Gods of Tetria
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Taiia (Ty-a) Goddess of the Sun
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Taiia is creator and destroyer alike, she is worshiped as the beginning and the end. Some mythologies refer to her as the mother of the gods, others as their queen, and most of them as the goddess of the sun. Whatever the case, her position rulership of the pantheon is without question. She is said to be the source of the light of life, of passion, and of power. It is she who makes the sun rise with the promise of a new day, and who makes the sun set with the warning that all things end. It is she who inflames the passions of all people to follow their hearts and to live life to the fullest. But get too near a flame and you get burnt, that is the other lesson of Taiia. And so passion and power and life must burn softly so that they last, or else your gifts will be extinguished and you will be left in darkness.
Taiia is fickle, much to the dismay of many. She extends and withdraws her blessings seemingly at random. Even those who oppose her can find themselves blessed by her power. Her doctrines as composed by the church assert that Taiia desires for mankind a fullness of experience. That her blessings to the wicked are a chance for them to experience her power and to know her, to be able to choose the right path once more, for while Taiia gives her blessing, she will ultimately withdraw it, and the wicked will know the darkness they have made for themselves while those who walk in the light will be saved from despair.
Taiia is pleased by festivals and fireworks, by large celebrations of any sort. She has two yearly festivals. One at the Summer Solstice, and the other at Winter. In summer the festival is a full day of exuberant celebration to bring honor to all that she has done for mankind. In winter it is a soft and quiet prayer over a fire to thank Taiia for the previous year and asking her to return once more. Her prayer is done over flame if possible, or at least by cupping ones hand so that it resembles a flame, followed by impassioned thanks or desires.
Io God of the Moon
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Io is the Manifold Dragon, both chaos and order at once. Some stories say he is a great villain who is eternally at war with Taiia, but the church does not endorse these stories. Instead he is portrayed as both a warning of the danger of the unknown as well as the power to challenge it. Those who call him the king of the gods miss their mark though, for though he desires no such title. Instead he grants his blessings to heroes that they might rise up and fight their oppressors.
Io is stalwart and dependable, a reliable friend for those who follow him, and a reliable foe for those who oppose him. Under his light, the remedies of the world can be found to grow and blossom, and the true nature of things can be seen. But woe betide those who incur Io's wrath, for he does not burn fast and bright like a flame, but relentless and unstoppable as the sea. His patience and memory are both unending. Yet for all his steadfastness, Io takes many forms, and is often unrecognized by those who behold him. It is said by the wise to treat all creatures as if they were Io in disguise.
Io is pleased by stories and songs that exemplify heroism and virtue, and more so by the acts thereof. He has no codified celebration, but many cultures celebrate him at the full moon through any number of ceremonies. His prayer is the cupping of one hand over another, as if to contain the moon, and bowing. Again, this takes many forms in many cultures depending on the exact position of the hands.
Mystra Goddess of Magic
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Mystra is the soul of magic in the cosmos, and obeys her own mysterious set of rules that are incomprehensible to all others. The church often illustrates her with one normal eye, one blind eye, and one glowing eye. The normal eye is so that she can see the cosmos. The glowing eye is so that she can see magic. The blind eye represents what she cannot see because she splits her focus. The stories indicate that while Mystra inhabits this cosmos, she sees and can interact with things that the other gods cannot. That is why she created the weave of magic throughout the cosmos, so that the gods, including herself, could disperse their power to strengthen and protect their worshipers and so that others might share the smallest piece of her sight. The gods are masters of reality, but only through Mystra can reality be transcended.
Like her mother, Mystra is fickle and prone to change. Her weave is forever undergoing shifts and alterations. However, she is an eternal protector of the force at her command. Far from wanting to destabilize the cosmos with her power, her goal is nothing less than the continued restraint and eventual destruction of Xoriat and its ilk. And by allowing mortals to use the power she possesses, she also taps into her mothers power and knowledge to strengthen her own. She is forever taking new forms, reimagining herself, and fracturing herself to spend time as a mortal. She seldom spends time handing out blessings, but when she does they are potent boons.
