The Faiths of Baltia

Baltia is dominated by two pantheons of deities which reign side by side: The Old Gods, and the New Gods. Most individuals worship some combination of the two, though there are also a number of prominent heresies.

When the Cataclysm began, the first order of business for the Forgotten Chorus was to eradicate the most powerful potential enemies it would face. This meant the gods that reigned at the time were the first targets of its wrath, and even as they allied against this unprecedented threat, it would completely destroy them.

When the Chorus was defeated, the Heroes of the Cataclysm were left facing a void in the world of the divine that they were uniquely suited to fill, and thus 18 of them made the decision to ascend to godhood to act as the new divine beings maintaining the order and function of the world. They would become the Old Gods.

The balance carefully crafted by the Old Gods would be shattered with the return of Idakor, which would result in the rise of the New Gods. This dynamic would further skew with the Song of Rage, where half the Old Gods would die in the war with the Nameless One. Today, a delicate balance has once again been established between the deities, but for how long remains an unanswered question.

With the exception of the especially devout, most individuals tend to worship all or most of the Old Gods to some degree, and one New God that most aligns to the belief of the worshiper. This is due to the fundamental difference in what each Pantheon represents to each person.

The Old Gods are seen as similar to divine custodians, all equally necessary to ensure balance in the world and its continued function. The New Gods, meanwhile, each represent something more. They elicit a stronger reaction from their worshipers, but are less “vital” to the operations of the world itself.

This distinction is quite important for the gods. Each mortal soul constantly releases energy that flows to the gods they worship, granting them their power.

In a practical sense, the rituals conducted by individuals in the mortal world typically serve to redirect some of the energy created by the soul. For example, funeral services are usually devoted to the Merchant, and grant him power in exchange for the safe passage of the soul of the deceased. Combat training devoted to the Army will grant power to that deity, and is said to grant favorable odds to the most devout force.

Those who worship the Old Gods typically worship the pantheon as a whole in some way, with a few exceptions. This is due to the understanding that the Old Gods maintain the normal functions of the world, and thus are all equally in need of worship. Without this equal distribution, it is feared that the world's laws may unravel to some extent.

Of course, their are rivalries between the gods, and the more devout toward particular old gods one individual is, the more likely they are to exclude the enemies of their favored deities from their various acts of worship.

While mortals are inclined to spread their worship between Old Gods, there is no such inclination for the New Gods. Rather than maintain the normal function of the world, the New Gods instead represent ideological forces. As a result, worship of a New God is more of a philosophical or moral decision than a pragmatic one, and so typically only a single New God will find themselves subject to the worship of an individual mortal.

However, the worship that New God receives will typically be more dedicated and purposeful. While many mortals worship the Old Gods with the same enthusiasm they reserve for paying taxes, they're far more likely to truly believe in the message of a New God.

The Old Gods are composed of some of the Heroes of the Cataclysm and their allies, and their primary purpose as deities was to ensure the continued functioning of the world in the wake of the Cataclysm. In a way, they can be viewed as caretakers of the world.

The Army is the god of honorable warfare and chivalry, defining for mortals what true and honorable battle should be, and acting as patron god of soldiers. Its first member was a capable female dragonborn commander from before the Cataclysm by the name of Luna.

The Army is actually a collection of deceased soldiers who were recruited after their valiant death in battle. Each soldier proved themselves to be a just an righteous warrior, and so they were rewarded with a scrap of divinity. This means that the Army has become several thousands of separate individuals as time has gone on, each wholly committed to the preservation of honorable warfare.

Each member of the Army is a soldier that's far more powerful than any mere mortal, but this power amplifies as the soldiers fight together, and it becomes more than the sum of its parts as a result. Each soldier adds their experience and unique skills to each challenge faced by the Army, and the flexibility of being composed of many individuals allows the god to act in ways that are impossible to other gods.

The Army holds its true followers to very high standards, and it's said that they will only grant their aid to those in battle if its rules are upheld throughout. This typically means that a force must extend every courtesy to their enemies, through acts such as sparing the surrendered and leaving non-combatants unharmed. In exchange, those who invoke the name of the Army in battle may find their forces bolstered, and clerics of the Army can turn their allies into frightening combatants.

During the Song of Rage, the Army was given the difficult task of attempting to turn the New God Vacal against its master, the Nameless One. The Army faced Vacal in open battle, suffering the full wrath of the vicious deity, and after a brutal conflict they managed to sever one of its four arms. Impressed with the performance of the Army, Vacal agreed to join them against the Nameless One, refusing to retake its severed limb until the Army was crushed by its hand.

Since then, the Army has guarded the Black Gate which houses the Lower Three New Gods. It serves as the first line of defense against those who would seek to try to free the Nameless One from its prison, constantly training in preparation for their next challenge. Vacal frequently sends some of his forces to attack the Army to test them for weakness, in the hopes of one day regaining his lost limb.

The Admiral is the patron god of sailors, holding the domains of the sea and sailing, as well as naval warfare and artillery. Once known as Tordek Torrun, he served as the admiral of a navy belonging to a nation destroyed shortly before the Cataclysm, who joined the Heroes to continue fighting for his people.

While the stout and industrious mining people of Solaria are typically referred to as “Dwarves” by most, most are unaware that this is simply their common name. In actuality, the people are properly referred to as “Torrunians” in all scholarly contexts, as well as most most noble ones. This name comes from that of the Admiral, taken in honor and remembrance of his work during the Cataclysm.

