Summary of the Gods of Ior

Eanna is the goddess of the sun, the life of the realm, bringing the harvest and giving light and inspiration to all mortals, providing for them and comforting them. She is the wife of Aldanoc, and the supreme ruler of the heavens. All the other gods turn to her for wisdom and defer to her in mediation. It was she who armed the mortal races with fire at the dawn of time, and she who marks out wizards and sorcerers with their arcane gift. The mortal races love her best of all the gods, and her worship is especially widespread among humankind.   Aldanoc is the god of the moon. Eanna’s husband must spend long months away from her, for he is the Grand Protector, the bastion against darkness. He faces an eternal battle for the sake of his realm; every month his power wanes and it seems the darkness has overtaken him, but every month he returns, and in his full glory the night cowers before him. The stars are his shieldmaidens, the deadliest warriors in the heavens save their lord himself. To Aldanoc’s cause paladins of all races swear their devotion; he is the patron of righteous warriors, and gives his blessing to those who follow his example.   Kazan is the oldest child of Eanna and Aldanoc. He is god of the earth and the deep places, and the patron of craftsmen. He makes sturdy the halls of the dwarves and the caverns of the underground. Kazan’s lessons are those of honor and loyalty. It is he who binds warriors to their lords and lords to their kingdoms. He is present wherever men hold their duty sacred, and when mortals find the strength to stand their ground and lay down their lives, he is by their side. Kazan is the stalwart pillar, keeping the whims of his sister and brother in check as the eldest should.   Tarsaralei, goddess of the sea and storms, is the middle child of Eanna and Aldanoc. She directs wind and water, and gives the elements their power. Destruction follows in her wake, for she is careless and capricious, but she is not evil at heart. When she turns and sees the ruin behind her, she is consumed by remorse, and hides her face and runs to her brothers to tell them what she has done. Sailors pray to her fervently, knowing that she means them no harm if they can but attract her attention. The manticore is thought by some to be a creation of hers; they see a reflection of her in the monster’s volatile moods and relentless rage. When a manticore is killed, many hunters will loudly praise the slain beast’s might and majesty, hoping their flattery will dispel Tarsaralei’s wrath at her creature’s destruction.   Finumeyn, god of the sky, is the youngest of Eanna and Aldanoc’s children. His are the plains and the open spaces, and many believe he holds a special love for the vast expanse of the Gryphon Runs. He is patron of the arts, the bard god, the entertainer. All things that run or fly free bring him joy, from the birds and buffalo to notes of music on the wind. Finumeyn is restless and reckless, but he trusts his brother and heeds Kazan’s council when told that a given course would bring harm. Finumeyn’s flute and unbound spirit are the only things to stir the icy heart of the forest goddess, and though she hides from him as from all others, he hopes always for the day when she might emerge from the shadowed wood to greet him.   Nesmerleth, the Inevitable Queen, is ruler of the underworld, goddess of death, and the hand of justice. She is sister of Settraes. Nesmerleth sits on her throne of mist and pale stone, her great scale at her left hand and her terrible sword in her lap, pondering her judgments. Necromancy that raises the body mildly displeases her for its disrespect to the dead, but that which seeks to trap the soul draws her ire more directly by more pointedly defying her authority. She comes and goes in the fog, and people think of the mist as a window to the land of the dead. Most days she is content to remain in her kingdom of the dead, knowing that none escape facing her in the end, but occasionally, her patience wears out. At that hour, she lifts her scale and sword from their rest and descends in awesome retribution to the mortal world, for to stand in the gaze of her justice is swift annihilation for the treacherous and malevolent.   Settraes, Nesmerleth’s brother, is god of the desert. He watches over travelers and adventurers, and many an inn and mercenary hall have a shrine in his honor. He is the redeemer of the wicked, who causes men to try their own souls, at task he undertakes for his sister’s sake. He knows that every soul his sister may judge righteous pleases her beyond measure, and more so those whom he can cause to atone for past wrongdoings and seek redemption. Settraes gives to mortals a journey worth taking, from the withering heat and blinding cold to challenge them to the glory of discovery and treasure to reward them.   Shirtheri is the Predator, who rules the forests, the wilds, the hidden and the secret, all beasts and mortals who fight and kill to survive. She is the Mystery, neither mother nor daughter, neither sister nor lover to any of the other gods, and not even they know whence she hails. Druids and woodsmen revere her, but not even they desire a meeting with her. To stand in Shirtheri’s presence is a perilous gamble, for she takes a few mortal mates but far more mortal prey. She appears as a woman not wholly human nor elf nor beast, crouching and unclothed. Her steely hands are a steady hold on ground or branch, her hair a tangled mane and her eyes shine hard with pitiless hunger.   Kayat’sya- The Vengeful, the Grey Sentinel. He came into this realm created by the sorrow, suffering and death that stemmed from the god's war against Drrakktheron. He is the embodiment of vengeance, blind justice, and hatred for the darkness. Yet because he was spawned from foul deeds and corruption his purpose is equally corrupt. What he views as just, others would see cruel revenge. He loves all that is light, wild and free. He is the champion of natural order and abhors all things destructive in nature. Thus he wanders the lands, the Grey Sentinel, traveling the wilds and dealing out his brand of justice. He sees only black and white when it comes to evil acts and punishments are swift and terrible.   Gwyfyn - The Crone, the Moth Mother. She is the mother of witches. She is the purveyor of wild magic, mysteries, and rituals. Gwyfyn taught the mortals the secrets of runes, the powers of crystals, and the language of herbs. Her domains are wisdom, mystery, and magic, and she watches over her children with her heralds, the moths. The white moth is her sacred symbol; when one is present it is said to have been sent by Gwyfyn to observe and report on her behalf. She is both energy and temperance, she represents all facets of women, yet she is the crone, beyond the wild whims of the young.