The Divine Pantheons & Deities
There are many deities, divinities, elder powers in the world and universe of Aetheus. Most deities controlled some aspect of mortal affairs as part of their Portfolio. All divinities were given their spark of life during the mythical inception of the universe - but it is possible for mortals to achieve the power of godhood, as proven by Vecna the Undying King and the Raven Queen.
In the beginning, before the world's inception, there were the Prime Divinities, the gods that came to sacrifice portions of their power to populate and bring life to the world of Aetheus - they fought with the Primordials, the beings that were formulated by the manifestations and power of the Elemental Chaos, sentient but incredibly powerful and undirected beings that lived upon destruction and change.
The Primordial Green are the powerful nature deities that gave rise to the abundant life, the representations of spirit and nature in the world, that represented the changes in the cycle of life and embodied the animus of life, both good and bad.
The Gray Exiles were divinities that did not belong to the Prime Divinities, Primordial Green or the Diabolical Ones - a new generation of gods that came into existence as the new races blossomed across the world under the Prime Divinities will after the Primordials were defeated - they exist outside the sphere of influence of the wider races of the world, retaining their power, some even forgotten by the peoples of the world - but enact their influence and power without recognition of the masses, subtly manipulating events in their own way, selfish or otherwise.
The Diabolical Ones are those beings who selfishly sought to become the dominant power of the universe, represent the darker sides of life and true evil that exists in the universe. They fought off against the Prime Divinities in a bid for power, even the destruction of the universe. Their own selfish desire, arrogance, pride and madness was their own downfall and had been sealed away by the Gods, to be watched for eternity. When they were unleashed once more upon the world, the world was plunged into an era of war and darkness known as the Calamity, where all the great civilisations were devastated and destroyed - wiping out nearly all of existence and life on Aetheus, until the Divinities sealed themselves beyond the Divine Gate to seal the Diabolical Ones and themselves beyond their influence. Allowing the humanoid races to choose to live their lives freely, without their intervening.
Worshippers were necessary for the continued existence and powers of most deities. The numbers and fervour of a god's worshippers determined in large part the power of the deity. Deities without worshippers or who were fading in popularity faded in power, and in extreme cases could even die from neglect. However, deities, while immortal, were incapable of dying. Though a deity could die, at least a part of them would always remain. There are instances of worshippers of these deities tapping into these remnants to wield divine magic. Dead deities also have the potential to be resurrected if they maintained some kind of physical or metaphysical presence and a significant base of worshippers.
The Primordial Green pantheon composes of the deities of nature, beasts and the wilderness that preserve the animus of life and the spirit of life that exhumes out from the Feywild. Led by the Duke of Decay as the pantheon leader, Bwom'Sambdi. Directly served under by the Season Riders of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter that watch and traverse between the Material Plane and the Feywild - to whom pay homage to Gwynndrassil the Spirit Tree (The Primordial of Plants - foster-father of wild elves) and Gazenaroc the Shapeless One (The Primordial of Beasts).
Honoured aids of the Primordial Green are Shelúne and Pelor, the Sun and Moon.
The lesser deities of the Spirit of Life that sacrificed portions of their essence to create and give life are:
The banished deities of the Primordial Green that have severed their inherent ties with nature and become pseudo-gods or corrupted divinities are:
Those that were corrupted by the Abyss, that once belonged to the pantheon were:
The antithesis of the Primordial Green was once the ancient Primordial Titans and their line of descendants from the Morgoron line. Thus have a great enmity with the Orcs and Orocs of Lorkhan.
The Prime Divinities are the pantheon of gods that originally sired the mortal races and their children, that watch over the good of the universe and over civilisation. Embodying the true and lawful good of the universe, and protect their children with their blessings and their watchful eyes.
Though there is no strict leader, usually represented by either Venarion (good dragons) or Pelor (sacrificed his power to light the world), as they reside as the most prominent deities of the world.
Here the mortal children carved their own lands of the world - humans the world, Tabaxi the desert, dwarves the mountains, elves the forests, gnomes the hills, halflings the fields. Leaving out the orcs. Then there is:
Arvanos the Arch-Heart was lost to the pantheon upon his passing, his eternal exodus and abandonment of his children - once the most powerful - the being most tied to the magical Weave and to the Elves.
**Their was once a proud and powerful defender of the world = Bane, until he committed the great sin of changing a race's fate, and created the goblins. Cheating them of fate.
The one that took his place was a vigilant defender and vanquisher of evil - Heimdall. The Guardian of the Gate.
This pantheon are little connected and made of younger gods, as civilisation and the world spanned out further after the fall of the Primordials.
