Abanir pantheon

The Abanir pantheon (pronounced ah-bahn-EER) is one of the major regional pantheons on Kishar. Most followers of the pantheon live on or near the Aban Steppe, primarily in the lands of Abanir, Yurukan, and Rovakhit. Its theology focuses far more on personal relationships with the gods over anything codified, and the truly pious are thought to be in direct communication with the divine world.

Overview

To those that follow the Abanir pantheon, veneration of the gods is intensely personal. Through prayers, offerings, and sacrifices, the faithful communicate with the gods directly, asking for guidance, requesting divine favor, or hoping to keep the influence of certain gods at bay. Veneration of the pantheon's deities is combined with the reverence of nature spirits - while the gods certainly have primacy, spirits of animals, plants, places, and the weather are equally real and worthy of worship. For example, in day to day life one may worship the gods as well as the spirits of the land upon which one walks, the winds that blow across the steppe, and the horses that one herds.

Worshipers of Abanir deities eschew not only holy texts but also clergy, believing instead that one must come to one's own understanding of the divine world. Spirit-healers and shamans are consulted for advice, but while they may be greatly respected for their wisdom they are not thought to be ultimate arbiters of truth. Deific tenets are de-emphasized as well, as the interests of the gods are ever in flux, and what they may ask of one person is likely to be completely different than what is required of another.

Even those that consider themselves champions of a singular deity in the Abanir pantheon nearly always provide offerings to all the gods, at least on occasion. Giving prayer and sacrifices to a patron deity is important to continue receiving their guidance, but placating a god diametrically opposed to one's own goals is no less crucial, lest they intervene in the mortal world to cause harm. Offerings are commonly burned, especially in locations on the open steppe, as doing so brings the smoke and prayers to the gods quickly.

In the Abanir creation story, Kher Shodei was the first god. In the form of a bird he flew through the world, which at this time had no land or water. Eventually he grew tired and sought a place to rest. Finding none, he let loose feathers from his tail and wings, which descended and began to transform. Some became the other gods, first Uxtama and Adadan then Mhakan and the Nameless One as well. Others turned to soil, upon which plants, animals, and stone began to appear. With a place to land at last, Kher Shodei rested and preened. As he did so, more smaller feathers fell; from these the first people took shape under Kher Shodei's wings.

