The Calendar Gods
An old Antora tale known as the "Calendar Gods," spoke of ten High Spirits coming together to divide the lands between themselves. These ten High Spirits have become immortalized as the Antoran Zodiac, with each year being named after them, in a ten year cycle. These high spirits also embody the months, weeks, and days of the Zavalian calendar, but are more rarely used in such case outside of Antora.
The Calendar Gods are powerful deities in their own right, and whether the story of the ten are true, they exist within Varaine without a doubt.
The Calendar Gods are:
The Calendar Gods are powerful deities in their own right, and whether the story of the ten are true, they exist within Varaine without a doubt.
The Calendar Gods are:
- The Queen Siren
- The Risen Wolf
- The Wooden Bird
- The Winged Serpent
- The Frosted Beetle
- The Cinder Dryad
- The Armored Warrior
- The Stoutfast Ox
- The Thunder Ram
- The Shining Jaguar
Mythology & Lore
The world was broken up into ten pieces of land, and each piece was to be given to the most powerful High Spirits. However, the divisions of land were not equal, and the ten began to bicker and fight over who gets what. Bothered by the fighting, the eldest of the high spirits, the Risen Wolf, proposed a contest, where each spirit would show their strengths and be judged, with the strongest getting the largest piece of land, and the weakest the smallest. The spirits, pleased and confident in themselves, relished at this challenge, as each believed they were the strongest.
Each proposed their own version of the contest, suited to their specialties. To each, the Risen Wolf agreed, allowing the High Spirits to show their strengths. The Wooden Bird and the Winged Serpent took to the skies to show how fast they could soar through the clouds. The Armored Warrior and the Stoutfast Ox began moving mountains to show how strong they were. The Frosted Beetle and the Cinder Dryad plunged themselves into icy waters to show how long they would withstand the cold. And the Shining Jaguar and the Thunder Ram began climbing anything they could find to show how well they could conquer heights. The Risen Wolf looked upon it's chaos, and noticed the Queen Siren not participating. When asked, it simply responded, "My power is the ability to wait."
The Risen Wolf liked this idea, and joined the Queen Siren.
The Shining Jaguar and the Thunder Ram climbed trees, buildings, and eventually mountains. However, as the Armored Warrior and the Stoutfast Ox moved the mountains the Jaguar and the Ram could not balance properly, and fell off landing in front of the Risen Wolf.
"It seems you are our last place candidates. Shining Jaguar, you shall get the jungles of the world. Thunder Ram, you the mountains."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
The Armored Warrior and the Stoutfast Ox began to feel their muscles growing sore, and stopped moving mountains, placing them above the icy lakes. Believing they most definitely won their challenges, they returned to the Risen Wolf. "You two have gotten eighth and seventh place. Respectable, but not first. Armored Warrior, you shall receive the towns and cities. Stoutfast Ox, you the farmland and the grasslands."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
The two of them losing The Frosted Beetle eventually ran out of breath and Cinder Dryad grew cold, and they both tried to ascend, but mountains now stood in their way. They banged and called out until their voices grew sore. They soon dug their way out of the mountains, and with the Thunder Ram's help, returned to the Risen Wolf.
"You have gotten sixth and fifth place. Fine performance from you both. Frosted Beetle you shall take that is icy and boreal. Cinder Dryad you shall take the deserts and the volcanic."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
Soon after, the Wooden Bird and the Winged Serpent grew tired and landed on the high mountain peaks, their breaths heavy and labored, they thought they surely must have won the competition, but as they descended the mountains they saw the Queen Siren is waiting, as well as the Risen Wolf, fast asleep. The winged creatures arrival awoke the Risen Wolf with a jolt, who exclaimed, "Ah. It seems I have lost in my waiting game, and the two of you have taken the third and fourth prize. For the Winged Serpent, the tops of trees and the skies of the jungles, and for the Wooden Bird the skies above them. I shall take the forests."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
The Risen Wolf looked to the Queen Siren again.
The Siren simply stated, "It seems as though I win, and as my prize I take the largest land available. The sea."
Content in their prize, and proud in their performance, the final two left to their domains.
Each proposed their own version of the contest, suited to their specialties. To each, the Risen Wolf agreed, allowing the High Spirits to show their strengths. The Wooden Bird and the Winged Serpent took to the skies to show how fast they could soar through the clouds. The Armored Warrior and the Stoutfast Ox began moving mountains to show how strong they were. The Frosted Beetle and the Cinder Dryad plunged themselves into icy waters to show how long they would withstand the cold. And the Shining Jaguar and the Thunder Ram began climbing anything they could find to show how well they could conquer heights. The Risen Wolf looked upon it's chaos, and noticed the Queen Siren not participating. When asked, it simply responded, "My power is the ability to wait."
The Risen Wolf liked this idea, and joined the Queen Siren.
The Shining Jaguar and the Thunder Ram climbed trees, buildings, and eventually mountains. However, as the Armored Warrior and the Stoutfast Ox moved the mountains the Jaguar and the Ram could not balance properly, and fell off landing in front of the Risen Wolf.
"It seems you are our last place candidates. Shining Jaguar, you shall get the jungles of the world. Thunder Ram, you the mountains."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
The Armored Warrior and the Stoutfast Ox began to feel their muscles growing sore, and stopped moving mountains, placing them above the icy lakes. Believing they most definitely won their challenges, they returned to the Risen Wolf. "You two have gotten eighth and seventh place. Respectable, but not first. Armored Warrior, you shall receive the towns and cities. Stoutfast Ox, you the farmland and the grasslands."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
The two of them losing The Frosted Beetle eventually ran out of breath and Cinder Dryad grew cold, and they both tried to ascend, but mountains now stood in their way. They banged and called out until their voices grew sore. They soon dug their way out of the mountains, and with the Thunder Ram's help, returned to the Risen Wolf.
"You have gotten sixth and fifth place. Fine performance from you both. Frosted Beetle you shall take that is icy and boreal. Cinder Dryad you shall take the deserts and the volcanic."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
Soon after, the Wooden Bird and the Winged Serpent grew tired and landed on the high mountain peaks, their breaths heavy and labored, they thought they surely must have won the competition, but as they descended the mountains they saw the Queen Siren is waiting, as well as the Risen Wolf, fast asleep. The winged creatures arrival awoke the Risen Wolf with a jolt, who exclaimed, "Ah. It seems I have lost in my waiting game, and the two of you have taken the third and fourth prize. For the Winged Serpent, the tops of trees and the skies of the jungles, and for the Wooden Bird the skies above them. I shall take the forests."
Content in their prize, but disappointed in their performance, the two left to their domains.
The Risen Wolf looked to the Queen Siren again.
The Siren simply stated, "It seems as though I win, and as my prize I take the largest land available. The sea."
Content in their prize, and proud in their performance, the final two left to their domains.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
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