Additionally, his direct descendants live on as the ver Torrun noble line of Solaria, currently having significant influence over the most mountainous regions of the continent.

Those who invoke the Admiral's name are expected to respect both the seas and those who travel them. Worshipers must fly honest flags, save the lives of those in peril without an expectation of reward, and ensure the reasonable care of passengers on their vessels. In exchange, they may find their travels to be safer, or their crew more prepared to face challenges as their arise.

In the Afterlife, the Admiral sails the sea that surrounds the great continent, constantly patrolling to destroy those who would harm simple travelers of the seas. Most of the foes he encounters are fiends, though he does sometimes come to blows with the Gambler and the Capitalist, or the followers of either. While he does not necessarily hate either god, the domains of piracy and exploitation that they command disgusts him into action against them at times.

During the Cataclysm, the Heroes found themselves allied with the artificer Arthur Dryanni. His grand ideas proved immensely useful to their goals, and as a result, the Heroes of the Cataclysm elevated him to Godhood after their victory. He became the god of crafting and technology, and is the god of choice for those who craft items of any kind.

Despite living nearly a millennium and a half ago, Arthur Dryanni is responsible for the creation of the modern world. His most impressive invention, the Dryanni Chamber, is used in all aspects of modern technology, and is responsible for groundbreaking innovations from the Airship to the Firearm. It was only with modern abilities to refine fuel for the Dryanni Chamber that his ancient invention was able to reach such potential.

The Maker is not an especially demanding god, simply wanting his followers to put their heart and soul into their creations. It is his preference that the items created by his followers be used for good, but he also believe that merely introducing new creations into the world is good in itself. His devoted followers often spend the majority of their days testing new ideas and creating new items that they can then release into the world.

The Maker today resides within a vast workshop located in the afterlife, where his followers converge once they shed their mortal coils. Those most devoted to him are given a single chance to craft a masterpiece, and the greatest creations allow their masters to enter the Maker's service for eternity. From then on, they may spend each day creating and crafting.

The construct god of Order and Law, the Sentinel acts as the enforcer of divine rule. He was a construct found and repaired by the Heroes of the Cataclysm, and served them with such dedication and loyalty that he was elevated to godhood after the Cataclysm.

The Old Gods, despite allying with one another to defeat the Forgotton Chorus, were not all friends. Some distrusted out outright despised one another, and so it was agreed that the majority would enforce laws that all gods must follow. When the issue of enforcing these laws was raised, it was agreed that the only deity outside the bickering of the Old Gods was the Sentinel.

As such, the construct was given the role of enforcing divine mandates, both for gods and mortals. As such, he is one of the few gods able to directly influence the world of mortals without the need to use Clerics, able to animate constructs in the mortal world with the souls of his angels.

He was also the deity responsible for turning Euries against the Nameless One during the Song of Rage. Allegedly, understanding the dark god's desire for order, the Sentinel noted that the destruction the Nameless One sought would likely result in the world being replaced only with the chaotic Outside, and that to assist it would be against her true nature.

Worshipers of the Sentinel are those who seek stability and order. They are the ones who fight to ensure the cracks in the foundations of societies are repaired as they appear, and that laws are obeyed. His followers may be simple constables enforcing the order of a backwater town, or as important as heroes standing in the way of foes that seek to unravel reality.

The Sentinel is posted at the Tear, where the barrier of the Afterlife is weakest, with both the Void and the Outside looming overhead. He stands a vigilant watch there, the first line of defense against any potential intruder into the world. His followers surround him, and are often deployed to various locations to enforce the divine decrees that are the Sentinel's burden to uphold. He keeps a close eye on the Inciter, as the two are natural adversaries.

The Balancer was once better known as Methricus Fairdawn, a minor elven noble and capable wizard. Following the Cataclysm, he would ascend to godhood and devote himself to curbing the excesses of his fellow gods and mediating issues between them. He is also the guardian of Forgotten Chorus, and views the containment of that force as his most important responsibility.

As one of the more military-minded of the Heroes of the Cataclysm, it is no surprise that the ver Fairdawn bloodline that descends from him would become the military arm of Solaria. Even in the afterlife, the angels of Methricus are often the ones at the forefront of organizing raids against the various fiends that threaten mortal souls.

However, his primary role has become one of a mediator. He is often the one responsible for arbitrating disputes amongst the Old Gods, acting as a voice of reason when old rivalries cause tempers to flare. He's typically understood to be on good relations with all the Old Gods, as well as the New Gods.

Those who worship the Balancer before all other gods are expected to curb excess when it is found, be it good or bad. Society and nature, good and evil, kindness and cruelty must all be allowed to exist as the struggle between them is ultimately better for all things. Allowing one to dominate the other stifles life and only causes harm. Druids and Rangers are often followers of the Balancer, as his creed reflects the natural cycle of society.

The example of creeping vines is the best example of their beliefs. While the flowering plants may be beautiful and natural, they may choke the life from any other plants nearby, and they may damage buildings they cling to the sides of. Therefore, they require regular pruning to keep them in check.

Since the establishment of the nation of Church, destruction of its faithful has also become a priority to his most zealous followers. This nation, which seeks to release the Forgotten Chorus, is a threat that the Balancer seeks to destroy with every resource available to him.

The Balancer resides in a tower located in the direct center of the afterlife. This stone spire is said to be a mile in diameter, and acts as a city where the Angels of the Balancer reside. The deity himself lives at the top of the spire, where the prison of the Forgotten Chorus is located, and keeps it under constant guard.

