Religion

Religion on Kishar takes many forms. Some people choose to pray to one or more deities, while others instead hold to some variation of animism, shamanism, ancestor worship, or other system of belief.

Deities

Deities are powerful divine entities that can shape and alter the universe in significant ways, though almost all do so indirectly through their worshipers. Gods, goddesses, and the practices of their faiths are important aspects of cultures across Kishar.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of gods in Kishar: deities are categorized as either pantheonic or non-pantheonic. This difference is purely conventional. Pantheonic deities are those who are worshiped in a number of aspects around the world, taking different forms and emphases but generally considered to be fundamentally the same god as seen by multiple cultures. Non-pantheonic deities, meanwhile, are gods whose faithful are geographically or socially far more limited in scope, usually with significantly fewer varying interpretations and variants of their faith. While pantheonic gods all have long histories in the places that venerate them, worship of non-pantheonic deities tends to grow, evolve, and decline more rapidly.

On Kishar, some deities are seen as remote entities, effectively unreachable by any means except through worship and by acting in accordance with their edicts. They are cosmic forces embodied, not people to be conversed with. They have no forms or realms. Conversely, other deities can be very approachable. Some continue to walk the mortal world, simply people, creatures, or objects who have somehow obtained a divine spark.

Worship

The act of worship is fundamentally important on Kishar - without those that believe it to be divine, a deity is merely a concept, person, creature, or object. Divine boons, like spells for clerics, are manifested by the believer's faith, not through any conscious action by another entity, though this is not how it is commonly perceived.

Though it varies greatly by culture, in general most people do not worship one deity exclusively. Rather, it is typical to pray to a number of gods, depending on one’s location, profession, and status in the world. Despite this it is common to have a deity with which one feels an especially close connection. Frequently this deity is one whose clergy has a particularly influential presence in the community.

Organized churches hold great sway in some parts of the world, but not all. In Kishar, the term "church" refers not to a building or congregation but instead to the structure of clergy that links and organizes temples or shrines to a particular deity. Some faiths are more centralized in this manner than others. For example, temples to Harinna almost entirely fall under a church, while those to Laverna almost never do - typically faiths that tend to be more chaotic-aligned eschew churches, while lawful-aligned religions prefer them.

Pantheons

The divines are not perceived and thought of in the same manner around the world. Different peoples and cultures have their own particular concepts that are important to them, which heavily influences which gods might be worshiped and in what way. Yet connections are often drawn between similar deities across cultures. A god of crafting in one culture may be worshiped and depicted differently than a god of crafting in another culture, but their similarities may cause them to be widely connected and believed to be the same deity. The faithful of these two gods typically consider each other to be of the same core religion, just with some variation in the details. Enough similarities are present across cultures that most people believe there to be a relatively small set of pantheonic deities. Over the history of the world these faiths have combined, drifted apart, and otherwise formed into a number of regional and ancestral pantheons. Pantheons often have different mythoses, cosmologies, and depictions of the divine.

Though the Chaskan pantheon has achieved the most widespread reach and influence, and the Chaskan names of the pantheonic deities are sometimes used to refer to them generally, it is by no means the "default" interpretation of the gods. The many aspects of a deity across pantheons are equally true and accurate, not corruptions or misinterpretations but simply more focused readings of a given concept. Of course, certain people within Kishar do not always see it this way, and there is sometimes strife between sects connected to the same deity over their differing means of worship.

Not all pantheons include the same deities. In some cultures, the values embodied by particular gods may simply not be of particular importance. In these cases, few deny the existence of such deities (though some do), but simply do not consider them worth worship. If an individual from one of these cultures wishes to venerate a god not within their pantheon, they usually adopt a depiction of the god from a neighboring culture. Some cultures, meanwhile, have very different views on the divine that often confound associations with other deities.

Neither does everyone necessarily worship a pantheon. In many parts of the world, pantheonic gods hold little influence, as other local religions are given greater importance instead. Even in places where pantheonic faiths are entrenched, other religions continue to exist, even if they typically have rather small followings.

Mythos

Every pantheon and every culture has their own stories of the divines. Though most can come to a consensus on some basic details, these tales can diverge greatly at times. Creation myths especially are prone to contradiction, as the faithful of a god often have mythoses that give an outsized influence to their particular deity. None are necessarily incorrect. Theological debates about the nature, history, and motivations of the pantheonic divines remain very lively, with much disagreement both between followers of different deities and between sects of the same god. The degree to which these mythoses are believed in a literal sense does vary, but it is not uncommon to interpret them more as providing a foundation for understanding a god and much less as completely truthful recollections.

