The Heavenly Host (Demons of Astlan Book 2) (98 page)

[Return to Council Viewing of Crystal Ball]

Appendix: Gods and Their Agents

Deities are primordial forces in the cosmos. They are the puppet masters that all mortals jump to. Their abilities cannot be measured in any rational manner, unlike demons or angels. They can be ranked against each other, but even so, those rankings are based upon mortal perceptions and may be grossly inaccurate.

The deities exist in the Planes of the Gods. This is a loose term for any region of the multiverse beyond the Astral Plane that is not the Abyss or the Elemental Planes and is not any of the Planes of Men. These planes, in many ways, are extensions of their inhabitants and creators. The physical laws on each of these planes are dictated solely by the will of the deity or deities inhabiting it. Thus, they vary greatly amongst themselves, and several even vary from whim to whim of the local deities. There is no guarantee that any of the tenets of magic, animus, or anything else will apply on any of these planes.

While many large regions of these planes have been set aside for the followers (deceased and otherwise) of various deities, other regions are completely hostile to mortal life. Normal, unprotected animus cannot survive in many of these regions: the magical and animatic forces are simply too great.

Many religions try to place the deities in their pantheons in specific hierarchies. In general, this system rates the deities of a specific pantheon by a class system, similar to avatars and others. The important thing to remember, however, is that this is not the same level system used for demons or avatars. Deities have no levels measurable in mortal terms. This is, further, a relative rating of deities within a pantheon. A class VI deity in a minor pantheon, in objective power, may only be able to shape the course of time as much as a class II deity in a major pantheon.

In general, the power of a particular pantheon, and its ability to control events on the Planes of Men, is usually (but not always) commensurate with the number of worshippers on that plane. Deities within pantheons are usually very busy struggling between themselves for domination and usually will not pay too much attention to things beyond the realms of their worshippers on the Planes of Men. Thus, most friction between deities comes from within a pantheon.

Pantheons, however, do not live in a vacuum. There are quite obviously other pantheons competing for control of the same nearly infinite number of (in)finite planes of men. One might presume that there is enough space to go around, but apparently not. In addition to rivalries within pantheons, there can also be rivalry between pantheons.

It is only within these horrifying times of struggle that one can make judgements on the powers of specific deities relative to those in other pantheons. Even so, it is nearly impossible to do, since so much of the battle is truly beyond mortal ken. Further, such battles are also usually indirect, played out by mortals acting as the pieces in a game of chess (in the same manner deities in a pantheon might struggle, only on a more epic scale). Often, such titanic struggles may destroy entire nations (and/or banish or slay pantheons) or even entire planes.

Even in non-epic struggles, in everyday business, few deities get too involved. Except for certain very independent-minded deities, very few will ever engage directly with any opponent, or even work directly on the Planes of Men. Almost all prefer to work through mortal agents, with free will providing the randomness that makes the game exciting for the deities.

Agents of the gods, those magical beings variously called saints, angels, or avatars, along with mortal agents used by prophecy or chance, are for our purposes simply referred to as avatars.

Avatars

Avatars are the agents of the gods. They are servants who are assigned to a wide variety of tasks and act as the emissaries and agents of the gods upon the Planes of Men and other planes. The term
avatar
is actually a generic term referring to a wide variety of beings. Avatars include angelic beings, saints, occasionally mortals, and even physical manifestations of the gods themselves. As with many things in dealing with the gods, avatars can be difficult to quantify or categorize. Nonetheless, mortals still try.

Angels are perhaps the most categorized of all avatars. There exists a hierarchy of angels which seems to transcend the different pantheons. While not all pantheons have angels (and often, if they do, they will be called something else), most do have at least a few. Not all pantheons that have angels have angels of all classes. Some may only have one or two angels in the entire pantheon. Finally, often it is not apparent to the average worshipper if a particular divine servant is an angel or something else. For the purposes of this treatise, all avatars that are not saints, mortals, or deific incarnations (gods in physical form) are considered angels.

