HERALDS CAMPAIGN
Deities and Religions
The Trinium is the umbrella term for the powerful, intangible beings enshrouding Noth, worshiped as deities by the people there. All denominations that worship them credit them with the creation of the Glittering Darkness and all of existence, and that they came to Noth to personally intervene in the subjugation of the beings there by the Outsider Gods. Through their vessel, the Rubicon Overlay, they blessed champions to lead the liberation, creating the first Heralds, and later filtered their power to all beings through a weapon called the Litany, leading to the advent of Augury. Despite victory, the Trinium has remained mantled over Noth. Some believe they chose to stay to better understand their own nature; like looking into a pool of water to see one's own reflection.
Their form, number, origin and motives are unknown; their original intent long since hazed by the multitude of religious interpretations of those that worship them, eclectically providing aid or hindrance to the people of Noth as they see fit. Trinium worship is polycentric; doctrinal authority is only determined by communities or society at large; certain aspects themselves appear and fade in popularity over the course of a cycle. In Enaeth and parts of Arath, four denominations are most prevalent; Genesism, Pathism, Transdanism and Trinicism.
Trinicism is the current state-official pantheon of gods, first assimilated by the Tributionary Body in the latter half of the Second Gift cycle, and later adopted by TAERA. Trinicism was a reformation movement refuting the 'modernization' of the Trinium during the Atheist period. The pantheon consists of nine gods as a ruling class of the Trinium; one god for each of the remaining Litany in the sky. Despite typically recognized as being 'moralless', these nine gods are divided into three loci or realms, based on interpretation of the god's disposition, encompassing other aspects of the Trinium in their rule.
For many Enaetherns, the Locus of Congruity is the Trinium; they are the shape of civilization and the commonality of species in the establishment and maintenance of community. The Concordic Gods are the most commonly worshipped gods in Enaeth, many city-state based governments made in their image and instruction.
The Locus of Persistence is the unyielding forces of nature and all of existence; space, time, heat, weight and light. Worship of these Cyclonic Gods as individuals is more common in farming communities, frontier settlements, sailing vessels, and cults such as the Pennant Archae.
The Locus of Entropy is consciousness failing to comprehend unpredictability in chaos, and becoming chaotic itself in the process. Typically portrayed as villainous or disingenuous, these Entropic Gods are rarely worshiped, but superstitious benedictions and benefactions are regularly given to them to avoid or delay negative outcomes.
As prevalent as worship of the gods is the worship of their deified servants, the First Heralds. These ten nine Heralds were the first beings selected to ascend by the Trinium to fight the Outsider Gods and lead the people of Noth thereafter. Even in death, they continue to serve the people of Noth as the first and only beings to be deified, and become gods themselves. Communities or individuals may pay particular homage to one First Herald over another, as their mythology and stories blend with other gods in the Trinium. They are often represented in statuettes and way-shrines littered all over Enaeth.
Ever present in Nothern society is the wonder and worship of the stars, rings and moon surrounding Noth; from the Ishtar Enclave's belief they originated from the stars, to the interpretation of dreams by seers and orators, and their relation to an individual's future. Worshippers of these four Paragartern Gods were once known as 'Transdanists', where oral tradition mapped the stars, their movements and recorded the events experienced in the 'Transmundane'; the realm of dreams where man and god communicate. Worship of the Paragarterns was at its peak after the Declension, where society branched theologically and literally, as Declension refugees became their own roving colonies in Enaeth and Arath. Worship of these gods is less common in Enaeth as time has moved on.
They are: MOTS, NFLM, RISR and ZNIF.
'Reverie Messenger of the Transmundane' in Daeogram, is the master of the subjective experience shared by all in unconscious unity. Hmotieus, also known as 'Motus' is the gate through which all mortals pass into the Transmundane; the phantasmagoric land of infinite outcomes connected to the Rubicon, but based on mortal's finite possibilities.
He is the delusive reflection of reality, and the subconscious process of mundane events. He is the bizarre form memory and reality twists into, recalling speculation and fantasy where there once was none. Through this alternative existence, the individual may experience ideas, thoughts and feeling that they did not feel before the dream.
He is the eclectic, infinite and horrifying communicator of the gods, made legible and tangible for mortal man; the conversion of concepts too great for single-dimensional minds to comprehend.
'Watcher of Nine Rings and Moon' in Daeogram, is a son of RISR and NFSS, and the sentinel for the Trinium, watching over and guarding the peoples of Noth.
Through moonlight of Garternay, Hnephelim, or 'Nephem' watches and reports on the actions of Noth to the Trinium.
It is believed through NFLM, prayers and benefactions reach the other gods of the Trinium, and that worship of other aspects is also worship of NFLM.
Misivs, Orators and other travellers alike pray to NFLM, for continued guidance by the blue glow of Garter and the nine rings of Noth.