Mystra is pleased by the use of magic which does not reflect the realm of Xoriat, though for some strange reason she has not entirely restricted it. She is also less pleased by magic which causes death, which the church suspects is the result of a tempestuous relationship with her sister the Raven Queen, though again, she allows it. Her celebrations are always on unique celestial events, and they vary greatly by culture. Some are somber, others are exuberant, some are small affairs, and others span a kingdom. Her prayer is best done with incense, and involves open hands with palms toward the sky.
Cyndor (Sin-der) God of Time
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He is the caretaker of the Temporal Prime, said to be the one who originally set it in motion. He is said to exist in all times at once, and simultaneously be unconstrained by the time-stream. He is associated with fate and predestination, with causality and destiny, with prophecy and with history. It is difficult to honor Cyndor, as time is beyond most mortals to affect. Still, he is honored when destiny and prophecy are fulfilled, when history is remembered and studied, and when mortals seek to understand their destiny rather than defy it. He is similarly difficult to anger, but can be enraged by temporal magics used to damage the time stream and by the alteration and subversion of fate. When Cyndor is with you, your destiny has great importance and your mark on history is great, for better or worse. When he is against you, you are doomed to mediocrity and irrelevance, and your plans and intentions fall to ashes.
Raven Queen, Goddess of Death
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She guides souls that come her way to their respective afterlives. She is both cruel and kind, both hasty and patient. She sees every lifeline and terminates it at its proper time. Cyndor and she share certain abilities when it comes to the end of a life, but the Raven Queen is typically the one given latitude to decide the exact time and method of death. She is honored by respect for the departed, by rites and rituals to dispose of or preserve in honor the body of the deceased, and by death from old age. She is angered by resurrection and undeath equally, by disrespect for the departed, and by soul damage or destruction. When she is with you, your passing will be easy and you will have courage against the undead. When she is against you, omens of death haunt your every waking moment and when you inevitably die your end will display the lack of respect you showed to others.
Tharizdun (There-is-dune) God of Annihilation
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Tharizdun is the epitome of destruction, the soul of annihilation. He wants to end the entire multiverse and reduce it to nothingness. Gods and Planes and Worlds alike earn his ire. Existence itself is a thorn in his side that he desperately wishes to remove. Mortals are generally unaware, but Tharizdun is locked within a deifiic prison that limits his true power. Even confined, he can still reach out, garner followers, and wreak destruction. He is given tribute by merciless and unrelenting destruction. Genocide, continental obliteration, and apocalyptic events all earn his attention, and he works to maximize the casualties. He is enraged anytime these devastating events are not occurring. When he is with you, he empowers you like the flame of a torch, enabling terrible powers. You are quick to destroy, and almost as quick to burn to ashes.
Chapter 1 Alfie the Gnome Druid
Alfie wasn't exactly the most social of gnomes in his community. Growing up he tended to drift towards the fringes of his village of Water Gnomes along the local river known to the gnomes as Gleaming Brook where the seed to preserve nature in its purest form was planted.
Around Alfies sixties after being considered a frequent adventurer by his peers of the local woods Alfie stumbled upon a small grove in a place that he had been hundreds of times before, so being the curious soul that he was he investigated the small obtrustion that he found unfamiliar. After spending a couple of hours poking around the clearing looking for absolutely anything out of the ordinary and being able to find no signs of anything mischievous he decided it best to head home as it was starting to get dark and even though he considered himself an expert on these woods he dared not stay the night in the woods with the new finding of the mysterious grove. Having returned to his house just as twilight was setting in Alfie decided that he wanted to get some extra sleep so that he could leave earlier than normal to see if he could catch anyone in the grove.
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Alfie's dream started as all of his dreams had he was wondering around the natural world around his village exploring all that it had to offer, no two dreams were quite like one another sometimes he would come upon a huge oak tree that had acorns that appeared to be laced with shimmering green letters but no matter how high he climbed the oak tree he could never quite get close enough to reach one of these magical acorns. Other times he might be swimming in Gleaming Brook as all Water Gnomes of his village were expert swimmers from a young age he would see a shimmer out of the corner of his eye that he would search for only to see another glint from somewhere else. But tonight was something special as Alfies dream started to set itself on its path of following a gold tailed squirrel that left a shimmer behind as he moved from tree to tree he heard a voice.
The voice was deep and melodic, something that resonated the very core of Alfie. Stunned by sheer terror the presence that Alfie had never experience he was absolutely terrified but curious at the same time.
