The Celegian Pantheon

Return to Life in Celegia

The Celegian Pantheon

The powers that hold dominion over the Empire of Celegia are a pantheon of gods who are widely worshiped within the Empire. Many other gods and powers exist, but only in minor or fragmentary ways.

The Celegian Pantheon consists of nine gods. One additional god, Termanant, is far older than the other nine and may be more powerful, but he does not reveal anything of himself if that is the case.

Termanant is the Measurer, the one who determines the length each soul shall live. He is the master of darkness and the bearer of Life and Death. He is present at every birthing and deathbed. He delivers the souls of the dead to their proper place in the heavens, and ensures every soul returning has a body to be born into. Termanant is a mercenary god, and is quite happy to bargain with the living and dead over the disposition of this soul or that. His temples do a thriving trade in resurrections. Termanant stands somewhat aloof, not getting involved in the plotting of his younger contemporaries. Vivimorts of Termanant

Domana the Powerful is the mightiest God of the pantheon, and is definitely the most agressive. Domana is a god of Conquest and Law. He is often called the Justice Giver, and is a notorious stickler for details. Lastly he is the Protector and will seek to defend the defenseless as long as they are within his fief. Domana is a fierce and dynamic Power, restless, with a driving urge to place all within his fief. He is a scrupulously meticulous ruler who will not tolerate any slacking or bending of the rules he lays down. His temples are military places of discipline and order, with a strict hierarchy of responsibility and power. Through his Templars, Domana always seeks conquest and the imposition of order. Domana is the head god of the Celegian Pantheon and nearly everyone offers at least token recognition of his status. Templars of Domana

Lurain the Kind is Domana's wife and consort, as well as being nearly his equal in power. But her outlook on existence is totally different. Domana smashes headlong into life, while Lurain genuinely loves every living thing and would offer no hurt to anything that would do the same to her. Her temples are places of healing and health. Food is created and given away every day to anyone who would like it. Any wounded or ill creature will be given the best care possible for nothing. Donations are welcome and expected, but only of what you may afford, even if it is only an hour of work or a copper bit. The act of giving is the important thing. Lurain is the Loving Mother and the Healer. But few think Lurain is weak! She is also the Defender of the Hearth, and stories of entire populations attacking anyone who defiles her temples are common. She is fearsome in defending her own. Philiate of Lurain

Corellan the Merry is the god of youthful exuberance. He is known as the Merry for good reason! His demeanor is one of boundless energy driven by a good natured spirit. Corellan is a rake and a rascal who delights in scandalizing the more staid members of the pantheon. Karena holds a venomous hatred for him, while Puellor hates him as only the Mad can. He holds genuine respect for Domana, but loves deflating his stuffiness. Lurain tolerates him fondly and Corellan would do anything she wished. Quellada has a fascination for the Merry One like a moth to a flame since he gave him a stinging rebuke. Teb seems to like Corellan a great deal, but makes Corellan nervous. Lyreth and Daneth both seek his attention, which he lavishes upon them. Corellan dislikes Termanant, but Termanant treats Corellan as he treats everyone. Corellan is the Reveler and the Cunning One, but there is substance to him. He is known also as the Courageous Warrior and will not shirk an opportunity to press forward his values. Corellan's temples are loosely organized affairs that seem to run like a frat house crossed with a cocktail party, although the surface often conceals a great deal of quite serious work. Revelers of Corellan

Karena the Plotter is the complete opposite of Corellan. Karena is a scheming, conniving conspirator who is likely to welcome you home with a poisoned cup. This fickleness is one of the things that allowed Lurain to attract Domana's attentions away from Karena, a slight which rankles in her mind to this day. She is a lethal liar who enjoys killing things, prompting her title of the Slayer. Karena is also the Keeper of Secrets, and it is said that Karena knows every secret there is, an assertion that is met with a knowing smile by Teb. Karena's weapons are rumor and innuendo whenever daggers and poison are inappropriate, prompting her status as the Whisperer. Karena assumes a smiling mask in all her dealings. Her temples are rigid hierarchies, with every priest and priestess locked in a web of intrigue. Karena's followers are often politicians, and many merchants favor her Keeper of Secrets aspect, as the most advantageous of the Gods to their affairs. Contrivers of Karena

