Lore24 Roundup 1
- Aelyrya Payne
- Jan 8, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 2, 2024
January 1st-7th (Days 1-7)
Welcome to Lore24 Roundup number 1!
This month's theme is "Gods and Spirits", so I started Lore24 with some theology and history, followed by a quick look into a couple of the deities and a multi-pantheon Faction within. All original posts can be found on Mastodon.
Remember, all Lore24 posts are initial thoughts - they are not finalised at this stage!
Breakdown of Lore24 Roundup
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01. The Classification of Deities
In A'arde, Gods are classified in three ways: Origin, Pantheon and Standing. Origin simply means whether or not a Deity originates from A'arde, or a place outside of it. Pantheon refers to a specific group that the Deity associates with. Standing refers to the hierarchical position of the Deity within their Pantheon.
Origins are divided into two: True A'arden (those who were raised from the original inhabitants of A'arde before the Renewal) and Collaborative (those not originally from A'arde but now residing there).
Pantheons can include the A'arden, the Dragonët e Lartë (Draconic), the Sylvan, the Generous Host (Halfling) or any of the Human Deities that may stumble upon the Cosmology from time to time.
Standing can usually be divided into four, but each Pantheon tends to use the hierarchy in their own ways. Standings can include Greater/Major, Intermediate, Lesser/Minor and Supplementary.
When creating the Pantheons for the different heritages within A'arde, I knew that there would of course be academic study about them. The history of A'arde in its current form may only be approximately 80,000 years (with some pretty violent resets throughout) but in a world where Gods literally walk among you, studying them and classifying them is as natural as breathing. Creating these classifications was one of the earliest things I did when deciding to make A'arde multi-pantheonic, as opposed to simply being polytheistic.
02. The Origin of the A'arden Pantheon
Before the renewal, A'arde was a completely different world; devoid of magic, divinity and spirits. The people were unprepared for the onslaught of the Primeval Titans, and the world was near decimated by the might of their presence. Only 67 people were left alive by the time Aegis, the Great Shield and Last God of Ankhvaar, arrived to try and bring an end to the Titans' rampage through the Multiversal Cosmology. Not wanting to see another world helplessly burn, Aegis tore down the Antimagic Curtain and called the survivors to him, raising them to Godhood to fight alongside him in the previously Godless world. Under the leadership of Aegis, the new Gods defeated the Titans, but at the cost of Aegis himself.
Aegis gave his freedom to imprison the Titans, and now sleeps deep within the magical core of the world, keeping them contained as the newly risen Gods rebuilt and cared for A'arde. The A'arden Pantheon is led by Haul, the God of the Sun, in Aegis' place.
I always knew I wanted the origins of A'arde to be a little different than others. I didn't want there to be a "native race" other than the Gods themselves; everyone was equal in their claims to A'arde and how they got there, with the exception being the Fey, who are eternally present everywhere regardless of whether the world is magical in nature. The idea of newly-risen Gods rebuilding a world that had been a very different place previously, and then inviting the displaced to come and populate it, was a very interesting concept to me. That is how this piece of lore developed.
03. The Ancients and the Risen Fey
Tìr na Sìthe, the home of the Plane of the Fey, has existed in its A'arden incarnation for as long as the Material Plane of A'arde has, before the Renewal and throughout its "First Life". The Ancients, five Mother-Spirits, shaped the A'arden Fey Realm as they had many others before. They were not concerned about the Antimagic Curtain; it kept them separate from other Planes, Material, Fiendish and Elemental alike, making the Fey Plane of A'arde the safest haven the Fey could wish for. The Ancients therefore built several of their Sacred Mounds, Tombs and structures there, not knowing that Aegis would one day tear down the walls that protected them.
After creating Tìr na Sìthe, the Ancients chose seven of their "children" to become the Risen Fey, Na Sìthichean a Dh'eirich, to protect their new world as Gods. These seven, Titania, Oberon, Mab, Sileas, Clìodhna, Gealachciara and Nathair, became the first members of what became known in Common as the Sylvan Pantheon. Members of the Pantheon are known to be very involved in the everyday lives of the Fey, more so than other Gods, and it is not unusual to see them freely walking amongst the Denizens of Tìr na Sìthe.
In A'arde, the Ancients are both present and not. They represent powers beyond Gods, having existed from the moment of the creation of the multiversal cosmology itself. Some Ancients are benevolent creators, others are malicious destroyers. In A'arde, when people speak of "the Ancients", they are usually referring to the creator Goddesses of the Fey. Other uses of the term do exist, though they are often referred to by other names, such as the Eldritch Elders or Deep Ones.
04. Icyline, The Glacial Empress
As the Goddess of Winter, Frost, Change and Isolation, Icyline is viewed with both fear and reverence. A true Ice Queen, she is known to be a cold and detached goddess whose only true love is her daughter, Eira, the Goddess of Snow and Ice. Icyline has a terse relationship with Dainan, the God of Endurance, and it is thought that the two are cousins.
Icyline operates in the Domains of Nature and the Tempest. Her symbol is a sprig of mistletoe crossed over a Holly leaf, her sacred mineral is snowflake obsidian and her favoured colours are silver and black. She favours Winter Wolves and Snow Foxes, and shows preference to orphans and solitary worshippers.