'In Darkness the Shadows Leer' in Daeogram, is a daughter of RISR, his antithetical shadow made divine. Ze'enaieph, also known as 'Zenith' is the absence of light when night falls, and the unfathomable darkness of the ocean and the depths of the earth. Light is not a constant of the universe; she is the wariness of fires in a dark forest, drawing the unknown dangers of the abyss ever closer.
She is also the lesson; there is naivety in the silent dark. She is the passing of ships quietly in night, the hushed family fleeing war into obscurity, and the monsters that fear their own shadows, peering in darkness back at them. She is the innocent harbinger of all unknown circumstances.
Those forced to travel at night give benefaction to ZNIF, praying for safe pilgrimage; 'may the darkness protect their passing, lest the unknown within come, and devour them'.
The Empathive Gods are a loosely aligned set of gods worshipped for their pathos of the human experience and emotions. These gods are often worshipped individually, but all became popular during the Second Cycle as Nothern societies focused more on the internal struggle for self-realization over the difficulties endured at the end of the First Cycle. These gods attributes reflected the need for meaning from action and thought of the common man; duty, creativity, love, power, abandonment and knowledge.
Some of these gods, like ZOLK, were forever tainted by their association with the Agarthern Empire and the resulting Atheist War, and others, like SLMV, would only grow in popularity after the Declension.
They are AETI, CROM, LNTR, IONA, SADN, SLMV and ZOLK.
'In Base Desire all Deception Reigns' in Daeogram, is the brother of VNTS, and the desire for power over all others, above all else. Aieiteiai, also known as 'Aei Teai' is the art of negotiation and the dance of deception.
He is the belief in the power of the Trinium made manifest; Kings, dictators and despots all must still bow before him, less all is brought to ruin. While VNTS is the rule, commonly shared by all, AETI is the oppression, mandated by one.
AETI is the divine overseer of Covenants; powerful vows made in a god's name. AETI ensures breaking a vow leads to severe punishment; not because he is cruel, but because 'Without consequences, the illusion of power fades'. Worship of AETI has persisted, benefaction paid to him through the 'Infinite Gala' of the Barony of Voltaine.
'The Creators Touch Alters all Things' in Daeogram, is the only son of ADIN and ETZX, created by their hands to explore the desire of creation for creations sake. Ce'arhoehm, or 'Crohm' was the patron deity of the Empiricists; the scientists of the Second Cycle that sought greater and greater development in their work.
Like their mother, CROM inspired his followers to create for the sake of others, to ease the burden of work and expand the world with technology. They created flying machines, personal voltyaionics, even voltaic machines that could move, serve and think.
But like his father, CROM was tainted by the desire to create for creations sake. CROM inspired the awesome, horrifying works of the Atheists at their height. With their technological wonders, they were able to pry apart the Trinium's own works, and in their hubris began the Declension. Worship of CROM mostly died along with his followers and their creations, in the great technology refutation 'Script Obsoli'.
'Through Duty a Deaths Reward' in Daeogram, is the son of VNTS and SLMV, the proud sentinel and the weight of duty in service of others.
Elenteiar, or 'Lantar' is the patron deity of soldiers and law enforcement, who through prowess seek the protection of others and to uphold the rule of law onto the people it protects.
A commonly murmured prayer before battle; 'My service; the sentinel to others, my death; the portal myself alone'.
Benefaction to LNTR is paid by all members of law enforcement, but the Amansir in particular are their most dedicated servants, the term 'brother' coming from the shared belief in defence of people from the unknown lawless dangers of the frontier.
'Revelry of Season's Renewal' in Daeogram, is the celebration of life; the joy of a newborn, the hallmark of renewed life, and the first harvest of the season. Io'enay, or 'Ionah' is the matron deity of renewal, celebration and hope; 'Without a path to reward, to joy, to hope, life loses its purpose.'
Benefaction is given to her for every seed planted, every crop harvested, and with a hearty toast, celebrated for the bounty of life that she provides.
IONA is particularly worshipped by farming initiatives all across Enaeth. She is the fruits of the labour, the long pipe after a hard day’s work. She is the flower that blooms in darkness, waiting for the sun to rise.
'Wandering but Never Lost' in Daeogram, is a daughter of ADIN and SLMV, who abandoned her parents works to explore the definition of self away from the context of others.
Sayde'ene, or 'Sadehn', is the patron deity of nomads, the isolated and the explorer, and is the self expression exile brings;'They who seek not for some greater cause, but do not seek at all'.
She is the reassurance that being alone is not always lonely; life is to be experienced however it may, and just because we are born of people, does not mean we are of the people. We are of ourselves.
SADN is the matron deity of Orators, who live their lives moving from place to place, sharing stories and continuing the oral tradition of Enaethern societies.
'Better to Wrong than to be Wronged' in Daeogram, is a cursed daughter of SLMV. Ze'oelkay, also known as 'Zoalc' was once known as 'The Passion' and was the patron deity of artists, musicians and orators; those who poured their soul into their expression of the world as a gift to others.
