A Tumultuous World

Welcome to Avestra, a land of variance, cooperation and perseverance. Some call it the twice-lived world, as thousands of years ago it was a singular continent known as Avestan. Avestan was home to a prosperous population of humans, elves, dwarves and other creatures. It thrived and grew in relative peace, until this serenity was threatened by a great threat.

An ambitious Avestanian mage known as Zarathustra attempted to go beyond a point any mortal has been before, and become a God. His plans involved siphoning the power of the elemental planes to connect himself directly to the omniversal well of magic known as the Weave. His plan worked a little too well, elevating him to godhood, however this ritual did not treat Avestan kindly.

The cataclysmic event Avestrans refer to as The Convergence ravaged the land, shattering Avestan in 5 and cleansing the population leaving behind nothing but a turmoil of raging elements.

Many hundreds of years later these elements subsided and calmed, not without leaving an impression on what was once Avestan. Left behind was a continent split into 5 large islands, each fundamentally imbued with an aspect of the elemental plane.

Linnea, the Scorched Sands. The largest of the islands now covered with a massive raging desert and huge sandstone mountains. Now populated by sinister tradesmen, fierce warriors and cunning desperados.

Surulia, the Frigid Tundra. In perpetual winter, Surulia is a harsh and unforgiving snowscape filled with dangerous beasts and lethal weather. Now home to a hardy, stoic, unbreakable people.

Bavandar, the Skylands. A luscious landscape covered mostly by a huge rainforest known as the Galax Labyrinth which is home to an unknown amount of dangerous monsters. Floating islands scattered around the continent make a good home for the isolationist, free-thinking people of Bavandar.

Chalma, the Carved Kingdom. Massive mountains higher than the eye can see dominate the landscape of Chalma. Home to trolls, gnolls, giants and more, Chalma makes for a treacherous home. However with the dwarves of Drukar and gnomes of Gnottingham it is also the birthplace of most of the world's innovation.

Finally, Nostra Culpa. Capital of the world. This scenic country sees the most variance in landscape, covered in rolling windy hills, hot savannas, rocky mountains and chilly valleys and forests. Nostra Culpa was born from the convergence, with the industrious city of Mea Culpa founded right at the origin point.

These countries come together to form the new world, Avestra. Wherein you'll find glory, travesty, adventure, and everything in between.

Age of Adjustment - 562 ac

With Zarathustra having had roughly 500 years to adjust to his newfound power, he realized that too much of his power was being dedicated to stopping the Elemental Chaos from consuming more than just Avestra. Knowing even his power was not enough, he needed to formulate a plan to calm this storm.

Age of Monsters - 742 ac

Despite being grouped together under one banner and occasionally cooperating, the Elder Sins do not get along, and this sentiment extends to their offspring.

Beings spawned from manifest sin often crave power and expansion, and this craving led the creations of Dehth'ros and Yuan-shi to engage in a power struggle that would engulf Avestra dubbed the Elder War.

Age of Titans - 2253 ac

Disgusted with the current occupants of Avestra and remembering the majesty of Avestan, the Gods of Myth come out from their solitary following the Convergence to once again sway the land with their divine influence.

A natural anathema to the Elder Sins and their creations, the arrival of Myth spelled the impending end of the Monster's reign.

The Amaranthine War

Throughout this war, the introduction of mankind wasn't paid much attention. After all, why should gods consider ants? Well, that was their though until the ants grew in number and began forging mighty settlements.

Most of these didn't last long, with Giants and Ancient Dragons crushing them before they had time to grow, however each time mankind was knocked back it returned stronger. Surely these lesser beings weren't intelligent enough to develop defenses against such dominating forces? Alas, hubris from both warring parties meant mankind would grow to rival both dragons and giants without effort. Battles interrupted by magic ballistae and powerful warriors.

It soon became obvious that in the war between dragons and giants, it would be humanity that would end up victorious. However, mankind was sentimental, and in order to protect itself from further loss, representatives from the great city of Mea Culpa put forward an offer of peace, and their reactions to this displayed the key difference between the great wyrms and the titanic giants.

The dragons, while intelligent, were greedy and sadistic, even the metallic variants driven mad by war. They refused to lower themselves to the pathetic status of accepting mercy from insects. They chose to avoid humanity with superior intellect and mobility.

The giants, however, did not have such gifts, and what they lacked in magical gifts and mobility they made up for in patience.

A treaty with the smallfolk, while unbeknownst to them, could be temporary. They could bide their time and strike back when mankind's guard was lowered.

The Jotun Accords

This mutual understanding marked the signing of the Jotun Accords, a set of documents outlying the treaty between mankind and giant kind. With the giants on their side, humanity had the information regarding dragon lairs and migration routes, which when combined with mankind and giantkind's combined might eventually lead to extinction of the dragons having been invaded in their own homes and routed from their territories.

Following this resounding defeat dragons went extinct, or as the Drakaris League would attempt to convince you, dragons 'disappeared'. There are frighteningly little remains of the great dragons. This wouldn't normally sound any alarms until the League's investigations found that while dragons vanished their brethren didn't. Drakes, wyverns, lindworms and serpents are all still present in Avestra.

