence suffuses the entirety of professions such as gambling, but it is unknown for sure.
* Inanna, the Goddess of Hunting and Tracking
	+ Worship of Inanna isn't widespread throughout Carcosa, and the majority of her worshippers are Chaotic Neutral in nature. There are little to no clerics of Inanna, as most of her followers shun magic and instead practice with weapons such as bows and daggers.
	+ Worship of Inanna is mostly contained to the isle of Tintagel, although hunters all across Carcosa still venerate her.
	+ Much like many of the other Gods, Inanna's physical whereabouts are unknown, but it's generally accepted that she is slumbering alongside Hastur and a few other Gods.
* Lazarus, the God of Change and Rebirth
	+ Lazarus is not widely worshipped in Carcosa, but his followers are some of the most devout. Those who desire change or rebirth in their lives, such as transgender people, people moving on from past hardships, and young adults coming of age all pray to Lazarus with a fervor hardly matched. Most of these devout followers are Chaotic Good, and many paint the mark of Lazarus on their skin as a way to pay homage to the God.
	+ Much like Minos and Statius, Lazarus is widely worshipped across Carcosa, especially in Cadmus. However, he serves as the Patron God of the city of Capulet, and is the most revered of the three there in the city.
	+ The location of Lazarus's physical form is unknown, but most contend that he is neither dead or asleep, as numerous reports of anonymous figures who bring magical change to people in need still suffuse the continent.
* Mantitas, the God of Death (Deceased)
	+ People of all alignments worship Mantitas, but his most dedicated followers tend towards being lawful. Clerics and Dark mages are those who serve Mantitas at the highest frequencies, with many of them helping to cure the sick and injured, and helping the terminally ill to pass into the afterlife. Followers of Mantitas mostly wear black or white, with some wearing colors such as pink to simultaneously honor his daughter, the Prophet Seire.
	+ Worship of Mantitas is rarely done outside of Mantitore, due in part to an apparently ancient feud between him and Hastur. However, end of life rites, and prayers to stave off death do evoke him frequently. In Mantitore, worship of Mantitas is a common part of daily life, and worship of him even exceeds Hastur and Cassilda, with the holiest sites being regarded as Mantitas's Cradle and Mantitore City.
	+ Mantitas ruled for eons as the Priest-King of Mantitore in a human body, but he had to possess a host body every 200 years or so to remain alive in this way. His physical body was finally killed by the Party at the end of Act II.
* Minos, the God of Health and Medicine
	+ Minos is worshipped by many due to the nature of his domain, but his most devout followers tend towards Neutral Good. Clerics of all kinds are Minos's most frequent worshippers, and many of them carve his holy symbol onto their staves to help ward off illnesses. One extremely devout group of Minos followers, known as the Order of the Plague, wear bird-like masks in addition.
	+ Worship of Minos is done all throughout Carcosa, but a large base of his worshippers hail from Cadmus. Worship of Lazarus, Minos, and Statius used to be relegated to the three major cities of Cadmus, but after the destruction of Pyramus, the three Gods are worshipped in near equal parts in the cities of Cadmus.
	+ The location of Minos's physical body is, like many of the other Gods, unknown. Some say that he still wanders around under the guise of an old hermit healing the weak. Others yet say that he is slumbering in Mount Levyne alongside Hastur.
* Statius, the God of Love and Emotions (Deceased)
	+ Statius is a widely revered God in Carcosa, and most of his devout followers tend towards good, with no regard to order or chaos. Devoted clerics of Statius are rare, however, and most of his devoted followers speak of the dead God as little more than a memory - albiet one with a very real affect on the world.
	+ Worship of Statius is done nearly everywhere in Carcosa, but in Cadmus it is the most widespread. Due to the tragic or martyrdous nature of his descendants, such as Horatio von Pyramus or his son Romeo von Pyramus, or even Statius himself, worship of the God of Love is taken very seriously, especially in the two major cities of Cadmus.
	+ Statius is a very odd case in life and death compared to the other Gods. Both his physical form, as well as his quintessence appears to have been completely scrubbed from the world. Statius was murdered by Sheol, the human king of a nation that is what is now modern-day Mantitore and Wisteria. Sheol used a broken bone of the Chaos God Euronymous to do so, and it appears to have wiped the God's quintessence from existence as well. The only reason some still possess Statius Holy Blood is due to his child, Hildred, who passed it down to the people who have it today. Despite his violent death, some wistful thinkers believe that Statius's quintessence still remains somewhere, perhaps present in the feeling of love itself.

## Prophets

While not worshipped to the same degree as the Carcosan deities, two prophets have become widely worshipped and revered in almost equal part to some of the Gods in certain areas.

* The Prophet Hali
	+ Most people in Carcosa revere, if not worship the Prophet Hali, who's holy writings on the Gods form the basis of Halism. Said to be appointed by Hastur himself to chronicle the Gods' doings, admiration of Hali is near universal.
	+ Little is known about the prophet outside of their names and writings. No gender, description, or physical appearance is mentioned anywhere, so most popular depictions of the prophet show them wearing the yellow robes of a cleric of Hastur.
* The Prophet Seire
	+ The Prophet Seire is greatly revered and worshipped in Mantitore, and is deeply respected elsewhere in Carcosa. The daughter of the God Mantitas, Seire was a demigod who frequently saw visions of the future. She also assisted in the defeat of Euronymous when the God's followers attacked Carcosa.
	+ Seire's quintessence did not disappear after her death, instead fueling the life of Anastasia Rose. Seire herself exists somewhere in Anastasia's conscious, but the two are different people themselves.

## See also

* Halism
* The Book of Hali
* The Book of the Rose
* Hasturnalia
* The Fire Emblem
* Euronymous
* Holy Weapons