ZOLK however, nihilistically sought all followers of the divine, risking the end of the Trinium in her great, selfish desire. She began to twist the great expressive minds of Agartha, opening the cultural floodgates for self idealized thought, and theological refutation. She is the selfish, the spiteful, and the insolent.
ZOLK is now only benefacted as the patron deity of Rampancy and ferality. Many with early symptoms will perform warding ceremonies to satiate her ignorance of their symptoms, most commonly of which is the last utterance of the Invocations Against Rampancy; "Is it better to wrong the world, than to have it wrong me?'.
The now extinct Outsider Gods have periods of resurgence in focus and awareness in cultures across Noth. During dark times, darker thoughts begin to fester in the minds of the weak, who whisper prayers to Gods, long dead, to return and punish the world that they sculpted and was stolen from them.
They long to re-experience time before the First Revelation of Consciousness; the collective awareness of eternal subjugation and despair before the Trinium’s arrival, living as slaves under the Outsider Gods. These cultists believe their lives would be better thoughtless, under the control of the Outsider Gods, and view subjugation a return to paradise; the restoration of predictability and stability in an otherwise chaotic world.
While many non-Trinium denominations are tolerated within Enaethern society, the worship of the Outsider Gods is heresy to the highest order, and is an offence punishable by death in TAERA’n court.
As one moves further and further away from the main continent, one may happen upon Astele; a place where the touch of the Trinium is but a faint caress. It here that a different pull is felt, further northwest to a place Astelleians call 'Innana Ven'Mar'; The Heavenly Realm.
It was from here that the Ven, known to Astele as 'The Celestials', first arrived centuries ago, and liberated the isles from the spectres of the Shadowed Realm to the south. As mysteriously as they arrived, they left, with the faint promise of their return.
Those with ancestral blood believe the spirit will travel there once the mortal body has expired to join their ancestors. For Astelleians, Inanna Ven’ Mar is both a physical and spiritual place, a place they cannot visit physically but which they recognize must exist. All Astelleians await this 'Return' as an end to conflict, when the ancestors will come back from their lands, bringing salvation to the isles and all lands.
Pre-dating the worship of the Celestials is the worship of the 'Divine Aspect'; the Emperor of the Isles. When the First Heralds arrived in Astele, they were worshiped as gods by the native populace. The Herald's attitudes to the natives encouraged the belief that divinity lies in every man and woman, and only exceptional merit, martial prowess and filial piety can unlock this potential. As the Heralds left, this worship centered on the one who stayed; Ttianmar, the Heraldic son of Ttsoghal, who built the city of Dongur Ven'Mar. It is uncertain whether Ttianmar encouraged a empire in his name, or whether the Ven brought the concept of imperialism to the Isles, and their faith co-opted by them.
Once a generation, when Mt. Shivaro erupts and ambition flows through the lands, a new Aspect will appear to unite that which has been divided, and craft a new empire in their name, and the name of the Celestials and the Heavenly Ancestor Ttianmar. Thus it has always been.
Isolated, on the cold peaks of Mt Trinitus, lives a large reclusive group known as the Ishtar Enclave. Perhaps the greatest concentration of the scaled, multi-coloured beings known as Starborn in one place.
They do not dedicate themselves to the gods, but feel a deep calling towards the stars in the Glittering Darkness. Many of their oral stories tell of an ancient time where they themselves were stars and fell down to Noth. They believe that their actions here will allow them to astrally reincarnate; at death, their body is burnt, allowing them to re-ignite their star-selves, and renew into new life among the stars.
Tracking the movements of the stars, they divine the future prospects of Noth and their enclave. Some believe the infrequent, century-long shuffle of the stars is their way of communicating to their descendants on Noth, the star’s illumination guiding them from danger and misdeed, to allow them to rejoin their home above.
Often, a member of the Ishtar will divine a path pointed by an ancestral star, and feel compelled to follow that path, no matter the consequences. Members of the Ishtar are most often encountered this way, as wandering prophets and sometimes Orators, kind but aloof individuals cutting a path only the stars can tell.
There is more to uncover here...
An eye opens, and it searches, and it searches and it searches. It is an eye only in vaguest sense; like the first single-cell organisms developing photosensitivity. The eye can see, and it searches in the spectrums of time and space; of light and weight. It can see, but it cannot perceive. It has no ability to interpret the great clouds of gases, the explosion of rock collapsed into spheres, and the blank sea of rotating balls of super-heated plasma... It does not understand the condensation of molecules, forming chemical bonds, forming cells, forming life. It does not need to; intelligence is not endemic to its creation, or its annihilation; it simply, is. It does not know what it searches for, only what will happen when it finds it; a speck of light, buried deep in the artefact of its thievery, lost, in the maze of time.
A great Idiot Witness, without all of existence, staring in; searching, and it searches and it searches, and it searches...