Cadrithic Pantheon
The Cadrithic Pantheon is composed of eleven Gods, who are split into two factions - the Quintarchy of Change and Quintarchy of Order, and these are kept in balance by the head of the Gods, Mapata, God of Peace. The Gods stand at the heads of divine Legions of Aspects, who act as their servants, soldiers, and messengers. It is these Aspects of the Gods who are mostly worshipped by mortals, as they represent a specific part of a God's sphere of influence.
The Pantheon is the near-universally accepted religious faith of the Cadrithic Peoples. It's worship dates back before the Destruction of Old Cadrith, and was the main religion of the first settlers on New Cadrith. The creation of the Cadrithic Pantheon is unknown to nearly all, but the core concept of the story is familiar to most faithful. The Pantheon was created to combat the Hellspawn, driving them out of Cilladion, and keeping the world safe from their predations. This story is true, if lacking detail.
In reality, the Cadrithic Pantheon are the first true mortals, beings with temperance, balance, and synthesis, imbued with the near-limitless power of one of the Elder Gods. The eleven mortals who would become the Pantheon were empowered by the sacrificed Elder God, and due to the god's shattering, were not bound by the same inherent self-conflicting nature. Instead, they were multifaceted and plural, made up of Legions of Aspects and Archaspects which could overcome the single-mindedness of their fiendish cousins. Their conflicting natures bound into separate beings, the Pantheon were able to drive both the devils and demons out from Cilladion, into their own realms within the Hell Planes. Acting as a buffer, the Pantheon formed the Celestial Plane around the mortal realms, further protecting them from madness and annihilation. The Gods of the Cadrithic Pantheon are agender, or rather, genderfluid. It is not uncommon for a God to be referred to in the same document by both male and female pronouns, for both are equally valid, although some Gods are more commonly referred to as one or the other. Similarly, depictions of the Gods vary wildly too, with race, ethnicity, gender, and almost every attribute of them being up to the beholder. For example, Deitus, God of Loyalty is sometimes portrayed as a young halfling man defending his father with a sword and shield, and other times as a vengeful elven swordmaiden avenging her people at the head of an undead army. The only universal trait of a God is in their chosen symbol, which, despite some local variations, will always be present on the depiction of a God - the aforementioned examples of Deitus both wield a sword and shield, for instance. Due to the wide influence of each God, it is rare for a God to be worshipped in it's entirety, even by devoted Clerics and Paladins of that God, and likewise, most people who are not sworn to a single God will worship multiple figures of the Pantheon. When a God's sphere of influence is broken down and made more specific, this is referred to as an Aspect. An Aspect of the God is a representation of the God in a certain context, and these are more often worshipped by people. For example, Dolgunn, God of Smithing can be broken down into Dolgunn, Aspect of War, or Dolgunn, Aspect of Practical Study. These Aspects of the Gods are the most frequent ways the Gods themselves interact with mortals. A God is composed of Legions of Aspects, and it is with these Aspects they make battle with the other Gods of the Pantheon. Some Aspects are considered stronger than others - these are the Archaspects, senior assistants to the God itself. If a mortal embodies the pure nature of a God, their soul may be incarnated as an Aspect in that God's Legion: Clerics and Paladins who perform their divine role may even join the ranks of the Archaspects. In this way, those who conduct their lives as their God intended are granted a place at their side in the afterlife. The conflict between the Gods, known as the High War, is conducted by the opposing Quintarchies: the Quintarchy of Order, and the Quintarchy of Change. The two opposing Quintarchies will fight for dominance over the other, with the actions of their mortal devotees often empowering one Quintarchy over another. However, to the Gods, the High War is considered treated like a family squabble or sibling rivalry, and it is the intervention of Mapata, God of Peace and their mighty Legions of Archaspects and Aspects that restores the status quo of the Pantheon. As a result, it is very rare for Mapata's Aspects to intervene in mortal affairs directly. There are many stories and myths of the Cadrithic Pantheon, but due to the constant cyclical nature of the High War and Mapata's restoration of peace and balance, the weave of time is flexible. It is not uncommon to hear a story of Lyrich murdering her father, Equinax, only to be slain in turn by her uncle, Deitus, contrasted with a story of Deitus and Lyrich giving birth to Equinax. The only God who transcends this is Mapata, who is always the oldest God, and the parent of every other God of the Cadrithic Pantheon.
