Magic, Religion, and The Gods

Religion plays the greatest part in the daily lives of the Paradigm citizens. Each nation has it's own unique Pantheon, which does not consider the monster or non-human races with the sole exception of the Western Empire, which has adopted many non-human gods into it's ranks.

The Western Pantheon
The Western Empire boasts the largest conglomerate of dieties and religions in all of Paradigm. In fact, there are four distinct pantheons, all of whom began as one but split because of ideological differences. Each of the pantheons have thousands of followers throughout the Empire.

1. The Celestial Court

The Celestial Court is the most well known of the four pantheons, comprised of the dieties that are the most benevolent and govern the workings of the entire universe. The dieties of the Celestial Court are the kings and queens of the gods. The second pantheon in the Western Empire is the pantheon of the Holistic Governors. Unlike the Celestial Court, the Governors are neither good nor evil, their purpose being solely to order the mechanics of the universe in accordance to the will of The One and keep everything working smoothly. None of these divine beings have an established church but are worshipped by those that they patron. The third pantheon of the Western Empire is the Shining Host. These gods and goddesses govern different skills and abilities, which they personally taught by taking human form and entering the world. The final Western Pantheon is The Fallen. These dieties, lead by Dalamar, laid seige to paradise in the foolish belief that they could wrest control from The One. They were wrong, and were cast out of paradise and into the horrible cold depths of the Void. These dieties are all vile, worshiped only by monsters, evil people, or the insane.
 * The One is the creator goddess, She Whom Made All. The Eternal Mother, The One created everything, including all of the other dieties. She is the one true god, omnipotent and all knowing; the beginning and the end and all other gods, even the Fallen, obey Her will. Her clerics say that The One embodies time, fate, destiny, and order. Her symbol is the all seeing stylized eye and Her symbol is recognized as the symbol of pure holiness. The One created the race of Men and also gifted them with death: whereas other races reincarnate or become one with the universe the spirits of Men return to the One and spend eternity with Her in paradise.
 * Eheru, also known as the World Tree or the Universe Tree, growns from behind The One's throne and shades Her in comfort. Eheru embodies patience, truth, wisdom, and peace. His symbol is an oak leaf and his religion Etism teaches that wisdom leads to enlightenment and enlightenment to peace.
 * Assaillion the Righteous embodies law, justice, leadership, and righteousness. He is the right hand of The One and the king of kings. His symbol matches the diety himself: a massive lion of flame. Assallion is most often served and worshiped by paladins, crusaders, and all those whom weild the sword in the name of justice and righteousness. His religion Cetellite teaches that only through law can society survive.
 * Estrid, also called Yoriann, Yorianna, or Yanna is the embodiment of love in all it's forms: Romantic, Platonic, and Eros. She also oversees marriage, childbirth, and the home. She is a greatly beloved diety, and her pink clad preistesses are a welcome sight wherever they appear. Her symbol is a dove, and her religion Estridism teaches that in order to be pure one must walk in love.
 * Mihina, also known as Mihi, Milikki, and Nen embodies healing, medicine, rebirth and renewal, joy, and laughter. The mother goddess to the Pizkie, Mihina spends her time dancing over the fields of paradise and filling the air with her chime-like laughter. Her religion, Joyidism, teachers that one acheives and maintains righteousness by service to others. Her symbol is a sprig of lavender.
 * Jotan is the embodiment of strength, valor, courage, and determination. It is widely said that he created the Nain, which themselves embody these traits and as such he is particularly revered by them. His followers, the Jotanites, preach that he has no humanoid form but instead dwells in paradise in the form of a great bronze bull, which is also his symbol.
 * Poss governs all waters. He brought the great oceans and seas to life and orders the movement of lakes, rivers, streams, rains; anything water. Because water is everywhere in the world Poss is also, and he hears and sees much. He is the patron god of sailors, fishermen, and often of waterbenders.
 * Marclline ushers in the seasons in their due time and is of mutable form. In spring she is a beautiful maiden, in summer a wise matron, in winter an aging generian, and in winter a withered but gentle crone. She constantly travels and explores, which makes her the patron goddess of guides and explorers.
 * Yuriname is the moon and night, governing the creatures of shade and shadow. She knows the answers to all mysteries because she is mystery herself. She is the patron goddess of all things that move under the stars which, unfortunately, also often includes certain undead and assassins.
 * Daedendra makes all things bloom and renew, nature is what she loves and tends to. She loves all living things and teaches that all living things have their purpose. She is the patron goddess of animists and forest guardians.
 * Dagadar is the earth. He caused the mountains to rise and caves to form when The One wished it so, and crafted stone and metal for The People to work, love, and enjoy. He is the patron god of smiths, jewelers, miners, and many Nain turn to him for advice on crafting as well. Dagadar, it is said, personally taught the People stone and metal smithing.
 * Neri came to the world to teach The People culinary arts. She is the goddess of all things culinary, which makes her especially popular among the comfort loving Mattimeo. She is the patron goddess of cooks, chefs, and those that make their living in culinaria.
 * Tristin came to the earth to teach games of luck, skill, and chance. He is the great trickster, the mischeif maker, and the prankster. He's the patron god of gamblers, theives, and cat burglars.
 * Sarga came to the world to teach The Peoples the value of knowledge. Mathematics, sciences, and lore are all known because of Sarga. He is the patron diety of scientists and artificers.
 * Yayinn came to the world to teach The Peoples the arts, music, and crafts. She is the patron goddess of all whom make their livings with such skills.
 * Dalamar, the Great Enemy, is the god of evil, destruction, chaos, and misery. It is beleived that he has been forever sealed into an empty dimension called The Void by the World Tree. He has many evil followers, especially among monster races, and is responsible for the corruption of the Fae into the Spriggan. His symbol is a single red eye.
 * Yascha, the Barbed Maiden, once awakened love in men's hearts. She was swayed by Dalamar and fell to evil. She is now the goddess of lust, cruelty, and pain. She is worshipped by monsters and particularly distrubed individuals. Her symbol is a barbed whip.
 * Origai was once, long ago, worshipped as the good of free thought, idealism, and imagination. He was swayed by the silver tongue of Dalamar and fell to evil. This horrible god, now worshipepd as the god of domination, control, and insanity. He has very few human followers but is worshipped extensively by, and created, the Illithid race.
 * Min was originally the god of sweet sleep and dreams, but his love for Yascha corrupted him. When he was thrown from paradise his form became twisted and deformed, as did his purpose. He is now the god of nightmares, dwelling in a black palace in the very heart of Nightmare where he inflicts horrors uncounted upon those whom sleep.