Minor figures

Pantheons are more than the small handful of gods at their cores. Most pantheons on Kishar also features minor divine figures in some form, who are worshiped in addition to, not instead of, the major deities. These are typically far more narrowly focused in their areas of concern and influence than are the central gods of their pantheon, and their veneration is likewise usually quite localized, whether that be to a particular community, profession, family, or something else.

The forms these minor figures take vary widely across pantheons. In the Chaskan, Hellean, and to a lesser degree Khapeshan pantheons, saints assume this role. The Hellean pantheon also features hero-gods. Ancestor worship is common in the Abanir, Talgazan, Dwarven, and Orcish pantheons. Followers of the Talgazan pantheon also widely venerate ghosts. Those of the Abanir and Aserdian pantheons worship nature spirits as well - in fact, in Aserdian faith it is not uncommon for local nature spirits to be given more importance than the gods in day to day prayer and offerings. In the Tengu pantheon, all of the above types of minor divine figures are worshiped, while the Kirnashal, Draconic, and Elven pantheons feature no divine entities at all outside their core gods.

Other forms of worship

In some parts of Kishar, religious life does not heavily involve the commonly-worshiped deities. Animism, shamanism, ancestor worship, and the reverence of natural phenomena are widespread, either in addition to or instead of the worship of deities. Druids in particular usually hold animistic beliefs, though they do sometimes worship deities as well. These forms of religion still grant spells and boons to divine casters - as long as one's worship is based upon sincerely held beliefs, the veneration of more abstract entities can very much grant benefits to those that follow them, according to the tenets of the follower and object of worship. Non-pantheonic religions vary too much from region to region, and from person to person, to succinctly summarize.

Worship of powerful extraplanar entities is less widespread but not unknown. Cults of this nature are usually reclusive, though, despite the widespread view of them, are not necessarily evil. Particularly ancient and influential fey are often given offerings, for example, as are demons and elementals.

Pantheons

Abanir pantheon

See also: Abanir pantheon

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.

Aserdian pantheon

See also: Aserdian pantheon

The Aserdian pantheon foregoes any origin story of the mortal realm. Instead, followers of this pantheon hold that the universe has no beginning and no end. Cyclical change is a fundamental part of their theology - the world and everything within it decays and grows anew, never remaining static yet simultaneously never really coming to an end. Deities in the Aserdian pantheon are thought of in much the same way. They are not unchanging entities with defined beginnings, but rather are endlessly shifting in interests, tenets, depictions, and even names as the cultures that venerate them encounter new challenges and opportunities. Perhaps as a result of this, the adherents of the Aserdian pantheon tend to be extremely tolerant of divergent beliefs and quite willing to syncretize their deities with those of other cultures. Most worship not only their gods but also one or more of the countless forms of animism and ancestor worship that are common in the region.

As a general rule, followers of the Aserdian pantheon eschew holy texts. Many deities are not considered to have sacred written or oral works, and amongst those that do these texts are rarely seen as prescriptive in matters of worship.

Religious tensions are largely absent amongst followers of Aserdian gods, both with the adherents of other deities in the pantheon and with followers of other pantheons. It is common to pray to many gods simultaneously, in fact, instead of primarily focusing the object of one's veneration on a single deity.

Chaskan pantheon

See also: Chaskan pantheon

In the Chaskan pantheon's conception of the divine, gods are knowable, unchanging entities with knowable, unchanging tenets. Few individuals believe they have the full understanding of the divine, yet nearly all believe there is one singular truth. Sects and those who follow non-pantheon gods are therefore either errant believers to be proven wrong, or perhaps possessors of some previously unknown secret that provides a glimpse at ultimate knowledge. While in Chaskan theology the gods themselves are perfect beings, and therefore could not possibly change, religions do not necessarily always reflect their gods' faultlessness. This quest for final, definite answers to questions of the divine is a significant factor in Chaskan theological thought.

Chaskan gods take active interest in mortal affairs, as the events of the physical realm are direct reflections of their divine concerns. They are not necessarily omnipotent, however, as sometimes their attentions are drawn elsewhere to other matters. As such, it is the responsibility of their followers to entreat the gods, through prayer asking for their guidance and intercession when required.

The creation story of the Chaskan pantheon tells of great divine struggles as the universe was brought into being. In the hazy era before time became set, Socharin directed the other deities in shaping the first incarnation of the universe, fitting together the cosmic pieces into his perfect design. As the gods celebrated their finishing touches, Lotan, who had observed this process from afar with rage at the structure that was taking form, struck at Socharin, rising out of the primordial waters and bringing with him a Flood. Though Socharin and the other gods were successful in driving Lotan back to the darkness of the waves, this came at great cost, for the deluge he brought with him scattered the perfect world into an unrecognizable and chaotic jumble. Gravely injured and unwilling to allow his great work to come to ruin, Socharin sacrificed himself, giving his body and form to bring back a semblance of order. The gods mourned, then set to work once more. A new creation was born as cosmic quintessence was pulled from the waters over the skeleton of the dead god and arranged into something vaguely resembling the original design. As the second world took shape, Socharin was reborn, chosen by Shai for resurrection. Stepping back from his role, Socharin gave his possession of the domains of rulership and law to his sister Harinna to carry forth the torch of divine leadership.