Teb the Wise is the most mysterious of the Celegian pantheon. He is also known as Teb the All-Knowing. Teb is reputed to know everything that ever was and ever will be, and to gain delight in not telling anyone else. Teb has amicable relations with every god, since they all want to ask him questions. However, no one is truly close to Teb, as he is prone to utterly inexplicable remarks, prompting his tag as the Mysterious. Worse, he is prone to seemingly random bouts of ferocious violence, when he puts his knowledge of weakness and hidden things to savage use. This penchant to violence has earned him the name of the Dark Destroyer, for when he attacks he has no mercy, and Teb is not weak. Teb's temples are places of learning that take many forms, possibly no two being alike. Teb is reputed to be a wealthy god. Wisdoms of Teb

Puellor the Mad is the nastiest, meanest, and most selfish god of the pantheon. Domana and Karena both keep Puellor under constant watch, as he will strike out at random at any who get in his way. Puellor hates everything in the universe but himself, and considers every hand raised to oppose him (perhaps with some cause!) Puellor destroys everything he can since he knows he can't have it all to himself, so earning the name the Despoiler. Puellor will form alliances with anyone, but he seeks to destroy his allies before they can turn on him, earning the name the Betrayer. Lastly, Puellor covets everything. He is convinced that everything should be his and everybody else should be gone. Puellor even seeks some way to destroy his enemies without killing them, as he suspects that Termanant draws power from death. Puellor's entire existence is one constant battle against adversity because the universe is his enemy and he will not be able to rest until it is conquered or he is conquered. Puellor attracts allies with his desperate bribery, offering power lavishly and then stealing it back when he destroys them. Priests are attracted to Puellor through this power and Puellor's promises of vengeance for slights, any slight. His temples are small, furtive affairs that lurk in the dark and grime with no semblance of organization. Ravers of Puellor

Daneth the Preserver is an ethereal presence in the pantheon who is well liked by all the gods except Puellor. Daneth acts to nurture the land, with her power going to the wilderness and farmland, to roof gardens and sewers. She works to keep the balance of nature working and to bring life to all things. Daneth is the strength of plants that can split open stone merely by growing. Daneth is also the Hunter's goddess and is a deadly opponent within her environs. Daneth is not a city god, although she has a presence there. Her place is the vast stretches of the forests, the grassy sea of the Endless Steppes, the Swamps of Istis, and even the burning deserts. Daneth despises Puellor, as he is the only god who doesn't see (or care about) the importance of her chosen tasks. (Please note: Daneth is not a Nature goddess. Daneth is a gardener goddess who sees the importance of wild lands, and acts to preserve them for her worshipers to use.) Wardens of Daneth

Quellada the Perverse is the "goddess" of the flesh. His/Her aspect is one of uncertain gender and preferences, that changes on the moment, thus earning her the title of Deceiver. Many of his worshipers do so in secret, while worshiping another openly. Quellada is the Reveler in Depravity and her worshipers do so with gusto. The slums of cities are hotbeds of Quellada worship, with every perversion and obscenity imaginable practiced with enthusiasm. Quellada is a surprisingly strong god, showing a side of humanity which is perhaps embarrassing, but is apparently necessary. Quellada receives worship from nearly everyone at one time or another, in one form or another. Lastly, Quellada has some small aspect of normality as well, in his role as the Seducer. Even staid marriage partners sometimes call upon the Seducer, to quicken the flesh, as it were. Sometimes the Seducer is used for darker endorsements as a prelude to her other aspects. Quellada is viewed with apprehension by the other gods, although Corellan and Lyreth feel his blandishments most strongly while Teb and Termanant are nearly immune. Quellada is shunned by the others as they know he will be seeking them out soon enough, for she is always hunting his next dark thrill. Vitiators of Quellada

