Hellean pantheon

The Hellean pantheon (pronounced ha-LAY-an) is one of the major regional pantheons on Kishar. Most followers of the pantheon live on the Hellean peninsula on the northwestern coast of the Chaska Sea. Gods in the Hellean pantheon have strengths and failings just like any mortal, and are sometimes thought to take physical forms to walk the world with their followers. Despite its rather unique theology, thousands of years of close contact with the Chaskan pantheon has caused many who worship the Hellean pantheon to both meld their gods with their Chaskan forms and outright adopt Chaskan deities wholesale alongside the existing gods. Besides the more typical divinities, an ever-changing array of hero-gods is also an important part of the pantheon.

Overview

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, 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.

Deities

Name	Alignment	Areas of Concern	Description
Hemera	LG	The sun, dawn, seasons, agriculture, protection, duty, rulership	Hemera (pronounced heh-MER-ah) But the gods had underestimated Typhon. As he raged the mountain quaked and erupted, forcing their attention back to him. Hemera retreated from her new place in the sun and returned to Typhon's prison, re-securing his shackles to keep him contained. In doing so she began a cycle she would keep to the current day, every year returning to the monstrous god to ensure he never escapes.
Khalkeus	NG	Family, community, civilization, art, invention	Khalkeus (pronounced CALL-key-us)
Triteia	CG	The sea, trade, travel, rivers	Triteia (pronounced try-TAY-ah)
Psais	LN	The dead, dusk, souls, learning	Psais (pronounced SIGH-ahs)
Ananke	N	Creation, nature, time, motherhood	Ananke (pronounced ah-NAN-key) is a goddess of creation, nature, time, and motherhood. As the first of the Hellean deities who created the world from nothingness, Ananke occupies a special place in the pantheon. Compared to her children, Ananke is an impassive deity who rarely becomes involved in the events of mortal life, preferring instead to leave such duties to the other gods. She is quick to come to the protection of the natural world, however, and any unnecessary harm to nature is seen as harm to the goddess herself. Many devotees of Ananke are druids or others concerned with the natural world and its processes. Nearly all followers of the Hellean pantheon pay at least occasional homage to Ananke, worshipers of Typhon excepted. The goddess does not walk amongst mortals as do the other gods, though many believe she has little reason to as she is already literally the world itself. Ananke is a thoughtful and ponderous deity, traits that her priesthood impart to her followers. All actions should come only after careful deliberation, Ananke teaches, though she herself sometimes acts rashly in defense of nature. Unlike with other deities in the pantheon, temples to Ananke are usually located away from cities and other populated areas, found instead in the more wild and remote parts of Hellea. These temples and shrines are often not immediately recognizable as such, as they are frequently built to appear like natural extensions of the landscape. Rituals, sacrifices, and invocations to the goddess tend to be direct and without pomp or pageantry, as such needless formality is said to tire her. In the rare times she deigns to communicate with mortals, Ananke prefers to send omens that are inscrutable and vague. Ananke depiction?
Lycia	CN	The sky, storms, luck, the moon	Lycia (pronounced lie-SEE-ah)
Marsyas	LE	Punishment, spite, greed, war, revenge	Marsyas (pronounced mar-SIGH-ahs)
Typhon	CE	Volcanoes, caves, darkness, anger, rivalry	Typhon (pronounced TIE-fon) is a god of volcanoes, caves, darkness, anger, and rivalry. The first of Ananke's children, Typhon was defeated by the other gods and imprisoned under a great mountain after he attempted to destroy the earliest mortals. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are said to be caused by Typhon in his restless rage as he struggles against his prison.

Area of worship

The Hellean pantheon is worshiped mostly by those that live on the Hellean peninsula and the surrounding islands, including within the nations of Halakros, Eretrebus, Iaramnae, Ephardia, Metrya, Kyamita, Aylma, Philiraki, and the Ersas City States. Past the Sentinel Peaks to the north, the inhabitants of Asteria, largely descended from settlers out of Hellea, also worship the pantheon. The gods of the pantheon also have followings in the western-most parts of Viridia and in some parts of the Western Coast.

Connections to other pantheons

Deities of other pantheons, particularly those of Chaskan or Khapeshan origin, are often worshiped alongside traditional Hellean gods. Though this long-standing syncretic practice continues, in parts of Hellea aspects of the Hellean pantheon have been losing ground to Chaskan influence, especially along the southern and eastern coasts. Some have begun to move their gods in the opposite direction, in fact, shifting Hellean divinities into the theology and framework of the Chaskan pantheon.