The Divine Wheel

When the Cindrian Plague burned through Western Arith like a wildfire, old power structures were destroyed, seeding violence and war throughout the region. Unchecked death continued on even as the plague ended, and those who were not burned by magic sickness were instead slaughtered or conquered by warlords and upstart noblemen trying to establish their own orders. With the human ownership of the Coligrave Jungle in question, one particular warrior had come up with his own method of bringing order to the chaos.   As he would soon become known, Legate Aelius of a small Leonin clan worked with nearby clerical orders who were overwhelmed by the abundant need of their healing and support. He began first with his clan, then his neighbors, making sure everyone had food and water and a place to sleep safely, thanks to divine magic and protection. He watched as a lowborn cleric of the Moonmaiden healed two lycanar side by side, who he had seen clashing blades not three days prior, reprimanding them for causing such pain to the other. The Order of Aristea had always used the Westrun Pantheon to appease different cultural groups into forgetting old grudges, but in this moment Aelius began to see the possibilities of forming a new society under one specific pantheon, who’s divine teachings would promote peace, unity, and good will above all else. Where other pantheons were designed to appease, his new creation would be about structure and problem solving.   Aelius worked with the clerics he’d brought together to devise the best selection of gods he could think of, each one with traits and domains that contributed towards a society above war and violence. They also debated the use of titles as opposed to names, as the new pantheon was not meant to promote hierarchy and worship, but philosophical unity. He arrived at the following list:  

• Volker: Paragon of Friendship and Travel
• Iris: Paragon of Fate and Mourning
• Vizara: Paragon of Power and Health
• Vydona: Paragon of Life and Compassion
• Selene: Paragon of Justice and Learning

  He called this pantheon “The Divine Wheel”, represented by the image of a Wagon Wheel with five spokes, leaving a spot for each of the five gods. Rather than the title of “god” or “divine”, they were instead titled “Paragon”, as examples for the people of Aelius’s new kingdom to live up to. It has remained in effect till the current era as the unifying belief system of Holy Lorain, and it was recognized by the Order of Aristea as an accepted religious practice before its dissolution.