Detached and cold, Icyline rarely interacts with her followers except to show extremes of emotion. While this is generally in the form of violent anger, it can also be seen in displays of compassion, especially towards children.
When creating Icyline, I was initially inspired by both the Snow Queen from fairy tales and Auril from Forgotten Realms. However, as I continued creating the Pantheon, I began to wonder why it was that we often associate Snow Queens and Winter Goddesses with evil. Sure, the Snow Queen in Hans Christan Andersen's story took little Kai with her and removed his memories, but she never harmed him. Kai had already been influenced by the mirror shards and been turned into a bit of an arse by this point, and the Snow Queen never actively tried to stop Gerda from finding Kai.
With that in mind... What if, just what if... the Snow Queen was just lonely?
I created Icyline with the image of the cold-hearted woman in mind, but I gave her something to hold on to - her daughter. The fact that she displays compassion to those who are alone or orphaned, is also meant to hint at her own state of mind.
05. The Scribes
Enigmatic, even by Godly standards, the three Scribes are Supplementary Deities of the A'arden Pantheon, but it is unlikely that you will ever hear anyone publicly praying to them. This is because the Scribes are the Caretakers of all that can be known - including the deepest, darkest desires of the Soul. To invoke them in prayers is to risk exposing your own evils, both potential and actual, to the world.
Enoch, the Scribe of History, records all that has happened within the A'arden Cosmology, both material and immaterial. Bedisa, the Scribe of Possibility, curates all that could be; all possible routes from every possible thought and action. Ercan, the Scribe of Souls, chronicles the life, thoughts and dreams of every living being within the Cosmology, as well as their Potential.
While not affiliated with any one Deity in particular, the Scribes work closely with Boone, the God of Fate, and Sychar, the God of Death.
I was initially hesitant to write about the Scribes... They are holders of all knowledge; possibility, history, thought and action - in a sense, they are representations of myself in the creation of this world. Only I know all there is to know about the history and possibilities for A'arde. I am the one who created that history. I am the one that creates its future. I am the one that writes the NPCs for the games and the characters for the stories. It felt strange to write about the Scribes, knowing that they were essentially aspects of myself. The fact that they closely work with the Gods of Fate and Death are also something of a tell. As a Pagan, one of my Patron Gods is Morrighan, who is associated with both. Additionally, the Scribes are quite spooky and creepy by nature - something that has, on occasion, been said about me!
There is a joke amongst some homebrewing TTRPG tables that the DM is essentially a God laying down the path for the players to take in the world. When writing about that Scribes, that felt awfully close to home for a short while!
06. The Celestial Siblings
Boone and Selene, the only sibling pairing amongst the Greater Deities of the A'arden Pantheon, are known as the Celestial Siblings. While Selene is the Goddess of the Stars, and therefore the Guardian of them, the power to "write" and "change" them falls to Boone, the God of Fate. Between them, the Siblings chart, monitor and guide souls all across A'arde and its associated planes, using the stars.
Together, Boone and Selene have a tendency toward the cryptic. They are able to communicate with each other telepathically, even across great distances, and often become engrossed in their own presence while among others. Their relationship is loving and they support each other unconditionally.
The Celestial Siblings are usually invoked together in workings centered around reading omens specific to the stars. Reading and interpreting the stars is one of the most difficult fields of Weavecraft study, and calling upon two Deities at once can be an exceedingly complex task. True Starweavers are exceedingly rare and are therefore considered precious to both Deities, though they are not always welcome within society.
Boone and Selene have already made something of an impact in the world of A'arde through their interventions during my Sunday group's exploits. I initially expanded upon them because of the themes of Planeswalking and the weaving of unknown Fates that permeate that particular game; how their actions have consequences and that their words have meaning. The fact that one of the party is technically a Starweaver only made their inclusion more poignant!
07. The Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt is a faction of Gods and Spirits caught somewhere between myth and reality, having been lost to history for the last ten thousand Material Years. Often led by Herne the Hunter, and commanded overall by Oberon the Green King, the Hunt was officially disbanded after the Green Knight Massacre. This was to protect the Core Hunters from the unknown force that decimated the Knights, as the Green Court did not wish to risk losing any more men to the unknown enemy.
Former members of the Hunt included Arawn and Gwynn of the Elven Pantheon, Cernunnos of the Tuatha de Danann, and the Headless Horseman, Dullahan. The Hounds were made up of Fairy Dogs, Barghests, Hounds of Annwn, Spectral Hounds and, on occasion, the Hounds of Rage. With the disbanding of the Hunt, many of the Lost and Spectral Hunters were placed into a deep slumber, lest they go mad having lost their purpose.
I have always been fascinated with the Wild Hunt, and their inclusion into Fey Lore of A'arde was a given from day one. But having it so that they had been disbanded... that was something I had never seen done before and wanted to play around with. There are so many versions of the Hunt; it seems almost impossible to completely stop its activities. And yet, that was exactly the story I wanted to tell. What happened to the Hunters? Where are the Hounds? What do the Gods and Archfey do now, to capture the quarries that would have once been targets of the Hunt? And what will it take to get them to ride once more?
Lore24 continues over on Socials, so check in to see what's what!
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