The Four
The Four are the original deities of the world, spoken into being by Primus himself, as the legends tell. Since then, The Four have overseen the creation and growth of Ayndrinor and have produced many of the deities of the Light Pantheon to combat the evil of the Dark Pantheon. The four deities that make up this prime group are: Damara, the Dawn Mother; Helī, the Dark Queen; Gaela, the Twilit Mistress; and Talia, the Rain Maiden.
The worship of The Four principle deities is far and above the most common religion in the world. Even priests dedicated to other deities regularly pray and give offerings to The Four. It is customary when bringing offerings and sacrifices to bring four of the same thing, or at least four things of relatively equal value, to appease all four deities without showing favoritism.
The worship of The Four principle deities is far and above the most common religion in the world. Even priests dedicated to other deities regularly pray and give offerings to The Four. It is customary when bringing offerings and sacrifices to bring four of the same thing, or at least four things of relatively equal value, to appease all four deities without showing favoritism.
Mythology & Lore
No one is sure who created The Four or how, but many theorize they were simply spoken into existence by Primus to develop the new world of Ayndrinor. They supposedly represent the two dichotomies of the "four elements" that overlap and interact in the world: life (Damara) versus death (Helī), and nature (Talia) versus magic (Gaela). In the early days, the four deities cooperated in building the world and creating life, the land, the ocean, the days and nights, etc. But eventually they began to get competitive and protective of certain parts of their creation, and tension was borne into the situation. The deities' work became more isolated and separate, focused on each one's "element" and perfecting their area. Because they represent fundamental dichotomies, conflict and strife was always going to happen - specifically between Damara and Helī or Talia and Gaela.
After some time of isolation and separation, The Four began to seek each other out again and brought divine children into being to take over more intricate parts of the world. Helī and Damara are believed to have produced the first of the divine offspring, Olmytria, the Shepherd of the Fallen. After that followed much of the rest of the Light Pantheon from various pairings of The Four. The most prolific pairing is Damara and Talia, who are traditionally represented as being in a committed, loving relationship that produced three children. These children of The Four began to influence the world in their own ways, and several of them have subsequently paired up and birthed children of their own (not to mention several demigods that have lived throughout history).
Tenets of Faith
- Respect and worship all Four in equal measure and with equal fervor.
- What you bring for one you bring for all, if you are able.
Priesthood
The Four do not have dedicated priests, as a group, but each member has their own church and priests. Instead, the religion of The Four is practiced by everyone and is a common religion to almost all peoples of the world. Many people send daily prayers to The Four for continued guidance and protection in their lives. That being said, almost all priesthood training in any religion contains some element of learning the tenets and processes of The Four.
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