Beyond that, draconic humanoids still exist as well, with lizardfolk and kobolds scattered throughout the land and dragonborn integrating into society and even nobility in Mea Culpa. The dragonborn being a specific wonder considering their appearance from apparently thin air.

Whether by extinction or disappearance, dragons on Avestra are now as much of a Myth as their creator Drakaris. With their absence and the victory of the Amaranthine War, mankind and giantkind ushered in the prosperous Age of Man.

Age of Man - 4002 ac

With the war over and mankind left to recover, nothing as world ending has yet to threaten Avestra since the disappearance of dragonkind. Giants have kept to themselves, Monstrosities and the other Children of Sin skulk in the shadows, and the rest of the world grows and thrives.

Regardless of the past the present is Companions 7, 4504 AC and a new set of events and adventures are waiting for whatever heroes are brave enough to meet them.

Wild Magic Zone

3rd Level Abjuration

• Casting Time: 1 Action
• Range: 60 ft. (10 ft. Sphere)
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 10 minutes

A 10-foot-radius invisible sphere of pure wild magic surrounds a point you can see within range. This area is infused with the raw magical energy that suffuses the multiverse.

Within the sphere, any spellcaster can choose from the following effects whenever they cast a spell at the risk of a wild magic surge:

• Increase the level of the spell being cast at a higher level by 1 if it is capable of doing so.
• Cast a cantrip with a casting time of one action as a bonus action.
• Recover 1 spell slot of their choosing as a reaction.

Whenever a spell is cast within the sphere, regardless of whether or not the caster chooses to trigger one of the listed effects, they risk a wild magic surge as they attempt to utilize the raw magic of the Elemental Chaos flowing through the sphere.

The caster is required to make a concentration check, beating a DC = 10 + the level of the spell cast or spell slot regained. On a success, the spell is cast as intended. On a fail, the player is required to roll a d100 and consult the Wild Magic Zone table to determine the effect created. Effects that scale with level are cast at a level equivalent to the level of this spell when cast. Effects that require a saving throw are performed against a DC = 12 + the level of this spell when cast.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the level increase gained by the first choice increases by 1 and the duration of this spell increases by 10 minutes for each slot level above 3rd.

The Gods of Man

The Gods of Man are who the common folk of Avestra would turn to for their guidance. They are the main pantheon of the realm, governing the very nature of the universe itself. Their portfolios are brimming with responsibility, as is their power brimming with reverence.

The Gods of Man manifest to answer a question, to provide a solution to a problem or to bless a mortal with their Divine Thread.

Each god within the Gods of Man serves a purpose, and this purpose would not exist without them. Without Hayata life has no meaning, without Silvannah nature would wither and die, without Tydus all time would stop. The Gods of Man have shackled themselves to their responsibility, and the belief in that responsibility gives them their influence and ability to rival the power of the Gods of Myth and Monstrosity.

The Divine Threads that the Gods of Man provide to mortals act as a two-way conduit. It allows the power of belief to flow into the god's reservoir of power and in return, a fraction of that power returns to the mortal allowing them to channel the Divine Tapestry.

The Gods of Myth

While the Gods of Man are leaders and guides, the Gods of Myth are fathers and mothers. Ancient beings born from pure magic woven from the Weave itself. Their followers are created in their own image, with fractions of their divinity passed down generation to generation with no need to rely on a Divine Thread.

These Myths, rather than relying on the Tapestry, provide their children with power by passing down their divine blood infused with the divinity of their own realms. How pure the lineage stays determines the strength of the children, but even the most pure bloodlines lose their power outside of their realms. Dragons for example are seen as paragons of magic within the Material Plane due to their long lifespan lessening the dilution of their bloodlines. The power of these great Wyrms however, was infinitesimal compared to their progenitors who still resided in their home planes.

The answer to this, as explained above, was longer lifespans. However others like the Fey, the Celestials and the Demons would rather occasionally and temporarily appear in the Material Plane before returning to their planes as opposed to dragons, giants and magical beasts who settled there.

The Gods of Monstrosity

Divorced from the just and righteous origins of the Gods of Man and Myths are the Gods of Monstrosity, however no sane person would see them as gods and they have therefor been dubbed as the Elder Sins. These foul creatures gained their power through the manifestation of a feeling, like the Gods of Man with belief, however their source of power was blasphemy. Each Elder Sin was spawned from the overwhelming presence of a fundamental flaw in humanity, blossoming from a blighted flower and growing in power for eternity.

Anathema to the Divine Tapestry, and without their own realms, the Elder Sins birthed themselves from the indefinite existence of sin, guaranteeing their immortality. Their grotesque existence meant no being would ever wish to derive power from them, so they needed another way.

Subjugators by nature, the Elder Sins would force their Blighted Seeds upon unwilling mortals, creating errant mindless drones now addicted to this fleeting power willing to do whatever it took to gain more. The Elder Sins would use this vile tactic to spread their influence throughout the realms.

Mortals infected with a Blighted Seed would begin to rapidly and violently develop behaviors akin to the sin their master was spawned from:

• Dehth'rhos - Pride
• Slorg - Gluttony
• Impuku - Envy
• Yuan-shi - Lust
• Oibos - Sloth
• Zeed - Greed
• Gharrgov - Wrath

These Children of Sin would be burdened with the glorious purpose of furthering their masters goals or kill anyone who prevents them, holding nothing back.

