Religions of Thenard

These resource pages are to be considered Work-in-Progress. Expect to see more detail added to them as I progress plots and add more details to the developing setting.

Most Thenardians believe in a common--or at least similar--origin to their world and their diverse races:The first world was Fenard. It was known as chaos, and many spirits and demons filled it. Arrin, a god and champion of order amongst chaos, fought the demons around him constantly, along with his bride. But they were outnumbered, and Arrin could not rest in Fenard, so he created a separate world.

Urlard was the second world, and there Arrin and Shae could live in peace. Shae made Urlard beautiful, and her gardens began to spring up mortal life that was echoes of Fenard. Arrin foresaw that these mortals would be corrupt and would multiply to sully paradise, so he made a third world for mortals, where a few might prove worthy and pure enough for Urlard.

Thenard was the third world. Arrin set it between a column of ice and a pillar of fire to ensure it was comfortable to frail mortals. When it was formed, Shae blessed it with growing things and beauty as well. The mortal spirits grouped towards one of eight different corruptions, and so she set each type of corruption on a separate island. On Jotunhem, she placed the giants, who were ignorant. On Aerinhem, she placed the apathetic faeries. Dverghem would house the greedy dwarves. Ruhn would be the cradle of man, who was filled with desire, and it is the richest and largest of the seven islands. In Elfenhem she placed the proud elves. In Necrohem she planted the wrathful arachnae, and in Orkhem she settled the slothful orcs.

Hoping to unify and heal the broken mortals, Shae planted orichalcum—magical ore—throughout Thenard, and on each island she made a ley site--places of magical power that enhanced magic and made teleportation between the islands possible.

Pantheon

Most of Thenard's religions acknowledge each other in some polytheistic manner. With the exceptions of The Primacy and The Opus, the religions of Thenard worship the gods for their specific traits.

• Arrin: The father of the gods, Arrin is master of prophecy and responsible for creating Thenard after foreseeing the short-comings of mortals.

• Shae: As mother of the Urlen, Shae is nurturer and goddess of growing things. She is responsible for cultivating paradise--Urlard.

• Threx: God of storm and personal combat.

• Threia: Hospitible, kind, and a negotiator, considered by many equal to her mother, Shae. Third-born to Arrin and Shae.

• Aesur: Builder, warrior, and leader. Second son of Arrin.

• Siggi: Wed one of Arrin's sons, Orix, helping him to escape a succubus' trap.

• Norj: Sailor and explorer. Bastard of Arrin and a demonette of Fenard.

• Vare: Goddess of pledges and law.

• Feremall: Full of honor and purity, born of the first nine maidens Arrin found pure enough to enter Urlard.

• Sharre: Fairest of the goddess', given to stirring the passions of mortals.

• Orix: Brave and strong, often accompanying Threx.

• Sirif: Goddess of locks and barriers, binding the ring fastening Thenard in place.

• Lopt: Deceiver and trickster, the son of a wolf and a demon.

• Uotra: Goddess of rage and vengeance, younger sister to Threia.

The Primacy

The Primacy is most popular in the Empire of Horth, but also thriving within the gnomish and elvish kingdoms. While polytheistic in the sense that they acknowledge other gods' existence, The Primacy holds that only one god deserves mortals' praise. The Horthians hold that Arrin, the father of the Urlen--the gods--is superior. A smaller Kheran sect believes that Shae, Arrin's wife and mother of the Urlen, is superior. Both spread similar messages of acceptance and the hope of being ushered past the eleventh seal at Urlynth, where followers of both faiths try to make their pilgrimages in their lifetimes.

The Opus

The dominant religion of the Drow, and a cult elsewhere. This religion believes that the gods are actually the echoes of defeated enemies of chaos, and that the demons and spirits of that realm are superior. Chaos, according to the Opus, is not unjust or malign, but diverse and beautiful, like a symphony. And like a symphony, it is worthy of admiration and study. The followers of the Opus do not necessarily worship demons, however, as they see chaos as a striated chord of elements where demons form a crude bass to the higher functions of the symphony.