Gods, Heroes and Saints

In Orden the gods were objectively real and powerful, however they had been forbidden from acting directly upon or within the world. And thus, people of Orden did not believe the gods control everything that happens in the world, that is why there were saints and heroes. Beings of demigod-like status, once mortals, who now served their patron god in eternity.

Each god had many saints, some well known others obscure. Churches and temples in Orden were consecrated to them. The most popular saints and heroes could have several churches - meaning distinct organizations devoted to them, but there were also smaller ones with only a few temples or others even with little more than handed-down tradition. Different churches of the same saint usually recognized each other as expressing different, but equally valid, teachings. However, occasionally churches competed to see which among them is the "true" church.

Dwarves mostly venerated dwarf heroes, humans mostly worshiped human saints, etc ... But this was just a side effect of the fact that members of the same species shared the same culture and language and self-assemble along those lines. Any sufficiently large city had churches to gods of many species, because cities attracted many different people.

Human Gods and Saints

Vasloria

Adûn

Adûn believed that truth and hard work were virtues. He embodied the Vaslorian belief that hard work is honesty.

Saints of Adûn

Saint	Teachings
Gaed The Confessor	- The virtue of being true to one's principles even when doing so is the most difficult thing in the world
Gryffyn The Stout	- Despair is the enemy of action - Unyielding endurance is the cure for impossible odds - More than sword and spell, hard work is the savior of the people

Cavall

Cavall believed that mortals cannot live where injustice thrives. The concepts of civil law and just punishment were his.

Saints of Cavall

Saint	Teachings
Llewellyn The Valiant	- It is the responsibility of the strong to protect the weak - The only proper use of power is in pursuit of justice
Gwenllian The Fell-handed	- Vigilance is its own reward - She is the saint of those who stand watch, of all those who must carry a burden ceaselessly

Salorna

Salorna believed that nature was a moral good. That to behave in a manner not in accord with the natural balance was to commit offense against the gods.

Saints of Salorna

Saint	Aliases	Teachings
Draighen	The Warden, the Ranger, Draighen of the Wood, elf-friend	- Solutions can always be found if people are willing to talk - The proper reaction to unknown territory is curiosity - Even the darkest forest is not a threat if you carry wisdom and an open heart with you
Eriarwen	The Wroth	- Nature holds the power to destroy - Mother Nature is the fury of a hurricane - As nature would preach revenge against those who would prevent the natural world, those who seek to preserve the balance must also be willing to take violent action if necessary

Nikros

Nikros was strength. He was dominance. His was the right of the strong to rule over the weak. He was the Tyrant. Nikros believes that strength was the only virtue, and those who were born strong were born to rule.

Saint	Aliases	Teachings
Pentalion	The Paladin, the Usurper	- Bide your time. Build your power before striking - Treachery in service to growing your power is no vice

Cyrvis

Cyrvis was the enemy of fate. He was the god of those who believed they have been wronged by life, and sought revenge.

Saint	Aliases	Teachings
Eseld	Eseld of the Eye, the Eye of Hate	- Spite is virtuous - Only fools follow rules - Sorcery is a route to ultimate power

Val and elven heroes

Val, the Noble Lord, First Among Equals was the patron of the elves, responsible for creating the Celestials, the True Elves. He had left Orden and taken residence in his private manifold, Arcadia, where all elves hoped to someday join their patron.

Heroes of the high elves

Hero	Aliases	Deeds
A Sea of Suns	The Composer	- Invented Harmony - Her harmonics created new beings like faeries, dryads and the elgenwights - Defended the walls of Kalas Valiar for forty days
The Taste of Morning	The Librarian	- Built the first library - Canonized the idea that knowledge, truth, was a kind of beauty
Ripples of Honey on a Shore of Gold	Warkiller, the Diplomat	- Broke peace between humans and dragons for ages - Attempted to create the Codex Pax Universalis, a work capable of erasing the concept of war. However, in order to finish it a step was demanded from her, which she wasn't willing to take

Heroes of the wode elves

Hero	Aliases	Deeds
Yllin Dyrvis	Beast Heart, Wodespeaker, Warden	- Cared for the speaking creatures created by A Sea of Suns - Learned their speech and taught them who they were
Thyll Hylacae	Forestal, Apothachron, the Sacrifice	- Learned the language of trees - As the farm folk came, she sacrificed herself to uplift a small population of trees into the Derwic
Illwyv Li Orchiax	Moonknight, Marhsall of Gloaming, Manslayer	- The first to realize the nature of humans (constantly seeking expansion and ... war) - Made war on the humans who would kill the wode

Ord and dwarven heroes

Ord, the Maker, the Engineer was the patron of the dwarves, one of the four gods who created Orden. Ord valued integrity, honor, faithfulness to an ideal. Courage in battle and fair play.

