Eastern Way
The Eastern Way (often simply called "The Way") is an old religion, with layers of stories and tales, marked by numerous gods. Some are great, and some are small, but the main point is that the gods are present in the lives of the faithful. A farmer would do well to offer a small sign of devotion every morning to Fythir, the God of the Plow and Agriculture, or the blacksmith toss a scrap of iron into the fire to honor Fythir's brother, Gringhir, Forgelord. Likewise, it's rare the newlyweds who don't set aside of small bowl of water, infused with a drop of blood pricked from the wife's finger as an offering to Ka'al, Goddess of Childbirth, when hoping to add to their family.
There is no established church, and priests and clerics minister to their flocks as their favored gods demand. Most often well-meaning holy men and women, those truly marked by the gods can call forth real miracles.
The Way's confusing pantheon of gods is built around concentric and embedded circles, with a heavy emphasis on cycles of life and death. From the outside in, the circles are:
The High Circle
Named for the highest and most distant circle of life, the High Circle is the home and birthplace of Ah, Savant of Chaos, and Oh, Savant of Order, the twin creation forces of the universe. From their earliest days these two unknown—and unknowable—forces rotated around each other and sang to one another. After a time, which might have been a minute or a millennium, the twin songs of Ah and Oh harmonized and from this cosmic symphony, the twin sibling-parents of all the gods, Yesha the All-Father and Protector, and Oma the All-Mother, were born.- Ah, Savant of Chaos and Oh, Savant of Order
- Yesha, All-Father and Protector
- Oma, All-Mother
Circle the First
- Sil, the Sun
- Demeytha, Earthmother
- Dharram the Faceless, who rules the Underworld and afterlife
- The Moon Sisters, who keep the three moons of Azthir-Terra in the sky and dancing in time to the music of Ah and Oh. They are Sister Bright, Sister Dark, and Sister Half-night
- Fryel, Goddess of the Dawn
- Silka, Goddess of the Night
- Ka'al, goddess of Childbirth
- Enkili, who governs time and sickness
- Peh, the Weeper, who rules the passage of souls in death
- Osha'a, the Goddess of Spring, Rebirth, and Fertility (but not childbirth)
- Dast, the Hungry, who brings the harvest, and then the winter.
- Auril, the Frostmaiden, who embodies the cruelty and despair of winter.
Circle the Second
Within the Circle the First, lies the realm of the Circle the Second, home of the Twins, Elhim and Delhim. The Twins, although they are no longer known as such, fought even in the womb of Oma. It is said, that Delhim was already jealous of Elhim's beauty, even before they were born and he tried to strangle his brother with his mother's cord. Elhim, being wise and good, but also clever, merely smiled and hummed, and slipped away from Delhim's noose time and again. Three times did Delhim try to kill Elhim to be the only brother to receive Oma's love, but three times, Elhim survived. When they were finally born, the Twins burst from their mother's womb and into the bounty of the world. But Yesha saw the marks on Elhim's neck. "How did you get these my son?" he asked. And Elhim told him even as Yesha's brow darkened, Elhim was an honest son. Delhim, of course, denied everything, but Yesha knew the truth, and in his anger, plucked the eye from Delhim and banished him from Yesha and Oma's presence. Elhim pleaded with his father to forgive his brother, but Yesha was not as gentle or as wise as Elhim. Since then, the Twins have been locked in eternal conflict, with Elham being known as Adham, the forgiving, and Delhim simply as The Adversary. No one speaks his name anymore, but only wards against his attentions with an eye-wink. He is always ready to tempt and corrupt those that value goodness and fairness, for he was denied the love of his mother and father.- Adham, the Forgiving
- The Adversary, the one-eyed God
Red Circle
- Mach, god of War
- Lira, goddess of Fate
- Losteri, goddess of Fortune
- Miramir, god of Fame and Glory
White Circle
- Imra, god/goddess of love
- Bêlle, god of Beauty
- Pwylla, goddess of Wisdom
- Salva, god of Peace and Reconciliation
- Mystryl, goddess of Magic
Circle the Third (Common Lords of Life)
- God of Eloquence/Rhetoric/Literature/Arts (Rastagast “Silver Song”)
- Llŷr, Goddess of the Sea
- God of the Mountains
- Qetarr, God of the Sky and Thunder
- God of the Smith/Forge (Gringhir, Forgelord)
- God of the Loom
- God of Plow/Agriculture (Fythir, the Sower)
- Kythys, Goddess of the Wind
- God of Wine/Celebration/Lust
- God of Commerce/Trade
- God of Knowledge/Scholarship
- God of Justice
The Exiles
- Dolos, the Jester and Trickster
- Nirra, The Destroyer
Mythology & Lore
Named for the highest and most distant circle of life, the High Circle is the home and birthplace of Ah, Savant of Chaos, and Oh, Savant of Order, the twin creation forces of the universe. From their earliest days these two unknown—and unknowable—forces rotated around each other and sang to one another. After a time, which might have been a minute or a millennium, the twin songs of Ah and Oh harmonized and from this cosmic symphony, the twin sibling-parents of all the gods, Yesha the All-Father and Protector, and Oma the All-Mother, were born.
Ah, Savant of Chaos
Oh, Savant of Order
Yesha, All-Father and Protector
Oma, All-Mother
Type
Religious, Pantheon
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