The Gods of the Dawn War

The Prime Pantheon is the main pantheon of Gods within the realm of Aldris, specifically the gods who fought in the ancient Dawn War against the mad god Tharizdun and his army of daemons, the race he created to carry out his purpose of devouring the world so that the newest iteration could be born. The Gods, who know they would be decimated alongside their mortal worshipers, banded together with some of the darker beings of the world to form the Realm of Eternal Chains, a prison located deep within the dark expanse of the Far Realm, and forcing Tharizdun inside of it as he himself could not be destroyed, being a Great Old One and not a simple God. After the Dawn War's end, the gods formed small unions of their own, with the Prime Pantheon founded by the lighter or more neutral gods.

Structure

There are a wide number of gods aligned with the Dawn War Pantheon, but the ones listed below are the established pillars of the organization of gods:

• Pelor the Dawnfather: God of the Sun, Agriculture, and Wisdom. Depicted as a man in golden robes with a stave, his head a ball of light as bright as the sun itself. Often the god of humans and other races as a whole.
• Melora the Wildmother: Goddess of Life and the Natural World. Depicted as a woman cloaked in a cape of leaves with stag antlers rising from her brow, wild hair and joints formed of hard bark. Often seen carrying a boar spear. Often the god of natural elves, druids, and living nature.
• Bahamut the Platinum Dragon: God of Justice, Mercy, and Temperance. Depicted as a platinum dragon with six feathered wings, and is the partner and steed to Torm the God of Law. Eyes change color depending on his mood and or aspect. Often the chief god of dragons, heroes, and dragonborn.
• Avandra the Changebringer: Goddess of Freedom, Travel, and Exploration of Culture and Worldly Pursuits. Depicted as a female with short black hair, tanned skin, and a devilish look on her face. Actively fights against oppression, laws that cause others to suffer, and perpetuates chaotic acts of good. Often the chief god of halflings and gnomes.
• Moradin the Forgefather: God of All Creation, from Material Creation to the Building of Bonds. Depicted as a dwarven man with a long braided beard wearing full armor, an anvil-shaped hammer over his shoulder. Often the chief god of the dwarves and artificers.
• The Raven Queen: Goddess of Death and Destiny. Depicted as a woman in a funerary shroud save for an emotionless porcelain mask, wielding the spool of fate and her pinking shears to cut and re-sew. Feared and worshiped little by others due to her nature. Was a mortal who worked to kill the previous god of death for his cruelty in playing with the souls of others, including that of one she loved.
• Kord the Storm Lord: God of Endurance, Inner Strength, and Storms, believing that difficulty and challenges are what make a person strong and worthy to protect others on the same journey. Depicted as a lavender-skinned man, mostly bare with furs and leather armor, wielding an axe and shield with a beard and cloak formed of storm clouds. Often the god of Orcs and warriors of a similar culture.
• Sehanine the Moonweaver: Goddess of the Journey from Life to Death, Dreams, and Happiness, believing that people should always strive to be happy and enjoy the time they have, working to ensure that those who seek to take that away from them never find them. Depicted as a purple-skinned, dark-haired elven woman wearing dark robes full of stars from the night sky. Often the god of the Elves and was married to Corellon before his death but continues to foster happiness in his memory rather than let her sorrow consume her. Sometimes is depicted wearing a funerary shroud in honor of him.
• Corellon the Fair: God of magic, the arts, and creativity, believing that mortals were meant to build, create, and express themselves as fully as they can, working to battle against those who would oppress or destroy such beautiful creations. Depicted as an elven man in bronze and gold-threaded robes with light armor, a glaive at his side and a bow sling over his shoulder, with short golden hair combed back. He was one who died during the Dawn War, but as a god of magic his essence instead returned to the Weave, and Elvens who hear his call can rise to become powerful arcane warriors named Larethian Knights.
• Ioun the All-Knowing Mistress: Goddess of magic, knowledge, and the building of intellect and skill. Depicted as a dark-skinned woman with silver tattoos on her body, wearing blue robes and carrying a book formed of leather and mithril bonding. Believes that education and understanding help to build a better future and world, and that knowledge is a tool to be used by everyone, good or bad. Often worshiped by wizards and knowledge seekers.
• Erathis the Orderbearer: Goddess of law and order, civilization, prosperity, and innovation. Depicted as a tall woman in silver robes with long brown hair and pale skin. She is concerned with the progress of civilization, the invention of new tools and ideas, and the refusal to be held back by tradition for the sake of it. Often worshiped by lawful officers, inventors, builders, architects, and other innovative peoples.

