Editing Exploring the Halls of Arden Vul: Deities

=The Archontean Pantheons=
There were twelve original gods of Archontos, with the earliest written reference to one of them dating to 1218 SP (sine pacti, ‘without the compact’, before the Compact of Ennius). Certainly, all of the Twelve were acknowledged by c.500 SP, and thus they were the gods whom the Archonteans brought with them in the period of imperial expansion. 

During this period, the Twelve each boasted broad portfolios of ‘expertise’. This made syncretism not only possible but common during the Archontean expansion: it was easy enough for the Archonteans to see in some foreign god a particular ‘aspect’ of one of the Twelve. For instance, Sekhmet came to be understood as an aspect of Wadjet, with special influence on fire and warfare. Of course, whether or not such foreign gods were distinct entities or merely aspects of the Twelve was, of course, a hotly debated theological point. Some modern theologians blame this flexible and accepting approach for the gradual decline of the Twelve; these critics suggest that by claiming to encompass all things, the Twelve lost their uniqueness and thus their appeal to the broader populace. 

For whatever reason, worship of the Twelve had become ossified and ritualized by the time of the War of Sortians and Theosophs. By 1855 AEP (nearly 1200 years ago), the imperial government decided to officially link itself to a new slate of deities, ones whose divine support promised to revive the empire. The new pantheon centered around ten very powerful deities (“the Ten”) who were served by seventeen (or more) lesser gods. Theological cynics could and did note that many of these ‘new’ gods resembled the most popular of the ‘aspects’ of the old pantheon, but the official position is that the Ten are distinct from the Twelve. In the present, worship of the old gods is rare; some of the Twelve are forgotten, and at least one (Horus) is presumed ‘dead’. The Ten and the Seventeen have clearly replaced them. For the past 500 years, the emperor has also been the subject of a cult; the theology of this is a bit fuzzy, and ‘worship’ of the emperor is primarily understood as a measure of loyalty more than anything else. 

Note: the Archonteans remain accepting of foreign gods; it is not at all uncommon to find temples or shrines to the Wiskin and Thorcin pantheons existing alongside those of their Archontean rivals within the communities of the Empire. The same, however, is not true beyond the borders of the empire; shrines and temples to the Ten are unwelcome outside the imperial boundaries.

==The Ten==

{|
|+The Ten
|-
!God
!Alignment
!Areas of Influence
!Symbol(s) and Weapon(s)
|-
| '''Ardenia Tessaeron''' (F), greater god
| Lawful, Good
| Wisdom, battle tactics, invention, justice
| Owl; spear
|- 
| '''Crestion''' (M), greater god
| Chaotic, Good
| Poetry, music, the arts, creative impulses, selfishness
| Lyre, cluster of wild berries; bow
|-
| '''Debellaton''' (M), greater god
| Lawful, Evil
| Death, might, order through might, sacrifice
| Skull, scythe, black disk; flail
|-
| '''Demma''' (F), greater god
| Good
| Fertility, crops, households, childbirth, magic
| A seed; flail
|-
| '''Heschius Ban''' (M), greater god
| Evil, Lawful
| Triumph, water, inevitability, power, magic
| Shackles, a green oval; flail
|-
| '''Lucreon''' (M), greater god
| Lawful
| Profit, amassing wealth, negotiation, merchants, impartiality
| A gold coin; hammer
|-
| '''Lysseon''' (M), greater god
| Chaotic
| Wine, indulgence, madness, rage, creativity
| A bunch of grapes; flail, sickle
|-
| '''Mitra''' (M), greater god
| Lawful, Good
| Justice, contracts, omniscience, defender, oaths, humanitarian impulses
| Scales of justice, lions, flames; long sword
|-
| '''Thelis''' (F), greater god
| Good, Chaotic
| Love, desire, aspiration, planning
| Diamond; sword
|-
| '''Tychias''' (F), greater god
| Neutral, Chaotic
| Luck, fate, wealth, ‘the Lady of Thieves’
| Crimson coin; dagger, staff
|}