The Inciter was the patron of one of the Heroes of the Cataclysm, who was granted divinity at her request. His primary interest is in preventing the stagnation of the world by invoking constant change, for better or worse, so as to force the world to adapt and evolve. As such, he is known as the god of Revolution and Uprisings.

Followers of the Inciter claim that it is not a malicious god, being comparable to a tornado or a flood. He is simply devoted entirely to constant change, demanding that nothing stay in place too long, good or bad. Under his name, both tyrannical dictatorships and peaceful democracies have been burned to ashes and replaced with cobbled-together governments of desperation that bloomed into systems of power drastically unlike their predecessors.

Those who admit to worshipping the Inciter are some of the most devout believers the Old Gods can claim. If one is willing to risk becoming a pariah to civilization in the way that his worshipers are, they are typically quite self-assured and convinced of the necessity of the disorder their god demands, but they vary widely in the application of their faith. Some suave followers may plot in secret for years, living a normal life before springing their plans to disrupt some aspect of society great or small.

Others may act as wrecking balls, attempting to dismantle institutions with the speed and grace of a rampaging gorilla. In either case, the upheaval they cause is its own reward, and they rarely have a greater goal beyond forcing society to adapt to the trouble caused in one way or another.

The Inciter is unique among all gods in that he refused to reside in the Afterlife. Finding the prospect to be hellishly boring, he instead demanded to be allowed to reside within the world of mortals. This was granted, though at a cost. He is similarly unable to flaunt his divine power directly in any meaningful capacity, typically unable to do anything more than parlor tricks himself. However, he is able to witness events firsthand, and speak directly with mortals. He uses this primarily to antagonize mortals and goad them into chaos, if rumors are to be believed.

In exchange for the freedom of movement that the Inciter enjoys in the mortal world, he does not have the ability to make his followers into angels, and thus is served only by mortals. As a result, he lacks much of the raw power that many other gods can claim, and is forced to rely on misdirection and subterfuge to get his way.

The Merchant was a necromancer by the name of Constantine Aurelius, who ruled a nation that existed in the time just prior to the Cataclysm. He provided invaluable service to the Heroes of the Cataclysm, despite some minor conflict between them. He is the god of death and commerce, as well as deception. Those who have seen him and returned from the dead claim he always has a large and intelligent bear by his side.

The Merchant, like the Sentinel, is able to directly influence the world of mortals. However, this is due to what could be considered a loophole rather than agreement by the gods. As the god responsible for the passing of souls to the afterlife, he can be more selective in his enforcement. He is able to allow those he sees fit to return to the world of the living, though he does not do so for free.

Those who agree to his terms will find that the Merchant retains half their soul, augmenting his power ever so slightly, while also giving them some dark powers when they return to life. They are also expected to be the most devote of his followers, following his doctrine relentlessly and hunting those who would defy his will. Failure to do so means an end to the deal, and the Merchant uses the fragment of the soul in his possession to recall the remainder back to the afterlife.

The Merchant claims dominion over souls, and is responsible for ensuring the natural order of life and death is followed. As such, his primary directive for his worshipers is to bring death to those who think they are above it and who have unnatural longevity. His followers, therefore, seek to purge any undead which have a soul as well as those who create them.

This does not mean that all undead must be purged, only those which are animated by souls. Necromancers who animate Skeletons and Zombies with arcane energy do not suffer his wrath, as they do not prevent a soul from reaching the afterlife in doing so. However, Wights and Wraiths are examples of undead that are made from souls that refuse to pass on naturally, and they must be made to do so.

The Merchant also actively calls on his followers to target those of the Capitalist, though not with the same fervor. The followers of the two rival gods are eager to spill the blood of one another, though it's a conflict that the Merchant appears to have the leading position in.

The Merchant is never known to remain in a single place, moving from location to location within the afterlife in fairly short order. Part of this is attributed to be due to boredom, as remaining in a single location lacked the excitement that he enjoyed, and also to create a greater challenge for those who wish to seek his aid to return to life.

However, the Capitalist is also known to go out of his way to antagonize the Merchant, and so the God of Death wishes to remain in hiding to avoid dealing with the nuisances created for him by his nemesis. His angels remain in a single place within the afterlife, a castle of the dead far from most other locations in that world, and he sometimes returns when needed to manage affairs there.

During the Song of Rage, the Merchant managed to find Ahris, a feat that impressed the God of Secrets sufficiently to allow the Merchant an audience. While what was shared between them is unknown, Ahris would later be revealed to have defected from the Nameless One following this conversation, betraying her master at the perfect moment.

The Gambler is among the oldest of the Old Gods, having been born as Vicril Eboncross over a thousand years before the Cataclysm. He was a notorious pirate with a gambling addiction for much of his life, and thus he has taken on the domains of chance, gambling, and piracy. However, after several years of activity, he became far less prominent as his addiction consumed him. This has continued after his ascent to godhood, and he's typically viewed as one of the least active gods because of it.

Unlike most gods, the Gambler is not known to have any meaningful agenda or overarching goal. By most accounts, he cares only for the thrill that gambling provides, and ascended to godhood following the Cataclysm only so he could increase his bets as the previous ones gradually became less and less exciting for him.

However, this means that he is not a god which stands for very much. Pirates and thieves pray to him as their patron god before raids, and those making risky decisions hope for his indirect influence to turn the odds in their favor. However, most find very little reason to devote themselves wholly to the Gambler, and so few do so.