Lyreth the Sly is the sneak goddess. She delights in pranks both funny and vicious, either one or both. She feels the pantheon to be horribly staid and stuffy, and constantly seeks to let in some fresh air. Her love of making others look less dignified has led her to the exasperated enmity of Domana and makes her well received by Corellan. Lurain views her with loving tolerance, and recognizes how she enlivens the pantheon. Karena despises her since the time that she and Teb collaborated to make the Keeper of Secrets look positively ill-informed... Anyone about to engage in a bit of underhanded business will call upon Lyreth, be it an assassin envenoming a blade or a husband slipping in the back door with his shoes in his hand. Lyreth has many temples, which tend to be small, loosely organized affairs which spring up, thrive, grow, split up, and move on. Tricksters of Lyreth

The Celegian Pantheon and The Celestial Bureaucracy.

As everyone knows, the Celegian Pantheon is composed of Nine Greater Gods. In addition, there is one Other God, who holds himself aloof from the pantheon and it is suspected that he may be older and mightier than the others, but there is no evidence either way. Then, is this all of the Powers that have sway in Celegia? The answer is an emphatic no. The Empire is positively aswarm with spirits, demigods, primals, fallen gods, and other entities of varying but great power.

The spirits can be found everywhere in the Empire. Shrines to travel spirits line the streets, often at every corner. Nearly every inn and tavern has a house spirit, some of the more active ones sharing fellowship with the patrons on most nights. Ghosts, haunts, feyrs, and hoolies are common, especially in the big cities. Holy sites often have guardians, many of surpassing power, such as demons or angels. Nearly every river and stream has its resident nereid, sylphs dance and play in the clouds above, dryads enliven the hearts of many of the trees. Powerful and fell undead are discouragingly plentiful, as well as being aggressive and smart. Haunted houses are the norm rather than the exception, and the house spirit is as common as the family pet.

The most exalted of these lesser Powers are the mighty Greater Spirits, barely beneath the Gods in their might and possibly mightier in their own areas. These greater spirits include those known as the Primals, expressions of a great naked truth of the universe. They include Storm, Rage, Sun, Night, Love, Terror, Flood, and many others that are often unnamed or forgotten. Other Great Spirits are the Fundaments, the sentient but not self aware expressions of the nine fundaments. These entities are mighty indeed, especially the terrible Death, Fire, Stone, and Force. Also in the Greater Spirits are the Fallen Gods, the deities of pantheons that were long ago conquered by the Celegian Empire but that were not driven away. These include gods of weather, a Sun God, a Moon Goddess, a God of Smiths, a God of Farmers, a God of Storms, a God of War, a God of Wine and Beer, the Mason God, Wrath, the God of Rage, and multiple others. Many of these gods are no longer worshipped in any organized way, and thus are extremely pleased and generous with their largess to those few who choose to worship them.

Slightly below the greater spirits in power are the Major Spirits. These still awesome entities are more limited in their scope or less absolute in their might than are the Greater Spirits, but this is not always to be counted on. Some of the stronger of the Major spirits are easily equal to many of the Greater spirits, so the demarcation is somewhat vague. The Major Spirits consist of angels, demons, daemons, devils, avatars, powerful extraplanars, greater undead, anima, abominations, aberrations, devas, and myriad other entities too unique or strange to classify. Of special interest are the anima, such as Great Father Tree, Standing Stone, Thunderchild, Still Deep Water, etc. Many of these anima are the special favorites of one or more of the Great Gods, and as such their ranking as a Major spirit is even more deceptive, since any molestation or attack on one of these may draw the attention of one or more of the Gods. This is especially the case with Still Deep Water, who is greatly beloved by Daneth, Domana, Lurain, Karena, and Teb. It is unwise in the extreme to draw the enmity of Still Deep Water, for Daneth is almost certain to intervene, and if She is unable to resolve the problem, She will almost certainly call Domana, and woe betide the stirring of HIS might.