Though only the faiths of some Chaskan gods emphasize the importance of organized churches, most value their holy texts highly. Such works are widely copied and shared not only by clerics and religious scholars but also by everyday worshipers.

Hellean pantheon

See also: Hellean pantheon

To those that follow the Hellean pantheon, gods are much alike any mortal, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and failings. Gods are not faultless, perfect entities, but rather fundamentally people, albeit with power and influence that could not possibly be matched. They are as fickle as anyone, prone to sudden passions, angers, and every other emotion experienced by those in the mortal realm. Worship often centers around attempting to placate and please these gods, in the hopes they will bestow their favor in some tangible way as well as to avoid inviting divine retribution. Many even believe the gods sometimes walk the mortal world themselves, disguised in order to either aid or test their followers.

In the creation story of the Hellean pantheon, Ananke was not only the first god but also the first of anything, who created herself from the nothingness of the void. Ananke then brought forth the world, then time as well. After an eon she gave birth to Typhon to help aid her in giving purpose to the world, but Typhon looked upon his mother's creation and had other ideas. Displeased with the primitive forms of mortals that had been brought forth, he sought to destroy them, to be replaced with creatures who would worship only him. To protect her works Ananke birthed six more gods, collectively called the Hexad, Hemera first and Psais last. Ananke set her new children to fight their uncontrollable sibling, promising them vast domains if they succeeded. Led by Hemera, the gods pursued Typhon as he rampaged through the world. After a great fight Typhon was defeated, yet the gods knew that he could only be contained, never killed, and so they imprisoned him under a great mountain that in his weakened form he could not lift. Returning to Ananke, they took their new roles in the cosmos, the same as they posses today.

The Hellean pantheon considers there to be three tiers of divinities. Ananke, as the creator, sits above all others, though she is quite remote as she rarely has interest in interacting with the world directly. Below her are the seven siblings, each of whom has broad domains and interests in the mortal realm. Last are the minor divinities, who can take many forms. Hero-gods, for example, fall into this category, as do powerful nature spirits and syncretized gods from other pantheons.

The traditional gods and theology of the Hellean pantheon are quite distinct from those of the Chaskan pantheon, worshiped in most of the areas surrounding Hellea. Still, millennia of close cultural ties have caused the two faiths to converge. Chaskan gods are often adopted by followers of the Hellean pantheon and worshiped alongside their existing deities - this is especially common for Chaskan gods for which there is no direct analogue in Hellean religion. This type of syncretism is very familiar to followers of the Hellean pantheon as they already regularly adopt new divine figures in the form of the hero-gods. Deities from elsewhere are seen in much the same way as the hero-gods, lesser divinities who can be worshiped as more narrowly-focused gods under the deities of the Hellean pantheon.

As a general rule, Hellean gods do not have structured mortal churches. Temples are broadly independent to pursue their own interpretations and worship of the gods without being beholden to mortal religious rule from afar. Some regional churches do exist, most notably in Kyamita, but these are the exception to the rule. Any codified means of worship would fundamentally undermine the pantheon's core belief that veneration is a very direct matter that involves personally entreating the divines for guidance or aid.

Temples are not the only sacred sites to the Hellean gods, as many locations across Hellea are thought to have close connections to the divines, often as a result of stories of their past direct involvement in the mortal world. The priests and priestesses that perform ceremonies, rituals, and sacrifices to the gods are not the only important figures in Hellean religious life, as oracles are often sought for guidance as well. While they might not have the ear of any god in particular, these oracles are thought to have close connections with the divines in general, and are therefore privy to information and wisdom that might otherwise be out of reach.

Khapeshan pantheon

See also: Khapeshan pantheon

To those that follow the gods of the Khapeshan pantheon, the divine and mortal realms closely mirror each other. Chaos or stability in one causes the same state in the other. Followers of the gods, therefore, attempt to alter mortal society to better fit the nature of their chosen deity or deities. For example, as a goddess of order Harakhte is believed to grow stronger when there is stability amongst mortals and the rule of law is respected, while she grows weaker when her tenets are neglected in favor of the forces of chaos.

Religious structure is of utmost importance in the Khapeshan pantheon. Temples are almost all organized into churches, with religious leaders appointed into their roles based on rigid structures and ancient practices. Long-standing religious traditions are thought to come directly from the gods, and therefore adherence to these traditions is critical to adherents of the pantheon. The Khapeshan pantheon is quite conservative as a rule, and has changed little even as the world around it has shifted greatly in the last centuries and millennia.