Those that follow the Gambler are encouraged to take chances, giving themselves to the thrill that doing so provides. He is indifferent to the specific risks that are taken, and so his most devout worshipers may choose any manner of expression. This may take the form of high-rolling gamblers, serial killers who provide a means for their victims to survive, or adventurers who take especially risky missions.

The Gambler is said to frequently see through the eyes of his most noteworthy followers, getting his thrill vicariously though them, and rewarding them for taking greater and greater risks. Of course, the Gambler is as limited as all other gods in how he can influence the world, and those who take some risks may be beyond his help. Even those he can help may not always receive his aid, as if the odds were always stacked in their favor, there wouldn't be much room for chance.

The Gambler resides in a ship converted into an enormously large casino. While not experiencing meaningful thrills through his followers or in the afterlife, the Gambler is said to spend most of his days idly playing the games available in his personal casino to hold himself over until his next proper gamble. What angels he has spend their days similarly, sometimes leaving the ship to raid a potentially vulnerable target.

The most controversial of the Old Gods, the Capitalist was a Hero of the Cataclysm by the name of of Arkay Paust. A high elf druid, he eventually found his calling in the free market, and became increasingly devoted to the accumulation of wealth. This has only intensified as he achieved divinity, and his most devoted followers have a similar reputation.

Initially, it was believed that the Balancer was a high elf and the Capitalist was a wood elf, but sources were unclear and unreliable in this regard. This was primarily due to the fact that the Capitalist remained entirely in animal form as a mortal, while the Balancer spent an expended period of time away from the other Heroes of the Cataclysm.

To resolve this, historians spoke with the sole surviving individual who had known the Heroes in person: the adopted son of Arkay Paust. When his son was asked if Arkay was a high elf, his child indicated that the Capitalist was “the highest elf he knew”, and thus the record was corrected. Following this, elves as a race took on the formal name of Arkaydians.

Those who worship the Capitalist are expected to pursue profit and their own self-interests above all else, even to the detriment of those closest to them. Over the centuries since the Cataclysm, his followers have gotten very good at doing so while maintaining the appearance of earnestness and kindness. It is very easy to find an individual who distrusts the ver Paust family or an open worshiper of the Capitalist, but it is often difficult to find an individual that holds proof of any meaningful wrongdoing.

Worshipers of the Capitalist typically try not to reveal their selection in deity, as it marks them as an individual who is not to be trusted, especially to other devotees who may then view them as competition. The few that do reveal their choice work diligently to maintain a sterling reputation.

During the Song of Rage, the Capitalist fought in support of the Nameless One. This further cemented his status as a pariah amongst the gods, and allegedly only the Balancer maintains good terms with him to this day.

Since then, he has typically isolated himself to a luxury cruiseliner which hosts a nonstop party, referred to as the Arkaydian Jubilee. All beings, even fiends, may pay a premium to spend time relaxing in safety among the ship and indulging in their preferred vices.

The New Gods emerged roughly 700 years after the Cataclysm, the first of which was Idakor. He was followed by the terrible Nameless One, and both gods created lieutenants to serve them in the resulting conflict that left the world once again in peril.

Idakor is the god of ultimate good, one of unparalleled compassion and understanding for all beings. He first emerged shortly before the Cataclysm rocked the world to its core, and he was thought to have suffered the fate of the Gods of this time. That was, until the works of the First Prophet were discovered once more. Like a beacon for him, Idakor returned once these works were discovered again, and has spread his message of peace ever since.

The Church of Idakor is the world's largest religious institution, having been allocated a significant amount of land within the Holy Solarian Empire. It is deeply rooted within the politics of the nation, and some are concerned that it has lost sight of its true mission due to its political entanglements.

However, the Favored Soul of Idakor is always the Patriarch or Matriarch of the church. The common folk believe that, despite the failings of mortals and the lagging bureaucracy of the Church, the Favored Soul will be able to steer the ship true and ensure it never falls into corruption.

Idakor preaches love and tolerance for all beings. He asks his followers to show compassion in all they do, put themselves in the shoes of others, and advocate for that which alleviates or prevents the suffering of others. He even asks that compassion be shown toward the evil and cruel, giving them chances to atone and show remorse for their actions, and guiding them to realize the error of their ways.

His kindness is so great, he is unable to bring harm to other creatures directly, even to ones so vile as the Nameless One. For that reason, he was forced to create his subservient New Gods, who acted on his behalf during the Song of Rage. It's said that he weeps for all creatures that cannot be turned to the side of good.

Idakor resides in the Infinite Garden, where those that worship him may find eternal peace. Idakor is unique among the gods in that he is the only one which offers his worshipers an alternative to reincarnation or servitude; those that have proven themselves to be kindhearted and compassionate are welcomed into the Garden.

The Infinite Garden is a paradise, where the souls of the dead may find true peace. It is understood to be utopian, with the every need of its residents tended to so as to ensure their comfort and inner harmony. Most lay worshipers of Idakor seek to enter the garden, with most lacking the strength to be more useful to him as an Angel.

With Idakor unable to harm even those that must be stopped, he created Gadriel to act as the militant arm of Good. Typically represented with a Dog, Gadriel is relentless in his pursuit of evil, and those who refuse to abandon their nefarious ways are quickly put to the sword.

Those who worship Gadriel typically have the highest profile of those who serve the Upper Three. They are the knights and crusaders donned in glinting plate armor, who come with the head of an evil dragon to parade around the town it had harassed for months. As such, it likely has the highest numbers of those who worship Idakor's children, though its role should not be overestimated. Indeed, it can also be harmful in some ways.