The Afterlife

When one shuffles off the mortal coil, they are collected by Hayata and brought to the Hall of Life. This demiplane is dedicated to allowing the deceased as much time as they need to reflect on their life and their actions before being judged by Cragen, the Judicator.

Souls that are ready to pass on from the Hall of Life are judged by Cragen at the Great Gates, who decides the fate of each one. Cragen judges every action one has made up until death, and the result of that judgement decides that soul's fate. If the soul truly regrets their actions following introspection in the Hall of Life, Cragen's decision might change. This is unlikely, but has happened before. Any souls that have already been pledged to another god will be sent there following their judgement, avoiding Haev or Hel.

Religious Institutions

In Avestra, those who dedicate their lives to serving a god as a priest are not always skilled in magic, and may not even be considered clerics. A priest's duty is to support their deity and their followers, and this task does not necessarily require the use of supernatural abilities.

The type of person drawn to a deity's priesthood varies depending on the god's principles. For instance, the sly tricksters who worship Farib are distinct from the righteous guardians of Cragen, while the joyful party-goers who honor Brodysseus differ from both.

Communing with the Gods

Though many tales are told of times past when the gods appeared in physical form and walked the land, occasions of that sort are far gone. For the most part, the gods communicate with their faithful through signs and omens, appreciated by those able to interpret them. Of course, some signs are more subtle- and thus more open to interpretation- than others.

The most common kind of communion that worshipers and priests find with their deities is in prayer, song, or meditation. Such experiences are intensely personal, and it is common wisdom to keep them that way. After all, "advice" from one's god that appears during morning prayer and gives one a good turn to the day is worthwhile only for oneself. Let each worshiper commune in their own way, as the saying goes.

Divine magic also provides a means of communing with the gods and can be used to call upon their guidance. Divine pronouncements of this sort are often personal in scope and brief, often referred to as "pulling on the thread". Edicts that concern broader matters tend to be open to interpretation or debate.

Priesthood

The priesthood is a profession that requires specific skills and knowledge, and those who choose to pursue it often undergo an apprenticeship system to refine their abilities. In smaller temples, novices and acolytes may receive instruction from a single priest, while larger temples may have multiple mentors overseeing groups of acolytes as they learn the duties and skills of the priesthood.

Upon completing their education, acolytes typically participate in a ritual that ordains them and entrusts them with the responsibilities of the priesthood upon successful completion.

Conflicts and Persecution

The moral and ethical values of the deities in Avestra run the gamut, representing all the outlooks that their mortal followers demonstrate, from the principled agents of good to the vicious proponents of evil. Most cultures and societies aren't nearly as cosmopolitan as the population of Avestra taken as a whole; as a result, religious persecution (from the viewpoint of those who garner the attention) is practiced in places where worship of certain deities is frowned on.

Most governments that engage in persecution limit such restrictions to the establishment of formal temples, priesthoods, and organized festivals. (On a practical level, it's impossible to prevent individuals from innocuously or secretly worshiping whichever deities they choose.) For instance, although worship of Ahzul- like that of many evil gods- is forbidden in Avestra, this prohibition extends only to the creation of a temple and the presence of his priesthood within the city. Individual citizens or families who revere Ahzul might be viewed as misguided, but they aren't taken into custody or punished as long as they obey the laws of the city.

Some places take this form of persecution a step further, for a variety of reasons. A tyrant might outlaw worship of Agran or Cragen, lest it inspire rebellion, and an otherwise fair-minded mayor of a river-mill community might demand that worshipers of Silvannah find elsewhere to live because of recent problems the timber-cutters have had with local druids.

Ahzul

The Defiler, The Blighted King, The First Lich, The Rot

Ahzul was once a supremely good God, fueled by his position as the God of Kindness and Goodwill. His influence could even turn the mood of Sogis, his greatest friend. During his tenure as the God of Kindness however, Ahzul grew worried. Kindness was a very fleeting feeling that could be snuffed out with the slightest word. He was concerned that his power would wane just as quickly.

Seeing how Zarathustra and the other Mortal Makers created self-replicating sources of worship, Ahzul figured he would try it himself, despite warnings from Sogis that it was unwise. Ignoring the council of the God of War, Ahzul attempted to create life and the result was... not what he expected. Instead of creating life filled with kindness, Ahzul birthed the first Undead and marked the beginning of his decline.

At first he saw this Undead as an abomination, until he discovered it could not perish. If he could somehow replicate this en masse, he could find the solution to his problem. The only issue was that the Undead had no minds, and could not worship or believe in anything. He remembered reading about how the Gods of Myth gained belief through lineage and how the Elder Sins siphoned power from their subjects by force, and thought of how he could use these techniques himself.

His first attempt was to embue the already created death with the feeling of joy, however their bodies and decayed minds could not handle it. Following that, he started experimenting on himself instead. If he can't create followers in his own image, he'll craft his image to match his creations. After years of experimentation he found something, a way to separate his divine soul from his body, and live on in Undeath.