Heroes of the dwarves

Hero	Aliases	Teachings
Zarok	The Law-giver, the first hero of the dwarves	- All people are equal under the law
Valak-koth	The Seeker, the Delver, the Unquenchable Fire, Koth Who Brought Light to Darkness	- Bravery in the face of the unknown - Virtue of curiosity - Not to fear the darkness
Stakros	The Engineer, the Machine, the Operator, founder of the Order of Fabrication	- Value of knowledge for knowledge's sake - Power of the mind

Kul and orc heroes

Kul, Father of Flames, Lord of the Forge, the Cleansing Fire who put fire and magma within the world at its creation. Kul tought that action is the defining characteristic of being. Kul's heroes were no philosophers or poets, but warriors and hunters.

Heroes of the orcs

Hero	Aliases	Teachings
Korvath	Korvath who slew a thousand, the Slayer, the Scourge	- The best action is swift and immediate - Do not turn a blind eye to injustice (or soon it will be to late to act) - Peace is earned
Grole	The one-handed, Grole who Slew the Saint of Skulls	- Even alone, even against impossible odds, extraordinary victories are possible - To cast fear out of ones mind - A fearless regular person is capable of extraordinary deeds
Khravila	Khravila who ran forty leagues, the Eternal Runner, the Unstoppable	- Virtue of persistence, endurance and wits

Heroes of the Hakaan

Hakaan knew about and respected the four elder gods who created the world, however, they did not build churches or organized formal belief systems around them. They instead venerated the innumerable spirits they believed fill the world. There were also have Hakaan heroes.

Heroes of the Hakaan

Hero	Aliases	Deeds	Teachings
Mahsiti	The Weaver	- Learned how to weave magic and tapestry - Produced a total of thirteen legendary artifacts - One of her works saved her whole clan from enormous loss	- Art and science, creativity and knowledge are the same - An act of creativity is a divine act (like those of the gods as they created the world
Prexaspes	Stargazer, the Astronomer, the Sun-sage	- Calculated the pattern of Orden's three moons - Predicted a coming famine, saving his clan - Created a portal to the Sun, coming back with radiating solar flesh. Saving his clan from a hobgoblin invasion.	- Nature is a moral good and worth defending - The Sun is a source of power for all life in Orden
Atossa	The Shepherd	- Sacrificed herself to hold a damn together, saving her entire village from a devastating flood	- It's not the job of the shepherd to judge, but to protect and care for the flock

Gods, Saints and Heralds of the Timescape

The nature of the gods of the timescape was mysterious. Unlike the gods of Orden, they were corporeal beings, usually of immense, even planetary size. Although they had god-like power, greater it seems that the Innumerable Younger Gods, but there was no evidence they could create whole realities like the Elder Gods.

Although they did not concern themselves with "ethics", they embody the principles of Order (Lords of Law), Chaos (Lords of Chaos) and Balance (Lords of Balance).

People through the timescape knew and believed about the gods. Temples and churches exist all over (for example, temples to every god, saint, hero and herald, some dead, others forgotten, can be found in Alloy, the City at the Center of the Timescape), however, most did not carry them throughout their daily lives. The gods were powerful and reward their worshipers, but they were remote and unknowable.

Gods of the Timescape

God	Domains	Faction	Heralds
Nebular the Star Mother	Creation and life itself	Law	- Lady Magnetar
OV the Wave Pilot	God of Navigators and those who seek safe passage	Balance	- Cho'kassa the Time rider
Quasax the Ultra Nova
Mynoth the Way
XXAXX the Anti-God

Saints of Hell

Saints in the Seven Cities of Hell served the seven Archdukes of Hell, who were, effectively, the Gods of Hell. There were churches, rites and rituals, however devils tended to view attending church and performing the expected rituals at the appropriate times as akin to paying taxes. Annoying, but necessary.

Saints of Hell

Saint	Aliases	Teachings
Thellasko	The Great Designer, the Game Master, Saint of Strategy	- Virtue of accepting the battle as it is, not as you wish it might be - Take action base on available data - Wars are won based on which side is best able to bring its force to bear against the opponent
Uryal	The Subtle, Deception, the Hidden Hand, Saint of Lies	- Deception is only one tool in the art of lies - The point of manipulation is to achieve one's end - Virtue in flexibility of character and morality, and unpredictably
Kuryalka	The False Principle, Soulstealer, Audaciy, Saint of Ambition	- Virtue of ambition - If you are willing to risk everything, you can gain everything