The youngest and darkest of the deities - the one that gave penitence to the mortal races, and punishment = Null the Stillborn Godling.
The Diabolical Ones, non-cooperative, all powerful and selfish evil beings of the world - that have a great part to play in the formation of the universe, and the conflicts that play between mortal races & the Divines.
The most diabolical and evil being is Tharizdun the Chained Oblivion, father of the Abyss, and the great corruptor. His madness and sheer power created the Abyss, and nearly destroyed the universe twice.
Then there are the corrupted ones - Baphomet the Prince of Beasts. Yeenoghu the Prince of Ruin. Lolth, the Queen of the Drow and the Demonweb Pits (corrupted).
Vecna the Undying King, was the one that brought ruin to the Arcane Era - and became the newest god of the divinities.
Then there are the Elder Evils, much is not known about these beings and entities - the one that is known most: * Hadar the Dark Hunger - the consumer of light and life and sentience. This elder evil broke the barriers between the Far Realm and the Material Plane, causing the great Rift Schism that almost corrupted and destroyed the world upon the unleashing of the aberratons and nightmarish horrors that live in the twisted universe of the Far Realm, and continue to haunt people's dreams and nightmares to this very day.
The Gray Exiles were divinities that did not belong to the Prime Divinities, Primordial Green or the Diabolical Ones - a new generation of gods that came into existence as the new races blossomed across the world under the Prime Divinities will after the Primordials were defeated - they exist outside the sphere of influence of the wider races of the world, retaining their power, some even forgotten by the peoples of the world - but enact their influence and power without recognition of the masses, subtly manipulating events in their own way, selfish or otherwise.
The Diabolical Ones are those beings who selfishly sought to become the dominant power of the universe, represent the darker sides of life and true evil that exists in the universe. They fought off against the Prime Divinities in a bid for power, even the destruction of the universe. Their own selfish desire, arrogance, pride and madness was their own downfall and had been sealed away by the Gods, to be watched for eternity. When they were unleashed once more upon the world, the world was plunged into an era of war and darkness known as the Calamity, where all the great civilisations were devastated and destroyed - wiping out nearly all of existence and life on Aetheus, until the Divinities sealed themselves beyond the Divine Gate to seal the Diabolical Ones and themselves beyond their influence. Allowing the humanoid races to choose to live their lives freely, without their intervening.
Worshippers were necessary for the continued existence and powers of most deities. The numbers and fervour of a god's worshippers determined in large part the power of the deity. Deities without worshippers or who were fading in popularity faded in power, and in extreme cases could even die from neglect. However, deities, while immortal, were incapable of dying. Though a deity could die, at least a part of them would always remain. There are instances of worshippers of these deities tapping into these remnants to wield divine magic. Dead deities also have the potential to be resurrected if they maintained some kind of physical or metaphysical presence and a significant base of worshippers.
THE PRIMORDIAL GREEN
The Primordial Green pantheon composes of the deities of nature, beasts and the wilderness that preserve the animus of life and the spirit of life that exhumes out from the Feywild. Led by the Duke of Decay as the pantheon leader, Bwom'Sambdi. Directly served under by the Season Riders of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter that watch and traverse between the Material Plane and the Feywild - to whom pay homage to Gwynndrassil the Spirit Tree (The Primordial of Plants - foster-father of wild elves) and Gazenaroc the Shapeless One (The Primordial of Beasts).
- Spring: Eostara (also known as Persephone, a corrupted evil deity)
- Summer: Freya
- Autumn: Vernoron
- Winter: Boreas
Honoured aids of the Primordial Green are Shelúne and Pelor, the Sun and Moon.
The lesser deities of the Spirit of Life that sacrificed portions of their essence to create and give life are:
- Toridon the Tidebreaker. = the patron deity of the Tortle.
- Sekoloth the Bloodraver. = the patron deity of the Sahuagin.
- Odile the Primal Saurian. = the patron deity of the Lizardfolk.
- Ericerbric the Croaking Mother. = the patron deity of the Grung & Bullywugs.
The banished deities of the Primordial Green that have severed their inherent ties with nature and become pseudo-gods or corrupted divinities are:
- Uk'otoa the Great Leviathan. = A deity who has lost worship, but his immortal power blesses those that promise to serve him.
- Zehir the Cloaked Serpent. = A deity who has lost worship, but their immortal power blesses those that promise to serve him. The patron deity of the Yuan-Ti, Naga.
Those that were corrupted by the Abyss, that once belonged to the pantheon were:
- Hyana the Surrogate Mother = the patron deity of the Gnolls
- Asterion the Horned King = the patron deity of the Minotaur
The antithesis of the Primordial Green was once the ancient Primordial Titans and their line of descendants from the Morgoron line. Thus have a great enmity with the Orcs and Orocs of Lorkhan.