Angels are immortal, eternal beings (although in principle, they can be slain) like the gods themselves, but created by the gods. Angels are primarily beings of spirit who are capable of assuming physical form. Various religions have, in fact, commented on the noted similarity between angels and demons. In fact, there is a great deal of similarity, even in terms of mortal descriptions of these beings. Heretical individuals might even go so far as to suggest that the principal difference between demons and angels is that angels are in the service of the gods and demons are not. Obviously, however, there is much more to it than that. Angels are generally benevolent towards mortals (at least towards those of their deity's faith) and most reports indicate that they are beings of great beauty and magnificence. The obvious counter to this is that the angels of the darker gods are not necessarily beautiful, and are certainly every bit as dangerous as any demon. The angels of a particular pantheon always mimic the ways of their masters.

Angels have been classified by many religions and many sects within religions. An objective classification scheme for angels is much more difficult than with demons (partly due to the fact that wizards have been highly adamant about their schemes and most religions simply follow along). The names of the classes of angels is even more varied. However, in general, most religions will agree in principle to a classification scheme of between seven and nine levels of hierarchy in the angelic structure. Nine often seems to work best to meet observables (specifically, to iron out inter-pantheon conflicts). However, seven has the benefit of being symmetric to the demonic hierarchy. The names of the hierarchies are still pretty much open to debate. Two example classification schemes found on several planes are shown below, along with the well-known Etonian scheme for both angels and saints:

A great deal of differences between classification schemes has to do with simply rearranging the order of the lower ranks. The problems often come from the fact that specific angels are known to be (or have been at one time) in specific groups, and since very seldom are there multiple angels together at the same time, judging relative power is difficult. A heretic might be tempted to say that there is often a case of “my angel is bigger than your angel” going on in these schemes.

What is known is that the members of the foremost rank, the seraphim, are indisputably the most powerful. The individual seraphim are, in turn, the leaders of the various other ranks of angels and thus also have dual classification in some schemes (in this case, a power level classification scheme breaks down). Further, it is clear that the seraphim are nearly as powerful as some of the more major gods, and certainly as powerful as the lesser gods. In most pantheons, the seraphim are acknowledged to have taken part in the creation of the multiverse.

If one were to persist in trying to gauge or classify angels in a power level scheme (which time and time again has proved fraught with problems), one might like to heretically compare power levels to those of the demons (strictly in theory, of course). The seraphim are thought to be on the level of the demon princes. Many blasphemous rumors insinuate that the Concordenax was actually a renegade seraphim, who thought himself more of a god than a seraphim. Following this, to use the Jeromic system, the cherubim would be roughly equivalent in power to class V demons, and so on down to the minor angels. Again, it must be stressed, this association is tenuous at best because even the weakest of angels is more than a match for the weakest of demons (or so many like to believe).

While it is extremely difficult to classify angels, it is even more difficult to classify saints.
Saint
is a generic term used only in this treatise to refer to a divine servant of mortal origin. Saints are unquestionably beings who were once mortal (or quasi-immortal like the Sidhe) and who have, by the grace of their deity, somehow transcended this state. The powers and abilities of such individuals seem to be highly random, and vary not only from pantheon to pantheon, but also from saint to saint.

Some saints have the ear of their deity; others are little more than errand boys. What exactly their powers and abilities are is highly varied and spans the entire spectrum of existence. In some cases, the sainted being has actually gone on to become a deity in his or her own right (usually of lesser stature) within the pantheon. Relationships between saints and angels is not predictable and must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Blasphemous speculators have speculated that much of a saint’s relative power is related more to politics and the favor of the deity than to absolute raw power.

Another form of avatar is the mortal agent. Sometimes, deities will use their followers (or annoyingly, innocent bystanders) as instruments of change or action. These individuals are often no more than pawns, but can go on to become very powerful and influential individuals if their deity wills and things work. Otherwise they usually end up as a Blessed Martyr to the Cause (read: dead). While some mortal avatars can go on to become saints, it is generally not the preferred way of doing things, because the gods do not usually consult with the mortal in question.