Still further down in the celestial hosts are the Lesser Spirits, which are like the major spirits in that their power varies a great deal, and some of them are strong indeed. The Lesser Spirits include such entities as most city spirits, the river spirits, place spirits, forest spirits, travel deities, fertility spirits, the most powerful faeriefolk, summoned elementals, conjured planar things, major guardians, vengeance sprites, lesser abominations and aberrations, feyrs, etc... Last of all come the lowly Minor Spirits, but these entities still warrant a great deal of respect and caution when they come to you. These include most of the Faeriefolk, house spirits, plant spirits, drink spirits, minor guardians, haunts, hoolies, spriggans, gremlins, sprites, and many others.

Nearly every place the average Celegian goes is swarmed by these mostly invisible and undetectable entities, but their shrines and monuments are a staple, as common in Celegia as are advertisements in our modern world. Every Celegian is taught as a child to be polite and respectful to the spirits, and how to interact with them in a way that keeps them in their places. Most of the spirits have only a vague sense of most humans, as we are as incomprehensible to them as they are invisible to us.

In a sense there are two Celegias, the mundane material one and the astral/etherial one of the spirits. The spirits seek to keep the humans appeased (and providing gifts) by offering their protective services and assistance with things in their purview. This is especially true of house spirits, place spirits, and most of the minor nature spirits. Most Celegians have become so accustomed to this politeness to the spirits it is a habit they are not even aware of. A Celegian would no more not say, "Thank you for welcome" upon entering or leaving a building than he would forgo breathing for an hour or so. It is as automatic as putting on clothes, or checking the weather before stepping out. If a Celegian is invited to a friends house, it is customary upon the first visit to take a very minor gift, such as a small cake, feather, flower, etc. along. This is gifted to the house spirit, and the house spirit is introduced to the guest as if it were a member of the family. Afterward, the friend may freely return with only the customary thank yous.

House spirits are usually perfectly harmless, but they will seek to deter robbers with squeaky floors, sticky windows, tipped-over pots, and the like. Some house spirits are much more ferocious than that, and can manifest and attack! Imagine a spectral pit bull. Getting to know the house spirit is a definite must before any robbery. Some wealthy citizens have had much more aggressive and determined guardians summoned, so caution is especially recommended in that case. And woe betide a robber who manages to raise the ire of a city or place spirit! These entities are similar to a house spirit but are vastly stronger. Imagine a spectral dragon, or an angry vampire. Definitely something to avoid. Many smaller cities have gatekeepers who routinely introduce all travelers to an especially aggressive or truculent city spirit, in exchange for a toll. It is always a good idea to listen to what these toll keepers tell you, or you might find a lesser spirit persecuting you. This hyper abundance of denizens on the spirit plane is a real boon to diviners, especially those who can directly speak to the spirits, as finding something may be as simple as asking directions of the proper spirit.

This huge host of Powers and Spirits is collectively known as the Celestial Bureaucracy. Each of the Great Gods has a certain number of the lesser beings "in their camp" as it were. These are usually entities that they have directly defeated or that accurately reflect their own views on existence. As a few examples:

Domana has the Primal Sun, Primal Desert, Primal Purity, Primal Storm, Primal Fury, Primal Rage, Primal Terror, the Fundamentals Force, Stone, Light, Air, and Fire, the Storm God, the War God, Avalanche, a huge array of angels, aasimons, Celestial, modrons, etc., all arrayed in a huge and tightly organized military style war machine.

Lurain is attended by Primal Love, the Fertility Goddess, several old Gods of Protection and Battle, many Angels and Devas, a host of house spirits, a vast array of entities from the higher outer planes, and as a special arrangement, she is known as the Beloved of Domana. Any major incursion on Lurain is almost certain to bring down the wrath of Domana, as well as his array of lesser Powers.

