Yorash: The Pantheon
After the banishment, worshippers still chose to follow the Umbrad, though they have dwindled over time. The Numena, the gods who would leave mortals to be more independent, grew in renown despite their own wishes, and have rewarded their followers justly. As the years march on, their true names have been lost in most places, but the most devout followers, or sometimes great heroes, may be visited in visions by their deities who share pieces of themselves with those lucky individuals.
The Numena, the more benevolent or “light side” of the pantheon, is ruled by Seraya, Tulo, and Chayt, who wanted to bring light, magic, and balance to the world. This is the pantheon as it truly exists, but from culture to culture, the perception has distorted, as different civilizations value different centers of power more than others and oral histories have been warped over time.
Seraya, the mother goddess, leads the Numena in the righteous path, bringing goodness and light to all. She is married to Tulo, the father of all magic, who wove the Weave into the lives of all creatures. Chayt completes the trio but has taken a vow of solitude to help him maintain the order of the cosmos, not to be swayed by any other force or deity. They were three of the original five deities who funneled their power into the creation of the realms - creating the Weave as a combination of their specialties, along with Mara, who represented the darkness to Seraya’s light, and Steyn, the chaos to Chayt’s order. All things in balance… once upon a time, at least.
Yora, Hyli, and Emsea are the three children born of Seraya and Tulo’s marriage, whose core powers rest in life, knowledge, and love. As Krendyr took shape thanks to Mara’s growing resentment, so too did Batan to balance him, with the power of peace. Batan and Yora married, birthing the patrons of the elements - Ayra of the sky, Gaseyl of the water, Jyr of the fire, and Dolm of the earth. They each have secondary interests that have come about more as products of their worshippers, rather than any innate wellspring of power.
Emsea, as love takes many forms and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is a shapechanger and is genderfluid. They have no spouse, but yet have birthed several more deities, including the champions of the seasons - Peara of spring, Likse of summer, Zibere of autumn, and Nufanji of winter - as well as Qiari, the flittering patron deity of travelers. Qiari is… less a sibling of the seasons and more a go-between. They are the closest to a demigod that Yorash really has… at least, that anyone knows of.
The Umbrad, the more self-interested or “dark side” of the pantheon, is ruled by Mara and her consorts, Steyn and Krendyr, who thrive in darkness and chaos and seek vengeance for the wrongs their brethren have done them. These are the identities they took on as they grew in power and turned away from the gracious path of creation they had once walked, but from culture to culture, the perception has distorted, as different civilizations value different centers of power more than others and oral histories have been warped over time. You can find better descriptions of how each cultural center views the pantheon in present day in Cradles of Civilization.
Mara is Seraya’s younger sister, her foil in all things: her powers rooted in darkness rather than light. They balanced each other out, and for some time, that was sufficient. But Mara saw that mortals favored her sister more, desired the light over the dark, could not see the dark for the benefits it brought. Her betrothed, Steyn, was Chayt’s brother and foil, as order must have some chaos to ultimately balance the scales. They too contributed to the original creation of the realms, as light and order could not govern the universe without their equals.
But as Steyn slipped more into chaos for chaos’s sake, Chayt began to find the balance on his own, and Steyn fell further, resenting his brother. He took Mara as his partner, and in secret, they began to build a family. Sayet and Chinua were meant to be the antithesis to their cousins - lust and ignorance to cancel out true love and knowledge. But Hyli’s power grew, finding truth as she gained knowledge, and so Olyxi was born to counter it, rooting his power in lies and deception. Prutia came to be almost of her own accord, as Mara wanted more - more power, more followers, more control.
Krendyr was born out of the ether as the war began, finding roots in Mara’s deep desire for revenge on her sister. She would not rest until Seraya’s light was snuffed out by her darkness. Mara took him as her consort, and their children found their power in the remaining deadly sins - Frius in pride, Slayn in wrath, Ruhe in greed, and Tyria in envy.
But her sphere of control was still not big enough. As she was beginning to feel her sister’s family turn the tide of battle, Mara encouraged Prutia and Frius in their young relationship. They birthed the dark demigods that would exert the most influence closest to the Prime Material Plane still to this day: Ilpa, the Queen of Monsters, and Ostr, the Ruler of the Undead.
