Elven pantheon

The Elven pantheon is one of the major ancestral pantheons on Kishar. Followed primarily by elves and half-elves around the world, this pantheon's theology revolves around a constant struggle to maintain the current state of existence.

Overview

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 eaten 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 voracious appetite.

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 Battle, though the mortal followers of the gods can often find tensions with each other regardless.

Deities

Name	Alignment	Areas of Concern	Description
Aritimi	NG	Dreams, visions, lucid dreaming	Aritimi (pronounced arr-ih-TEE-me) is a goddess of dreams and visions, worshiped in hope that she will grant vibrant, lucid, and insightful dreams. Followers of Aritimi often seek to influence the path of their dreams; many view the events and places of their dreams as no less real than their waking hours. She is a relatively minor god in the Elven pantheon, and her clergy and temples are therefore not found especially widely. Aritimi's priesthood often serve as itinerant dream interpreters, traveling between communities to find those who wish to use their visions to their advantage. Not only are they are known as experts in inducing dreams via psychoactive substances, but they also frequently "share" dreams to aid in understanding their meanings. Compared to her interpretations in other pantheons, Aritimi's role as a protector is de-emphasized; Ais takes on that responsibility instead. Similarly, her typical concern for families is instead picked up by Thalan. Aritimi is typically depicted in animalistic forms, most often as an elephant or a dolphin. Regardless of the form she takes, she is always pictured in bright, distinctly not natural colors.
Ais	NG	Curiosity, art, music, invention, protection, warding	Ais (pronounced ICE) is the foremost goddess in the Elven pantheon, not only the patron of artists and inventors but also the deity that ensures the continued existence of the universe. As the main protector against the great beast Voltumna, Ais is responsible for the defense of the world and the cosmos. Her followers believe they have a divine commandment to outpace Voltumna's endless appetite for destruction by continually create new art and seeking new inspirations. Ais is seen as a goddess of protection, and many of her faithful in the Elven pantheon imbue their works with warding magic to shield those around them. Ais' clergy are often rather militant, both skilled at matters of both art and combat. They dexterously weave these two distinct focuses into one, turning their method of fighting into a form of elegant yet dangerous dance. These clergy are well-organized and well-trained, and becoming a priest of Ais requires a great many years of study at one of the many temples to the goddess. Depictions of Ais vary, but most commonly she takes the appearance of an elven woman armed with a paintbrush or chisel in one hand and a shield in the other.
Nethans	CG	Travel, storytelling, air, storms, flight	Nethans (pronounced NETH-anz) is a goddess of travel, stories, the air, and flight, with her aspect as a goddess of travel is especially emphasized. She is a goddess of flight in particular, one seen to be closely connected to the aeroliths and those living on them. Among followers of the Elven pantheon, her worship was once much more widespread, but today she takes a relatively minor role. Many Redemptionist elves still pray to Nethans, however, as they wish to one day return en mass to her aerial embrace. It is traditional to give a small offering to local birds, seen as Nethans' emissaries, before one sets out on a long or possibly dangerous journey. Doing so ensures they will watch as one travels, passing knowledge of any potential threats or hazards to Nethans so that she can divert them from the path. In the Elven pantheon Nethans is considered to have a more regal appearance than in her depictions in other pantheons. She often takes the form of an elven woman with wings made of clouds, sometimes with an entourage of wisp-like birds.
Celens	LN	Arcane magic, writing, history, research, investigations, education	Celens (pronounced CELL-enz)} is a goddess of magic first and foremost. In the stories of the Elven pantheon she taught the first wizard the secrets of arcane magic, and prospective elven wizards are still often instructed by clerics of Celens. Since the end of the era of the aeroliths and the abandonment of Eita, Celens has additionally gained importance as a goddess of history, particularly amongst Redemptionist elves. Many of Celens' clergy fuse their divine magic with skilled use of arcane techniques. Temples to the goddess are often used as both prayer halls and schools of magic, places to instruct new generations of mages in both the teachings of the goddess and proper magical form. One of Celens' holy texts, Magic Under the Stars, is often believed to have originated in the Elven pantheon before spreading to her faithful elsewhere in the world. Celens is typically depicted dressed in the garb of an elven mage, with most pictures portraying her as in the process of casting an elaborate spell. More stylized depictions sometimes show her as a constellation.
Thalan	LN	Cities, trade, families, laborers	Thalan (pronounced THAY-lan) is a god of cities, trade, families, and laborers. He is the patron of those that work for an honest living, a god who watches over those that toil for a greater purpose. Thalan's aspect as a deity of cities is also important to followers of the Elven pantheon. In the Elven pantheon, Thalan takes on the responsibility for families that is typically shared between himself and interpretations of Aritimi in other pantheons. He aids parents in raising their children and elders in teaching the new generations. In this role Thalan is seen as a strict yet kindly figure. Unusually for interpretations of Thalan across pantheons, his followers in the Elven pantheon do not ascribe particular importance to any holy text. Some teach from The Model City, taken from Aserdian and Khapeshan influence, but this is seen as much less prescriptive than it is elsewhere. His clergy instead prefer to collect what they call life-tomes, stories of model devotees of Thalan from whom all can glean meaning. Thalan is usually depicted as a humble laborer, dressed in austere clothing as he toils at his work. He is sometimes thought to take such a form to walk the world in order to meet his followers directly.
Satres	N	Judgement, souls, the dead, inevitability, the moon, tides	Satres (pronounced SAT-rees) is a god
Hurtate	N	Nature, water, wildfires, cultivation
Vanth	NE	Nihilism, catharsis, blissful ignorance
Voltumna	CE	Destruction, chaos, invisibility, meteors, comets
Urusthe	CE	Madness, forbidden magic, dangerous secrets, mysteries of outer space

Area of worship

Worship of the Elven pantheon is distributed across the world. Wherever elves can be found, so too can worship of their pantheon. Most adherents live in Hinthial, however, with sizable following in nearby Brightmarch as well. Farther afield, the pantheon is well-established in Yurukan and Abanir.

Connections to other pantheons

The Elven pantheon shares notable similarities in beliefs with the Aserdian pantheon, in particular their shared emphasis on cosmic and spiritual cycles. These parallels are especially clear amongst Hinthialite or Marcher elves, though they become somewhat less obvious in populations that live farther away from the Gulf of Aserdus.