The Pantheons

The Pantheons: Aerith is partly ruled by a vast pantheon of gods. These gods are not simply myths or explanations of natural phenomenon conjured up by simple people from a simpler time. The gods of Aerith are fully conscious beings with intellects, desires and emotions who take an active interest in the lives of their worshippers. They speak through their priests and clerics, and allow true believers the power to perform wondrous miracles on their behalf. The pantheon of gods and the people of Aerith have a symbiotic relationship. The sentient races are defined by their cultural station subject to the deities, nourishing them with faith and sacrifices. In turn, deities are defined by their sovereignty over those sentient peoples, punishing and rewarding them, but also dependent on their worship as the source of their power in a sort of unspoken power struggle between the mortal minds that were the true architects of the world versus the will of the gods that merely inherited it. The gods continue their own eternal struggles, ancient conflicts brought with them from beyond the nexus of Feldark, bitter conflicts and rivalries that spill mortal blood in their wars on Aerith. The gods occasionally appear upon the world in corporeal forms, but more often shape history through worshippers, omens, champions and go-betweens. Avatars: All the gods of Aerith retain a small celestial army of personal servants known as avatars. These beings vary greatly in size and shape depending on the specific deity that they serve. Where they come from also depends on the god the serve but many are culled from the ranks of their faithful. Followers of uncommon devotion are rewarded with otherworldly powers and immortality. A god can also create an avatar by sacrificing a small amount of their divine essence. These avatars command the powers of a minor deity and are also effectively immortal. These beings carry out many different roles, not the least of which is that of a soldier for their god. Attacks and raids between the Immortal Realms are not uncommon and as such, the gods require legions of followers for attack and defense. Occasionally these beings are sent to Aerith to aid the faithful or to foil the schemes of enemy gods and faiths. Most serve as messengers, heralds or imposing harbingers of their patron god’s will. Just as the gods they are their own being, so too are avatars in possession of their own unique consciousness, intellect and emotions though they are always totally loyal to the being that created them.