The Northern Gods
Like their followers, the five gods of the North are solid, stalwart, and unforgiving.
 * Crellach is the creator god, the bringer of justice, revenge, honour, and respect.
 * Dagda is the god of metalworking, minecraft, and construction.
 * Hoallah is the mother goddess, the force of winter that walks the Earth and leaves snow in her wake. A beloved and respected but cold-demeanored goddess.
 * Lughsanah is the god of strength, the war arts, and courage.
 * Sawwain is an evil god, the bringer of death, misfortune, and the horrors in the night.

The Gods of the Desert
The desert gods are a Pantheon of seven, and thanks to the Faydakeen's kindness of disseminating information, these gods can be found worshipped in theMatakui, The Calla Lowlands, The Dynasty, and the Western Empire. The gods of the Faydakeen are unique in that they are not seen as good or evil but as teachers, showing humanity how to be great by present constant life lessons.
 * Eh-heh-pah is the creator god, the lord of light and breath that teaches culture.
 * Set-Uhu is the great destroyer. Whatever is built he tears down; he is the bringer of change.
 * Mut is the god of fate and destiny, weaving the fiortunes of men and challenging men to grasp the threads and forge their own destinies.
 * Anhapeh is the snake goddess, she created snakes and they are all her children. She teaches through her children patience, persistence, and - to obtain what one needs - to strike quickly.
 * Ahazrel is death. Her touch is soft and loving, and ends life. Her lesson is that all things are mortal and must eventually face eternity so one must be ready to leave when she calls.
 * Hut-ne-Heh teaches arts, poetry, and literature. He is wisdom and experience.
 * Suthekeh is the king of the gods, teaching justice in leadership, temperament, and mercy.

