In the land of Ariador, gods are undeniably real, as they were not only instrumental in the creation of the world, but they award their most devout worshippers with gifts both divine and unholy...
...for the Deities of Ariador are divided between those that belong to the Righteous Pantheon and the Immoral Gods.
The Righteous Pantheon
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Dios - Called the "All-Father" by some, Dios is a strictly human deity, as he is not worshipped by the Elves. Humans view Dios as the Supreme Patron Deity, and the other gods are his children. Dios is the lord of the sky, rain, thunder, lightning and the heavens, and the god of both justice and mercy. Storms signify his displeasure. He is said to be at once the most powerful god and the least likely to answer a prayer, though Templars who worship dios often exhibit powers of divine protection.
Human belief about the afterlife differs greatly, but many believe upon death they will join Dios' side in the heavens.
Phobos - The God of many things, most notably the sun, light, summer, archery, hunting, nature, agriculture, gardening, herding, but also of time, truth and prophecy. While many humans worship him, Wood Elves Claim not Dios but Phobos is the patron Deity, the father of Elvenkind. Phobos is often believed to be the sun itself.
Special sects devoted to Phobos task themselves with ridding Ariador of the undead, Orcs and other abominations.
Eola - Goddess of wind, air, rivers and other bodies of water, snow, winter and horses. Elves consider Eola the matron goddess and attribute to her many of the qualities humans attribute to Dios, while humans claim she is the daughter of Dios and his own daughter Nethuna. Humans pray to her in the north for easy winters and in the south where they value their steeds. In the east it is considered wise to utter a prayer to both Eola and Nethuna before setting out to sea.
Vespia - The Goddess of health, medicine, potions, spring, homes, marriage and family is thought by humans to be the wife of Dios and matron deity. her temples and shrines are numerous, often serving as places of healing and wedding chapels. Priests and Priestesses of Vespia often travel Ariador to serve wherever they are needed.
Seth - The god of fire, volcanoes, autumn, the harvest, minerals, stone, smithing, metallurgy and sculpting. Blacksmiths and artists alike worship him, as even do some surface dwarves out-of-touch with their traditions who wish to integrate more completley into human society. In addition to smiths, warriors pray to seth for courage before battle; for their shield to hold strong and their weapons strike true.
Elib - This controversial god is beloved by artists and musicians, for he is the god of drinking, pleasure, art, poetry, music and fertility. A scant some consider Elib the god of debauchery and doubt his place among The righteous Pantheon. he is worshipped most in Frey, where the legendary Guild of Bards resides.
Eleuthria - no other god can claim to have worshippers so diverse as the Goddess of women, love, desire, beauty and sex. Her Templars, though few, are exclusively women, as is the vast majority of her followers.
Nethuna - The Goddess of oceans, earthquakes and creatures of the sea has little compassion for those that dwell on (or under) the land. Nethuna is worshipped primarily in the east where sailors can be found. All creatures of the sea are said to be under her protection.
Mineros - The god of intellect, wisdom, logic, strategy, crafting and literature is often thought to be the father of magic, and many Mages are his followers, though scholars and military strategists also worship him. An entire college devoted to the study of magic and learning stands in his name to the east. Elves attributed their now-lost immortality to Mineros' power.
Termia - No Righteous God is so contentious as Termia, who is the Goddess of commerce, wealth, travel, luck, cunning, trickery and, relatively recently, thieves. Many now consider Termia to be an immoral god, or to perhaps not hold a place in either pantheon, for her association with the Guild of thieves. Though the Guild of merchants still honors her, the Templars of Termia were disbanded years ago. Still, many cities and towns still keep small shrines to termia at their gates, and travellers utter prayers for a safe journey to her before setting off.
The Immoral Gods
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Orcus - Many believe, upon death, one's soul descends to The Underworld, a place of eternal despair, where Orcus reigns from his dark throne. The Lord of Death is said to be responsible for the creation of the vile Orcs, the undead, vampires and evil spirits. Orcus is also a god of wealth, power and desire.
Elven storytellers claim Orcus cursed the world with the Orcs around the same time the High Elves disappeared;others claim he created the orcs to punish humanity for their greed.
Kratar - The god of war, chaos, destruction, hatred, bloodshed and violence is so reviled even Orcus is his enemy. It is said Kratar desires to be the lord of death rather than Orcus. Human barbarians of the north worship Kratar almost uniquely. Kratar demands his follower spill blood indescriminately, even their own, for the warriors loyal to Kratar are forbidden from shielding themselves with armor. Some scholars credit Kratar for the existence of werecreatures, and he is sometimes symbolized by a wolf.
Rhamnozier - The God of insanity, vengeance, jealousy and rivalry, Rhamnozier is himself completely mad and unpredictable; even his followers often pray to Rhamnozier for one thing and receive something else entirely. His worshippers range from deadly duelists to beggars frothing at the mouth.
Locheia - Ancient Elven Lore declares Locheia is the twin sister of Phobos, goddess of the moon, the hunt, sleep and Darkness. The vast majority of her followers are the Dark Elves, who worship her almost exclusively as their matron goddess. The influence of the Dark Elves now also sees Locheia connected with nightmares, spiders, disease, plagues and poison. Dark Elves seldom come to the surface, but when they do, it is often to hold a ritual to Locheia under a full moon before returning underground. A diminishing group of her followers believe Locheia was once a Righteous God, but a feud between the Gods saw her exiled from the Pantheon. It is rumored the guild of Assassins also worships Locheia.
Triviak - While some credit Mineros with the existence of magic in the world, opponents of Mages say Triviak was responsible. Triviak is the god of black magic, order, secrets, conspiracy, deception and forbidden knowledge. A formless god, Triviak is said to make unholy pacts with mortals, exchanging knowledge for power. His worshippers are often necromancers and the leaders of cults, and his motives are completely unknown.
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