the gods
Vandarra has many gods, and in the distant past they roamed its lands. It was they that grew the forests and raised the mountains. They filled the oceans and cracked the earth to create great systems of caves deep beneath the crust. They formed animals to live in the forests, and creatures to inhabit the tunnels. When the gods were satisfied with their work, they fell asleep. Each constructed large tombs for themself, burying their bodies deep beneath the crust. Content in their slumber, they slipped from their corporeal bodies. They ascended to the aether to keep watch over their creation, leaving their corpses behind in massive shells of crystalline earth.
Protector of the Wood, Ekke’s presence can be felt deep in the forest by even the most secular of travelers. Priests of Ekke are oft to leave civilization behind, wandering deep into the wilderness around towns and cities and constructing temples out of fallen branches.
Above all else, the worship of Ekke is the worship of serenity. Peace and tranquility rule in his domain, and bounty is provided to those who respect those tenets.
EKKE, God of the forest
Hadi is as ever-shifting as the sands. Their priests are found throughout Vandarra, but most will pilgrimize to the T’lasu Desert, traditionally remaining until the ends of their lives.
There are no temples to Hadi. Their followers believe above all else in the impermanence of things, as all are swallowed by the sands. Any who wish to pray to Hadi send their words through a priest, using their bodies as altars and anointing them with sand from the desert.
hadi, god of the desert
Ora presides over language, writing and connection between people. It was she who first taught mortals to speak. Priests of Ora spend their entire lives studying the spoken word, and attempt to bring themselves closer to their chosen deity through loquacious expressions.
The Temple of Ora in the T’risu desert is a place of great erudition. Books from across the lands are brought as offerings to the priests and to Ora, to add to the grand library which spans an uncountable number of volumes.
ora, god of speech
Pash’s followers devote themselves to the luminous. Her temples take the form of massive observatories, telescopic instruments dotting their domed roofs. Within, Pashan priests study the stars. Marking the movements of the heavens, they fill tomes and scrolls with calculations and predictions, reading signs from Pash above.
Though one may think of Pash and Phand as rivals, the two cults share perhaps the strongest bond of all religious sects.
pash, God of light
Known as the Night Warden, Phand is a rather passive god, not necessarily having dominion over any one thing, but whose power stretches over the lack of everything. Phand is prayed to for protection in the night, for the warding off of unwanted things and for serenity.
To the common worshipper, prayer may involve a removal of the senses, usually through a blindfold and small stones placed in the ears. For more fervent followers of Phand, however, worship takes the form of extreme asceticism.
phand, God of shadow
As much as priests of Rorik worship the mountains and valleys, they worship their god’s power and strength. It is often that a priest of Rorik will undertake monumental challenges of physical prowess as sacred rites.
Rorik’s teachings revolve around a central theme of personal willpower and self sufficiency.
rorik, God of earth & mountains
The Wind-Walker, the Father of the Sky, the Holy Gale: followers of Thesh have many names for their favored deity. His worshippers venerate the air around them, and they revel in freedom and in movement. Temples to Thesh take the form of dizzying towers that stretch high into his domain, often dwarfing any other buildings around it. At the top, an altar sits exposed under the sky. A priest of Thesh may meditate here for weeks on end, integrating themselves into their god’s creation.
thesh, God of wind & sky
Widely worshipped by smiths and craftsmen, Tugog represents a burning love of creation. His priesthood has no specific mantle, but is usually taken on by locals of trade. Cheesemongers, carpenters, blacksmiths and tailors will often leave a totem to Tugog on their counter, hoping his blessings will bring them luck. His icon is that of a hammer.
tugog, God of the forge
Temples to the Vandarran sea god are dotted along the coastline in regular intervals, about fifty miles between. Crusted in barnacles, his priests do not clean the walls, considering the salty mists to be a gift from Tuz himself.
Priests of Tuz spend years studying the tides, believing in the cyclical nature of all things and the return of familiar waters. They find an inner peace through contemplation of the sea’s motion, and have constructed large instruments to precisely measure it which float inside the temple’s moonpool.
tuz, God of the sea
Considered by some to be the chief deity of the Vandarran pantheon, Ure was the divine who created mortals. His worshippers thank him eternally for the gift of life through indulgence of the senses. Priests of Ure regularly imbibe on great feasts, enjoy the finest of musical performances and wear only the finest of silks. To be worldly is to appreciate Ure’s gift wholly, and temples dedicated to him reflect this ideal. Offerings to Ure usually take the form of ecstatic jubilation.
ure, God of mortalkind
Not much is known of Nih, and what little knowledge of him that has survived is often fragmented. Theologists and philosophers have debated his mere existence amongst the God-Folk for eons. None worship his name, and he holds no dominion over creation, never having participated in the act. Nih faded into obscurity long ago, rumored to have died in some forgotten corner of the continent.
NIH
MAGIC IN VANDARRA
VERIKIVI
Twenty years before our tale begins, the Etterin Empire discovered Verikivi, a rare and arcane ore that allows one to channel divine energy into feats of magic, deep below Methigryn.
MAGI & high clerics
The Empire has restricted the use of Verikivi to the Magi — arcane warriors who are authorized to use the magic substance as a conduit for sorceries — as well as clerics of the highest order.
THAUMATURGE
The consequence for the use of magic without authorization is a harsh one, with capital punishment used as an effective deterrent. If allowed to live, they are branded Thaumaturge, and will find no welcome in the empire.