The creation story of the Khapeshan pantheon shares many similarities with that of the Chaskan pantheon, telling of great divine struggles as the universe was brought into being. As the ruler of the gods, Sokar is also the ultimate creator of the world. Sokar directed the other deities in shaping the form of the universe, turning the primordial water, sand, and mud into something much greater than the sum of its parts. As the gods worked under their leader's direction, the serpent Apep formed itself from the waters and lunged at Sokar, enraged at the structure that was being drawn out of the once infinite chaos. After a great battle both Sokar and Apep were mortally wounded, yet as gods neither could truly die. They drew their last breathes and expired, only to rise again, Sokar the next morning and Apep the next evening. Unable to continue the fight himself, Sokar stepped back to advise the gods, giving his sister Harakhte the responsibility of keeping the Lord of Chaos at bay - she dutifully continues this task to the present day.

Kirnashal pantheon

See also: Kirnashal pantheon

The Kirnashal pantheon views its gods as representative of great cosmic forces - Sraosheh the tendency towards stability, and Mihr the drive towards change. Together, and through the actions of their mortal followers, these two deities influence the Scales, by which balance in the universe is measured. If the universe is to become too orderly or chaotic, and the Scales tip too far in favor of one deity, they are granted supreme ability to reshape the world, effectively resetting creation in an image more favorable to their embodied concept. Therefore most followers of the Kirnashal pantheon place great importance on heeding the tenets of both gods in equal measure, never allowing their actions to drive the cosmos out of equilibrium. Some particularly zealous adherents of one deity or the other, meanwhile, actively attempt to tip the Scales in order to give strength to their chosen god in the world to come.

Though these two deities are by far the most important in the Kirnashal pantheon, they are not the only ones its worshipers recognize - unlike most other pantheons, however, the remaining Kirnashal deities are both great in number and singularly focused. Together these gods form the One Hundred Forty Four Hands, dedicated to ensuring the Scales are not hindered from motion.

Deities from other pantheons or faiths are sometimes, but not commonly, adopted alongside the Kirnashal gods. These deities usually take the form of underlings to Sraosheh or Mihr, agents in their grand goals towards their ideals.

While the Kirnashal faith holds that the universe is cyclical, it is not without beginning. Before time and matter there was only one god, Mihr-Sraosheh, who played with the light and the magic, which was all there was at the time. As they did so, they found themselves torn - one part of their mind desired to see what it could form, while another sought nothing but to keep everything as it was. Unable to reconcile, Mihr and Sraosheh rent themselves apart. Together they twisted and exerted, contorting light into something solid as they attempted to see the shape of each other, unintentionally bringing the first universe into being.

Followers of the Kirnashal pantheon display great deference towards their religious leaders, especially towards the state-appointed clergy of Amshan who guide those under them in how to act in accordance with the universal forces. These churches and the shared temples under them are never antagonistic towards each other, as despite their often opposing principles they are bound together by their reverence for the Scales and those who hold their fingers upon them. It is not at all uncommon for an individual to frequently pray to both Sraosheh and Mihr, depending on what troubles or concerns them at the moment.

Talgazan pantheon

See also: Talgazan pantheon

The gods of the Talgazan pantheon are largely dispassionate deities who rarely take notice of the mortal realm. Still, they are prayed to in hopes they might deign to distract themselves from their internecine struggles long enough to grant boons to their faithful. In the Talgazan conception of the divine, the gods are absorbed by feuds and conflicts between each other, wrapped up in complex webs of shifting alliances, loyalties, and rivalries. Followers of the Talgazan pantheon tend to heavily anthropomorphize the divine in their depictions.

To those that follow the Talgazan pantheon, worship of ancestors and ghosts is seen as equally important as the veneration of the gods, if not more so. Ancestor spirits have far more impact on the world and can be communed with regularly, and are therefore more reliable spiritual guides than deities. Still, the gods are worshiped regardless, as one would never wish to invoke their wrath if they happened to look down from the lands of the divine.

In the creation story of the Talgazan pantheon, the gods lived in a divine world, which was the only world at the time. They feasted and fought, forming alliances, relationships, and rivalries, then breaking them and starting them all over again. Eventually one amongst them, Ubilai, had enough of these endless pursuits. He sneaked away from the godly realm and set about making his own, to be populated by his loyal servants whose support he would use to take his rightful place over all the over deities, bringing them into line beneath him. When the other gods took notice at last, they flew into a rage and attacked Ubilai - all except his brother Skohsla stood against him. Ubilai was defeated, his attempt at creating a world of evil and order halted. But it had already begun, and the gods knew that if allowed to fester unaltered its denizens were bound to challenge them directly in the future. They took Ubilai's remains and used them to shape the world to their own aims instead. His flesh became the land, his blood the seas, and his bones the mountains. His influence scattered into dust, the new mortal realm was no longer as lawful and orderly as Ubilai had intended, but rather infinitely chaotic and full of unimagined opportunity.