THE PRIME DIVINITIES
The Prime Divinities are the pantheon of gods that originally sired the mortal races and their children, that watch over the good of the universe and over civilisation. Embodying the true and lawful good of the universe, and protect their children with their blessings and their watchful eyes.
Though there is no strict leader, usually represented by either Venarion (good dragons) or Pelor (sacrificed his power to light the world), as they reside as the most prominent deities of the world.
- The one that brought law and order was Erathis.
- The one that embodied the forces of love and sorrow was Romeus.
- The one that embodied the land, the wild and the sea was Melora the Wildmother.
Here the mortal children carved their own lands of the world - humans the world, Tabaxi the desert, dwarves the mountains, elves the forests, gnomes the hills, halflings the fields. Leaving out the orcs. Then there is:
- Pansophia = the patron deity of the Tabaxi (injured deity)
- Promethea = the patron deity of the Humans.
- Ergo = the patron deity of the Dwarves.
- Pygmea = the patron deity of the Gnomes.
- Maevericki = the patron deity of the Halflings.
Arvanos the Arch-Heart was lost to the pantheon upon his passing, his eternal exodus and abandonment of his children - once the most powerful - the being most tied to the magical Weave and to the Elves.
**Their was once a proud and powerful defender of the world = Bane, until he committed the great sin of changing a race's fate, and created the goblins. Cheating them of fate.
The one that took his place was a vigilant defender and vanquisher of evil - Heimdall. The Guardian of the Gate.
THE EXILED & GREY DEITIES
This pantheon are little connected and made of younger gods, as civilisation and the world spanned out further after the fall of the Primordials.
- Avandra the Changebringer (Lost deity*)
- Craevan the Repentant Bastard (son of Venarion and Asmodeus) = patron deity of the Tieflings
- Kaijos the Scaled Schemer (refused out of the Draconic Trinity) = patron deity of the Kobolds (risen to divinity)
- Laduguer (rose to divinity to protect his exiled Gray Dwarves) = patron deity of the Duergar.
- Morpheus (born from dreams and nightmares)
- Quorlinn the Woeful Beggar = patron deity of the Kenku (forced into divinity)
- Shelúne the Moonweaver (robbed of her place amongst the Prime Divinities)
- Lorkhan the Storm Lord = patron deity of the Orcs (Orocs, Cyclops and Ogres)
The youngest and darkest of the deities - the one that gave penitence to the mortal races, and punishment = Null the Stillborn Godling.
THE DIABOLICAL ONES
The Diabolical Ones, non-cooperative, all powerful and selfish evil beings of the world - that have a great part to play in the formation of the universe, and the conflicts that play between mortal races & the Divines.
- Asmodeus = the Lord of the Nine Hells
- Sincainea the Vice Maiden = the Goddess of Oaths, Promises and Obligations (active)
- Torog the Crawling King (sealed)
- Uk'otoa** (sealed)
- Zehir** (sealed)
- Bane*** (Dead deity?)
The most diabolical and evil being is Tharizdun the Chained Oblivion, father of the Abyss, and the great corruptor. His madness and sheer power created the Abyss, and nearly destroyed the universe twice.
Then there are the corrupted ones - Baphomet the Prince of Beasts. Yeenoghu the Prince of Ruin. Lolth, the Queen of the Drow and the Demonweb Pits (corrupted).
Vecna the Undying King, was the one that brought ruin to the Arcane Era - and became the newest god of the divinities.
THE DEMON PRINCES OF THE ABYSS
Then there are the Demon Princes of the Abyss:- Demogorgon (3rd Demon Prince - originally Obox-ob, then the Queen of Chaos the 2nd)
- Orcus (Lord of the Undead)
- Graz'zt (Fallen celestial, then devil then demon lord - the Dark Prince)
- Baphomet (new Prince of Beasts)
- Yeenoghu (new Prince of Ruin)
- Juiblex (the Faceless Lord - oozes)
- Fraz-Urb'luu (self-styled Demon Prince of Deception)
- Malcanthet (Queen of the succubi)
- Zuggtmoy (Demon Princess of Decay)
Then there are the Elder Evils, much is not known about these beings and entities - the one that is known most: * Hadar the Dark Hunger - the consumer of light and life and sentience. This elder evil broke the barriers between the Far Realm and the Material Plane, causing the great Rift Schism that almost corrupted and destroyed the world upon the unleashing of the aberratons and nightmarish horrors that live in the twisted universe of the Far Realm, and continue to haunt people's dreams and nightmares to this very day.