Sogis, meanwhile, was growing concerned for his friend's state of affairs. His portfolio was suffering due to his obsession. He wouldn't allow someone he called a friend to fail, it was not something he could tolerate. He entered Ahzul's divine chambers to find a ritual shaking the realm, Ahzul ripping his divine soul out of his body and placing it within a phylactery. What phylactery would be large enough to contain a divine soul you may ask? Ahzul's entire demi-plane.

Sogis could not stop the ritual, and the result was no longer Ahzul the God of Kindness, but Ahzul the Lord of the Undead. What followed was a battle, this was not the man Sogis knew but a monstrosity who killed his friend. Ahzul was defeated and killed, but not before casting a heavily injured Sogis out of his realm. When he opened his eyes, Ahzul realized he had succeeded, as he rose from the land, ready to spread his gospel of despair.

Briganti

The Queen of Storms, Wrath Scorned, The Mother of Cycles, Thunder's Concord

Prior to the Convergence, Avestan was a land of thousands of miles of lush forest and dense greens. A primal land dominated by nature and the beauty that it brought forth. This green was the work of a pair of goddesses bound by more than their portfolios.

Briganti was once the major goddess of nature. Stern and harsh but kind, putting the needs of the green ahead of all else. Briganti performed her duties alongside her partner, Silvannah the Minor Goddess of Groves and Flowering, who was an almost too sweet and warmhearted goddess who cared similarly about the green, but held out a soft spot for the creatures of the world too which would lead to a schism between the two.

Briganti was of the opinion that all humanity was a plague on nature and they should take any opportunity to snuff them out, while Silvannah implored her companion to consider humanity just as much a part of nature as plants and animals were. This ongoing disagreement between the two would lead to Briganti disregarding the feelings of her partner and acting against humanity through nature.

It began with angering the animals of the world and disturbing the peace of the plants, causing them to lash out humanity. However, the result of this was mankind fortifying themselves against this and fighting back, burning down forests and mass culling animals. Silvannah implored Briganti to stop, as this was causing more harm to the green than good. Their arguments would shake the realms, and if gods had a couch Briganti would be sleeping on it.

While the damage Briganti was causing to the green through her action was significant, the damage she was doing to herself was far worse. Her psyche slowly began to weather, growing depravity to "save" the green from mankind leading her to more and more drastic action until one final straw was drawn.

Briganti, as a goddess of nature, would do what a god had never done until then and oppose her own portfolio. She developed an addictive plant, so addictive that it would draw mankind to it with a single taste. Using this plant she managed to get an entire kingdom addicted and drew them into a huge forest. With all of this kingdom lulled into the forest, she conjured a storm that would ravage this forest until not a leaf was left. Lightning strikes lighting it on fire, raging quakes ripping the land apart. This killed the entire kingdom, but killed the forest too. Silvannah had had enough. She might have been a minor god but she knew Briganti was beyond reason.

One last confrontation pushed Briganti over the edge. Absolutely glazed over by the lust for destruction she had developed, she refused to listen to Silvannah's requests for a new perspective. Tired of her partner's constant "prattling", she struck her. Now while Silvannah was soft as a rose, her thorns were just as sharp. Silvannah bit back at Briganti, chastising her for completely neglecting not only her portfolio but also for neglecting Silvannah. She cast Briganti out of their realm, and claimed the new title of Goddess of Nature. Briganti, scorned by her ex-companion and with her tail between her legs, retreated to a new realm with a new title befitting her true nature. Briganti, Goddess of the Storm.

Cragen

The Hand of Law, The Traveler, The Gatekeeper, The Judicator, The Equalizer

Such as with a wise father and an inexperienced prince, Cragen is seen as the true mind behind the actions of the gods. Acting as Zarathustra's trusted advisor, he ensures the new god does not misuse his power and position and cause more harm above what he has already caused.

The God of Law and Order is the true strongest of the gods, with his strength outmatching even Zarathustra. However, his zealous devotion to balance means he cannot head the pantheon without the risk of upsetting this balance. His adherence to order means even the slightest deviation needs to either be corrected or counterbalanced, and this neutrality has meant that under his guidance evil is still permitted to prosper and thrive. As without evil, good will grow too complacent, Without good, evil will cause havoc. What exists must have a natural opposite to tilt the scales. The Church of Cragen, known to the people of Avestra as Cragen's Court, serves the dual purpose as the main law keeping force of Nostra Culpa as well as the center of learning for law keeping and judicial studies across Avestra.

Cragen's realm is known as the Great Gates, a massive hall containing a doorway to each god's realm. It is there that Cragen sits in wait for souls to be brought fourth by Hayata for him to judge. For every soul that is brought to him, Cragen examines every meaningful and meaningless action in that soul's entire history of existence, and weighs it as a good or evil action. Following this examination, Cragen declares if the soul goes to Haev or Hel, and it is exact down to the very act of thinking about derobing your second cousin at the feasting hall (she isn't blood related, so surely it's okay, right?). Wrong. Cragen's judgement is absolute and impossible to debate, it is also instant and does not afford one time to complain as they are instantly transported to their appropriate afterlife.