Skohsla looked with anger at what was done to his brother and vowed revenge. Though Ubilai was not dead, he was reduced to a pale shadow of his former self, stripped of all structure and most of his power. The World-Encircler began his slow, grinding battle against the other gods, seeking to destroy the mortal world to free the remains of his sibling and grant him form once more. This battle continues to the present day, and believers in the Talgazan pantheon consider the defeat of the gods by Skohsla to be inevitable. At some point in the future, the World-Encircler will gain enough strength to finally push through the defenses of the other gods, who will by this point be once again too caught up in their own squabbles to notice.

Adherents of the Talgazan pantheon broadly eschew holy texts or organized clergy, preferring instead either local priests or more personal worship.

Islander Talgazan pantheon

See also: Islander Talgazan pantheon

At its core, the Islander Talgazan religion is quite similar to that of the Talgazan pantheon. Followers of both believe their gods to be largely dispassionate deities who rarely take notice of the mortal realm, though they pray to them to in hopes their gods may pull themselves away from their own struggles long enough to grant boons to their faithful. Where the pantheons differ, and differ greatly, is in their cosmology and stories of creation.

The ancestors of those who worship the Islander Talgazan pantheon once believed in the same stories as are common throughout Rothurland and Talgazan - that is, that one of the gods, Ubilai, tired of the endless feasts and fights of the divine world and sneaked away in order to create his own realm, to be populated by his loyal servants whose support he would use to take his rightful place over all the other gods. When the other gods took notice at last, they flew into a rage and attacked Ubilai - all except his brother Skohsla stood against him. Ubilai was defeated, his attempt at creating a world of evil and order halted as the gods took Ubilai's remains and used them to shape the new creation to their own aims instead. His flesh became the land, his blood the seas, and his bones the mountains.

When the forebears of the Fjarri found themselves in the Wounds and met the many other peoples already living there, they came into contact with the Beating Heart, a major religion in that part of the world that holds that the planet itself is a broadly benevolent living god. Already in crisis, this spiritually shook the Fjarri. After all, how could the same god they held to be dead and evil simultaneously be continuously creating new life and land? Gradually new beliefs took hold. Ubilai was not malevolent nor completely defeated, their new shamans declared. Rather, these were lies told by the other gods to entrench their own power after slaying Ubilai out of jealousy for his new creation. Caging his heart deep within Kishar, they spread falsehood of the god and his loyal brother, deceiving mortals into the worship of them instead. The rest of the pantheon, now understood to be evil, fell out of favor with the Fjarri, as they reoriented their faith around Ubilai and Skohsla instead.

To those that follow the Islander Talgazan pantheon, worship of ancestors and ghosts is seen as equally important as the veneration of the gods, if not more so. Ancestor spirits have far more impact on the world and can be communed with regularly, and are therefore more reliable spiritual guides than deities. Still, the gods are worshiped regardless, as they can still provide valuable guidance at times.

Adherents of the Islander Talgazan pantheon broadly eschew holy texts or organized clergy, preferring instead either local priests or more personal worship.

Taruhmite pantheon

See also: Taruhmite pantheon

The antagonistic deities of the Taruhmite pantheon are powerful figures, yet they are not so much worshiped as placated in order to keep them at bay. Each god, if not contented, will bring great danger to bear against those who anger them, and are therefore given regular offerings and sacrifices to ensure they remain at a distance. Interpreting the wishes of these deities is critical to Taruhmite religious life, as one wrong move could easily spell doom.

Theologically, the Taruhmite and Dwarven pantheons begin similarly. The world was created by their first gods, ageless yet mortal ur-dwarves, who then formed the Kingdom of Gold and Iron, a subterranean paradise to be populated by their mortal children. There they guided the first dwarven civilization on Kishar to wealth and glory, but this did not last, for the Kingdom eventually grew too full for the gods. Ascending into an etheric form, they left behind guidance for their children to help them thrive forevermore, yet they did not foresee the arrival of the new gods. These five - Marhhish, Urphel, Tnatrak, Nema, and Ttacar - revealed themselves in a spectral haze to the now-mortal rulers of the kingdom, demanding that they be given great wealth and regular sacrifices lest they turn their wrath upon the realm. Proud and haughty from their long era of prosperity, the dwarves refused, and retribution was swift to follow. The five destroyed the Kingdom, casting its former inhabitants far and wide, cursed to never live together in harmony or peace again.