The final form of avatar is that of the deific incarnation. On extremely rare occasions, deities will embody themselves upon the Planes of Men to enact their plans. These individuals are extremely powerful, as they are gods and are only moderately hampered by physical form. This “hands-on approach” is very rare and generally only used in either very grave situations (like the end of the multiverse or pantheon) or by the more quirky (no blasphemy intended) or individualistic deities.

[Return to Chapter 83]

Appendix: Select Pantheons with a Presence in Astlan

There are a great many pantheons of gods in Astlan. For the sake of reference, we list the major deities of the two largest active pantheons among humans, The Etonians and The Narveson, which began on Eton and Norelon respectively. We also provide the principal deities of the hybrid races along with a great number of Sidhe, simply known as the Gods of the Grove.

We also list a few known deities from (mostly) forgotten pantheons: the “Old Ones,” who have a few cult members hidden around, and the Nyjyr Ennead, a pantheon driven from Astlan by the Etonians. Very brief mention is made of an alvaren pantheon, the El'adasir, simply because their principal deity is mentioned by the alfar; however, very little is known about the religion outside alvaren realms.

The Etonians

The Etonians originated primarily in Eton. While missionaries expanded their circle outside of Eton for years, it was not until the Cult of Tiernon in AC -1288 began expanding into Norelon that they attained a sizable presence outside of Eton. This incursion earned them and their followers the wrath of the Narveson, who had held sway upon Norelon.

The Etonians, and the Rod of Tiernon in particular, played a critical role in the overthrow of the Anilords. As a result of this, the Etonians gained a substantial foothold in Norelon as the Narveson were displaced with the Anilords.

The Five Major Gods are all siblings, brothers and sisters. Their mother is commonly believed to have been the Goddess Danu of the El'adasir pantheon. Their father’s name, Aetherus All Father, is considered to have been the original creator of the multiverse. However, he seems to have vanished and is rarely mentioned in any of the Etonian religious texts.

The Lesser Gods tend to be the children of the Major Gods and typically represent different aspects under their parent.

Hendel: God of Healing (Element of Earth)

Hendel is the Etonian god of health and healing. He is particularly popular with thaumaturges, alchemists, chemists. Hendel's Supreme Temple is in Hendel's Hearth on the west coast of Eton.

Krinna: Goddess of the Wind and Sky (Element of Air)

Krinna is the Etonian goddess of the Sky, Wind and Air. She is the goddess of Enchantment, Seduction, Bewitchment and Flight. Krinna's Supreme Temple is in Krinna's Reach on the west coast of Eton.

Namora: Goddess of the Sea (Element of Water)

Namora, the Etonian Goddess of the Sea, is worshiped by all sailors, particularly adventurers and merchants, fishermen and naturally, sorcerers. Namora's largest temple and the center of her worship is on the island of Namora off the west coast of Eton. The entire island is dedicated to her service.

Tiernon: God of Justice and War (Element of Fire)

Tiernon is the best known of the Etonians Gods outside of Eton and is widely worshiped by warriors and nobility. He is the God of Justice and War and is dedicated to the elimination of Evil (with a capital E). Justicia is the seat of Tiernon's power in Astlan. It is located in western Eton.

Torean: God of Valor and Exploration (Element of Spirit)

Torean is the second most popular Etonian outside of Eton. He is the god of adventurers, exploration, combat and glory. Torean's Fast is the seat of Torean's supreme temple and the starting point for all great adventures and exploration.

The Narveson

The Narveson are the old gods of Norelon. In particular, they were the gods of the Anilords. With the overthrow of the Anilords, the Narveson have lost a sizeable number of followers in favor of the Etonians, who were instrumental in overthrowing the Anilords.

Drott Kmon: God of Law and Order

Drott Kmon and his cult had a very awkward relationship during the age of the Anilords. He was officially a patron of the Anilord regime, yet often seen as in opposition to the corruption found within the ranks of the Anilords. He is still popular with traditionalists. Neither he nor his adherents get along well with Zbibik and his worshipers.