However despite the seemingly stoic and calculated nature of Cragen, not all is known of him. He exudes an aura of mystery and uncertainty about his own origins. His realm the Great Gates, as has been said, contains a door to every known realm as a way for Cragen to direct the departed to realms they're promised to as opposed to Haev or Hel. However, there is an extra door that no one knows anything about and Cragen is quick to shut down conversation regarding it. A huge door behind Cragen's seat that has come to be known as the Divine Gate, it is rumored to be where gods go when they die. Despite all the certainty that surrounds Cragen's portfolio, the god himself is a nonstop source of mystery that only begs one question: What are you hiding, Cragen?

Farib

The Deceiver, The Thief of Fate, The Snake in the Sand, The Desert's Falsehood

One half of the Children of Fate, Farib is the Avestran god of trickery and deceit. He was born alongside Fila the goddess of motherhood. When the twins came into being, their arrival was celebrated all across the pantheons of old Avestan.

However, when the other gods laid their eyes on the two they fell in love with Fila while turning their heads away from Farib.

Farib was seen as a curse, as when he was born he did not stop crying for a millennia whilst Fila was peaceful and cooperative. As they grew up this dichotomy grew more apparent as Fila was treated as a golden child while Farib was chastised for every attempt of his to get an iota of attention ahead of his sister.

This contempt would build and build until Farib hit a breaking point. Once him and his sister came of age, which itself was an oddity as gods are not known to age, Farib devised a plan to ensure that if he could not find the happiness he deserved then neither did Fila. When they were born, it was prophesied that Fila would one day birth an extremely powerful god, one that could ensure peace throughout the realms. When Fila finally fell pregnant with this godling, Farib enacted his plan and using foul magic secretly sealed Fila's pregnancy in time ensuring that she can never fulfil her destiny and thus dubbing him the self-given title the Thief of Fate.

With Fila's fate sealed, Farib began gaining a following from the mortals. With many mortals inclined to ill-intended actions finding a kindred spirit in Farib since he became the official God of Deceit and Trickery. This allowed him to gain the love and devotion he had always been looking for, albeit at the cost of his sister's destiny. Now despite Farib being in a position where he does not need to compete with his sister for attention, he intends to keep her fate sealed in time to ensure that he never has to feel compared to her again.

Fila

The Expectant, The Mother of Fate, The Golden Child

The other half of the Children of Fate, Fila is the Avestran goddess of Motherhood. She governs all that pertains to birth, fertility and the welcoming of life into the world. Fila, along with her twin brother Farib, is the only god to be 'born' and grow up to maturity. From the moment of her birth, Fila was idolised and fawned over by the other gods for her peaceful demeanor as opposed to her brother who would not stop crying for a millennia following their birth. When Fila was born, expectation was thrust upon her in the form of a prophecy foreseen by Eliphas the minor god of occultism. This prophecy, after being backed as truth by Cragen, outlined Fila giving birth to a god that would bring peace not only to the realms within which they stayed but also a mysterious unknown realm beyond theirs. Why Cragen knew of this and not someone like Gyaan concerned the other gods, however they knew it was folly to ask Cragen about his secrets.

With this prophecy now proven to be real, the fawning over Fila increased as she was treated as porcelain. The only one who would not treat her any differently was Farib, who would constantly sneak her out of her chambers to go play and cause mischief much to the frustration of Cragen who took on the role of Fila's caretaker until the prophecy is fulfilled. However as the two grew up, Fila would begin to see less and less of Farib and she did not know why. She still loved her brother, did she do something wrong? Regardless, Fila had a role to play and she did not have the time to concern herself with her brother's lack of interest in her company anymore.

Grumbar

The Forge Father, The Grounded, The Highborn

Before the Convergence, Avestan was home to countless cultures and peoples who worshipped their own gods and deities. Of all these cultures none stood out quite like the Dward. These people were diminutive yet stocky folk similar to modern dwarves with one key difference. While dwarves favour the mountains and the mines, the dward lived in the skies in mighty fortresses made from cloud magic. The skyborn dward worshipped their own pantheon which they called the Tempest Council, headed by their greater god Grumbar the Zephyr King. Grumbar was a supremely powerful god who governed the dward's specialty of cloud crafting, fashioning mighty fortresses, weaponry and armor from pure cloud. This form of artisanal creation made the dward a force to be reckoned with, as their cloud based arms were nearly impossible to defend against. The dward ruled the clouds uncontested for countless generations until their one weakness presented itself.

This weakness came in the form of the Nimbistlin, a breed of a goblinoid born able to manipulate something the dward had never faced before, lightning. The Nimbistlin claimed ownership of the skies in the name of their patron god, an ancient demon residing in the plane of air. Their claim to the skies sparked a war against the dward as the proud sky people refused to give up their generational currents. However this was a war they absolutely could not win, as lightning was a complete counter to the dward's key defense and offense. Using their advantage, the Nimbistlin and their patron threatened to eliminate not only the dward but also the Tempest Council, as their existence relied on the existence of their creations. Faced with an impossible situation, Grumbar needed to decide how he could save everything he has built. After lengthy contemplation Grumbar went against everything he stood for and announced the dward's surrender in exchange for peace, agreeing to leave the skies forever and never return.