Those the Dwarven pantheon calls deities are still respected by those who follow the Taruhmite faith, but not worshiped, for in ascending they cast aside their divinity and their ability to shape the world. Still, they are remembered as the Stone Ancestors, great figures who cared immensely for their people.

Few aside from a handful of small, shunned cults truly worship the Taruhmite deities. The faith instead centers around oracles and their interpretation of obscure portents and omens sent by the gods, all of which must be properly understood and acted upon lest their tests be failed and their punishment soon to follow. The clerics responsible for these tasks are organized into a strictly hierarchical church, the members of which engage in intense debates as they attempt to glean meaning from the faintest of signals. Acting upon these is crucial lest the gods destroy the realms of the modern day just as they did the Kingdom so long ago. Such destruction has been escaped so far, yet particular deities still send challenges and strife in times when they are displeased due to improper appeasement.

Veneration of ancestors is common amongst followers of the Taruhmite pantheon, with deceased members of one's family often given prayer and small offerings in hopes of guidance.

Dwarven pantheon

See also: Dwarven pantheon

Of the major pantheons of Kishar, the Dwarven pantheon stands out as the only one that believes the gods were once mortal. These deities are thought to have been ageless ur-dwarves, each of them a quintessential embodiment of a certain aspect of the dwarven soul. They founded the first grand underground communities of the Kingdom of Gold and Iron in the early days of the world, populated by their many mortal children, who themselves formed the first dwarven civilization under deific guidance. Eventually the Kingdom grew too full for the gods. They ascended into full divinity, leaving behind their recorded wisdom for the mortal society they had established to continue to grow and thrive.

Dwarven pantheonic theology varies as to its stories of the creation of the world. Some believe the gods designed the cosmos themselves, but others hold that the gods populated the world with life but did not create it. The former belief is older and more widespread, largely as it maintained by more traditionalist dwarven societies, while the latter is a stance preferred by dwarven cultures that have become less insular and more accepting of altering their traditions.

To followers of the Dwarven pantheon, veneration of one's ancestors is seen as a natural extension of the worship of the gods, as the divines are the progenitors of all dwarven-kind. Departed family heroes, patriarchs, and matriarchs are frequently offered prayer, and are often seen as something akin to minor saints whose area of concern stops at their own kin. The pantheon in general has an extremely large number of saints, even more than the Chaskan pantheon relative to its number of followers, though they may only be worshiped within certain nations, cities, guilds, or families.

Religious structure, leadership, holy texts, and codified means of worship have historically been important to followers of the Dwarven pantheon. They place great value on keeping the same traditions as their ancestors going back thousands of years, and as a result the pantheon has long remained quite static. Less traditionalist offshoots of the pantheon often alter these practices somewhat, whether as a result of a shift in beliefs, new interaction with outside cultures, or some other reason, but these smaller faiths almost always exist in tension with the long-established clergy and churches who are none too keen to entertain any change. More fundamentalist followers of the pantheon believe that their religious practices were given to them directly by their gods, and that any deviation from them is necessarily heretical.

Draconic pantheon

See also: Draconic pantheon

Draconic religion is a dualist faith centering around the eternal battle between the forces of order and those of chaos. Dragons occasionally pay homage to other gods, but in general consider only two to be of central importance. Marduk represents the organized and lawful influence of creation, while Tiamat is the embodiment of chaotic destruction. They fight eternally yet neither can win. Not only are they perfectly evenly matched, but more fundamentally one cannot exist without the other. While some dragons worship one deity exclusively, most seek to maintain a balance in their veneration of both.

Both Marduk and Tiamat are thought to be creator gods who brought the world into being together, though not intentionally. They are said to have torn pieces of planar essence out of each other as they fought, which then eventually coalesced into something resembling the current universe.

Elven pantheon

See also: Elven pantheon

Rather similarly to the Aserdian pantheon, the Elven pantheon's theology centers around cycles of creation and destruction. Unlike the Aserdian pantheon, however, followers of the Elven pantheon put a strong moral judgement on these cosmic phenomena. Those that bring new things, new life, new places into existence are seen as morally good, and those that would seek destruction are condemned as evil. Still, both forces are innate to the universe and have always existed. Despite anyone's best efforts, creation can never outpace destruction, only keep it at bay. Even divine creators like Ais can only forestall the inevitable end of the universe.

Adherents to the Elven pantheon believe that the gods and the universe have always existed, though not always in their current state. The universe was once much larger, having been slowly decayed and reduced in scale. The deities themselves have weakened in power and perhaps even reduced in number - the latter notion remains a matter of intense theological discussion. Voltumna is believed to have slowly chipped away at the margins of the universe over an indefinite amount of time, countered by Ais and the other gods, who constantly bring new matter into existence to delay the effects of Voltumna's ceaseless destruction.

