The Gods of Zealot

Gods, like Mortals, rise and fall. They live and die. They love and hate. The life and death of a God, however, weaves new skies and drains ancient oceans. All the same, like ours, their love starts battle, and their hate ignites wars.
Myr’naianesa, High Priestess of Nepheris

Introduction

The Pantheon is the seat of Divine power in Circadia. While there are many Divine beings, some of whom will never make contact with the Mortal world, only those Gods in the Pantheon can fully gift their power to Mortals. Those Gods who occupy the Pantheon not only shape the magic of the Mortal world but serve as the chief governors of Mortal life. The wishes, dictations, and whims of the Gods shape how normal people live their lives and, as mediated by the Devout, the Gods reign supreme. The Gods who occupy the Pantheon have changed over time, though Gods usually reign for generations.

Importantly, the Gods and the Pantheon are not the origin of life–rather, they influence and color it. Divine Magic is the subject of infinite theses and theories, and the specific nature of Magic remains debated by the most prolific of scholars. Nevertheless, even rival philosophers generally agree on one maxim: Gods do not create life, they shape it; the origins of life are unknown and something outside the purview of even the Gods.

The Pantheon is both physical and supernatural in nature. While Divine magic runs freely from the Gods to their Devout, the Pantheon and the reigning Gods is located on the island of Horizon–a place unreachable by Mortals, just past the line of the sunrise.

In addition to The Pantheon, there are a small number of “Fallen Gods.” These are Gods who, at one time in their lives, occupied a seat on the Pantheon and, for whatever reason, lost it. However, unlike other Divine beings, these Gods still hold sway in the Mortal World and can offer very small amounts of their power to the pious.

It is important to note that, while the Pantheon is as old as Circadia itself, the current Pantheon is relatively new–and sometimes hotly contested. The occupancy of the current Pantheon was determined by the brutal Blood War and various political machinations therein.

(The Blood War is an important part of current life in Circadia, and it is recommended players read it.)

A Pronunciation Guide for the Gods’ names can be found at this link.