There were other gods who aided the top listed ones in the great Dawn War, but ultimately their refusal to align with the other gods on other matters beyond survival kept them to remain solitary. Listed below are the gods who aided the Prime Pantheon in the Dawn War:

• Asmodeus, the Red King Below: God of rulership, deceit, order, and souls, often concerned with the acquisition of power through any means necessary. Depicted as a handsome red-skinned man with golden flaming hair, a sharp but thin beard, four horns crowning his head, and wearing a black suit with his mace as a cane. Wishes to rule the whole of the world to make it in his image and believes that he is the sole power in the world. Often worshiped by ambitious nobles, officers, seekers of power, and those who align with devils.
• Tiamat, the Mother of Dragons: Goddess of draconic rulership, tribute, protection, and wealth, concerned with the survival of dragonkind and installation of them as the high rulers of the world given their status and power. Depicted as a five-headed dragon with each head a different color, or as a woman with black hair and eyes like prisms to show each color. Sometimes they change when she blinks, and each head is said to embody a different personality. Often worshiped by ambitious dragons who yearn for power and domination.
• Lolth, the Weaver Queen: Goddess of survival and darkness, originally was a dark elf hero who led her people below to the Underdark during the Second Consumption of Tharizdun. Educating them in survival and growth within the horrid environment of the Under, she was worshipped and became deified as a drow goddess of protection. Depicted as a female dark elf with purple skin, silver hair and eyes, and the bottom half of a spider. Is concerned with the survival and protection of her people and others, regardless of the angles or choices needed to do so; survive at any cost. Often worshiped by those with rough upbringings, dark elves, and other Underdark denizens.
• Bane the Lord of Frays: God of war, rulership, strategy, domination, and strength, a mortal who survived the days of the First Consumption by forming a surviving trio with Bhaal and Myrkul, a rogue and necromancer respectively. The three of them survived and carved pieces of Tharizdun itself, fashioning it into powerful items that let them continue to survive and build a following of resistance. Myrkul and Bhaal then gave up their pieces of eldritch divinity to Bane, so he may arise to join the other gods in battle against the Oblivion, sacrificing themselves in the process. Depicted as a man in black armor with a horned helm, armed with a stave that can transform into any weapon he wishes, and wearing a stitched cape of the blackened faces of his victims that moan still, both only two of the retained gifts from his allies in life. Concerned with ruling the world as to prepare it for the next great war to come, believing that the strong not only have the right but the duty to command the weak.

The gods listed below are the dark entities that reside alongside the Prime Pantheon, their dark reflections whose worship and understanding is small but dedicated. This includes the great enemy of the gods during the Dawn War:

• Tharizdun the Bringer of Oblivion: Eldritch god of destruction, consumption, death, suffering, and chaos, depicted as an endless black inky void with mouths and eyes constantly forming and unforming within it. Originally concerned with the destruction of the world so as to allow his brother, the great maker, to remake it as they had time and time again, only this time the gods decided to rebel against their own demise. Tharizdun was locked within the Realm of Chains made by Ioun, tethered by the unbreakable chains of Moradin and battered into the plane by the combined power of all the gods, many of whom died in the great battle against him, named the Dawn War. Seeks to break his chains and carry out his revenge and original purpose.
• Torog the King of All Under: God of suffering, torture, losing one's way, and servitude by jailing, slaving, and other avenues. Depicted as a long grey worm with thousands of hands and a humanoid head, crowned with tarnished silver and a trio of blind eyes. Seeks to expand his dark empire to the surface so all may feel his suffering and isolation, taking in those who could stomach his madness and who have nowhere else to go. Dwarves fear him immensely as he can be heard within the darkness of tunnels.
• Zehir the Shadowed Serpent: God of decay, poison, death, deceit, and fear, depicted as a long black serpent with oily scales whose skin gives way to his skeletal head and fangs. Often worshiped by serpentfolk and assassins, he lives to make others suffer and feel constant fear, which poisons ad degrades them slowly but surely.
• Vecna the Whispered Undeath: God of necromancy, the undead, secrets, and dark magic, depicted as a female skeletal lich-wizard missing a hand and an eye that both still reside within the Material Realm. She was a mortal who arose to godhood by use of the power of necromancy, deceit, and secretive plans that gave way to a great undead empire, but found that ascending to godhood had bound her from direct interaction with her followers and kingdom, which quickly fell to ruin without proper leadership. Hand and eyes were carved and cut off by her lieutenant and lover, Kas of Bloody Hand, who did so at the moment of ascension in the hopes of stealing divinity for himself. Concerned with returning to rebuild their undead empire and resume rule over the world.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Alternative Names

The Dawn War Pantheon, The Prime Gods, The Prime Pantheon

Permeated Organizations

• The Clans of the Rend

Controlled Territories

• The Azure Temple