COSMOLOGY

Legend has it that a group of three powerful gods called the Creators first crafted the cosmos, bringing life to the world of Vorel. The Creators are unknown, believed to have moved on long before the present gods came into power. Tales of Ildikar does not use the standard DnD cosmology, although it is similar. The different types of planes of existence are detailed below.

TRANSITIVE PLANES
These three planes have one important common characteristic: Each is used to get from one place to another. The Astral Plane is a conduit to all other planes, while the Ethereal Plane and the Plane of Shadow both serve as means of transportation within the Material Plane they’re connected to. These planes have the strongest regular interaction with the Material Plane and are often accessed by using various spells. They have native inhabitants as well.

INNER PLANES
These six planes are manifestations of the basic building blocks of the universe. Each is made up of a single type of energy or element that overwhelms all others— earth, air, water, fire, negative energy, and positive energy. The natives of a particular Inner Plane are made of the same energy or element as the plane itself (or have a very high resistance to it).

OUTER PLANES
The deities are believed to have once lived on the Outer Planes, as do creatures such as celestials, demons, and devils. Each of the Outer Planes has an alignment, representing a particular moral or ethical outlook, and the natives of each plane tend to behave in agreement with that plane’s alignment. The good-aligned planes are often referred to simply as Heaven, while the evil-aligned planes are called Hell. The individual names of the planes that make up Heaven and Hell are known only to outsiders and a handful of powerful mages or learned scholars. The Outer Planes are also the final resting place of souls from the Material Plane, whether that final rest takes the form of calm introspection or eternal damnation. With the absence of the gods, the Outer Planes are a battlefield between the various celestial and demonic forces.

DEMIPLANES
This catch-all category covers all extradimensional spaces that function like planes but have measurable size and limited access. Other kinds of planes are theoretically infinite in size, but a demiplane might be only a few hundred feet across.

THE VEIL
When the Proteans conquered Ildikar, they came from an unidentified dimension. Mages and scholars have tried to find this realm for two thousand years. Little has shed light on the plane of the Proteans’ origin, and no one has claimed to have traveled there. The entrance into this plane is known as the Veil, but no one has discovered its location.
 

DEITIES

Ildikar once knew a vast multitude of gods and goddesses, but time and lack of interaction between the deities and their followers has destroyed all but the most visible churches. The following deities are the most widely worshipped (or feared) in the multiverse.

ARDENIA - (CN) The goddess of beauty and love, Ardenia has been the consort of most of the gods at one point or another. Her followers revere beauty in any form, from art to nature to physical charms. She most often appears as a blindingly-beautiful nymph. Her favored weapon is the dagger, and her holy symbol is a red rose.

CINDORA - (CG) Goddess of the moon, the fickle Cindora is also associated with the hunt. She is the patron deity of the Dedrunai elves, and their affinity for the moon can be attributed to her. Legend holds that the first lycanthropes were also created by Cindora. Her power can breed madness, and a great many of her creations turned to evil. She has mourned her mistake ever since. Art depicts her as a tall elven woman with dark hair. Her followers include elves, good-aligned lycanthropes, oracles, and sailors. Her symbol is a crescent moon, and her favored weapon is the bow.

DROMENOR - (LG) The god of honor and valor, Dromenor was once a major deity that has faded into relative obscurity. The ideals he embodies are not as popular as they once were under the reign of the Ildikaran Empire. Paladins revere Dromenor, and a handful of monastic traditions still exist. Mornigan is his sworn enemy. Dromenor’s avatars appear as both dwarves and humans, but always with full beards and shining golden armor. His favored weapon is the longsword. His symbol is a dragon-crested shield.

ERGANUS - (N) Erganus, Archmage of the gods, controls the spheres of magic and knowledge. Mages of any sort respect his power, whether they worship him openly or not. It is believed that Erganus is not the original deity of magic, but that he inherited the role somehow thousands of years ago. He has been represented in several different ways, from an elderly human to a cloud of magical energy. The quarterstaff is his favored weapon, and his symbol is a white circle on a dark blue field.

GAMNDELL (NG) One of the few mortal ascendants in the Ildikaran pantheon, Gamndell was once a legendary gnome bard. He is known as the Jester or the Laughing Lord. He instructs his followers to live life with humor and zest, always seeking to bring the high low and the low high. Narcelia holds a grudge with Gamndell over his control of trickery, that was once hers as a form of deceit. A set of bells is his holy symbol. His favored weapon is the flapjack (club).

HARGUND – (LN) The god of craft, artifice, and invention, Hargund is an enterprising deity that was once highly-involved with mortals. It was Hargund who first introduced fire, the wheel, and even steel to the peoples of Vorel. His followers include artificers, inventors, and even some forward-thinking politicians. Among these followers, a great many are dwarves, who appreciate his mastery of the crafting of metal and steel, and gnomes, who value his progressive thinking. Stories relate that Hargund possesses every invention to ever be created, withholding them from mortals until the proper time. No one knows who determines this, but sages theorize it could be a mandate from the Creators. His symbol is a hammer and anvil, and his favored weapon is the warhammer.