Deities

Name	Areas of Concern	Description
Kher Shodei	Resilience, rulership, kinship, creation, birds	Kher Shodei (pronounced CARE show-DIE) the King of the Winds is a god of resilience, rulership, kinship, creation, and birds. He is the creator god of the Abanir pantheon whose feathers formed the world and almost everything within it. The god teaches resilience and self-sufficiency, but also the value of kinship. One should be able to survive and thrive on their own, yet it is equally important to support one's family and community whenever possible. Kher Shodei is the patron of leaders that take whatever steps are necessary to ensure those under them can thrive, especially if doing so involves tough decisions or personal sacrifices along the way. Offerings are usually given to Kher Shodei both out of respect for the creator god and to request guidance or favor for coming trials. Kher Shodei is typically depicted as a large steppe eagle, sometimes with blue-tinted feathers. All eagles are seen as his eyes and ears in the mortal world. Brightly-painted statues of these birds are often placed in elevated locations in camps and settlements to ensure the King of the Winds can advise the people that live there.
Adadan	Travel, magic, souls, death, birth, mountains	Adadan (pronounced AH-dah-don) the Golden Mother is a goddess of many things, including travel, magic, souls, death, birth, and mountains. She is a benevolent, protective figure who watches over those that journey through perilous places, whether that be in a physical, spiritual, or psychological manner. The goddess shepherds souls before birth and after death, transporting them between the divine and mortal worlds then eventually back again. As such, Adadan is commonly associated both with midwives and those that perform funerary rites, but these are not the only figures to whom she is seen as a patron. Any who keep travelers safe, whether that be as guides or simply kindly strangers along the way, are Adadan's emissaries to the mortal realm. Adadan is widely depicted as a bear with golden fur.
Uxtama	War, strife, horses, hunting	Uxtama (pronounced ooks-TAH-mah) the War-Horse is a goddess of war, strife, horses, and hunting. She is the patron of the targai, the nomadic peoples of the Aban Steppe. Uxtama is simultaneously caring and capricious, favoring only the strong and willing to abandon on a whim those she formerly smiled upon, yet going to great lengths to benefit those who keep her satisfied. Targai warriors and mercenaries commonly give tributes to Uxtama, as do herders, city guards, and others whose lives require the need for martial training. Uxtama's holy animal is the horse, thought to be the goddess's first gift to the world. Originally granted to a tribe in the time before history, the horses escaped into the broader world after the tribe disappointed Uxtama through their complacency. In their role as holy animals, horses reflect the practicality of the goddess. They are venerated as gifts from the divine world, yet it is also completely acceptable to butcher them, eat their meat, and tan their hides, as nourishment and resources are no less important to maintaining one's strength than prayer. Great effigies in equine forms dot the open steppe of Abanir, built by the targai clans in honor of the goddess. These wood and bone statues are constructed over the sites of fruitful hunts or victorious battles to let Uxtama see the results of her blessings. Uxtama is usually depicted as a horse, painted and draped in bone ornaments.
Mhakan	Retribution, punishment, schemes, order, hunger	Mhakan (pronounced ma-HAH-khan) the Demander of Sacrifices is a god of retribution, punishment, schemes, order, and hunger. He commands that everything exist in its proper place and that all of his orders are followed to the letter, with severe consequences if not. The god is the strict ruler who enforces compliance through violence and threats. Despite the strictness of his commands, however, Mhakan is not seen as tyrannical or evil purely for its own sake. Rather, he and those that worship him are willing to take harsh actions in pursuit of greater goals, as to them the consequences of their means are of considerably less concern than achieving their objectives. Theologically, Mhakan is the ultimate defender against evil spirits, as long as one is willing to make the necessary sacrifices he orders. In the mortal realm, the god is often followed by those whose ambitions and aims drive them single-mindedly forward. Mhakan is often depicted as a fox.
Nameless One	Plague, evil spirits, nightmares, destruction	The Nameless One is a god of plague, evil spirits, nightmares, and destruction. It lurks in the darkness of the night and the deepest shadows, tormenting its victims from out of sight. Without a fixed form it can travel instantaneously by shifting between shadows, creating its own where none exist. While some followers of the Abanir pantheon believe the Nameless One intentionally chooses those it troubles under some inscrutable reasoning, others think that it acts without purpose, if it even consciously acts at all. Followers of the Nameless One mostly congregate in secretive cults. Some do so out of a genuine commitment to the deity, while others simply seek to harness the power of evil spirits under the Nameless One's influence towards their own aims. As with other Abanir deities, offerings are given to the Nameless One even by those that do not uphold the ideals of the god. These oblations keep the god satisfied or tired enough that it remains at bay. The Nameless One had a name at one time, but it has long been forgotten by most. Speaking, writing, or even alluding to its name was and is a great taboo, as doing so would draw its attention and invite the god into ones home and community. Over such a long period of disuse, the name was gradually lost to time, save for a small number of isolated cults who still remember. Today the god is simply the Nameless One to most, and they are content to keep it that way.

Area of worship

Worship of the Abanir pantheon is largely limited to the Aban Steppe. It is the primary faith amongst both the nomadic and settled peoples of Abanir, as well as in Rovakhit to the east. Many elves in Yurukan also venerate the Abanir gods, sometimes exclusively and sometimes in addition to other deities.

Connections to other pantheons

The Abanir pantheon has relatively little similarity to other pantheons, whether regional or ancestral. Its focus on the animistic worship of spirits in addition to gods is unusual compared to other prominent pantheons nearby, specifically the Chaskan and Orcish pantheons, as is its relatively few deities.

The pantheon has long puzzled scholars of religious matters. Typically gods across pantheons are thought to be interpretations of the same divine figure, simply in slightly altered forms reflecting the priorities of different cultures. Abanir deities, however, confound that idea somewhat, as they cannot be easily tied to other major divinities elsewhere. Kher Shodei and Adadan especially defy easy categorization, as they blend areas of concern that are normally split across gods.