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
cosmology
creation story
three levels of divinities
hero-gods
churches, or the absence thereof
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 other pantheons 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.
Deities
| Name | Alignment | Areas of Concern | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemera | LG | The sun, seasons, agriculture, protection, rulership | Hemera (pronounced heh-MER-ah) |
| 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, souls, learning | Psais (pronounced SIGH-ahs) |
| Ananke | N | Creation, nature, time, motherhood | Ananke (pronounced ah-NAN-key) |
| 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) |
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 Chaskan gods but sometimes also those of Khapeshan or even Laurentian origins, are often worshiped alongside traditional Hellean gods. While this long-standing syncretic practice continues, however, in parts of Hellea, especially along the southern and eastern coasts, aspects of the Hellean pantheon have been losing ground to Chaskan influence. 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.