Aside from their staunch opposition to Voltumna, followers of the Elven pantheon generally consider their deities to be on generally good terms with each other. Notions of deific conflict are almost entirely limited to the great Divine Struggle, though the mortal followers of the gods can often find tensions with each other regardless.

Orcish pantheon

See also: Orcish pantheon

To those that follow the Orcish pantheon, the gods are guides against both divine and mortal threats. As embodiments of the traits required to survive in a land surrounded by dangers, the deities of the Orcish pantheon fundamentally represent varying stages of the personal struggle against non-existence.

In Orcish theology, the gods are survivors of past worlds who escaped after Vemdu the Devourer destroyed the old universe, as it has done repeatedly. Fleeing to the current reality, they constructed divine barricades against the invader and sought new followers to give them the strength to continue to resist, finding the orcs as they did so. The pantheon does not have a single creation story, but rather multiple that its followers accept based on their own preferences and cultural histories. Many believe in a creation story rather like that of the Chaskan pantheon, in which the universe was collaboratively created by the gods in an effort let by Mortuga. Others prefer a more Talgazan-like origin in which part of Vemdu was turned into the physical world. Yet another story, albeit much less followed than the other two and largely limited to those living on the Aban Steppe, holds that there are multiple universes that have existed without a real beginning, and that the gods have been forced to flee between them as Vemdu advances.

Adherents of the Orcish pantheon place great influence on religious leadership, but it is not necessary to them for this leadership to be centralized or structured. Few organized churches exist to deities in the pantheon. Instead, local or tribal religious figures are seen as deriving their wisdom directly from the gods, without a need for mortal theological debate or overarching authority.

Imagery of the divines used by followers of the Orcish pantheon can be somewhat unique. Gods are anthropomorphized to a degree, yet it is simultaneously considered very reductionist and disrespectful to depict them in too-lifelike of a manner. Many artists sidestep this limitation by adopting a flat geometric style for religious art, clearly showing orc-like figures without any attempt at realism.

Outside of their gods, ancestor worship tends to be a common practice amongst followers of the Orcish pantheon as well.

Tengu pantheon

See also: Tengu pantheon

Tengu beliefs are highly syncretic. Maybe all gods exist, maybe only some do, maybe none do. The best way to ensure prosperity for one's self and one's community, then, is to simply worship all of them. Followers of the Tengu pantheon wholeheartedly adopt new faiths they encounter, incorporating them into the tapestry of their existing beliefs. A single deity in the Tengu pantheon may have half a dozen names and just as many different depictions. The Great Storyteller is usually thought of as something approaching the concept of a supreme deity, but not in a controlling way. Rather, she is the lens through which the chaos of divinity can be interpreted, a way to make sense of the dozens, perhaps hundreds of conflicting stories that adherents of the Tengu pantheon believe simultaneously.

The Tengu pantheon has no single creation myth. Most followers of this pantheon tell creation stories somewhat similar to those of the Chaskan, Hellean, and Khapeshan pantheons, though often varying widely in the details.

Pantheonic deities

The table below summarizes the major differences between pantheons. Smaller pantheons exist as well - only the widespread ones are included below.

Regional										Ancestral
Abanir	Aserdian	Chaskan	Hellean	Kea Rachan	Khapeshan	Kirnashal	Talgazan	Islander Talgazan	Taruhmite	Draconic	Dwarven	Elven	Orcish	Tengu
		Harinna *	Hemera *	§	Harakhte		Haihaz	‡		Marduk	Hurra			†
Kher Shodei	Saclateni	Socharin		§	Sokar *	Sraosheh					Surgar			†
Adadan	Tarazet	Aduntarri		§	Tawaret		Taufran	‡			Tandlan	Aritimi	Mortuga *	†
	Anka'a	Aya		§	Meshkenet						Ayen	Ais *	Agtazu	†
	Izar	Marya		§									Ranash	†
	Tucana	Taliash	Triteia	§	Qadesh		Austron	‡				Nethans		Great Storyteller *
	Nashira *	Nisaba		§	Shentayet						Solnas	Celens		†
	Rasalas	Hasamel	Khalkeus	§	Khenmu						Tharrus *	Thalan		†
	Saiph	Shai	Psais	§	Shai		Saiwalo	‡				Satres	Yadalser	†
Uxtama	Markab	Mithrai		§	Maahes	Mihr	Vihansa	‡	Marhhish		Myrmoris			†
	Auva	Usumu	Ananke	§			Nemedaz *	‡	Urphel		Unelma	Hurtate	Umuth	†
	Errai	Erra		§							Edri			†
	Kalausi	Laverna	Lycia	§	Amathaunta		Runo	‡						†
Mhakan	Mothallah	Malavisch	Melanthus	§										†
	Eltanin	Tarhunz		§	Sutekh				Tnatrak				Orzakh	†
		Nyxras		§	Nakith				Nema			Vanth		†
		Ubellur		§			Ubilai	Ubilai *				Urusthe		†
Nameless One		Lotan	Typhon	§	Apep		Skohsla	Skohsla	Ttacar	Tiamat		Voltumna	Vemdu	†
	Blind Witness			§										†