Corellan has the Spirit of Wine, the Spirit of Beer, a minor Fertility Goddess, loads of female nature spirits, the King of Vengeance, The Wanderer, Strongarm, Primal Joy, Primal Strength, etc. Corellan is also on very good terms with both Daneth and Lyreth and they have gifted him with a Sky God and the mighty Primal Trickster. The latter is viewed by Corellan as a mixed blessing, at best.

Puellor has Primal Rage, Primal Madness, Primal Hate, the Fundamentals Fire, Death and Stone, demons, daemons, a berserker God, the God of Rape, Primal Madness, Primal Chaos, the King of the Vengeance Sprites, and others too horrible to mention.

Quellada has Primal Love, Primal Lust, Primal Rape, several Fertility Deities she has thoroughly warped, the God of Rape, demons, devils, numerous place spirits, etc. He is also granted the loyalty of the Primal Hate by Puellor, and is almost insanely lustful for the Primal Purity, which has fled to the side of Domana for shelter from the God/dess of Perversion.

Karena has a vast and rigidly well organized group of devils and daemons, as well as three severely constrained Gods, one of assassins, one of murder, and one of Poison, as well as a host of undead, corrupted spirits, etc. Few of the great Spirits associate with Karena, as She prefers a more subtle approach.

Daneth has a large following indeed, every one of the Nature Anima as well as every one of the Nature Spirits, as well as a nature God, a Sky God, a Moon Goddess, the Goddess of Night,a host of Angels, and more. The God Corellan has gifted Her with the Primals Strength and Strongarm.

Lyreth is poorly attended, due mostly to her loner spirit. Notably, the mighty Primal Trickster has affixed himself to her, as well as a Thief God and an odd assortment of Spirits that she has stolen from the other Gods and refuses to give back. Corellan especially wishes her to return the Spirit of Debauchery, since she is sowing havoc with it. Instead She sent Trickster, who has plagued Corellan ever since.

Teb doesn't have any Powers attending him, or rather (as he claims), they all attend to him, they just don't know it. There may be some truth to his boast, for every time he has gone to a Power to ask for aid it has been granted.

Termanant has a huge following, many of which are so mysterious that no mortal has ever heard of them. They include the Fundamentals Dark, Death, Life, and Light, a total of at least ten Deities in attendance, all relating to death, birth, or darkness. As well he has a host of Avatars of deities who also attend him, as well as a long list of Planar Powers such as Primus the Modron, The Master Of Olympia, Queen of the Dragons, and others. The Primal Fury and the Primal Terror attend him. There are many more, as well. Needless to say, even Domana is polite to Termanant.

Clerics in Celegia

There are numbers of persons in Celegia who feel the call to serve the Gods, but do not strongly associate with only one deity. The majority of these persons are defined in the game rules as Clerics, and are known in Celegia as Pantheonists. Most Pantheonists align themselves eventually with one or two gods that most closely reflect their personal views, but not all of them do so. Most temples in Celegia will welcome most Pantheonists, assuming some similarity of world view, but a neutral evil cleric who associates freely with Ravers, Vitiators, and Contrivers may find a lack of warmth at a temple of Lurain.

In addition, there are many persons in Celegia who dedicate themselves to the service of a Power that is not one of the Great Gods. In game terms, nearly any specialty priest or cleric of a God may be played, as all the referee has to do is determine which of the Greater Gods would hold dominion over the Power chosen, approve the specialty priest as play balanced, and decide which region of the Empire is suited for this worship to be based. The Celegian Pantheon is not a very jealous one, as long as the lesser Powers realize their supremacy. For example, Druids are relatively uncommon in Celegia, and are considered to be worshippers of the various nature anima. As such, druids are granted their spells by the nature anima and seek to put forth their goals, with the understanding that Daneth is the dominating ruler of the nature anima. Wardens and druids do not always view a situation in the same light, as the Wardens seek to maximize the potential of a wilderness, while the druids would be just as happy to see no human involvement at all.