With their surrender accepted the dward made their way to the land below, however with their guard lowered they were vulnerable to the one thing they should have expected. The Nimbistlin immediately betrayed their treaty and slaughtered all of the dward. The genocide of the sky people left the Tempest Council weakened and vulnerable to an attack from Zeed, the defiled deity that empowered the Nimbistlin. Zeed went on to slay every member of the Tempest Council except for Grumbar, leaving him alive to forever remember his cowardice and failure. This forever cemented Grumbar's hatred of Zeed and his kin, and while anyone could recede into a shell of melancholy and depression when faced with such a failure he was spurred forth by ire and readied himself for his revenge. Luckily for Grumbar, an ambitious mage was about to make big changes to the cosmos and give him the opportunity to join a new pantheon and start over... and this time he will make sure his people will never be deceived again.

Hayata

The Soul Shepherd, The Single Pair, The Scorn of Life and Death

Unlike most pantheons, the Gods of Man contained neither a god of life nor a god of death. What they did have was Hayata, the Goddess of Cycles. Her responsibilities involve tending to the path one's soul takes from life to death and beyond, finally delivering the soul to Cragen for judgement at the Great Gates.

Hayata, however, was not always herself. She was once two goddesses of Life and Death, Javenna and Kemati. Javenna was responsible for shepherding a life from its birth until its death, where Kemati would collect the soul and take it to Cragen. Javenna was kind and loving, taking every soul as if one of her own children. Kemati was cold and indifferent, unable to care less about these wayward souls she'd been shackled to. Despite their differences, Javenna and Kemati could be seen as friends, often finding common ground due to their line of work. However, Kemati was always jealous of Javenna. Save for the some few, nobody embraced death like they did life and for this Kemati always held Javenna in envy.

Kemati would finally be able to take something away from Javenna when she discovered the goddess of life had fallen for a mortal. This mortal, spectacular in every way, was a perfect example of what Javenna always had that Kemati didn't. However the goddess of death was patient, and her opportunity came when Javenna's lover finally met his death. Javenna brought her love to Kemati, entrusting she would ensure he makes his way to Haev so that they could be together in the afterlife. Reassuring Javenna that all would be fine and she would see her partner soon.

Javenna waited, and waited, and waited. She would wait for what seemed like hundereds of years until she decided to go look for her mortal partner. She questioned Cragen, who stated he had never been brought to him. Confused and enraged Javenna confronted Kemati who happily admitted to her deception, revealing that Javenna's lover was fine and well in a soul crystal Kemati kept on her person at all times as a reminder to herself that she won against Javenna. Kemati revealed that Javenna's lover would only be released if she herself died. Knowing you cannot kill a god, Javenna flew into a rage and fought Kemati anyways, wanting to get her revenge however she can.

Silvannah

The Fallen Petal, The Grove Mother, Sister of the Green, The Calm After the Storm

In regards to the stigma that gods are cruel and ruthful in their interactions with mortals, Silvannah breaks that mold beyond recognition. A paragon of fairness, she holds an immense love for all living things. If not for her position of goddess of nature it is more than likely she'd be qualified as the goddess of life. However, as is the case with any scorned lover, Silvannah has had to go through drastic changes to preserve this vision of her.

Since the falling out with Briganti, Silvannah had to adapt her portfolio and responsibilities in order to take over the title of Goddess of Nature. Without Briganti, nature began to grow rampant and wild so Silvannah created several attendants to assist her. Beru, better known as the Overbear, was created to tame the wild spirits of the beasts of the world. Ramda, the goddess of the harvest, was created to oversee the relationship between mankind and nature. Finally, Aangdao was created to tend to the wind, allowing the natural water cycle and pollination to occur uninterrupted. With these attendants, Silvannah could handle the remaining aspects of nature with her full attention rather than neglect her portfolio by speading herself too thin.

This, naturally, infuriated Briganti when she found out. She had always handled nature by herself without the assistance of anyone. This jealousy that Silvannah was managing her portfolio elgantly resulted in Briganti constantly throwing natural disasters at the material plane. Silvannah, however, was unperturbed as her and her attendants could handle anything the goddess of storms through at them, and then some.

Zeppeli

The New God, The Lord of Gears, The Prime Denominator

For the eternity that anything has existed in Avestra, and before that in Avestan, nothing particularly 'new' has ever manifested. There has always been nature, there have always been people, there have always been concepts such as love and art. However in the year 2792 AC the gnomes of Gnottingham did something that, unbeknownst to them, would put into work the creation of a new god.

The birth of something that no other god could fit into their domain. Rather than bother with the Amaranthine War, they invented. It started as a single wheel made of wood, dipped into a river, turning the tide of not just a grain mill, but the entire cosmos.

From that wheel, came the creation of iron, then came windmills, then came compasses and sundials. Finally, the straw that broke the camel's back, the gnomes created a miraculous power capable of combusting at will to spawn phenomenal energy. This first spark did not just kickstart a new revolution for the gnomes, but for the Gods of Man.