The Pantheon is the near-universally accepted religious faith of the Cadrithic Peoples. It's worship dates back before the Destruction of Old Cadrith, and was the main religion of the first settlers on New Cadrith. The creation of the Cadrithic Pantheon is unknown to nearly all, but the core concept of the story is familiar to most faithful. The Pantheon was created to combat the Hellspawn, driving them out of Cilladion, and keeping the world safe from their predations. This story is true, if lacking detail.
In reality, the Cadrithic Pantheon are the first true mortals, beings with temperance, balance, and synthesis, imbued with the near-limitless power of one of the Elder Gods. The eleven mortals who would become the Pantheon were empowered by the sacrificed Elder God, and due to the god's shattering, were not bound by the same inherent self-conflicting nature. Instead, they were multifaceted and plural, made up of Legions of Aspects and Archaspects which could overcome the single-mindedness of their fiendish cousins. Their conflicting natures bound into separate beings, the Pantheon were able to drive both the devils and demons out from Cilladion, into their own realms within the Hell Planes. Acting as a buffer, the Pantheon formed the Celestial Plane around the mortal realms, further protecting them from madness and annihilation. The Gods of the Cadrithic Pantheon are agender, or rather, genderfluid. It is not uncommon for a God to be referred to in the same document by both male and female pronouns, for both are equally valid, although some Gods are more commonly referred to as one or the other. Similarly, depictions of the Gods vary wildly too, with race, ethnicity, gender, and almost every attribute of them being up to the beholder. For example, Deitus, God of Loyalty is sometimes portrayed as a young halfling man defending his father with a sword and shield, and other times as a vengeful elven swordmaiden avenging her people at the head of an undead army. The only universal trait of a God is in their chosen symbol, which, despite some local variations, will always be present on the depiction of a God - the aforementioned examples of Deitus both wield a sword and shield, for instance. Due to the wide influence of each God, it is rare for a God to be worshipped in it's entirety, even by devoted Clerics and Paladins of that God, and likewise, most people who are not sworn to a single God will worship multiple figures of the Pantheon. When a God's sphere of influence is broken down and made more specific, this is referred to as an Aspect. An Aspect of the God is a representation of the God in a certain context, and these are more often worshipped by people. For example, Dolgunn, God of Smithing can be broken down into Dolgunn, Aspect of War, or Dolgunn, Aspect of Practical Study. These Aspects of the Gods are the most frequent ways the Gods themselves interact with mortals. A God is composed of Legions of Aspects, and it is with these Aspects they make battle with the other Gods of the Pantheon. Some Aspects are considered stronger than others - these are the Archaspects, senior assistants to the God itself. If a mortal embodies the pure nature of a God, their soul may be incarnated as an Aspect in that God's Legion: Clerics and Paladins who perform their divine role may even join the ranks of the Archaspects. In this way, those who conduct their lives as their God intended are granted a place at their side in the afterlife. The conflict between the Gods, known as the High War, is conducted by the opposing Quintarchies: the Quintarchy of Order, and the Quintarchy of Change. The two opposing Quintarchies will fight for dominance over the other, with the actions of their mortal devotees often empowering one Quintarchy over another. However, to the Gods, the High War is considered treated like a family squabble or sibling rivalry, and it is the intervention of Mapata, God of Peace and their mighty Legions of Archaspects and Aspects that restores the status quo of the Pantheon. As a result, it is very rare for Mapata's Aspects to intervene in mortal affairs directly. There are many stories and myths of the Cadrithic Pantheon, but due to the constant cyclical nature of the High War and Mapata's restoration of peace and balance, the weave of time is flexible. It is not uncommon to hear a story of Lyrich murdering her father, Equinax, only to be slain in turn by her uncle, Deitus, contrasted with a story of Deitus and Lyrich giving birth to Equinax. The only God who transcends this is Mapata, who is always the oldest God, and the parent of every other God of the Cadrithic Pantheon.
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