The Gods

Legends say that long ago there were millions of gods and millions of worlds and that their conflicts lead to their ultimately to their devastation. Today there are the eight Gods:

Agha (ah-gah) &amp; Ngila (gee-lah)
Not to be mistaken for our twin moons of the same names, the God and Goddess of the elements are two of the most popular Gods in regards to the availability of literature on them. Depicted as dancers taking part in an endless celestial ballet, the two gods are considered the immediate cause of all climatological activity on Kadoor, but especially severe or unexpected weather or cataclysm.

Together, they are considered the most physically formidable gods in the pantheon, but apart, they are said to be no more powerful than a calm breeze, or a rogue wave. The churches dedicated to the Dancing Gods are often places of peculiar worship. Some dedicate to specific elements, such as fire, ice, or water. Others combine elements or choose just one, but all of the churches to Agha & Ngila hold regular dances and/or balls (depending on the clientele).

Esulfa (ee-sool-fuh)
Goddess of the Grain, Maiden of Matrimony, Darling of Riches, Mother of Festival. The Goddess of Bounty has many names, but no one name really puts into perspective what she affects. “Bounty” is a loose term, as she represents not just bounties in wealth, harvest, or food, but also in family, property, and happiness; anything that represents excess, even drunkenness, is credited to Esulfa. Depicted as a many-armed, mother-like figure, and often holding offerings of bounty in each hand.

Arguably the most popular God in the Pantheon, her followers are often agrarian in nature, but many Nobles from around Kadoor venerate her and she is often depicted in great halls or banquet rooms.

Every Spring, when the White trees of the Council Gardens bloom, the Bountiful Day occurs and a great feast is had in the Citadel, and much of Kadoor, as word spreads of the blooming. People exchange gifts representing the bounty that person has experienced since the last Bountiful Day. Some people “ride” the festivals as far out as they can, first attending the Citadel's celebrations, and traveling outward as word travels in an effort to celebrate (drink and eat and revel) in as many displays as they can.

Esulfan priests don't have formal titles, and many are affectionately called Carer. Most Esulfan “churches” are more like farming communes, and they come in all types, but all of them have Esulfan Silos, which are often painted green and are prayed over during times of harvest, festival, and right before winter.

Lathander (lah-THAN-der)
Also often called The Morninglord, is the deity of creativity, dawn, renewal, birth, athletics, spring, self-perfection, vitality and youth. He favours those who dispel the undead and blesses those who plant new life. Lathander is also the god called upon to bless birth and fertility-related ceremonies.

Novices in the Lathanderian faith are called the Awakened, while clerics are known as Dawnbringers. The full priests take a new name in his service when they are ready to signify that Lathander personally recognizes and accepts them. This new name could either be used instead of their old name or simply used only when addressing other Dawnbringers and when in solitary prayer. Other titles include (in ascending order): Dawngreeter, Dawnlord, High Dawnlord, and Dawnmaster, while an elite cleric is referred to as a Morninglord. All followers are required to be of neutral to good alignment.

All of Lathander's clergy respect art, liberty, nature, and culture; promote the betterment of oneself; and strive to bring hope to their followers and others. Many of these followers work in various creative arts. They are intolerant of evil, especially undead and inaction that causes evil to prosper. Most ceremonies of Lathander are held at dawn and actions and contracts agreed to at sunrise are said to be blessed by him. Funerals, among his followers, are held at dusk and followed by a wake that lasts until dawn.

Ordis (or-diss)
Sometimes given the rather simplified name of “Death”, is the god of death, mortality, decay, and ending. He does not tend to have patrons/followers (though some are convinced he helps with necromancy), but most believe in his existence. Often depicted as a schedule-keeper more than a dealer of death.

Is said to live between the Dimension of the Gods, and the Corporeal Plane, taking the dead to their respective afterlives. He is not known to be late. Ever.

Tol (tole)
The Watchmaker for some, and the Timekeeper for others, but “Time Maker” would be more appropriate. The Omniscient god of time itself and Oracle to the Gods. Never known to meddle in the affairs of mortals, Tol seems to refuse to wield what would conceivably unlimited influence/power over the entirety of existence.

Often followed by those with intense regret, but also by those interested in time and its properties. It has been said that a man or woman truly devout or interested in Tol can receive a sort of “viewing” between their last two heartbeats. The tales go into specifics, actually, claiming it would feel like a year-long experience to the dying, but be but a moment for onlookers of the nearly departed.

Those that study the Gods most believe Tol resides in the center of the multiverse, the structure he is said to have created. Every possible universe exists within the multiverse, and Tol, in an effort to satisfy his unquenchable curiosity for probability (due to his omniscience), is constantly creating new planes of existence. Only the most powerful Arcanists have ever claimed to have visited these places.

The Wanderer
The god of many names, and more faces, but colloquially called The Wanderer, is one of the most storied gods. There are innumerable legends about the Wandering God travelling along the roads and trails of Kadoor, sometimes in tatters, sometimes a man or a woman, sometimes posing as a dog, but always needing something; be it help or a word. Many tales tell of rewards being bestowed upon helpful travellers, and many more tales tell of the dangers of not helping.

Some people think this god is a wives' tale told in a cautionary light, as the roads are dangerous and sometimes being kind is the best way to stay alive. A small number of people around the world take pilgrimages on roads they believe The Wanderer oft travels. There are no official records of his/her presence.

Xyx (zix)
Not much is known of the God of Suffering, though most contend he isn't so much the “God of Suffering” as he is “The God Who Suffers”. Almost always depicted as a man (whose race depends on the race that created the image) with eyes and tongue removed, hands searching outwardly, with anguish on the face.

Worshiped by very few, save for the occasional cult or League of Assassins, Xyx has no formal religion or church structure. The closest example of a religious building dedicated to Xyx is the Tower of Suffering that was erected by famed murderer and necromancer, Zrareal “The Sanguine”. Before his execution, several people died to his many traps while trying to condemn the building, but they decided it wiser to seal it off in the end.