Deities¶
The stories of deities in the region are an amalgamation of old evlish lore and the beliefs of the early human and dwarven settlers. Variations exist between the various cultures in the region, but all groups seem to share stories or beliefs in these six deities.
She¶
In the oldest elvish myths, She Who Creates created the world and the first gods. She saw the world and wanted it to grow, so She created Nature. However, realizing that growth unchecked created suffering, She created Tempest to balance the world. Out of the chaos of Nature and Tempest came creatures craving order, so eventually She created Knowledge and Forge to help them learn and create.
She is seen as a benevolent and objective force of life and death. Life and grave domain clerics often follow Her; however, they do not necessarily hope for direct intervention from Her. Instead, they try to emulate Her and maintain balance between life and death in the world.
Culturally, this sense of balance is seen throughout the region. Life is celebrated and death is mourned, but death is seen as a necessity for life. “Life cycles as She wills” is a common expression for this perpetual cycle of life and death.
Nature¶
Nature has always been erratic, but in the time since the cataclysm that destroyed the elvish civilization the dominion of Nature has been even more unpredictable in Theaceae.
Druids typically have the closest affinity for and devotion to Nature, and clerics of Nature tend to have an affinity for the Nature domain.
Spirits of Nature can be found, especially in the more wild portions of Theaceae. Some of these spirits attract people who are in tune with the wild, such as druids and rangers. Others prefer to remain reclusive and completely unaffected by persons, even going so far as to dismantle remnants of civilization such as ruins.
Devotees of nature are split over the nature of the chaos in Theaceae. Some believe that Nature was damaged by the elvish civilization and mortals need to aid Nature or convince Her to help Nature. Others believe that Knowledge and Forge need to be used to temper the chaos of Nature and establish a new balance. Most of the population however, seems to accept that this is the Nature of the world and they need to adapt to the chaos.
Tempest¶
Tempest is Nature’s twin sibling in chaos. Where Nature is a force of creation and growth, Tempest is a force that brings destruction.
Various aspects of Tempest are believed to be responsible for the weather in the world. There are stories of massive birds that are harbingers of particularly dangerous and fierce storms. Few people have survived sightings or encounters with these birds, but those that have report beautiful plumage crackling with arcane energy.
There are some clerics that worship Tempest, but largely Tempest is more feared and respected than worshiped. Some sorcerers also feel an affinity towards the Tempest and the unpredictable changes it brings forth.
Some believe that the chaos in the region is due to conflict between the two sibling gods and bringing these forces to a truce will bring peace back to the region. However, most people believe that, as with Nature, the chaos that Tempest brings is something to be weathered and endured.
Knowledge¶
One of the two younger twins, Knowledge is seen as a guide for those who seek to understand the world as it is. Unlike the siblings of chaos, the siblings of order are seen as aiding civilization.
It is believed that Knowledge prefers to remain objective and detached from the world in an effort to make unbiased observations. As a result, various aspects of Knowledge are occasionally removed, as certain combinations of knowledge are known to create strong reactions. Some of these aspects manage to survive and accrue followers and power of their own.
Sometimes wizards can be seen muttering a prayer to Knowledge under their breath as they try to work through a particularly difficult puzzle. Clerics of Knowledge tend to have an affinity for the Light and Knowledge domains.
Followers of Knowledge tend to believe that she wants them to observe and understand the world so that they can better adapt themselves to chaos and survive.
Forge¶
Forge is seen as a guide for those who seek to create order in the world. Forge aids those who wish to organize and reorder the elements of chaos into new creations.
Artisans, bards, artificers, and other creators thank Forge for their ability to create and invent. Clerics of Forge tend to have an affinity for the Forge domain.
There are rumors of a handful of perfect artifacts that represent the height of craftsmanship. These artifacts were reportedly created by Forge and imbued with magic. A handful of these artifacts have made their way into treasure vaults of great rulers while others have developed personalities of their own or have become lost over the ages.
In contrast to the nonintervention stance of devotees of Knowledge, followers of Forge tend to believe that he wants them to establish order in the world to protect themselves from the chaos.
Trickery¶
Nobody knows where Trickery came from, what He wants, or how He even became a god.
Trickery ensures that even the best plans are disrupted. Children like to blame Trickery for the broken pot and bandits like to say that they are agents of Trickery keeping everyone on their toes.
While Trickery does not solicit worshipers, He will reward those whose shenanigans amuse him with more ways to cause havoc and pull pranks.
Minor Deities¶
The general theory of apotheosis proposed by many scholars in the region proposes that the deities posses the ability to split pieces of themselves off to produce less powerful deities. She is believed to have done this to create Nature and Tempest, Knowledge and Forge.
This power is believed to be inherited by these four deities, and from time to time these deities sunder elements of themselves. These sundered elements become minor deities in their own right, from Fey lords and ladies, to eldritch beings and minor gods.
One of these notable entities is Testa, a sundered shard of Knowledge that has a strong local cult following.