Religion

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Basic Lore of Gods and Goddesses

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            In Annwn there are thousands of Gods/Goddesses; and while it may seem ridiculous to have that much power distributed across that many deities, the important thing to remember is that there are Gods/Goddesses with different “power levels”. These power levels determine how much a God/Goddess can influence the universe and beings within it. For example, the Goddess of the Sun controls all of the stars (aka suns) throughout the universe, but there are also Gods/Goddesses with lower power levels that are Gods/Goddesses of 1 star/sun as well as even lower Gods/Goddesses that are Gods/Goddesses of starlight/sunlight and so on and so forth.

            How is power level determined? Great question! It is based off of one’s importance or one’s position within The Council. The Council is the group of Gods/Goddesses that organize to determine events that are necessary to take place as well as act as “judges” of all (including other Gods/Goddesses). Any God can be a member of the council, but the ones with the most power are the ones that are seated upon the highest ‘chairs’ within it. Besides the ones in the upper ring of the council, power levels of each God/Goddess dwindle the further down the council position one goes.

            But, the council is not almighty, and there are Gods/Goddesses that have refused to join it, yet still remain a very powerful force. How is this possible? Well, the power level of a God depends upon the God’s importance to the universe. This has two categories. The first is worship. The more a God is worshipped/celebrated, the more power they will have. But, even if they are the most commonly worshipped across all the land, they still may not be able to rise above the level of even a lower level council God. This is because power level is also reliant upon the God’s general importance for the fate of the universe. For example, if the God of Air were to suddenly disappear, the world would begin to shrivel, and an infinite number of lifeforms would die without the God being replaced. But, if the God of Deceit were to disappear, there would be no loss to the world, as that God’s influence would be taken care of by the God above him, in this case it would be the Goddess of Thieves. So, for one God/Goddess to become the most powerful in the universe, they would have to vitally important to the universe’s survival and be worshipped on a massive scale/be in one of the highest seats of the council.

            Another detail to take into account is that Gods can be evil, neutral, good, and anything in between. Generally, all Gods associate themselves with the council except for evil Gods who are banished from the council or simply prefer not to be a part of a group with so many good Gods. Other than this, Gods may stray from the council or remain within based on their own character progression.

            Lastly, it is important to understand that the Gods/Goddesses live in a plane separate from the over world. In order for them to influence the universe and the beings within, it takes tremendous amounts of power. Due to this, possession of a host is the only way Gods/Goddesses can remain on the over world for more than a few hours. The host must also be able to contain the powers of a God/Goddess, making the process even more difficult. Time also does not move at the same speed in their plane, so they perceive it as much shorter. Due to this, weeks or even years can pass without them realizing how long they have been away from the over world. However, that is not to say that they do not see all that happens to the over world, as all Gods are capable of seeing anywhere and anyone from their plane of existence. Basically, they know what has occurred, but do not have an accurate perspective of how much time has passed for these changes to have occurred.

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Religion in the Lives of the People

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• Most people do not know about the council, and find the idea preposterous.

• Many people only worship one God, the most common choice of which is usually relating to that person’s background. For example, as for the race of a person, a Wood Elf may be inclined to worship the Goddess of Fey, the Goddess of Earth, or etc. As for personal background though, a person that enjoys killing people may worship the God of Death, the God of Darkness, or etc. But, it may also depend on the person’s class, as a Mage may worship the God of the element of the magic they practice. For example, a Mage that practices water magic may worship the God of the Waves, the Goddess of the Moon, or etc.

• Some people worship a handful of Gods while others do not believe in the Gods at all.

 

List

 

            It is obviously impossible to list all of the Gods, but here are just a few of the ones you will see/hear mention of.

• God of Death and Fate

  • Common name: Shai

    • Pronunciation: Sh-A(as in the letter)

  • Other names: Nergal, Shinigami, Death, Odin, Mors, Thanatos, Supay, Hades, Osiris, Tuoni, Pluto, etc.

• God of Darkness and Evil

  • Common name: Morket

    • Pronunciation: More-Keh-T

  • Other names: Apep, Rahu, Erebus, Scotus, Kuk, Ahriman, Whedabra, etc.

