The Eastern Pantheon, most prominent in Éthnonakki, places Ambrus as the chief deity and, at its most extreme, does not even acknowledge the other gods and goddesses at all.
Dual Gods
The deities of the Eastern Pantheon have a dualty to them not present in other pantheons. With the exception of Ambrus, each deity is part of a conjoined entity. Typically these pairs will consist of a male and female deity with opposing or complimentary domains. While individual gods and goddesses are prayed to, each of the conjoined deities is seen as more than the sum of its parts. It is a third, distinct entity with its own name which may also be worshipped. These entities are almost universally nonbinary and androgynous, being composed of both male and female components.
The Rule of Ambrus
All of the Aran Pantheons have a chief deity, but the Eastern Pantheon places its chief deity, Ambrus, far above its others to an extent no other Aran Pantheon rivals. Many people who hear of the Eastern Pantheon are outright confused why it's called a Pantheon because they have never heard of any other deities beyond Ambrus. Even among its own worshippers, there is a significant percentage that are unfamiliar with deities other than Ambrus. While each of the deities have their own priesthood, Ambrus's Priesthood actively proclaims Ambrus's superiority and often describes the other deities as entities not even worthy of worship, a level of disrespect that would be unthinkable for any priest in one of the other Aran Pantheons. The priesthoods of the other deities, likewise, tend to ally with one another to preserve their patrons' followers. Nowhere else in the world is this more pronounced than Nisíakki, especially western Nisíakki. In some regions it even goes so far as to be illegal to have a public shrine or temple to the other deities, though personal home shrines are generally considered acceptable.
Primary Dieties
The Primary Dieties of the Eastern Pantheon are, with the exception of Ambrus, dual gods composed of two other, more specialized gods. The Primary dieties rule over domains which are broad and often complimentary or contradictory. They have no equivalent in other Pantheons, except Ambrus.
Aglaia
Aglaia is the deity of aesthetics and beauty, which they embody and govern such matters in all their subjective forms. They are the gentle poet, the philospher, the graceful gazelle in motion, and the mighty lion in combat. Aglaia is said to be able to experience events as any person or animal, so to have a full and complete understanding of all sensations from their most relevant point of view. They are believed understand the ultimate truth of aesthetics. They are also the diety of harmony, specifically in the context of a creature or person being in harmony with their surroundings and fulfilling their role. Aglaia is composed of Polyxena the goddess of culture, art, and mortal experience and Neofytos the god of plants, animals, and wilderness.
Ambrus
Ambrus is the chief god of the Eastern Pantheon and of Éthnonakki. He teaches his people to protect those who cannot protect themselves and to always be vigilant against the presence of evil and corruption both within the world and within themselves. Ambrus teaches his followers that their foes may often use underhanded tactics and that in order to survive, his people may have to reciprocate in kind. His teachings stress that such measures are to be undertaken only as a last resort and that one should be careful when using the tools of evil, lest they slip down that path themselves. His clerics are usually frank and straightforward people, who tirelessly seek to identify and destroy evil. They do this in order to uphold Ambrus's ideals of honesty, bravery, and justice.
Despite his association with revenge and zealotry, Ambrus is also a god of healing and illness. Just as he doles out ailments to and demands retribution against those who have wronged him or his people, he grants succor to those who are innocent. This aspect of his domain is not as pronounced as it is in the Imperial Pantheon, however. Ambrus's rites pervade the culture of Éthnonakki and they offer praise to him for most aspects of their daily life. These Akki claim he is their people's ancestor-god, protector, and guide.
Anekitos
Anekitos is the diety of power and force, both physical and spiritual. They are the unbending arm, the unyielding will, the unstoppable sword, and the unconquerable magic. As a result, they rule over both physical and observable force such as physical strength or magic, and more esoteric forces such as progress and willpower. Anekitos is composed of Adamatios the god of strength and endurance and Angeliki the goddes of magic and willpower.