ILMURION - (N) Ilmurion is the goddess of nature and the earth. She is called the Great Mother. She, along with the sea god Neremus, is sometimes alleged to be one of the Creators, although even her priests deny this. She appears as an old but vital human, sometimes a dryad, with hair that changes color with the seasons. Modern druids claim that Ilmurion introduced the druidic arts into the world. Her followers include druids, rangers, intelligent plants and animals, and farmers. Her symbol is an oak leaf.

KAUL TAAS - (LN) God of death and repose, Kaul Taas is the dispassionate harvester of the living. He sends his avatars to collect the souls of the dead, and they go about their business with cold determination. He, perhaps ironically, hates undead creatures and their rebellion against the natural order. He appears as an impossibly tall dark-robed skeleton. His followers watch over aspects of mortal life that involve death, from hospice care to officiating funerals. His favored weapon is the scythe. A skull is his symbol.

LUCENT - (NG) One of the most visible churches in these dark times, Lucent is the god of the sun, healing, and light. A great many of his followers are commoners, and their faith in Lucent has bred a small measure of hope. His clergy is heavily-involved in local communities, from teaching literacy to constructing homes. Lucent is shown as an athletic human or sometimes as a giant eagle. Cindora, goddess of the moon, is his sister. Lucent is allied with Dromenor in his crusade against evil, and Narcelia is his fiercest enemy. His favored weapon is the morningstar, and his symbol is a stylized sun.

MADDOF - (CN) Maddof, called the Vagabond, is the god of travel, daring, and thieves. His followers rarely worship him directly, for the stories of Maddof relate that the god prefers to be honored by bold deeds. In times past, he sometimes served as a messenger to the gods. He is depicted in a variety of forms, from a rugged human, to a halfling or gnome, to a menagerie of animals. His favored weapon is the dagger, and his symbol is a weathered boot and glove.

MASKORL - (N) Maskorl is the powerful god of war. It is said that he has never lost a battle, even among the gods. Whether this is true or not, opposing sides always give supplication for his support, believing the side he chooses to be destined to win. His followers revel in the thrill of battle for its own sake. Some are ravening berserkers, but disciplined soldiers are just as often found among the faithful. He appears as a gigantic human or, occasionally, an orc. His symbol is a crossed sword over an axe. Clerics may consider either the greatsword or the greataxe as his favored weapon.

MEDWEN - (N) The goddess of wealth and commerce, Medwen is perhaps the most widely-worshipped deity in the pantheon in modern times. Her temples are found throughout large cities, and her priests are among the most wealthy and influential citizens in any region. Over the past century, the church of Medwen has become increasingly involved in global politics. Medwen’s avatars are always finely-dressed human women. Medwen is not truly aligned with or against any particular deity, preferring to keep her options always open— a trait she prizes in her followers. A coin-fashioned chakram is her favored weapon. A coin with a young woman’s visage is her symbol.

MORNIGAN - (LE) God of strife, tyranny, and oppression, Mornigan is a being of terrible power that seeks to rule the cosmos. Legends relate that on several different occasions he has done just that. His dogma of survival of the fittest and his subversive teachings on the proper use of power is enticing to even well-meaning leaders. His followers include monarchs and other nobility, merchant lords, and an assortment of others that have plans of domination. He is depicted as a stately human at times and a monstrous devil at others. Mornigan has clashed with Dromenor more than once, and the two harbor a hatred that only gods could conjure. His favored weapon is the flail, and his symbol is a clenched fist.

NARCELIA - (NE) Narcelia is the goddess of darkness, murder, secrets, and deceit. Her followers are composed of assassins, illusionists, con artists, and other deviants. She was once a succubus who stole divinity through guile. She has many enemies, but her allegiance to her consort Mornigan protects her from most forms of retaliation. Her church operates in secret (naturally), but they are active. The scourge is her favored weapon. Her symbol is a pair of closed lips.

NEREMUS - (CN) Called the “Old Man,” Neremus is the god of the sea. He is an ancient deity, and some have even conjectured he was one of the Creators (although this has never been substantiated). He is wildly chaotic, acting on pure impulse and desire like the oceans he is lord over. He has few dedicated followers, but he is known to anyone who sails the seas. Death at sea is referred to as going to the “arms of Neremus.” He appears as an old triton or merfolk with a long white beard. His symbol is a conch shell and his favored weapon is the trident.

RAST - (CE) Rast is the god of destruction and pestilence. In art, he appears as a huge, diseased monster (whose form varies depending on the source). He desires to destroy all life, even that of his followers. A small cult is devoted to him, but for the rest of creation, he is a force to be avoided or stopped. Even evil-aligned deities are reluctant to deal with him, but his destructive fury is hard to ignore. His favored weapon is the greataxe. His symbol varies among the small groups that form his cult. It seems whatever the group attributes significance to can function as a holy symbol.