Abanir pantheon

The Abanir pantheon (pronounced ah-bah-NEER) 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, Yurukhan, Rovakhit, and Kalahan. 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 or worthy of worship. 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.

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 important, 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, Shalk 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 Kayash and Adadan then Mkahan and the Nameless as well. Others turned to soil, upon which plants, animals, and stone began to appear. With a place to land at last, Shalk rested and preened. As he did so more, smaller feathers fell; from these the first people took shape under Shalk's wings.

Deities

Name	Alignment	Areas of Concern	Description
Shalk	LG	Resilience, rulership, kinship, creation, birds
Adadan	CG	Travel, magic, souls, death, birth, the sun
Kayash	N	War, strife, horses, hunting
Mhakan	LE	Retribution, punishment, schemes, order
The Nameless	CE	Plague, evil spirits, nightmare, torment, destruction

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 and Kalahan to the north. 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 over 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. Shalk and Adadan especially defy easy categorization, as they blend areas of concern that are normally split across gods.