Grigorios
Grigorios is the deity of the future, of the unknown, fate, and of balance. Among the primary Eastern Deities, their halves are among the most diametricly opposed and Grigorios embodies this constant struggle between them as a balance; two forces orbiting each other and preventing each other from drifting too far. Grigorios also embodies the possibilities of the future, both planned and unplanned. Grigorios is often said not to even exist at all, as they exist only as a potential which is never realized because it constantly resides in the future. Grigorios is composed of Vassiliki, the goddess of order and control, and Otis, the god of fortune, chasos, and luck.
Ismene
Ismene is the deity of knowledge, facts, ambition, and creativity. They embody both what is what is not, and what may yet be. They are said to know all things that exist and do not exist. Unfortunately, because of this complete knowledge, Ismene is one of the least active deities, being unable to do anything which they do not know that they do; trapped eternally in complete knowledge of every moment. Ismene is composed of Sophia, the goddess of wisdom and learning and Xenophon the god of dreams and imagination.
Prokopios
Prokopios is the deity of opposites, liminality, transitions, cycles, and time. Prokopios is said to be a mercurial deity, constantly indecisive due to being at odds with themselves. Whereas Grigorios represents the struggle of two forces as a balance, Prokopios embodies it as a blending of opposites. Prokopios is sometimes known as the god of Wheels for their heirophants teach that time occurs in a cyclical fashion and Prokopios, the diety of both cycles and time, is visualized as turning the great Wheel of Time in perpetuality. Prokopios is composed of Orpheus, the god of darkness and ice and Iris, goddess of light and fire.
Somatios
Somatios is the deity of the physical world and material creation. They are lord of the land, seas, skies, and the places deep beneath the surface. Somantios is a fairly plain deity and they are little more than the sum of their parts, unlike many of the other Primary deities who have aspects to their domains which are shared by neither of their component deities. Somatios is said to be a docile, almost sessile, deity in most cases. When roused, however, Somatios is said to be terrifyingly direct in their power. Somatios is composed of Nephele, the goddess of wind, weather, and the seas and Yorgos the god of the earth, stones, and the underworld.
Thymos
Thymos is the deity of the soul, spirits, and emotions. Thymos is said to dwell in a world that exists like a shadow of the living world where the souls of the dead travel once they die. Thymos embodies the ultimate essesence of the mortal condition. They experience all the griefs, rages, passions, and joys of mortals and, as a result, are said to be the most sympathetic and understandable to mortals themselves. Some myths also attribute the creation of life (at least, life with souls) to Thymos. Some of these myths go even further to suggest that Thymos themselves no longer exist as a single entity, but rather as the collection of all mortal souls. Thymos is composed of Cicely, the goddess of death and grief, and Charalampos the god of life and joy.
Zoi
Zoi is the deity of wealth, war, and worldly objects. Zoi embodies the creation and destruction of the physical things wrought by mortal hands, from cities to teacups to everything in between. Zoi also embodies all the pride, admiration, beauty, and greed that accompanies such wealth. Zoi is the passion of the sculptor and the greed of the tyrant just as they are the hunger of the starved and the generosity of the charitable. Zoi is composed of Perthonis, god of destruction and soldiers, and Techni goddess of craftsmen and artisans.
Secondary Deities
The secondary deities of the Eastern Pantheon are those deities who compose the primary deities. They have equivalents among the other Aran Pantheons, but are generally considered to be the least similar.
Adamantios (Bardolf)
Adamantios is the god of strength and endurance. He is a mighty, metallic god who constantly tests his power against great monsters, demons, and other such beings. Adamantios is, in many ways, very similar to his Imperial counterpart, Bardolf. Adamantios is often considered the patron god of gladiators. He is competetive and delights in physical sport.
Angeliki (Osric)
Angeliki is the goddess of magic and willpower. All magic is said to be an extension of Angeliki's will. While divine casters are believed to be granted their powers from their respective deities, it is believed that Angeliki serves as a sort of "intermediary" between the mortal and the other deity, shaping the divine power into the spell their follower casts. Her magic is arcane and those who are born with such talent are revered as chosen of Angeliki. However, those who practice arcane magic without her gift are believed to be thieves whom she punishes most thoroghly. She is, predictably, a spirited and cunning goddess.
