The Gods of Onus
Most philosophers have found their way to the uncomfortable conclusion that the Gods are far older than Onus itself. As such, the domains that mortals associate them with are at best an educated guest. These are the Names we refer to each deity by and our simplest understanding of how they function in the world.Picus : The Muse, The First Patron, The Chorus, Lover of Language. One seat or setting is left open for them at every performance, big or small. Those who have received a private audience with Picus describe them with many voices and hands but one mind. Dexul : The Wayfinder, The Traveller, The Open Path, The Tinkerer. Very rarely seen but often felt driving their followers ever onward. The most extreme of their followers insist that they will one day share the plans for a device that will let us fly like birds. The rest of us aren’t so sure. Nubi : Bringer of Rest, Keeper of Souls, Collector of What Is Due. Perhaps to Dexul’s jealousy, the single greatest feat of travel on Onus is Nubi’s festival, which is a procession from all sizeable settlements to their main temple, escorting a year’s worth of souls home. They are one of the few gods that you are almost certain to see, but few descriptions exist outside of them being wrapped in long tan and black scarves. Torgo : The Maw, The Ever-Hungry, Fermenter, First to the Table. While Torgo is sometimes resented because they ensure the impermanence of all things, they are also the link between life and death, destruction and creation. They are also celebrated for sharing fermented food and drink with us. They are one of the few gods that makes a habit of walking among us, often in the guise of a grizzled elder. Alopex : The Predator and Prey, Sharp of Senses, The Stalker, The Hunt. One of the only gods associated with the Weird Wilds, although only loosely so. Never fully described and understandably reluctant to be seen. Hiru : The Harvest, The Verdant, Cultivator, The Filled Basket. They have been holding our hand for as long as we could walk. All harvests, all domestications, occur at their blessing. Often seen crowned in a wreath appropriate to the season. Nicular : The Earth-Owl, the Three-Eyed, the Tunneler, Shaper of Mountains and Valleys. Some legends say they stole their third eye from another god, possibly Tyto. No one knows why, because it is blind. They are elusive and rarely seen, but witnesses describe them dwelling deep underground as a massive stories-tall owl with feathers like slabs of slate. Eudypt : The Waverider, The Ebb and Flow, Seasinger, Riverstrider. Surprisingly personable considering the remote location of their temple, Eudypt is often spotted even by those not devout to them while swimming, boating, or fishing. They most commonly appear as a massive penguin, gliding playfully just beneath the waves. Sinua : Flamedancer, The Devouring Front, The Boiling Heart of the World. We invite Sinua into our homes and camps with caution, because they create and destroy at a whim. Sonner : The Radiant, The Shining, Ever-Bright. At Sonner’s temple, the rising sun is met each morning with cheers, applause, and shouted critiques. (Once, famously, a sunrise was booed after the seventh sandstorm in a row obscured it.) While they are known to be a kind deity, those who have seen them bear terrible sunburns for weeks. Tyto : The Hammering Heart, The Lone Eye, Luminous, The Waxing and Waning. Tyto’s single eye is bright blue and sweeps over us at night, leaving terror in its wake. The terror is at its worst on new moons. Entar : The Law, The Watching Eyes, The Witness, Lawbringer. Entar is seen more as a mentor and venerated teacher than a font of absolute truth. They are greeted formally at the beginning of every trial and debate in public office and sometimes in personal life as well. If a friend pauses in conversation to greet Entar, it’s going to be a long night. Clairia : Halcyon, Respite, The Kindest, Resolution. Often viewed as distant and skittish, though those that have managed to gain an audience with them say they are breathtaking. Lullabies often contain a prayer to Claria within them. Nes : The Laughing One, The Smiling One, The Visitor, The Guest. As the incarnate of chaos and change, they are almost never spoken of by name, relying more on nicknames and euphemisms, polite but often focused on a hopefully short stay. If someone says they gained a blessing from “a god”, but won’t name which one, it was almost always the Laughing One. Phasia : The First Guest, Homemaker, Hearthkeep, Most Welcome. Like Hiru, Phasia has been raising us since our infancy, teaching us how to turn mere collections of walls into homes. Their presence is one of the easiest to summon, happy to provide companionship as one settles into a new place. Orei : Stormsurge, The Thundering Call, The Deluge, Wrath of the Sky. Orei is an intensifier for the actions of all the other gods. Thus we call a tsunami an orei of Eudypt, for example. For good or ill, they bring out the strongest in us. Mellori : Prosperity, The Even Hand, Holder of Boons. Mellori is called upon in any agreement of exchange of resources in hopes that they will ensure a mutually beneficial trade. Those that have met them in person say they are utterly professional and without favor. Ensis : Warbringer, Battletide, Rage Given Reason. Being a master tactician, Ensis is not just petitioned in all battles of strengths, wits, or skill, but casually over board games as well. To decline to call on them before a battle of any type is to say the outcome is without question. Some appreciate the confidence, others find it incredibly rude. Zidae : Who Makes Whole, Acceptor of the Oath, Illbane. Healers of all sorts swear an oath of fealty to Zidae. It is accepted that this oath surpasses all mortal oaths, although in practice this gets messy. Lilia : The Beloved, Source of the Heart, For Who The Heart Sings. Though most famously looked to by new romantic couples, Lilia is the source and protector of all love. Passionate, affectionate, familiar, playful, enduring, love of the self and others. They never seem to appear the same, even to those who have seen them more than once. Instead, they slowly morph through that person’s ideal loves, never settling. Khepri : Lifebinder, Life Triumphant, The Heartbeat, The Ever-Living. Difficult to define but impossible to live without, Khepri is considered one of the Cycle of Three: Death, Decay, and Life. Each begets the other. Khepri is the vital source of life, and we do our best to trust and understand the massive changes within them we have seen recently.
Structure
Loose and informal. Each deity has their own preferences for levels of formality in addressing them, and the organization of the temples is usually specific to that region of the world.
Culture
The Gods of Onus are many, but have some uniting factors:
- They don't have any strong alignment to "good" or "evil"
- Any magic that humans can wield comes from them
- They don't have any genders that humans can relate to
- They cannot communicate directly with most humans without accidentally killing them, High Priests serve as a communication conduit
Mythology & Lore
Where the Gods came from is a mystery, but it is certain that they are far, far older than Onus itself. Of course with lots of life lived, there are many stories of the Gods. And with lots of time to tell these stories, many versions have developed.
Stories of Nes , the Laughing One, are trickster tales full of warnings and lessons.
Stories of Phasia teach the importance of hospitality and balancing it with defending one's home.
Stories of how Tyto lost an eye and Nicular gained one are commonplace and widely varied. Often the events are related, but not always. Sometimes it involves a war or theft, sometimes it is a gift.
Cosmological Views
What we know is this is not the first world.
We don't know the fate of the World Before, but the Gods started again with Onus.
Ethics
For most denizens of Onus, ethics are heavily influenced by the main deity or deities they worship, but the general agreement is that Entar
Priesthood
Bearing the direct attention of the Gods, much less communicating directly with them, is dangerous for most humans. Most will suffer losses of senses, sanity, or life.
This pains the Gods, and so they carefully select a High Priest from a handful of brave volunteers. This person serves as an oracle for the rest of their lives, or rarely, until they formally retire.
Other priests are organized underneath the High Priest, looking up to them for guidance but not for ultimate authority. Depending on the deity, the other priests will carry out devotional and social services.
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