Those who worship Gadriel most vehemently are at risk of becoming that which they seek to destroy. Many lesser evils are subjective, and there have been incidents where those who were truly faithful to Gadriel have given out divine punishment for what could be called minor offenses due to their zeal to purge evil, or have seen themselves fall after their crusade forced them into increasingly questionable acts.

Gadriel demands those who worship him to constantly seek out new evils to destroy, in the most appropriate way. The most obvious implication is the hunting of murderers and monsters, eradicating them with prejudice and fervor. However, Gadriel seeks to punish all crime. Those who commit lesser crimes like theft can likewise find themselves to be the target of a worshiper of Gadriel, though typically the punishment is far less severe.

Most worshipers of Gadriel are warriors in some form or another, for this reason. Even if they do not seek out the most vile creatures to slay, the ability to defend oneself is typically useful when attempting to reveal criminals and bring them to justice. In either case, they are typically the most high profile servants of the Upper Three.

Gadriel himself leads a warband in the afterlife, composed of tens of thousands of his angels, which constantly roams in search of evil. This primarily leaves him on the perimeter of the Planes of Fire, where he is most likely to catch fiends attempting to sneak out of their permitted areas. Many smaller bands are located elsewhere, of course, to catch those who believe it safe by being distant from Gadriel himself.

If a particularly powerful threat is found, Gadriel will happily march directly toward it. There have been no shortage of greater demons or devils who have emerged outside their domain and attempted to form their own kingdom in the Afterworld, only for Gadriel to appear and bring them to ruin.

Sachiel was created by Idakor to serve as his eyes, as he could not bring himself to look upon the destruction to life caused by his rival, and to act as the information arm of his servants. Sachiel the Cat is concerned only with uncovering truth, be it lost to time or hidden by deception.

There are a number of professions that can benefit from those who have devoted their lives to truth. One will find that many Solarian judges claim to be devout worshipers of Sachiel, whether true or not, with other worshipers taking on roles as librarians or detectives. Many are spies as well, wishing to uncover things hidden by enemy nations.

Those who become Seekers of Sachiel are prized internationally, as the commitment needed to become one all but promises a judge who cannot be corrupted and is skilled in the determination of truth. International courts are often headed by a Seeker of Sachiel or a council of them, for this reason.

Worshipers of Sachiel are driven by the singular desire to uncover truth wherever it may be hidden. The form this may take is, of course, up to the individual worshiper. However, when truth is found, it must generally be shared so that it may not be lost again. Spies must report to their government, judges must announce verdicts, and archeologists must publish their findings. To fail to do so is usually heresy, as it means it's possible that the truth will once again be hidden. However, it's not unreasonable to believe that some information is too dangerous to be spread.

This need to reveal the secrets of the world has led to the urban legend that they are not able to lie, which many a prisoner can tell you is quite false, as they are not so foolish as to adhere to the truth at the detriment of themselves and their goals. But they are generally quite honest and forthcoming when no reason to be the contrary exists. Indeed, many visitors find they have no concerns divulging personal information and discussing topics that many would consider taboo normally.

Sachiel resides in an enormous tower in the afterworld, filled to the brim with books and paper scraps, known as the Last Library. She and her angels spend their time meticulously reading and organizing all information that a worshiper of Sachiel has even known. It's said that within this library rests every spell to have existed and every secret that could not be shared.

Of course, access to this information is quite restricted, with some areas restricted to only Sachiel herself. Some call this hypocritical. They are perhaps not wrong, but some scraps of knowledge have the potential to cause untold ruin in the wrong hands, and it appears even the god of Truth hides some things.

Kasdiel was the last of the Upper Three created by Idakor, typically shown in the form of an Octopus, primarily to act as a monitor of his own faithful. Idakor understood how “necessary sacrifices” could be made in the war with the Nameless One, leaving those who could not protect themselves to die in the name of ultimate victory at any cost, or oppressing them to fuel the greater war machine. This was not acceptable to him, and so he created one final servant who would be the champion to those.

Originally, Kasdiel and his servants were merely there to prevent the forces of good from exceeding their authority in the name of ultimate victory, and to ensure the individual was always kept in mind. However, this made him uniquely suited to a secondary role: cooperation with evil. With his unique desire to protect the individual, he could easily understand the needs of fiends and other evil beings. While Kasdiel and his followers cannot excuse what they have done, he will work with such being if it means preventing greater suffering.

As such, Kasdiel and his worshipers are uniquely placed to understand and cooperate with evil. While Gadriel purges evil, there are a not insignificant number of former villains who were “tricked” away from the path by clever worshipers of Kasdiel, ones who presented a new path of self satisfaction that would actually lead them away from the darkness that consumed them.

Above all, Kasdiel demands that freedoms be maintained. To him, a regime that ignores its people and uses them only as a resource is equally deplorable regardless the intentions of its ruler. To this end, his followers are constantly seeking out those who are suffering cruelly at the hands of their government, and seeks to alleviate their pain by whatever means possible. This may or may not be accepted with open arms by the rulers of the government in question.

Solaria has been able to exist for as long as it has partially due to the efforts of Kasdiel's faithful. They constantly and vigilantly seek corruption and oppression, and improve the lives of the common citizen in most every case. Even in Umbria they've helped to improve the quality of life for the denizens of the dark continent, though many find that quite challenging.