It started as a ripple through the Astral Sea, something the gods of Avestra had never experienced. The birth of Fila and Farib was tame, an experience that didn't leave much of an impression on the gods. This, however, was unknown. The ripple became a rumble, the rumble became a roar. Until finally, from seemingly nowhere, a new realm gloriously rose from the Astral Sea. Within this realm was the home of a new god, the God of Machines, Zeppeli. Cloistered in his towers of steel, attended to by his millions of drone-like constructs, Zeppeli ensured that his arrival was noticed.

The Gods of Man's power are fueled by the fundamental belief that mortals have in their portfolios and creations. However, that has only ever been the case for gods whose portfolios existed before the Convergence. This new creation, industry, had a potential so powerful that the belief in it by the narcissistic gnomes of Gnottingham self-replicated and skyrocketed Zeppeli's power to that of a greater god in the manner of a few hundered years. Zeppeli's gifts to the gnomes grew their belief in him, and their belief and worship was in the form of further creation. This cycle ensured that Zeppeli held a position of importance amongst the gods, and those gods were more frustrated by this than Zarathustra's ascendance. At least he did it himself.

Zeppeli's entitlement didn't stop there, as he decided he too would be what they call a Mortal Maker and gifted the gnomes and dwarves of Chalma with a fantastic creation, a Zeppeli's Heart. This power source had the ability to fuel factories capable of creating life, this life being the Gearforged. No more construct than man, the Gearforged had souls and divine threads like all mortals, however were enslaved immediately to perform menial tasks. This was of no cause for concern by Zeppeli, for the work the Gearforged did fueled the industry that gave him his power.

From his sudden rise to his godly ego, Zeppeli is a god hated even by the evil gods of the pantheon. Even Silvannah, for his industry opposed nature to its core. However Zeppeli had an unlikely supporter, Cragen. The greater gods had always been an uneven number, and the god of machine's introduction corrected the scales. Besides, mankind was falling behind and Gyaan's children gave mortals the edge they needed, and gave Zeppeli a seat amongst the gods.

Reus

The All-Father, The Great Sculptor, The Rune King

As with all Gods of Myth, the origin of Reus the All-Father is left to assumption. Some say he was an Avestanian mortal who was so mighty he assumed godhood, whilst others say he was created by Drakaris so that he could have a rival. Regardless of his origin, Reus has stood as a stalwart member of the Gods of Myth for as long as anyone could remember, with some speculating he could be as old as Gyaan.

Reus can be seen as the most mortal of all the gods, with his ever-present desire for community and family. This wish was made possible when Reus visited the material plane himself, and from the very elements of the land, sea and sky he crafted his children; from the humble hills he molded the first Hill Giant Klodd, from the sheer cliffs he carved the first Stone Giant Tobyaas, from the raging flames he forged the first Fire Giant Zaltor, from the frozen bergs he chiseled the first Frost Giant Harshnag, from the soaring clouds he shaped the first Cloud Giant Durvaskar, from the raging storms he manifested the first Storm Giant Uvald, and from the mountains themselves rose the first Titan Zaraxis.

Reus, together with his newly created children, returned to their realm Ysgard, where they would live as a family in relative harmony, until familial bickering set in and the brothers began to argue for who was their fathers favorite. Growing tired of this, Reus declared that they were all to create their own children, and tie them to the mortal plane. Whoever's children was atop the heirarchy would have the largest seat at the table before Reus himself. Thus the various giants were created, and the second gargantuan denizens of Avestra arrived.

Zana

The Archfey, The Blightchild, The Imagineer

As the natural mirror of the material plane, the Feywild is a dangerous and mysterious place. However, the creation of the Feywild was actually to contain a massive threat to all. Zana, the Blightchild. Zana was found initially as a manifestation of entropy, floating through the Astral Sea. The being was brought to the attention of Cragen and Zarathustra who both recognized the incredible danger that it held, as entropy was unpredictable and incalculable. With much of the cosmos undeveloped, and with the material plane still ravaged by |the Convergence, Zarathustra decided to create a realm dedicated to the containment of this threat, and so he created a sister realm to the material plane that would come to be known as the Feywild.

It was within this bland, empty mirror that the Blightchild was born. From the entropy came a child, Zana, who was lost and confused... and most of all she was lonely. As she existed, she discovered that through her unfathomable power she could manipulate the realm around her and began to fill the void. She fought her loneliness with the imagination of a child, filling the Feywild with bright colors, flowers and magical creatures. She created a family; her father Oberon, her mother Titania, and her brothers Lysander and Demetrius. As time went on, her imagination become more than that and began to permeate the veil between what is real and what isn't and her machinations became as real as she was. The Feywild bloomed with whimsical life, however at its core was still a lonely abandoned child who didn't know her place in the world and who was still prone to chaotic and unexpected tantrums...

Impuku

The Collective, Invidia, The One Who Wishes

In a world adorned with powerful individuals all capable of phenomenal feats of strength and bending reality itself to their will, it isn't difficult to see others and wish you were them. This feeling, this disease known as envy, can drive mere mortals mad. This feeling is what drives the Elder Sin of Envy, Impuku. Envisioned as a tangled swarm of rats, Impuku watches from the shadows through the eyes of his plagued subjects as mankind obsesses over what others can do that they can't.