Illania: Goddess of Magic

Illania was extremely popular with the Anilords and their adherents; however, her cult managed to survive relatively well by embracing wizardry quickly after the fall of the Anilords. She is also a strong patron of craft and professional women.

Maera: Goddess of Nature and Healing

Maera is still quite popular with peasants, farmers and thaumaturgists.

Soth Ammon: God of Life and Death

Soth Ammon is the Narveson god of birth, life and death. In more recent years he has become more associated with death and the underworld, primarily due to the pantheon's affiliation with the Anilords.

Teth Ammon: Goddess of Destiny

Wife of Soth Ammon. It is said that it is Teth who instructs her husband on who lives and who dies, based on thread lines within her giant loom.

Zbibk: God of Change, Chaos, Anarchy

Zbibk was very popular during the war against the Anilords (he was opposed to them) and is still popular among any rebel groups. He is also very popular among a number of non-human races, Orcs and Jotun in particular.

The El’adasir

The El'adasir are the gods of the Los Alfar. Very little is known about these gods outside of alvaren realms, as the Los Alfar keep their religious beliefs quite private. The best known deity is Danu, the Mother Goddess of Nature.

Danu the All Mother: Goddess of Creation and Nature

Mother Astlan, Earth Mother, the principal oneness of nature and life.

Nét: God of War

Nét is the El’Adasir God of War, has at times been a prominent and well known figure even to alvaran allies and enemies.  However, in recent times little has been heard of him in Astlan or the localverse; this is most likely because the Los Alfar have not been engaged in any large scale warfare in the last few thousand years.

The Gods of the Grove

The Gods of the Grove are the primary protectors of the Grove. Outside of the Grove, they are not currently widely worshiped by urban humans or farmers. However, they are very popular among woodsmen, hunters, rangers and scouts, as well as shepherds throughout Astlan. They are extremely popular with many of the hybrid races as well as a sizable number of Sidhe.

The pantheon has a relatively ribald nature and is frowned upon among knowledgeable elites who consider the practices of their followers to be very animalistic, primitive and too overtly sexual.

Nearly all the gods are intimately associated with nature, the seasons, life, death, rebirth and fecundity. The major deities all have deep affiliations with fertility, sexuality, passion, and uninhibited behavior.

Artemis Agrotera: Goddess of the Hunt, The Divine Archer, Goddess of the Wilderness, Chastity, Birth, Protector of Women

Artemis is the female counterpart to Cernunos. They are joint consorts and represent male and female sexuality as well as the circle of life, death and rebirth. She is typically portrayed as a woman ranger with a large bow and quiver of arrows.

Cernunos: The Horned God, Master of the Wild Hunt, God of the Circle of Life

Cernunos is typically portrayed as a horned humanoid with, at a minimum, the horns of a stag, often the head of a stag, and occasionally also the hooves of a stag. He is known to be the consort of Artemis Agrotera.

Dionysus: God of the Harvest, Lord of the Feast, God of the Grape, The Story Teller and Patron of Theater, a.k.a Bacchus

Dionysius is the god of celebration, the successful harvest, wine, feasting, joy and drunken madness.

Dis Pater: God of Fertile Riches, the Element of Earth, Minerals, Death and the Afterlife and Underworld

Also known simply as Dis. A god of death and the underworld, but not a particularly dark god. Rather, a god who represents a return to the source of life, the richness of the soil and later rebirth and renewal.

Pæles, Goddess of Justice and the Rule of Law, Patroness of Heroes, Goddess of War.

Pæles is the goddess of wisdom, strategy and adventure. She is the patron of heroic endeavors and a champion of justice and the rule of law.

Pan: God of the Wild, Master of the Music of Life, God of the Pipes, Shepherd of the Flock, Virility and Male Sexuality

Pan is the nearly exclusive god of the satyrs and fauns. He is also worshiped by nymphs and many of the forest and pasture-dwelling Sidhe. He is portrayed as a large satyr and is known for playing multiple pipe instruments. He is the patron of shepherds and their flocks, and all grazing animals.

