Deities

Deities, or the Gods, are beings with rituals and culture that surround their worship. They have established religions, and can grant followers of their religion Faith Magic. These religions originated in different planes, and are categorized as such. While these deities have a culture or geographic location that primarily worships them, all of them also have worshippers within the Frontier.

NOS
Within the Tawdonian Empire the citizens worship a single god called either NOS, the Three-Faced God, or The Aspected One. Each face of the god has a distinct name and purpose: Ney, Olt and Sim. This is the official religion of the Empire but the belief has spread to other locations and churches can be found within The Frontier. NOS is a deity who never shows themselves, and the only indication that they exist is the Faith magic they grant to few. Even the most devout followers of the religion may not have access to Faith magic. However, some historians and academics have a general skepticism if NOS really granted faith magic. Some believe that this power comes from the collective belief of this huge religion, rather than from any real deity. The symbol of NOS is an upside down triangle, with three triangles at each point. NOS is worshipped at dedicated churches and chapels with services run by Primes. The head of the Church is the Primus.

Conthestani Spirits
The core belief of the Conthestani people is that we must exist in harmony and balance with nature. Unsustainable extraction, exploitation of nature's resources to further ones greed is seen as shameful. The Conthestani believe Spirits inhabit everything, from each tree, animal, mortal, and object. Even places are said to contain a spirit. These spirits can be seen by psychics, of which there are many in the Conthestani population, and very powerful psychics called Keepers and are considered people that should be called upon for guidance.

The Conthestani do not have a rigorous class system or strict religious rules. Democracy, Community and Egalitarianism are enshrined in their ideals. Conthestani do not have a central deity, instead they rely on knowledge of history and The Stones and lived experience to inform their path. Stories are central to the Conthestani practices. Telling stories, sharing experiences and knowledge is how many bond and how the psychic stones 'learn'. Deities and interpretations change from Community to Community.(OoG: When tailoring a particular community and spiritual belief for you character. Do not partake in closed practices unless you are authorised to do so. A few examples of closed practices are: smudging, spirit animals, Voodou, Pashtun Mysticism, Shamanism and using objects like Dreamcatchers, war Bonnets and Medicine Wheels.)

As spirits are a central part of the Conthestani belief system, it is common practice for some young Conthestani to reach out to a specific spirit called a Guardian. This Guardian will follow the Conthestani in their lifetime, guiding them, giving wisdom, and protecting them. The most common form these Guardians take are animals, but it isn’t uncommon to have the spirit of a plant, object, or the spirit of one’s ancestor. The discovery of one’s Guardian is a personal process, with no unified ritual.

Some symbols of the Conthestani are the sun, moon, trees, flowers and stars. Psychically-charged stone circles, often referred to as psychic stones, standing stones, or just The Stone, serve as a place of worship and community.

Old Gods
Fitting the name, the Old Gods are not the primary belief of anyone anymore. They are a remnant of old human pantheistic beliefs, but are known to still incarnate and seek new followers. Those that do follow the Old Gods will erect small altars to serve as a point of worship.

Old Gods exist as a dual concept of something. Life and Death, Light and Shadow and Sickness and Health.

The Old God worship has mostly fallen out of favour due to the Rise of NOSians, religious suppression, but also the temperamental and potential danger to worshippers from the gods themselves.

Faerie
Faerie is the creator and primary deity of the plane known as the Mysts, and as such is referred to as the Mother of the Fey species. She has some influence on the Material Plane and has Faerie Circles as points of worship. She is made up of 7 different aspects, each representing one of the original Fae. Faerie rules over the True Fey, who in turn run the Fey Courts, of which all Fey are subject to.

Faerie's symbol is a butterfly, and she is depicted as a beautiful elven woman with butterfly wings. Faerie is the mother of Dragon, and stands diametrically opposed to him.

Dragon
Dragon is one of Faerie's creations that turned against her and was cast out from The Mysts. Taking on an aspect of destruction, he seeks out Fae that reject Faerie and leads them on a dangerous path - letting them believe they are no longer bound by Faerie's morals and code but merely turning them into tools of his revenge, often destroying his followers in the process. His cult is secretive, and will worship him at hidden carvings and idols away from prying eyes. Dragon does not sit as an alternative to Faerie.

(OOG: ADs highly recommend avoiding Dragon worship in backstories and ask player characters to be aware that Dragon Worship in this world is BAD. There is no sob story here or alternative narrative, Dragon is evil. If you worship Dragon openly, be aware that nearly ALL interactions with other players will be hostile, and will lead to character versus character combat. While this can be fun for an NPC shift, it is less so for a player character. It has and will cause bleed.)

Elemental Lords
Each Lord is a pure embodiment of an element, and exist in balance, with each other. They Consider themselves siblings and hold great respect for the others, however their differing values, often leads to sibling squabbling and disagreement.

The elemental lords are the creators of the Elemental Kin, and have sacred circles of power on many planes.

The 4 Elemental Lords are as follows

Lord Fire: The Passionate and verbose

Lord Water: The Pondering and analytical

Lord Earth: The Patient and considerate

Lord Air: The eccentric and Free

While the term Lord is often used for the deities, they have no particular gender and can be referred to by any pronoun the worshipper wishes.