Kasdiel is said to own an infinite tavern where all are welcome, so long as they remain peaceful. He and his angels cater to the guests, speaking with them as equals and helping their patrons to overcome their disagreements. Even fiends are granted safety within the confines of his domain, and many find themselves happily in Kasdiel's service sometime after. Kasdiel is more than happy to redirect the power of these fiends toward more wholesome activities.

Where exactly the Traveler's Tavern is, however, is more of a question. It appears that it is house within its own demiplane, but it is uniquely able to appear in multiple places. According to the limited available accounts, the entrance to the tavern appears to those escaping oppression.

Euries the Wasp was created by the Nameless One to organize his forces and maintain his holdings, something his rage would not allow him to do. She completed this task efficiently, creating a well-oiled machine that outpaced the forces of good in most every capacity, though those under her control found themselves exploited ruthlessly. She would ultimately betray the Nameless One, and now forever duels with Vacal to hone her skills.

Euries is one of the Lower Three, typically considered to be a god of evil, but this is not fully accurate. Rather, she is a god of Order at its most oppressive; fascism incarnate. To her, there is nothing more beautiful than a collection of beings coming together to form a single entity even at the detriment of the individual. To her, the rights of the individual are meaningless, as the survival of the whole is inherently to the greatest benefit of all its members.

This mindset was most readily adopted by the original colonists of Umbria. The harsh weather and harsher creatures of the southern continent required cooperation above anything the colonists had previously known in order for their settlements to survive. Euries is the most worshiped god there, for that reason.

Those who worship Euries devote themselves to maintaining order, with minimal regard for the individual. To the faithful of Euries, the individual simply cannot see the greater picture, and will let their individual needs take priority over the needs of their neighbors, and this inevitably leads to anarchy and suffering. Those with greater understanding must make the decisions, and the individuals must obey these decisions.

This is not to say that worshipers of Euries are averse to change or demand a monarch. Most understand that the needs of a state and its people as a whole change over time, and that some individuals may have insights that others did not consider. What matters to them is only the effectiveness of the government in question. Can it meet the collective needs of its citizens, whatever that may be?

Euries resides within the Black Gate, in an area known as the Great Hive. This is a utopia by the standards of Euries' followers. A society perfectly regimented and under the control of Euries herself, led as a single cohesive unit of dark angels. All parts of the hive feed into one another, with weapons delivered the moment they're needed to soldiers perfectly in time for combat. Of course, those who reside in the hive have little self determination, with all efforts directed to combat with Vacal.

Most of the Great Hive are warriors, who are directed into the region known as the Maze of Aeons in perfect unity.

Ahris was made by the Nameless One to act with subtlety, something that the evil god could was incapable of, and to gather information for his purposes. Ahris the Snake would prove quite effective at the job, playing friends and foe alike against one another to gain every scrap of intelligence that she could. She would eventually use the experience to betray the Nameless One.

The most well-known information brokers in the world are individuals referred to as the Snakes. These worshipers of Ahris are uniquely skilled in the art of information gathering, and can hold the secrets of nations in their hands. They trade secrets willingly, typically in exchange for ones they find to be of equal or greater worth. Each holds domain over a settlement, and a snake is expressly forbidden from operating within the territory of another.

Those who cannot become Snakes will still typically find themselves in similar roles. They are often mercenary spies, eager to infiltrate an organization if only to learn the secrets it holds and to sell them off. Most worshipers do so secretly, however, lest they reveal themselves as information hunters to those with something to hide.

Ahris demands her followers horde secrets greedily, and to extract from them every advantage. Information is power in its purest form, so believe the worshipers of Ahris, and so holding a monopoly on as much of it as possible grants the holder untold power. Indeed, having a dirty secret to hold over the head of a governor would make one far more powerful than that governor, and this is something the devout of Ahris know very well.

Of course, they are happy to trade information when it suits them, with the Snakes specializing in such. However, the truly most powerful worshipers of Ahris likely are not even known as such. They may be anyone who has accumulated secrets, which they use to manipulate events in their favor. In a way, it is more terrifying than anything Euries or Vacal are capable of.

The Black Gate holds the Maze of Aeons, the convoluted and incomprehensible dominion of Ahris. The Maze serves primarily as the battleground between the forces of Euries and Vacal, where the angels of the two gods do constant battle. Ahris and her angels serve to increase the challenge for both sides, manipulating the paths and the terrain to make it difficult for one side to land the finishing blow, or to prevent reinforcements from arriving.

This is to hone the skills of both armies, which Ahris deems vital to her own survival. Ahris is not a physically capable god, and so she may only survive a threat by manipulating events. Should the Nameless One return or some other force attack her, she would need to rely on the Armies of her sibling gods, and so she ensures they forever improve.

Vacal is the final of the Nameless One's cursed creations, typically known as the Bear of War. He was created to act as a raider, entering the lands held by the forces of good. There, he would take that which would benefit the Nameless One and to destroy anything that would not. He is the most bloodthirsty of all the gods, sufficient to inspire fear in even greater demons, and this bloodlust was eventually turned against his master.

Vacal is the progenitor of all Vacalians. Vacalians are beings born only to those who have taken from others sufficiently to gain the notice of the raging god. Serial killers, notorious bandits, and master thieves are often alarmed to find their children grey-skinned with black eyes, and with an unnaturally malicious and aggressive nature.

Some suggest that this is a warning to those who embrace Vacal's teachings without giving him proper reverence, with the god taking part of the offspring's soul to show his superiority over the parent, and leaving only his own essence behind. Others claim it is a gift, granted by Vacal in recognition of the parent's successes.