The Nyjyr Ennead

The Nyjyr Ennead are a now nearly forgotten pantheon on Astlan. However, unlike the Old Ones, the demise of the Nyjyr Ennead happened much more recently, within the last twelve hundred years.

They Nyjyr Ennead had held great sway on the continents of Natoor and Najaar. When the Etonians began expanding under the commands of Torean and Tiernon, the Nyjyr Ennead put up a much more directed and bitter fight than the Narveson. In particular, the Nyjyr Ennead had no connections to the Anilords and had much greater popularity among the residents of the two continents.

As a consequence, they and their followers were able to strongly resist the Etonians, which led to widespread conflict across the two continents, with the Etonians eventually emerging victorious and then proceeding to convert (or eradicate) worshipers of the Nyjyr Ennead. Thus, within a few hundred years the worship of this pantheon was effectively eliminated and the pantheon forced out of Astlan.

The proscription against worshiping the Nyjyr Ennead has been very effective, as has the destruction of holy documents and articles, and very little is still known of the pantheon or its rites. What did prove much harder to eradicate were the rather incredible feats of engineering their worshipers created. Large, pyramid-shaped temples and tombs can still be found throughout the two continents.

Anup: Protector of Graves. (Element of Earth)

Anup was the Lord of the Underworld, Master of the Dead.

Astet: Goddess of Magic, Motherhood and the Air

Astet is the goddess of magic and the patron of mothers, birth and childcare. She is also the Queen of the Air and a great enchantress.

Atum-Fierd: The God of Fierd (Element of Fire)

God of Light, Fire and the warmth of Fierd, often assumed to be the leader of the pantheon.

Bastet: Defender of Home (Element of Earth)

Bastet was the goddess of house and home, and of the people. She was often portrayed as being a hybrid human and cat, typically with the head of a cat and a body covered in deep black fur.

Nefer-Tum: God of Healing, Beauty and the Sea (Element of Water)

Nefer-Tum is a beautiful young lad of typically human form. He is known for his incredible beauty, his kind nature, his love of the sea and seafaring, as well as his powers of Seeing. He is the son of pêTah and Sekhmekt and completes the Ennead Triad (with his parents).

Sekhmekt: Goddess of Healing, Goddess of Hunting (Elements of Earth and Fire)

Sekhmekt is typically portrayed as a woman with the head of a lioness with a head of golden fur and paws for feet. Wife of pêTah, mother of Nefer-Tum.

pêTah: God of Craftsmen and Architects; a principal God of the Modgriensofarthgonosefren (as Hephaestus) (Element of Earth)

Also known as pi-Tah and Hephaestus. He is the god of jewelers, artists, craftsmen and is (or was) one the favored gods of the Modgriensofarthgonosefren. Rumor has it that worship of Tah under the aspect of Hephaestus continues to this day among the Modgriensofarthgonosefren. Husband of Sakhmekt, father of Nefer-Tum.

Usiris: God of Resurrection and Rebirth (Element of Spirit)

A powerful god representing the apex of the Circle of Life.

The Old Ones

"The Old Ones" is not the actual name of this pantheon; rather it is the vernacular term for these ancient gods of both Eton and Norelon. The last temple to these gods was built outside Gizzor Del and is known as the Cathedral of Pynrex. Most of what is know about them comes from long-ago excavations.

There are some sages and bards who know the tales of the last three high priests, Arand, Estenthor and Galgoren, who built the cathedral, but even so, these last priests were but a revival of a long-lost religion.

The two best-known gods are Sezenon and Mendenon. Mendenon was "Mother Earth" and Sezenon was "Father Sky." Because of these references, in particular to the term "earth"—one of the elements and also the ground/soil—it is believed the old ones were a purely elemental pantheon representing the five elements.

Hierelen: God of Conjury and Pyromancy (Element of Fire)

Also known as Hierelegon.

Mendonon: God of Mercy and Forgiveness (Element of Earth)

Not much is known of Mendonon other than his name.

Sezenon: God of Leadership (Element of Air)

The ruler of the pantheon of these gods.

[Return To Chapter 84]