The Pantheon
The divine realm consists of twelve primal Primal Deities, each representing fundamental forces and philosophies that govern existence. These Primal Deities are not good or evil in traditional terms, but rather embody different approaches to cosmic truths and mortal behavior. The Primal Deities were named long ago, although the names changed sometimes over long periods. At this point, the names are well established across the civilized world, with minor localized but recognizable variations.
Divine Relationships: Each Primal Deity has natural allies and enemies within the pantheon. Acting against your Primal Deity’s Values or aiding their Enemies will result in immediate favor loss as described in the Divine Intervention system.
| Primal Deity | Concept Details |
|---|---|
| Zekar, the Unknowing | Mystery, hidden truths, acceptance of limitations, the vastness beyond comprehension |
| Tyris, the Revealing | Knowledge, truth, illumination, discovery, bringing hidden things to light |
| Moreyn, the Ending | Death, completion, necessary conclusions, release from suffering |
| Riven, the Growing | Development, expansion, potential realized, life force, cultivation |
| Lyth, the Connecting | Bonds between people, unity, interdependence, community building |
| Voss, the Isolating | Independence, solitude, self-reliance, necessary separation |
| Bren, the Protecting | Safety, preservation, guardianship, defense of the innocent |
| Nayeth, the Consuming | Appetite, taking what is needed, absorption, hunger satisfied |
| Kodris, the Ordering | Structure, patterns, rules, systems that create stability |
| Vex, the Chaotic | Randomness, upheaval, unpredictability, creative destruction |
| Thyr, the Changing | Transformation, adaptation, evolution, metamorphosis |
| Lorn, the Preserving | Maintenance, conservation, tradition, continuity across time |
The Twelve Primals
Zekar, the Unknowing
Concept: Mystery, hidden truths, acceptance of limitations, the vastness beyond comprehension
Allies: The Ending, The Depths
Enemies: The Revealing, The Ordering
Values
- Accept Your Limitations: Acknowledge when you cannot or should not know something
- Avoid Uncharted Territories: Refuse to explore places marked as forbidden or dangerous
- Protect Others From Harmful Truths: Shield people from knowledge that would destroy them
Anathemas
- Demanding Forbidden Knowledge: Insisting on and obtaining answers that should remain hidden
- Spreading Dangerous Secrets: Revealing information that causes harm when known
- Claiming False Knowledge: Pretending to understand mysteries you have not truly grasped
Tyris, the Revealing
Concept: Knowledge, truth, illumination, discovery, bringing hidden things to light
Allies: The Ordering, The Growing
Enemies: The Unknowing, The Concealing
Values
- Seek Truth Actively: Investigate mysteries and uncover hidden facts; correct misinformation and superstition.
- Share Knowledge Freely: Teach others and spread useful information
- Expose Corruption: Bring wrongdoing into the light
Anathemas
- Willful Ignorance: Refusing to learn when knowledge is available
- Hoarding Knowledge: Keeping useful information secret for personal gain
- Spreading Lies: Deliberately sharing false information
Moreyn, the Ending
Concept: Death, completion, necessary conclusions, release from suffering
Allies: The Unknowing, The Changing
Enemies: The Preserving, The Growing
Values
- Grant Merciful Release: End unnecessary suffering when healing is impossible
- Complete Unfinished Business: Ensure proper closure to important matters
- Destroy What Corrupts: Eliminate things that have become twisted beyond redemption
Anathemas
- Creating Undead: Preventing natural death through necromancy
- Prolonging Agony: Extending suffering when peaceful death or healing is possible
- Abandoning Duties: Leaving important tasks incomplete
Riven, the Growing
Concept: Development, expansion, potential realized, life force, cultivation
Allies: The Revealing, The Connecting
Enemies: The Ending, The Reducing
Values
- Nurture Potential: Help others develop their capabilities
- Protect Seedlings and Children: Defend vulnerable new life forms
- Restore What Was Lost: Heal emotional or spiritual wounds, rebuild communities
Anathemas
- Destroying Potential: Deliberately preventing others from reaching their capabilities
- Harming the Defenseless: Attacking those who cannot fight back
- Promoting Decay: Spreading disease or poison
Lyth, the Connecting
Concept: Bonds between people, unity, interdependence, community building
Allies: The Growing, The Protecting
Enemies: The Isolating, The Consuming
Values
- Build Bridges: Create understanding between different groups
- Honor Bonds: Respect relationships, promises, and obligations to others
- Strengthen Communities: Actively sacrifice and work to make groups more cohesive and supportive
Anathemas
- Sowing Division: Deliberately creating conflict between allies
- Breaking Oaths: Violating promises made to others
- Abandoning Allies: Fleeing when others depend on you
Voss, the Isolating
Concept: Independence, solitude, self-reliance, necessary separation
Allies: The Preserving, The Depths
Enemies: The Connecting, The Revealing
Values
- Refuse Unearned Help: Decline assistance when you can accomplish tasks yourself
- Defend Others’ Right to Solitude: Actively protect people who wish to be left alone
- Protect Individual Rights: Defend personal autonomy against group pressure
Anathemas
- Forced Dependency: Making others reliant on you through manipulation
- Intruding on Sacred Privacy: Entering private spaces or demanding personal secrets
- Mob Mentality: Surrendering individual judgment to group thinking
Bren, the Protecting
Concept: Safety, preservation, guardianship, defense of the innocent
Allies: The Connecting, The Ordering
Enemies: The Consuming, The Changing
Values
- Take Significant Risks to Shield Innocents: Put yourself in real danger to defend those who cannot defend themselves
- Preserve What Matters: Protect important people, places, and things. Create and maintain places where people can find sanctuary.