Vacal demands his followers surrender to their most base desires, which almost always boil down to the desire to take whatever you desire from others. If you wish for anything, be it food or wealth or power, it is the nature of things that it must be taken from another. To eat, you must take the life of an animal. To be rich, you must take wealth from those who have it. To gain power, you must take power away from others.

Vacal has the strength where he rarely must rely on subtlety, but that is not to say he rejects those means entirely - Vacal calls his followers to take what they wish in the quickest and most direct way. While this frequently means resorting to violence, Vacal does not oppose the use of more subversive means if those are the only way to proceed. This also means that alliances are not heretical to him, as mutual benefit is possible, but he has no pity for those who allow themselves to be defeated due to reliance on such relationships.

Vacal resides within the Black Gate, in the area known as the Shifting Warplanes. It is a chaotic mass of violence and theft, where fortunes are gained as quickly as wounds, and lost shortly thereafter. The angels of Vacal move more or less without direction, often fighting one another or Vacal himself. At their own discretion, they may find their way into the Maze of Aeons, where they do battle with the followers of Euries, gaining pride and favor from Vacal with each victory.

When or why the Nameless One came into existence is a mystery that is unknown to the world at large. However, this nightmarish being emerged shortly after the return of Idakor, and immediately set about destroying all it could. It was defeated after its children, the Lower Three, betrayed it. However, being too powerful to simply eradicate, it was broken into three pieces with each fragment given to each of the Lower Three. It remains a prisoner of its children to this day.

The Nameless One is a being of single-minded hatred for all things, and the end of all things is its ultimate goal. It seeks destruction on a scale unimaginable, the extinguishing of all life. This destruction is for its own purpose; there is no greater goal at play. The Nameless One simply despises all things with such passion that in cannot tolerate the continued existence of reality itself.

Its true name is unknown, hidden by the victorious gods to prevent its worship. The name of a deity can grant it power, allowing the faithful to strengthen it and to invoke its name to allow it their sight. Despite this, the power of the Nameless One has never diminished, and has only increased as time goes on. How this is the case is a terrifying mystery.

The Nameless One has very few followers, for obvious reasons. It despises mortals as much as anything else, and even were it able to gift them with a fragment of its power, it likely would sooner end their lives. Additionally, there are few people so nihilistic that they wish to worship something that only represents the end of all things. Still, some crazed fools do worship the Nameless One.

Such individuals typically bathe themselves in destruction, bringing the end to things simply for the sake of such. Pointless murder and arson are well-known to these cultists. The most devoted of them search for ways to release their evil god, but thankfully there is little evidence that even the slightest progress has been made in that regard.

The Nameless One was split into thirds, with each part of it sealed away in a crystal prison that is held by a separate member of the Lower Three. They control their shards with the understanding that should their creator emerge once again, they will be the first to suffer its wrath, and their brutality and fear ensures that the shards are guarded as closely as one can imagine.

The Nameless One has no angels, nor would it take any, and so it sits in isolation for eternity. Allegedly, it is able to see the afterworld from its prison deliberately, so that it may only watch as the things it hates so very much exist despite its best efforts.

While the vast majority of individuals worship the Old and New Gods, there are additional religions within the world that those who reject the standard pantheons may worship. The vast majority of these are inconsequential, with only a handful of adherents.

However, a number of these faiths have gained sufficient traction for them to become known internationally. These additional belief structures are typically regarded with equal parts skepticism and curiosity by most, though some are far more malevolent than others.

The Forgotten Chorus is not deity in any traditional sense but is instead the most powerful demon to ever exist, a collection of souls so vast and unfathomable that some believe there may be a greater number of souls within the Chorus than outside of it. Despite nearly destroying the world during the Cataclysm, some have found themselves worshiping the being. Most notably is the nation of Church, which assigns the Chorus as its official deity.

It is unknown where or how the Forgotten Chorus was created. Some argue it came from a world much like our own located elsewhere within the Outside, and traveled to our world seeking to feed upon mortals. Others suggest it was always lurking somewhere, waiting for conditions to be perfect for its assault.

Regardless of the how and why behind it, the arrival of the Chorus signified the beginning of the Cataclysm, as the gods of the era died and the world transformed and cracked under its strength. However, it was not at its full strength at that time, and the Heroes of the Cataclysm were able to seal it away within a might prison where it still resides.

The sole directive of the nation of Church, and any others foolish enough to worship the Forgotten Chorus, is to free it from its prison. This prison is a crystal miles across, reinforced by the Chorus' own power, and guarded by the Balancer at the height of the Spireshard. Worshippers of the Chorus believe, incorrectly, that the Chorus did not truly seek to destroy the world but to instead remake it without the pain and struggles that mortals know today.

Thankfully, with the exception of Church itself, there are few fools who worship the Chorus. Those devoted to the Old Gods are careful to destroy these few deranged followers where they are found, to prevent their ideas from spreading to those gullible enough to fall for these lies.

The Void Lords are not deities in the traditional sense, though they are worshiped as such in Metropolis. They reside within the Void, an enigmatic plane of entropy and inversion that is utterly devoid of anything at all. Yet still this emptiness holds beings which are able to influence our world, despite failing to exist in any way we can see. Their goals and motives are similarly inscrutable, if they have any at all.