Charalampos (Blithe)
Charalampos is the god of life, joy, and passion. He is the celebration of all the joy, love, and passion of a life lived to its fullest. He is the embodiment of a living soul. While not the focus of Charalampos's domain, things such as fertility, births, and mercy are secondary aspects of his primary focus. Charalampos's followers are taught to follow their passions, live life to the fullest, and always choose life and mercy over death when possible.
Cicely
Cicely is the goddess of death, grief, and the afterlife. She ushers souls to their proper resting place and helps to give peace to troubled spirits. She both abhors and pities the undead and seeks to give a peaceful rest to those who are trapped in undeath against their will. Those who undertake such ventures willingly she has no mercy for. Viewed as the ultimate neutral observer, she is known for both bringing grief and for giving perspective to those who beseech her for it. Though similar in this regard to Eldred, she does not grant knowledge per se, but rather the perspective to overcome grief and rage.
Iris (Celestine)
Iris is the goddes of light and fire. She is the morning sun and the evening moon, the warm hearth and the blazing inferno. Iris is one of most mercurial deities in the Eastern Pantheon. She is often soft and comforting but quick to anger and terrifying in her fury. Iris is the watcher and messanger of the Eastern deities. She typically travels along with the sun as it makes its way across the sky, keeping a watch on the world below. When the need is urgent, she travels along rainbows. As with many of her other incarnations, Iris, while inconsistent in temperment, values honesty. She is also associated with beginnings.
Neofytos (Hart)
Neofytos is the god of plants, animals, and the wilderness. He is a cultivator of beauty, grace, and peace among the natural world. He is the graceful gazelle, the majestic waterfall, the lithe and deadly tiger, the tranquil glade, and the stirring in mortal hearts upon seeing such things. He does not oppose civilization as much as some of his counterparts in the other pantheons. He is the appreciation all mortals have for the beauty and serenity of the wilderness. In his role of one half of the dual deity Aglaia, he is associated with more visceral aesthetics and sensions which appeal to the senses and baser instincts inherent in all animals. He is a font of simple, austere beauty.
Nephele (Anwen)
Nephele controls the winds, the weather, and the sea. Nephele is a tempermental goddess, even moreso than in other Pantheons. She is violent and unstable, but not intrinsically evil. Nephele may be violent, but she is also quick to offer succor and comfort after one of her violent outbursts. Nephele is often said to be bitter rivals, sometimes even outright enemies with Iris and the two constantly seek to overpower each other, Nephele by blotting out the sun and dousing fires and Nephele by dispersing the clouds and drying up the waters. Meanwhile, Neofytos and Nephele are often close allies as Neofytos relies on the rain to water his gardens and his plants are among the most appreciative of her rain.
Orpheus (Sims)
Orpheus is the god of darkness and ice. He is the soothing darkness of a quiet night and the lurking horror of those blindly lost in caves and forests; the cool wind of a hot day and the frigid ice of the deep winter. Orpheus is sullen, callous, and reserved, quite the opposite of his animated counterpart, Iris. Orpheus is a keeper of secrets both good and evil which he hides beneath his blanket of darkness. He is also associated with endings.
Otis (Twain)
Otis is the god of chaos, luck, and unpredictability. He is the outside force that disrupts plans, grants unlooked for boons and results in every unforseen outcome and event. He himself is prone to mood swings, flights of fancy, and indulgence of random whims. As with many of his counterparts he is heavily associated with gambling, though not as an explicit part of his portfolio. In his role as one half of Grigorios, he embodies the idea of those aspects of the future which are unknowable and cannot be controlled.
Perthonis (Brand)
Of all the variations of Brand, Perthonis is perhaps the least antagonistic. While he possesses a cruel streak that emerges at times, he is largely a neutral god. He is the embodiment of destruction, thus he is, in many ways, a bringer of misery, but also a necessary aspect of life. Destruction allows for new creation. Perthonis is typically depicted as being shunned by the other deities, despite bearing them no real ill-will. Among mortals, it is generally considered best to avoid attracting his attention. Soldiers are among the only people who routinely pray to him as he is also the god of those who destroy, regardless of the reason, such as soldiers, hunters, woodcutters, miners, and (sometimes) masons or engineers. The final, and arguably least acknowledged, facet of his domain is that of eating, especially feasting. Unlike other such deities, though, Perthonis's focus is on the destruction of the food itself as a means to symbolize how destruction can fuel creation.