- Accept Guardian Responsibilities: Take on duties to watch over others or places
Anathemas
- Enabling Predators: Allowing those you protect to harm others
- Cowardly Abandonment: Fleeing when you should stand guard
- Reckless Endangerment: Putting those under your protection at unnecessary risk
Nayeth, the Consuming
Concept: Appetite, taking what is needed, absorption, hunger satisfied
Allies: The Changing, The Reducing
Enemies: The Protecting, The Growing
Values
- Take Only What Is Needed: Seize resources necessary for survival, but no excess
- Efficient Use: Waste nothing that has value
- Absorb Lessons: Learn from what you consume or conquer
Anathemas
- Wasteful Destruction: Destroying useful resources without purpose
- Gluttony: Taking far more than you need
- Feeding on Innocents: Preying on those who pose no threat
Kodris, the Ordering
Concept: Structure, patterns, rules, systems that create stability
Allies: The Revealing, The Protecting
Enemies: The Unknowing, The Chaotic
Values
- Mediate Disputes Justly: Use established procedures to settle conflicts
- Uphold Beneficial Laws: Support rules that serve the common good
- Create Lasting Institutions: Build organizations that will endure and serve future generations
Anathemas
- Ignoring Laws for Personal Convenience: Breaking beneficial laws for selfish reasons
- Creating Unfair Systems or Making Corrupt Deals: Establishing rules or agreements that primarily benefit yourself
- Spreading Chaos: Destroying useful order without better replacement
Vex, the Chaotic
Concept: Randomness, upheaval, unpredictability, creative destruction
Allies: The Changing, The Freeing
Enemies: The Ordering, The Binding
Values
- Trust in Random Chance: Make extremely important decisions using dice, cards, or other random methods
- Break Unjust Systems: Destroy structures that oppress or harm
- Encourage Creativity: Support new and unusual approaches to problems
Anathemas
- Rigid Inflexibility: Refusing to adapt when change is clearly needed
- Oppressive Control: Using power to stifle others’ freedom
- Destroying Beauty: Ruining things of genuine value for no purpose
Thyr, the Changing
Concept: Transformation, adaptation, evolution, metamorphosis
Allies: The Ending, The Chaotic
Enemies: The Preserving, The Binding
Values
- Repurpose the Old for New Uses: Transform existing things to serve different purposes
- Facilitate Others’ Growth: Help people transform in positive and extreme ways
- Adapt or Perish: Take on novel and dangerous tactics when facing defeat or failure
Anathemas
- Enforced Stagnation: Preventing others from changing or growing
- Clinging to the Past: Letting outdated methods hold you back
- Resisting Necessary Change: Refusing to adapt when survival depends on it
Lorn, the Preserving
Concept: Maintenance, conservation, tradition, continuity across time
Allies: The Isolating, The Binding
Enemies: The Changing, The Ending
Values
- Maintain Traditions: Preserve customs and knowledge from the past
- Honor Ancestors: Respect the wisdom and sacrifices of those who came before
- Guard Against Historical Loss: Prevent the destruction of culturally or historically significant things
Anathemas
- Careless Destruction of History: Damaging or destroying things of historical value
- Dishonoring the Dead: Disrespecting ancestors or their memory
- Abandoning Duty: Failing to maintain responsibilities passed down to you
Divine Politics
Allied Relationships
Primal Deities with shared philosophical ground often support each other’s faithful:
- Zekar, the Unknowing & Moreyn, the Ending: Both accept that some things are beyond mortal reach
- Tyris, the Revealing & Kodris, the Ordering: Both seek to understand and organize reality
- Riven, the Growing & Lyth, the Connecting: Both work to build and strengthen connections
- Voss, the Isolating & Lorn, the Preserving: Both value maintaining what already exists
- Nayeth, the Consuming & Thyr, the Changing: Both embrace necessary consumption and change
- Bren, the Protecting & Kodris, the Ordering: Both work to create stable, protective structures
- Vex, the Chaotic & Thyr, the Changing: Both oppose rigid, unchanging systems
Enemy Relationships
Opposing Primal Deities represent fundamentally incompatible worldviews:
- Zekar, the Unknowing vs Tyris, the Revealing: Mystery vs revelation
- Moreyn, the Ending vs Riven, the Growing: Ending vs beginning
- Lyth, the Connecting vs Voss, the Isolating: Connection vs independence
- Bren, the Protecting vs Nayeth, the Consuming: Protection vs consumption
- Kodris, the Ordering vs Vex, the Chaotic: Order vs chaos
- Thyr, the Changing vs Lorn, the Preserving: Change vs preservation
Worship Practices
Everyone acknowledges all twelve concepts as valid forces in the world, but each person generally chooses to focus their devotion on one Primal Deity whose philosophy most closely matches that person’s worldview. Temples typically house shrines to multiple Primal Deities, though each temple usually has a primary patron.
Divine Practitioners who take the Divine Practitioner perk must choose a single Primal to serve, representing their deepest philosophical commitment.