Editing The Gods of Polesia (section)

==The Elder Gods==

These being the gods of the races that ruled before the advent of human civilization, and often were worshiped by humans of older cultures before mostly being replaced by the Thesian and Lattaneran gods. Many are still worshiped by non-human servants.

'''Asmodeus, Azhatahn, Slaver of Souls, Lord of Lies, Prince of Perdition, Hierophant of Hell (LE):''' Evil, Fire, Law, Magic, Trickery

'''Dwarven Ancestors (LN):''' The dwarves long ago spurned the worship of outsiders or monsters as gods and instead turned their veneration to the collective spirits of the dead, not in a necromantic sort of way but rather revering their long gone strength, wisdom, and power. The Ancestors simultaneously protect the dwarven people and their specific families and are generally called upon by priests, though any dwarf can pray to them or call out to them in their time of need. It is believed that the further into the earth a dwarf is the closer he is to the ancestors and therefore the easier it is for them to hear his call and come to his aid. Domains are Artificer, Community, Glory, Protection, and Repose (Ancestor Subdomain), War.

'''Hypnos, Olthahîr, Lord of Dreams, Eternity’s Edge, Keeper of the Stairs (CN):''' While often included in the more modern pantheon of Thesian gods that spread throughout the world, he was actually around long before them with various guises and names but always the god of dreams, prophecy, and nightmares. Domains are Knowledge, Liberation, Madness, and Trickery.

'''Kashtet, Mother of Cats, Mnath’s Familiar (LN):''' A protection deity from Shahar-Khet, depicted as a human with the head and claws of a lioness. Domains are Law, Protection, Strength, and War.

'''Karakagdh, Lord of the Sidhe, The Fey King, The Shifting Element (CN):''' An older elven god of the seasons and the deeper woods, he is more intoned in small personal prayers than any actual rituals. Domains are Animal, Madness, Plant, are Protection.

'''Mordiggian, The Charnel God, The Warrior’s Last Breath, The Great Vulture (N):''' One of the most ancient interpretations of the god of death, he is worshiped highly in Eshtora and even Dhumarja. He is said to be the first patron of all ghouls and appears mostly as an enormous, pale and bloated worm. Domains are Darkness, Death, Destruction, Repose.

'''Mnath, The Great Examiner, The Answer in the Dark, Lord of Riddles (LN):''' An ancient Shahar-Khet god of scholars and arcanology, he is viewed as an elderly man with the shrewd piercing gaze of an eagle. Knowledge, Magic, Law, and Travel.

'''Nodans, Nuada Silverhand, The Lord of the Wild Hunt, Stalker of the Abyss (N):''' Possibly one of the few mortals that ascended to godhood through unknown means, Nodens was once the Lataneran interpretation of the elven hunting deity Nuada. He is largely not worshiped by humans anymore but the elves still venerate him with sacrifice during high summer. Domains are Luck, Strength, Trickery, and War.

'''Oryx, Fiery Gullet, Light in the Void, The Last Star (N):''' A god imagined by the ancient Thesians to be in charge of the movement of stars across the sky. Domains are Fire, Death, Destruction, and Void.

'''The Old Faith (N):''' The name given to the collective faiths of the barbarian tribes that can now be found mostly in the Freedlands, the old faith is the veneration of the earth and the forces of nature as well as a collection of powerful spirits and sometimes fey creatures. Orignally the beliefs of the Aghenti tribes that used to wander all of northern Antanides, who in turn learned it from the elves, all druidic tradition stems from the Old Faith, but many have incorporated more modern deities or ideals into this ancient belief (and vice versa with  many clerics of the more naturally inclined gods like Epka and Typhera adopting a more druidic style to their worship). In the Freedlands and on the fringes of Avandor the Old Faith holds strongest and many the tribes carry a totem of their region's protective spirit (or manatu) that they venerate above all others. These totems may be animals, such as the Grandfather Bear, the Great Wolf, or the Hunting Dog, others may be specific landmarks such as the Sacred Tree in Woodheart or (long ago) the volcano that would become Mt. Keitos. The manatu vary from tribe to tribe, some are protective parental figures that wander with their tribes to protect them. Others are distant and never leave their single spot unless entreated with sacrifice (which itself can vary between food and prayers, to human blood). The Old Faith has many different sects, but its oldest (some would actually argue that this is the original) is a group of priests that venerate not the spirits of the earth but rather wayward spirits of the sky who they say seeded all life on earth and then returned to the stars, deities with strange names like Shub-Niggurath, Azathoth, and Yog-Sothoth. Domains are Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Sun, Water, War, or Weather.