Polyxena (Aston)
Polyxena is the goddes of art, culture, and mortal experiences. She is the embodiment of all creative endeavors undertaken for the sake of beauty, satisfaction, and to evoke emotions. She is the sweet harp, the beautiful statue, the imposing edifice, and the subtle poetry. She embodies community in a different way than most of her other counterparts. Rather than focusing on the physical gathering of people and their shared history and ethnicities, she is the embodiment of the shared mortal experience across the world. She is the feelings, struggles, joys, and yearnings of all mortals and the relationship of those things with art itself. In her role as one half of the dual deity Aglaia, she is focused on the more cerebral and emotional aesthetics that appeal to mortals' higher mental faculties and more complex emotional responses. She favors a deep, multifaceted beauty wrought by the hands of mortals.
Sophia (Eldred)
Sophia is the goddess of wisdom and learning. She is the embodiement of gaining knowledge and of what is known and has been learned, both from others and through personal experience. She is what has been proven and observed, hard facts. She is a patient, caring goddess who teaches those who beseech her for tutelage, though she tends to act more as a guide to let others learn things for themselves rather than to instruct them directly. She instills in mortals the thirst for knowledge and understanding. Sophia is a very stoic, methodical goddess who does not let her emotions cloud her judgement.
Techni (Tolliver)
Techni is the goddes of craftsmen, artisans, and manufacturing. She is the process of mortal creation in all its pragmatic forms: masonry, smithing, carpentry, and many more. She embodies the value of labor and things wrought with mortal hands as well as the desire to manufacture wealth and to shape and improve the world around you. Ingenuity, craftsmanship, and productivity are believed to originate from Techni. In a more esoteric sense, Techni teaches her followers to create their own wealth and to never settle for what is given to them when they can improve it. Of all the things Techni oversees, she is most associated with ship building and many ships of the Éthnonite Akki navy are named after her in some way or bear some emblem of her.
Vassiliki (Ferregine)
Vassiliki is the goddess of order and control. She is the careful plan, the controlled variable, the pattern recognized. Vassiliki is viewed as much more of a postitive influence than most of her counterparts. Without her aid, mortals would be subject to the random and unpredictable events of fate. She grants mortals the ability to predict the future by recognizing trends, plan for future events, and mitigate the damage of unforseen events. However, as with her counterpart Otis, Vassiliki's reach must be limited. If left unchecked, her domain can often dovetail into tyranny and domination as it does for many of her incarnations in other Pantheons.
Xenophon
Xenophon is the god of dreams, imagination and potential. He is the embodiment of what is not known but what may yet become fact. He is the "what if" of the learned who desire a better world. The pioneer and the visionary are his disciples and his domain is the multitudes of possibilities. He is the cutting edge and the drive to push the boundaries of the confirmed into the realm of the hypothetical, though doing so passes things from his domain to the domain of Sophia, Xenophon cares little to dwell on what is and has been. Though he shares some similarities with Cicely (in the Imperial Pantheon) and Ferregine, Xenophon has no real counterpart in the other pantheons.
Yorgos (Dunstan)
Yorgos is the god of the land and all that which lies within it. He is the stones, the caves, the gems, ores, mountains, and soil. Dunstan is among the most simple and straight-forward of the Eastern Pantheon. Like Nephele, his domain is physical and clearly defined, as opposed to many of the more esoteric domains of the other gods. Unlike Nephele, Yorgos is very consistent and adverse to change. He is slow to action and prone to maintaining a course once set. It is believed that disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes come as a result of someone or something (often one of the other gods or goddesses) forcing Yorgos to change his course of action. Yorgos does not give up the gifts of the land easily, but does not begrudge those who have toiled to claim them, provided they give proper reverence.
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