* Denotes primary deity in pantheon. This is not typically a formal position, but rather a way of indicating that this deity is particularly important in places that follow a given pantheon. This deity usually plays an especially important role in the pantheon's mythos.
† Traditional tengu religion is an idiosyncratic combination of all other pantheons the tengu have encountered. A single god may commonly have multiple names and aspects to their tengu followers.
‡ The Talgazan pantheon as worshiped by the Fjarri of the Wounds recognizes deities other than Ubilai and Skohsla but does not worship them.
§ Since the most recent death of the Eternal Suzerain in Y9606^*, the areas formerly under the Sangiran Empire have been in religious turmoil. Their old pantheons long forgotten under the rule and worship of the Suzerain, in the last few hundred years there has been explosion of variety in religious practices in the old territories of the empire. Some attempt to revive old faiths, while others adopt gods from neighboring pantheons, turn to the worship of nature spirits, or otherwise fill the vacuum with something else.

Other deities and faiths

Name	Areas of Concern
Anamnesan mysticism	Souls, ghosts
Beating Heart	Volcanoes, endurance, islands, martyrdom, personal sacrifices
Cascade	Reefs, fish, ecosystems, healing
Cosmic River	Cycles, memory, water, rivers
Crowned One	Dragons, reincarnation, prosperity, cities
Cult of the Phoenix	Freedom, societal renewal for Ashnan
Day of Eternal Starlight	Stars, souls, heroes
Dead moon cults	The moon, opposition to the use of non-divine magic, the apocalypse
Deathless Mysteries	Undeath, personal perfection, power, immortality
Emissary of the Low Sun	Boundaries, thresholds, decisions, the acts of falling asleep and waking
Eternal Suzerain	Sangiran Empire, dragons, reincarnation
Ezun	Metalworking, warfare, captive-taking, rulership
Groundshaker cults	Groundshakers, massive creatures
Hesht	Creation, ineptitude, chance, luck
Hutena and Hutellura	Time, prophecy, farsight
Midanism	Wealth, the afterlife
Moonlight Guide	The moon, the dead, circles, fire
Muntun and Tajra	Treatment and prevention of plagues
Nuuen	The sea, ice, wisdom, protection, lost secrets
Sacred Mathematics	Mathematics, geometry, music
Salavaxir	Kobolds, caves
Saurian hunts	Dinosaurs, ritual hunts
Servants of the Stag	Agrarianism, family, small communities
Shemenet	The deep sea, krakens
Sunken Star	Luck, navigation, exploration
Ta-Lasau-Kori	Ta-Lasau-Kori trees, seafaring, nomadism
Ternion	The sun, toil, vigilance, healing, doors, transitions, beginnings, endings, peace, rest, thoughtfulness
Thadrian hero-worship	Varies
Unbounded Sky	Aeroliths, Sharruma, flight of Priumne
Vulture King	Souls, the dead, vultures, scavengers
Weaver of Eighty Thousand Threads	Fate, predestination, history, stories, silkworms
Whisper urn	Ancestors, preservation of knowledge, trees
Xuld	The Xuldorai, hunting, sacrifices

Hero-gods

See also: Hero-god

Name	Areas of Concern
Antikythera	Awakened constructs, freedom
Asterian Lake Creature	Lake Aster, Asteria, solitude
Hephaistos	Constructs, clockworks, engineering
Kynos	Philosophy, self-sufficiency, independence
Lykekro	Exploration, maps, discovery
Phileia	Ephardia, duels, martial prowess
Selein	Geodes, crystals, underground beauty

Saints and shards

See also: Saint

Name	Areas of Concern	Patron
Huzrotho	Immortality at any cost	Nyxras
Koroibos	Fair sportsmanship, athletics, bravery, bravado	Lycia, Mithrai

Dalbanu living saints

See also: Dalbanu living saints

Name	Areas of Concern	Patron
Atra-Hasis	Flood mitigation, conservation, disaster recovery	Aduntarri
Enmerkar	Translation, publishing	Nisaba
Mete	Lenses, telescopes, black holes	Ubellur
Muballit	Retribution, justice, punishment	Harinna
Urnum	Giants, preservation of wild places, dangerous creatures of the forests	Usumu
Xisuthros	The Depths, guards, barriers	Aduntarri