"Do not be afraid little one, follow the squirrel should you wish the life of adventure."
Instantly as if a weight was lifted of Alfies shoulders his breathing became regular as Alfies Curiosity quickly stamped out the terror and it subsided into barely a background feeling. Alfie sprinted off after the golden trailed squirrel who he now realized was not waiting for him but luckily the faint trail that his tail left behind was enough to catch up, as Alife bounded through the woods realising that these were the same woods leading to the grove from the day prior gave Alfie a slight pause as he began to wonder if he had actually done something when he was poking around the grove. Alife now knowing the way to the grove realised that the squirrel he had been following was no longer in front of him but was not the shape of a tiny amazingly perfect woman but with golden wings that left a trail of gold light as she flew ahead of him, now nearing the edge of the grow Alfie slowed to a stop watching as the tiny fairy continued floating with grace that even surpassed the villages best dancer in history toward the center of the grove at a leisurely pace.
Alfie quickly realised the grove was no longer empty but in the middle stood a tall figure in a simple green robe that didn't quite match the surrounding nature. the fairy silently and with out any apparent effort flew to the perch that was the figures outstretched hand which he moved towards his mouth and whispered something almost inaudible as alfie strained to hear. Although the voice was quieter it still resonated with Alfies core.
"Laura thank you for leading the little one to me."
With that the figure gave a slight nod and the fairy flew off into the woods, the figure than turned to face Alfie the terror momentarily coming back in full force as he saw the figures eyes sometimes steel-gray other times it would shift a smooth quicksilver but always staying in that range. Now that he noticed the mans robes were also changing different hues of green.
"Now aren't you the little explorer, the grove that we're standing in hasn't had visitors in a very very long time, how did you stumble upon this ancient place that hasn't been host to a mortal soul in thousands of years?"
Alfie clearly realising that this man or creature whatever he was, was holding all the cards so he did what any reasonable person would and tried to force himself to wake up. So as he was taking out his sword in an attempt to put his life in danger because he knew every time he had come close to death in past explorations while dreaming he would always wake up.
"I wouldn't do that if i were you." Came the deep voice now with a little more authority in his tone.
"Visits to the plane of dream are a fickle thing they're not so simple to be called dreams as you would perceive them, what happens here happens to your physical form as well."
These words instantly chilled Alfie to the bone he had always been a reader and although his village small there was always traders coming through which he purchased a vast collection of books from. He had heard of dreamwalking and thought it something of fiction but here this mysterious man was saying that if he attempted to end his life here in the dream he would actually die in his bed!?!
"A-a-alright so what do you want from me; i'm just a village boy." Came the weak shaky voice of Alfie
"As i said before how did you find this ancient place in the physical plane? the slight edge of annoyance no longer in the beings voice.
The terror subsided from Alfie again for no known reason.
"Well i was just exploring the woods like i normally do and when i went to one of the spots that i frequently spot wildlife instead of seeing animals i saw the grove." Alfie now a little more sure of himself that if he gave this being what he wanted he would make it out of this alive.
"Interesting, very interesting the place we are standing is something of sentiment to me, the Druids of a past age constructed this place to gather and share knowledge. It was also enchanted to be concealed from mortal interference which makes you "stumbling" upon it something that's intriguing to me." Said the enchanting voice
"Well i've read a little about magic perhaps the enchantment could have faded over time?" Asked Alfie
"No, no i don't think that's the case." He raised a hand and all around the edge of the grove runes burst into light colored green, white, and some blue.
"As you can see the enchanting on this place is very much still active, I think what we have a much more unique situation. That fairy you saw earlier Laura she has been keeping an eye on you for as long as you've shown druidic aptitude but finding this place by yourself can only mean one thing, you're a natural born Druid and not just any Druid but a Druid of the Circle of Dreams."
Stunned by what he was hearing Alfie could only bring himself to ask one thing.
"Who are you?"
The man in the robe smiled or it seemed that he smiled as he was raising one hand.
"Simply a friend"
Is all Alfie heard as the man snapped his fingers producing a solid smack and with the feeling of being punched in the chest Alfie woke up.