There are 12 Void Lords we are aware of, and we only know them due to the existence of their Magnates. Each one holds power over a specific “domain” which it grants to its Magnate, who becomes a mortal embodiment of this domain. Why the Void Lords do so is unknown, as the Magnates claim they receive no direction from any being on how to use their abilities.

Each Magnate is associated with a color, and their eyes perpetually glow this color to demonstrate their power. Additionally, each claims leadership over an organization of those that they have granted their power to.

Each Magnate can bestow the power they have been granted to individuals known as Supplicants. In exchange for continued service, these Supplicants serve the will of their Magnate, and do as they are commanded. These abilities can be revoked with a mere thought, and so Supplicants are required to obey or lose their abilities.

It is said that, in order to defeat the Forgotten Chorus, the Heroes of the Cataclysm made a pact with an inscrutable being. In exchange for its service against the threat, the being demanded from the Heroes 12 firstborn children. The heroes agreed, the lives of 12 beings being so insignificant compared to the fate of the world that the decision was clear.

However, these 12 firstborn children did not vanish or die. As it would be learned, this being was some manifestation of the Void Lords themselves, and as the Cataclysm came to its end, the children offered to them became the first Magnates.

The Magnates would come together to found the nation of Metropolis, with the official religion of the nation being the reverence of the Void Lords, and it is only in this nation that the Void Lords have what could be considered worshipers. Though even here, this worship is atypical.

The citizens of Metropolis do not worship the Void Lords as traditional deities. Instead, they respect the beings that have granted them a higher quality of life than they would have otherwise enjoyed, and likewise show reverence to the servants of these higher powers.

Unlike the Gods, who promise life after death in some capacity, the Void Lords make no such offer. Those who devote themselves to the Void Lords by becoming a Supplicant receive no afterlife. They are typically believed to have been consumed by the Void Lords, granted a more peaceful and elevated life in exchange for the power granted to them.

Most in Metropolis consider this to be a blessing. While it means an end to existence as they know it, those who cease to exist are granted a measure of peace. While those who worship the Old or New Gods will continue to live on, these limitless lives could be ones of torment if their souls are taken by fiends.

An offshoot of the Old Gods, the Cult of Markun is a faith that controls the nation of Egron. Noting that the Old Gods are all mortals who ascended to Godhood, it believes that it can likewise elevate its emperor to the same status with enough time.

Believers of this faith claim that the emperor of Egron is always the reincarnated spirit of an ancient emperor by the name of Markun. This emperor allegedly united the world in the times before the Cataclysm, ushering in a golden age of peace and prosperity. If elevated to godhood, the faithful believe he will once again unite the world.

Through means that are not publicly known, the Church of Egron claims to have determined a way to find the soul of Markun once it has gone through the cycle of rebirth and rejoined the world of mortals. Once this soul has been reborn, the church seeks out the child containing it.

Through whatever means necessary, this child will be returned to Egron. This is typically (though not always) agreed to by the parent of the child, as few can reject an offer to ensure their child a life of comfort. The family is typically allowed to relocate to Egron as well, and will receive a healthy allowance, though they rarely will see their child again.

With each reincarnation, the soul of Markun is said to get stronger. This is both from the worship of the citizens of Egron, who devote their lives to granting their power to him, and from rigorous training intended to strengthen his soul.

However, if the Emperor has benefited much from this power, he has yet to display it. Skeptics of the faith note that the emperor has yet to take any meaningful action, and argue that there is little proof that each emperor really is the reincarnation of Markun.

The faithful, however, simply believe that displays of power are counterproductive. If Markun were to act to unite the world before his victory was assured, there is a chance he would fail in his task of bringing peace to all. Therefore, they patiently worship their rising God, knowing that the world will eventually see the truth.

As the nation of the Aconian Socialist Republic fought for its independence against the Aconian Free State, a curious thing happened. Its citizens and soldiers began to rely on the state in much the same way they would a god, and eventually, they were able to gain power from it.

Scholars have come to learn that, because many of its citizens place their faith in their new government in much the way a normal individual would worship a deity, citizens of the Aconian Socialist Republic have inadvertently raised it to the status of a lesser deity. As a result, the state fields a host of clerics and paladins who directly worship it, and who can cast spells and use abilities that only those fueled by divine magic can.

As the lines between Church and State have blurred within the Aconian Socialist Republic, so to have the rites that people conduct. Most respects that individuals pay to their god-state are under a veneer of secularism, and would not be seen as traditional religious practices.

For example, the religious sermons common in most of the world have little place within the Socialist state. Instead, councils are formed by state workers who guide communities on public work projects. Instead of cloistered scholars studying religious texts, bureaucrats perform paperwork and debate political theory.

Recently, a powerful cult has emerged that claims to worship a being known as the Envoy. This cult believes that this being is attempting to enter the world of mortals from the Outside, and once it is able to do so, it will reshape the world and elevate its followers to positions of rule.

Worshipers of the Envoy claim it will kill most mortal beings in the world, as well as the gods that reign from the Afterworld now. This is believed to be a good thing, a cleansing that will revitalize the world and allow for its development into something new and great.

To cultists of the envoy, the Old and New Gods have failed the world. Baltia has only become more dangerous and bloody as the centuries have passed, and action is needed before the situation deteriorates further.

While their doctrine is questionable, the powers granted by the Envoy to its faithful are genuine. Those who worship the Envoy or who have made pacts with it have gained abilities that are impossible to most. Summoning creatures from beyond reality, pulling creatures into their clutches as they teleport, and distorting the very concept of mortality.