The Twilleth Pantheon

The Twilleth pantheon consists of four gods that are uniquely 'adapted' to an underground environment. The religions dedicated to these four gods have made their way to the surface world and so sometimes surface cities in the Al-Kabir have worshipping groups or temples devoted to these. A great many evil underground races: Spriggan, orcs, trolls, and goblins also worship these dieties but in horrible twisted and corrupted forms.
 * Sith, the creator of the Twilleth race, dictates fate; destiny; and order. She sits in judgment over every single individual and introduces situations into their lives to reward good behaviour, punish evil behaviour, and test faith. Her religion, Sithanism, teaches that one is ultimately responsible for the consequences of their own conduct and therefore if one wishes a long prosperous life one must treat others well and atone for misdeeds. To the goblins, orcs, and other evil worshipers Sith The Devourer eternally gnaws himself in the Everlasting Dark. His appetite is cruel and malicious and he demands constant surface world sacrifices if one wishes to avoid becoming the next course himself.
 * Mashita is beauty incarnate. She embodies music, dance, art, and underground architecture. It's Mashita whom creates stunning cave grottos, aids in turning blase rocks into breathtaking gemstones; and forms the magnificent patterns of stalagmites and stalactites. Her religion, Stilism, teaches that one's meaning in life is to create beauty to refresh, revive, and give hope to others. To evil underground races Mashita Mistress of Spiders is, indeed, beautiful and her beauty is deadly. Murder is the ultimate art form and must be done with finesse, grace, and style. Flesh is the canvas and blood the paint.
 * Pistrelle creates, orders, and maintains all of the 'lesser' species that inhabit the cave system: spders, insects, bats, and fish. She loves her children dearly, but gives them up in order that intelligent creatures may have food. Thus, the creatures of the cave must be accorded respect and treated with appreciation. Her religion, Sacreed, teaches that all life is sacred, must never be wasted, and must never be taken for granted. To evil cave dwellers, Pist the Venomous demands that life not born of a cave must be brought to heel. He demands that if a surface dweller isn't taken captive, it must be destroyed.  Death, violence, and visciousness are all demanded of the followers of Pist and they are all happy to oblige.
 * Atrami the Silent is the pale goddess whom fills the deep places of the earth with darkness. Lightlessness, silence, and tranquility are comforting, soothing, and not to be feared. It is in the dark that people find rest and repose. Her religion, Methanism, teaches that we must temper the darkness within ourselves and teach others to do the same, only then will we understand the purpose of our life. To evil races The Shaded Queen is fear. Those that do not dwell in the everlasting darkness should be reminded why they fear the dark; to be terrorized and shown the true meaning of horror.

Magic
Magic, or known by it's common name Qi, was discovered by Dynastic monks thousands of years ago. This eclectic order of monks first visualized Qi as an energy force that emanates from and to every living creature on Earth. They studied the force and mapped out how it moves through the mind, the soul, and the body. Then they learned that with focus, when one's Mind, Spirit, and Body were one they could move Qi through themselves and manifest it. The very first casters were these monks, and their teachings founded the Order of The Prime, which are known today as Elementalists.

The lore and methods of Qi filtered westwards, where it was taught to others. Once others had learned the techniques of focusing and manifesting Qi they began to modify it to their own environments and lifestyles, branching Qi out into dozens of schools, theorems, applications, and practices.

Still, for all it's prominence, Qi is subtle. The truly wise understand that they are merely the doors for Qi to flow, they are not its creators or controllers. Qi is therefore seen as a useful utility and tool, a force to study and understand, and not a toy or a weapon. The vast majority of Casters respect the inherent power of Qi and work quickly to destroy anyone whom abuses it.