Impuku can always be found behind the dead eyes of vermin, creeping in the nooks and crannies of the wilds and cities throughout Avestra. His influence is the one felt relatively often due to envy being a very difficult to avoid feeling. His association with vermin is often paralleled with Gyaan, who similarly chooses rodents as his patron beast due to the reach they have when attaining knowledge. Due to this, the two of them can often be seen as mirrors to eachother, though Gyaan will always be quick to deny this.

Regardless, whenever one feels the longing to jump as high or run as fast when looking upon another, they do so at the risk that if they look for too long, Impuku looks back.

Oibos

The Evergrove, Acedia, The One Who Waits

"The patience of a creeping vine", is an adage used by philosophers throughout history. Little did they know that this idiom was referring directly to an entity of immeasurable power. The sleeping willow, Oibos, Elder Sin of Sloth. Oibos is not, despite what his portfolio would imply, lazy or inert. Oibos is indifferent, Oibos is patient. Unlike his brethren, he is not by any means in a rush to obtain what he wants. Be it 10 years or 10,000 years, Oibos is happy to lie in wait, monitoring the worlds through plants and nature that are just as patient as he is.

This approach is beneficial, as mankind often keeps vines and trees close by for aesthetic and freshness. He uses this vantage to sew his seed into those mortals who live life slower than most, who value their own life's tempo above reaching the finish line. Slowly feeding on their lethargy and indolence until he can gain the means to claim it all for himself. Once the world dies, and all fades to dust, Oibos will remain.

When one feels the need to slow themselves when they look upon the coming day, they do so at the risk that if they look for too long, Oibos looks back.

Slorg

The Consumer, Gula, The One Who Feeds

Gluttony is not a concept that limits itself to food and drink. Whilst those are the most common culprits, mankind has hunger for many things. Out of the sins, gluttony overlaps with all of them. Hunger for power, hunger for blood, hunger for carnal pleasure. Despite this, the other Elder Sins take no offence to this as even by Oibos' standards, the Elder Sin born from gluttony is Slorg the Consumer, who makes no effort to expand his reach to petty mortals. Slorg simply exists, manifested as a gargantuan being floating through the astral sea, consuming all that crosses its path.

One would assume that because Slorg makes no effort to spread his Blighted Seed that his following would be minimal, however just like hunger itself, Slorg needs not make effort because with life comes consumption. To consume is to live and to live is to consume. He promises eternal satiation through merger and with that promise his followers find hope. They follow Slorg not because he commands them, but because they cannot help it. He can stop the hunger, he can make it go away. You can join him and never hunger again.

When one feels the pull from their stomach when they look upon a meal, they do so at the risk that if they look for too long, Slorg looks back.

Yuan-shi

The Den Mother, Luxuria, The One Who Tempts

While all the other sins have a modicum of social acceptance, only one can only be indulged behind closed doors or under the cover of shadow, and that is the sin of lust. Scandalous by nature, and yet no mortal alive can resist its allure. The strength of lust is one not to be handled lightly and none do it better than the Elder Sin of Lust herself, Yuan-shi. Patron mother of all monstrosities and mutants, including the serpentine denizens of Ophidia the Yuan-ti, Yuan-shi takes the most direct approach when spreading the Blighted Seed of Lust. While not all Yuan-ti worship Yuan-shi, their disposition towards the carnal pleasures of this world provide The Den Mother with infinite opportunities to grow her influence.

Apart from the city of Ophidia being a spreading ground for the sin of lust, Yuan-shi is not afraid to approach potential Children of Sin directly in order to coerce them into service. Those unwilling are often made willing, as no one says no to the Den Mother without consequence. Even the most pious of paladins fail to prove indifference towards the serpent's gaze, and those who can are swiftly dealt with.

When one feels a fleeting, inappropriate thought when looking upon someone across the tavern, they do so at the risk that if they look for too long, Yuan-shi looks back.

Zeed

The Detestable, Avaritia, The One Who Covets

With divine, insurmountable strength, comes abundance. An abundance of power, an abundance of time, an abundance of followers. To be a god is to manage that power and to be content with your position above those who look to you for guidance. However with power comes corruption, the ever present feeling that what one has is not enough. A curse of avarice so strong that one would isolate themselves out of paranoia that those around you want to take what is yours. Those feelings, that curse, stem from the Elder Sin Zeed. Patron of greed, Zeed corrupts all that he touches as that is his right, for what he touches is his by nature. What is his by nature is never enough, so he will continue to take.

The natural sworn enemy of Grumbar's dwarves and in the past his dwarde, Zeed's creations the Goblins and the ancient Nimbistlin have spread throughout history in Avestra to covet what they have and to kill those who wish to take it. The Nimbistlin stole the sky from the Dwarde and from Grumbar, and the wild Goblins of Avestra have always taken in a vulture-like stupor when under Zeed's influence. All goblins are born with a Blighted Seed, which is unique amongst the Elder Sin's subjects. It is through incredible effort that they shed that burden, but even so Zeed pokes at their minds, furious that what was once his has been taken from him.

When one looks upon what they have with the urge that they must have more, they do so at the risk that if they look for too long, Zeed looks back.