The Rotten Earth and the Gods

Understanding the complex relationship between the peoples of the Rotten Earth, the land, and their Gods is a complex and difficult affair.
There is no doubt of the existence of the Pantheon - While the gods themselves do not walk amongst the kith of the world, history is dotted with the records and stories of their champions. Clerics and religious scholars can draw from and communicate with some aspect of their deities, and there are many sights and sites across the Earth that can only be explained through divine intervention.
Some of the more controversial theologists have speculated that rather than the gods relying on their own limitless power, they instead draw on the belief of their worshippers as a way to channel their will and champion their chosen acolytes. Needless to say, these hypotheses are deeply flawed, as a pantheon that relies on faith would be unable to have created the world and its own worshippers. In many parts of the world, voicing these opinions would prove foolish at best, and hazardous at worst(at least to those without a racial immunity to fire).
The theological consensus is that the Earth was once whole, created by the deities as a world without pain or suffering, but Kith found it impossible to exist without conflict and strife. The poison and violence that consumed every mind, no matter how the gods tried, led them to reform the world in the form that Kith deserved. The Rotten Earth, harsh and unforgiving, is a reflection of the turmoil in every Kith's heart. To excise these thoughts is to better the world, and many acolytes and followers pledge their lives in this endeavour.