Alfie bolted upright as was he was no longer in the grove with the mysterious figure but lying in his comfortable bed. From that day on Alfie spent the next 40 years of his life returning the grove and tending it during the day in the physical plane as well as tending to it while he slept in the plane of dreams with the teachings from the mysterious being that Alfie thought to be the God Io through the research he had done when ever he wasn't tending the grove he was learning from books, even though whenever Alfie asked the Mysterious man would simply shrug.
Finally after spending 40 years learning from "Io" the ways of the Druid Alfie was eager to learn the next promised step in his training the mysterious ways of the the Druid of the Dream, But as Alfie arrived at the grove he know knew to be the Grove of Dreams instead of being greeted by his teacher there was absolute silence, an eerie bone chilling absence of anything. Things like this tended to happen in the Plane of Dreams but not here not a place so shielded as the Grove of Dreams, it could only mean one thing the "Nightmare" was making its move.
Alfie quickly went to work fortifying the runes that protected the grove from the Nightmare aspect of the Plane of Dreams, and just as he was finishing his work the Nightmare slammed against the warding the wards flashing brilliantly as they strained but something was different about the way they were attacking it was more uniform than normal Alfie noticed that the majority of the Nightmare was attacking only the green runes and then he saw the magic start to crack under the immense power the wards shattered into billions of brilliant green flakes of energy.
"This is bad, THIS IS VERY BAD!!!!" Exclaimed Alfie as the nightmare was now turning its focus on the white glyphs. Alfie knew that the warding would not hold so instead he turned his attention towards finding what was focusing the power of the nightmare. Alfie reached out with his senses which were amplified in the Plane of Dreams searching for something, anything that could have the power to do this.
As Alfie was starting to sense the terrifying and something that he could only be described as the pure absence of good the white glyphs burst apart into another amazing shower of silver energy, now with just the blue glyphs left Alfie made a last ditch effort to find the identity of the creature causing the destruction of his home. At the very moment before the last defence of warding was going to shatter Alfie heard a call that calmed him to his perfect center it was Io
"RUDHAIN, YOU FILTHY LIZARD HOW DARE YOU DESECRATE A PLACE OF MY WORSHIP!" The normally melodic voice of Io was strained and tense as he denounced this "Rudhain"
Then following Io's voice came a heartstopping hiss and the smell of death
"I will destroy your place of worship and your student within, you will know true despair old man." Came the voice of the Rudhain
Immediately after, Alfie saw a amazingly pure green flame burn its way straight through the nightmare and just as the flame hit the blue warding instantly shattering it as if it were nothing but a rock through a window Alfie woke himself, he immediately set to work searching for anything on Rudhain finding only one thing.
"Rudhain is an Ancient Red Dragon that is thought by many to be the most evil vile dragon to have ever lived known to have nested in the mountains north of the city known as Rolent." Alfie knew that if he was to help his master and his friend he would have to go to the city of Rolent but on the journey Alfies dreamwalks came harder and harder and his memory of his master started to fade fearing that he would lose the memories completely he wrote down what he could, but as he reached Rolent the last frontier by boat his master and friend were but a shadow of a memory.
As Alfie's passenger vessel was arriving at Rolent there came an ear splitting roar as a mighty red dragon came swooping in from the north it laid out a blanket of green fire that absolutely decimated anything it's path Alfie knew that he had to help but he was no match for such a beast so he set off into the city to help the townsfolk get to safety, as Alfie was helping get people to safety he caught glimpses of the legendary party of heroes he had read so many tales of as a kid William Arclight the Human Druid, Oo Ironfist the Duergar Barbarian, Arthur Lionheart the Human Paladin, Yara Azure the Elven Priestess, and Trevor Gryphos the Human Wizard. The aftermath of the dragon attack left Rolant scared with a massive cut through the human district that no matter what druidic magic was tried nothing could not find a way to bring life to the lifeless soil. Alfie knew then that he wanted to be like the legendary heroes who defeated the dragon but even legendary heroes aren’t perfect during the battle Arthur Lionheart was killed.One day Alfie knew that he wanted to save people and to find a way to heal the damage the dragon had done to the land.
With the partial loss of memory and disappearance of his teacher and friend, Alfie only had his notebook to guide him now, he knew he would need one thing most of all, trustworthy companions.