Eightfold Gods

The Eightfold Gods are the patrons of the Sacred Republic in Yethera, and are distinct within the great pantheons of the World in that they are purely synthetic. As the cults of magic developed under the rule of the Mage Sovereigns, one of their duties was to catalogue rival cults, in the name of theocratic supremacy, secular dominance or religious integration, depending on the will of their Sovereign. Through a mixture of the first and last of these functions, the renegade movement known as the Union assembled a portfolio of divine identities and moulded every minor god they found to be an aspect of one of those eight sacred names.
The end result of that process was the pantheon of the Eightfold Gods; eight highly flexible deities, each responsible for a broad portfolio of divine and earthly matters, and capable of presenting a multitude of faces through their broad churches.

Greater Gods

The Mage-Breaker is the god of magic, but also the enemy of all arcanists. The pre-eminent god of the pantheon and arguably the supreme deity of the Church's theology. Subsuming the old cults of magic, the principle face of the Mage-Breaker is that of Iuva, an elven deity who became the Belissaran god of the arcane. While primarily linked to the Republic's crusade against the arcane, Iuva is also god of law, authority, the sky and the sea, storms, orthodoxy and order. They are depicted as a tall, elven figure with a crystal globe in their right hand and a broken rod in their left. Their other symbols include the hound, the bear and the petrel, the mace and the thunderbolt, the coronet and the chalice.
In most cultures, storm and sky might belong to the creator gods, more primal than a Culture God, but the synthetic pantheon of the Eightfold Way does not include a creator. Creation in all its meanings is, in the theology of the Church, the sole provine of the The Primeval Gods, with power over natural forces attributed to various gods alongside their cultural trappings.
The Scroll and the Seal is the god of knowledge and reason, teaching and secrets; she is the light of truth and the mistress of lies. She is given the name Tinevra, after an Argean moon goddess, and retains an association with Doraes, as well as being a patron of civil planners and military strategists, architects, teachers and thieves. She is depicted as a woman, her face concealed by the hood of a floor-length robe. She holds a book in her hands, with chains hanging from it. Her symbols are the raven and the cat, the book and the chain, the shield and spear, the half moon and the open hand. She is always depicted half in light, half in shadow. Her cult is opposed to those who abuse her blessings of knowledge and secrecy, including cultists, assassins and wizards.
The Sword of Heaven is the soldiers' god, but patron of all whose work lies in or adjacent to combat, orthe pursuit of physical excellence, including healers, watchmen - through which the Sword is also the lady of vigilance, a god of law - dancers, labourers and prostitutes. She is given the form of Tanit, the foremost god of Donara, depicted as a four-winged woman, armed - usually with a greatsword - and armoured. She is the god of the sun, whose burning gaze pierces all deceit, and the herald of glory. Her symbols are the sword, axe and lance, the lion and the horse, the sun, the four-winged hawk or four wings alone.
The Hundred-Handed is the god of crafts, and is given the form and pronouns of the Kavalan dwarvern smith god Ilmar. Despite the name of the god, only a vanishingly small number of depiction give them a full hundred hands, but they always have at least eight, and each hand holding a different tool. In addition to all crafts, Ilmar is a god of civic health, trade and oaths. E also watches over sports - although the athletes typically fall under the auspices of the Sword of Heaven - as well as stone, soil and earthquakes. E is also a god of ships and shipbuilding, much beloved of sailors, and the lord of golems whose mark adorns the brow of all righteous constructs. His symbols are tools, and also cattle, the salamander, the fire and the ship.
Between them, the four greater gods of the Eightfold Church represent the aspects of the realm, the world, the elements and the celestial bodies of the Firmament.

Deity	Realm	World	Elements	Firmament
Iuva	Authority	Magic	Air	Sky
Tinevra	Order	Knowledge	Water	Moon
Tanit	Law	Strength	Fire	Sun
Ilmar	Growth	Craft	Earth	Stars

Lesser Gods

In a not uncommon pattern, the greater gods are the gods of society, while the lesser gods are those of the people. The cults of the lesser gods are sometimes called 'folk cults', and lack the centralised hierarchy and status of the greater cults, along with their temporal influence and both spiritual and worldly authority. They do, however, create a network across the Republic which serves to promote the good of those who lack other representation.
The Gatherer is the Eightfold faith's god of agriculture. The chosen face of this god is Aster, a Belissaran god of the harvest depicted as a tall woman in a black dress, carrying a sickle and an ox goad. This image stands vigil over all shrines of the agricultural cult, a mark of orthodoxy. Aster is associated with both arable agriculture and husbandry,life and growth, plenty and parenthood, and also death and funeral rites, in alliance with the cult of the Final Light. Her symbols are the curved blade, the crescent moon, the rat and the lapwing, and a sheaf of wheat.
The Heart's Fire is the god of love, fellowship and community. Perhaps the most debated element of the Eightfold Way, love was considered important enough to enshrine within the central structures of the Church for its utility in social cohesion and conflict resolution. It was also felt that a god of love could act to counter the potential destabilising influence of unrestrained passions. The orthodox presentation of the Heart's Fire uses the aspect of Morha, an androgynous god from the Ardheim province whose symbols are musical instruments, genital representations, a heart wreathed in flames, the bow, doves, rabbits, clasped hands and the lotus blossom, noted for its ecstatic properties. Morha's cult were traditional enemies of the God-Queen, but they retain an element of anti-establishmentarianism in their current form. The cult and the god are pro-community and broadly in favour of internationalism. The favour of community over state also results in links to organised criminal activities.
The Wild Dance is another controversial inclusion in the praxis of the faith, intended to provide a safe channel for disruptive social elements. The 'cult of joy' is aunion of folk cults embracing ecstatic and mystery rites, wine, music and art. The face of the cult is Nissus, a genderfluid Argaean deity of elvish origin, with specific associations with riot and misrule. The orthodox church seeks to channel these rites into periodic festivals, with variable success. Nissus is variably depicted as male, female or aesuri, and never wearing much more than a smile, holding a sistrum in one hand and a wine bottle in the other; eir symbols are the bottle and the sistrum, grapes and bees, the goat, and any form of musical instrument.
The Final Light is the god of the borders: birth, death, dreams and sickness, especially fevers. They also watch over the planar boundaries, including the Astra and the Aether. She wears the face of Ancient Yagai, a Gaardir deity from what is now Berngaard. This god has the aspect of a woman in white, carrying a watch or hourglass and a lantern in her left hand and extending the right in welcome. Her symbols are the nightjar and the cat, timepieces of all kinds, the shroud, the cradle, the pillow and the lantern, the key and the gate. Her cult are undertakers and midwives, healers and mystics, and stalwart foes of intruders from the outer planes.

Type

Religious, Pantheon