• Goddess of the Moon/Water

  • Common name: Moira

    • Pronunciation: Mo-Ee-R-Uh

  • Other names: Napir, Hanwi, Artemis, Himinglæva, Jaci, Selene, Mahina, the Triple Goddess, etc.

• Goddess of the Sun/Fire

  • Common name Theia

    • Pronunciation: Th(as in ‘thick’)-A(as in the letter)-Uh

  • Other names: Shams, Saule, Amaterasu, Apollo, Arinna, Ra, Etain, Meri, Ekhi, Marici, Sol, Biewe, Pelor, etc.

• God of the Sky/Air

  • Common name: Rytis

    • Pronunciation: Ri(as in rice)-T-is(as in ‘this’)

  • Other names: Amun, Izanagi, Aether, Anshar, An, Jupiter, Shu, Enlil, Teshub, Nuada, Teiwaz, Tengri, etc.

• Goddess of Earth

  • Common name: Zemyna

    • Pronunciation: Zeh-My-Nah

  • Other names: Tellus, Danu, Atira, Gaia, Terra, Ki, Pele, Kishar, Uras, Cel, Mother Nature, Mother Earth, etc.

•  God of Spiritual Energy/Life-force/Life/Creation

  • Common name: Phanes

    • Pronunciation: F-A(as in the letter)-N-Z

  • Other names: Lugus, Seishin, Protogenos, Dvasia, Rwh, Nevma, The Horned God, Veles, etc.

• Goddess of Fae

  • Common name: Kaelia

    • Pronunciation: Kay-Lee-Uh

  • Other names: Tenanye, Rhiannon, Orlagh, Mab, Shaylee, Aine, Aeval, Tanna, Holle, Habetrot, Caelia, Feronia, Chanda, etc.  

• God of Mankind

  • Common name: Prometheus

    • Pronunciation: Pro-Mee-Thee-Us

  • Other names: Enki, Bari, Mogus, Anthropos, Promus, Amirani, Manu, etc.

• God of Animalistic Humanoids

  • Common name: Faunus

    • Pronunciation: Fa-Oo-Nuh-S

  • Other names: Kangiten, Faun, Enten, Pan, Thirio, Moritasgus. Kamapua’a, etc.

• God of Demons

  • Common name: Agathodemon

    • Pronunciation: A(as in ‘rat’)-Geh-Th-Odd-Eh-M-on(as in ‘on’)

  • Other names: Anomylech, Yaotzin, Abigor, Adrramalech, Neja, Zepar, Baphomet, Eblis, Mantus, Tezcatlipoca, etc.

• Goddess of Magic

  • Common name: Angitia

    • Pronunciation: On(as in ‘on’)-Gee-Shee-Uh

  • Other names: Isis, Kirke, Circe, Heidi, Sahr, Hecate, Potiitarire, Trivia, Urthekau, Kamrusepa, etc.

• UNKNOWN: God/Goddess of Vampires

  • Suspected: Morket?

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Minor Gods

• Aoimeleme: The Goddess of the arts. Pronounced (ae-oi-mee-leh-mee). Minor member of the council, and daughter of Angitia and Rytis.

• Syn: The Goddess of Justice. Pronounced (Seen). Mid-level member of the council, and daughter of Shai and Morket.

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Other info

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• There is no one dominant religion.

• The Gods’/Goddesses’ plane of existence is not accessible by any being other than the Gods/Goddesses, as upon entering the plane, other beings will turn to ash; no exceptions. Objects do not apply (i.e. anything without a soul/connection to another dimension).

• Gods/Goddesses can die, but the means through which that is done is dependent upon the nature and power level of the particular God/Goddess.

• If a God/Goddess of high importance to the universe dies, a new one will be chosen before the God/Goddess has died by said dying deity, or one will be chosen by the council.

• Gods/Goddesses can be summoned for about 30 minutes using rare stones that are usually only received from the Gods/Goddesses themselves.

• Gods/Goddesses have the same emotional depth as normal people do.