Deities of Ascanthus

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Portfolio(s):

 * The protection of children
 * Sunlight
 * Fertility and youth
 * The reverence of one’s place of birth

Mythology:
Vespia, “God’s Light at Sunset,” does not have a single point of origin. The earliest traces of Vespia can be linked to her unusual role as a Sister figure rather than a Mother figure. The oldest stories of Vespia are of the “Adventuring Elder Sister,” a figure extremely popular within the region of Abythia. In these stories, a wandering, adventurous maiden appears just at the right time to lend aid to whomever she can. Children lost in the woods, farmers battling the winter, expectant mothers, and young men and women alike all have myths about Vespia coming to their aid.

A traditional story to tell to children when they reach the age of six is the parable of “The Big Sister in the Forest.” In this story, an unnamed child (whose gender depends on the child whom the story is being told to) becomes lost after playing in the woods. Upon wandering into the center of the forest, the child is discovered by a young maiden “with a long shawl the color of chestnuts.” The maiden, who is Vespia, takes the child under her shawl and guides them through the forest safely, protecting them from the dangers of the woods. When the two reach the edge of the forest, it is sunset, and the maiden shoos the child off to his or her home. The child, so the story goes, grows into a fine young man or woman, having developed a love for “all of which the sun shines upon” due to the lesson he/she learned from the maiden in the woods, and is peerless in tracking, gathering, fishing, and archery.

It is common for stories of Vespia’s kindness to promote a love for the outdoors, as well as a special reverence for the safekeeping of children.

It is worth noting that while legends of Vespia paint her in a very human light, the Vespia who is worshipped as a goddess is one who creates miracles, curing children of diseases, ensuring safe births, creating bountiful harvests, and radiating holy light that pushes the shadows back into their nooks and crannies.

Culture:
In Abythia, there is a special reverence to the social role of girls. They are expected to assert their capacity for responsibility, especially in rural areas, and an older girl is always supposed to fulfill the role of sister to any child younger than her. Children, both male and female, are encouraged to become intimate with nature.

The place of birth is a very special thing to the worshippers of Vespia, and one is expected to never lose contact with one’s hometown, should they leave home.

Shrines of Vespia are common throughout Abythia. In keeping with her role as a wandering adventurer, life-sized statues of her are often placed along roads to offer protection to adventurers, and within the centers of forests to provide a waypoint to those who are lost. She is most commonly portrayed as a young woman who has only just reached adulthood, with long hair and a cape-like shawl that goes down to her feet.

However, while Vespia is very much a goddess of the people, she still has relevance within the social hierarchy. Within the upper classes, her ties to Light are emphasized, and she is attributed the role of a holy maiden who pushes back the darkness of evil. Indeed, Abythia’s emblem for the knighthood is a battle-maiden holding a sword in front of her, with her long, braided hair wavering behind her.

Portfolio(s):

 * War tactics; victory
 * Rain and storms
 * Fighting the unknown
 * The spoils of war
 * Things of cyclical nature; life and death
 * Coming of age

Mythology:
Dorian, “He from God’s Sea,” is the most aloof of the deities. Originally, he was worshipped as a god of the sea, but as his popularity grew within the inland region of Lysos, his role shifted towards storms.

The oldest legends of Dorian have been lost in the Abandonment, as his exploits at sea were of no value to a culture of plainsmen and desert-farers. The popular image of him now resides as a “Rider at War in the Firmament,” holding his reins in one hand and a spear in the other. As he races through the heavens, defeating his enemies, so the rain spreads across the plains. His greatest foe is said to be a blue dragon with scalding-hot eyes, which dwells above the desert of Lysos. As it is his most difficult foe to defeat, so does the desert rarely see the relief of rain. The clouds are said to be the steeds in his cavalry, the far off thunder is the clash of steel against heavenly steel, and the rain that follows is Dorian’s inevitable victory.

Thus, while Dorian is a god who is impartial to the affairs of man, nevertheless does he bring blessings upon humanity. He is considered the greatest of tacticians, and is especially revered in fights against unfamiliar enemies, as none know who it is that Dorian goes to war with in the heavens.

Likewise, as rain and war are both impartial, coming and going but ever eternal, Dorian is revered as a god of Cycles.

Culture:
There is a certain distance from which Lysonians worship Dorian, as he is a god who is cold to the affairs of humans. He is revered and idolized, but direct pleas to Dorian are not as common as they are towards the other gods; his name is usually invoked for guidance rather than intervention. Nevertheless, it is a common practice for warriors to pray fervently to him for victory and tangible support before going to war. This is usually done during the periods when one can hear thunder, but the storm has not yet approached. As rain is a source of relief, so is Dorian attributed to the spoils of war.

Lysonians approach the matter of mortality quite bluntly, comprehending the relationships between life and death as methodically as they understand the coming and going of rain. As life is viewed in terms of cycles, Lysos has a strong tradition of coming-of-age rituals, and among certain regions, to be hailed as a true man or woman is no easy feat—adulthood usually comes from being able to prove oneself as able-bodied and stern.

Portfolio(s):

 * Spellcraft
 * Cartography
 * Bestiaries
 * The pursuit of knowledge
 * Bravery

Mythology:
The deity Aturia, “Of God, Who Comes Bearing Gifts,” existed far before the country did. In the earliest of tales, he was known as the “Wiseman Bearing Sword and Manual,” a mysterious king who held all the secrets of the world. Donning a flaming yellow mantle and royal red crown, his image is of a strong, middle-aged king with a robust brown beard. In one hand he holds a flamberge; in the other a grimoire holding all the secrets of the world.

As legend has it, he emerged from the forest mountains of what is now the country Aturia and into the desert of what is now Lysos. His rituals were more metaphysics than magic, and he could turn snakes into men, extend lives to last for centuries, and permanently shape the ecology of an environment. Likewise, his skill with a sword was unmatched. It is said that his tome contains all the knowledge in the world, from the secrets of spellmaking and the most masterful of techniques of swordsmanship to the cosmology of the universe and the names and compositions of everything that dwells within it.

Aturia traveled from the desert, bearing his tome of infinite knowledge to the great men and rulers of many regions. To them he would grant an offer: the grace to look upon a page from his grimoire of his wishing—any single page, and they could read it as long as they wish as to commit it to memory, but were absolutely prohibited from copying it down. Once the reader was done, Aturia would leave their midst and move on to a new tribe.

It is said that each region of the world developed its own ingenuities based on what its ancient rulers had decided to learn of: warlike tribes emerged from rulers who chose to learn the great arts of war, bountiful tribes from rulers who yearned to know the secrets of prosperity. Tribes that fell from power were said to have forgotten the wordings of their page. In the popular view of Ascanthus, the barbaric southern nations wasted their viewings on wicked and foul knowledge, and were never to prosper because of it.

Culture:
While Aturia is certainly most highly regarded as the God of Magic, the truth is that he is closer to the God of Exploration and Expertise. Just as he allowed mortals to look upon only one of the infinite pages of his manuscripts, so does he expect them to go out and find truth for themselves. The world is to be mapped, beasts are to be identified and understood, magic is to be experimented and spells are to be created and refined, and all endeavors in life, from blacksmithing to swordsmanship to agriculture, should be honed to a level of expertise. Aturia loves he who seeks to understand the world around him, and hates ignorance and misinformation.

The region that would come to be known as Aturia was named after the god, as when it was first being settled, the frontiersmen were taken aback by the many mystical creatures that dwelled within its mountain borders. Even to this day, Aturia is seen as a land ripe with mystery, especially to those who are foreign to its soil.