Lore – Sederan Gods
Sedera’s religion of polytheism revolves around eight different gods and goddesses: Iona, goddess of life; Lyren, goddess of the hunt; Leorus, god of wisdom; Rexel, goddess of destruction; Omenus, god of death; Malech, god of his bond; Accia, goddess of justice; and Nomius, god of civilization. Each god has a unique viewpoint and philosophy, and each has its followers and opponents. Here’s a chart, for easy reference:
The common belief is that strong souls, released upon death, are drawn back to the earth and used for a variety of purposes, from creating new life to destroying it through natural disasters. Idle souls, souls that have lost the will and strength to live for something, are rejected by the earth. Most of these move on to the underworld. A small number of souls remain, grasping at life after it is already too late to do so. These souls become twisted, demented demons, preying on the will of living souls.
Iona, Goddess of Life
Iona is the goddess of life, and champions all forms of life. Her corresponding color is white, symbolizing both purity and simplicity. All life is precious to her, from the stately king to the lowly ant; from the beautiful rose in the tended garden to the pesky mold growing in the kitchen. She is known for being kind, although very protective of life in all its forms.
Her immediate allies are Nomius, for his dedication to improving the lives of the masses, and Lyren, for her devotion to nature and respect for life, even though lives are sometimes ended to preserve others’. She is directly opposed to Omenus, the god of death, for obvious reasons. She has her differences with Rexel and Malech as well: Rexel, for her blatant disregard for life in the never-ending quest of drawing the strong out of the many; and Malech, for his belief that some lives are more important than others.
Lyren, Goddess of the Hunt
Lyren is a champion for both freedom and nature. Her colors are green and brown, symbolizing nature. She believes that all things should be free to live as they want, and that all nature is holy and is to be respected. She understands, however, that the hunt is something to be cherished and captured in song and story, so long as the hunt serves a purpose and hunts are not done excessively. She is known for being kind, although volatile and impulsive.
Her immediate allies are Iona, for her protection of nature, and Leorus, who has a certain disregard for the rules. She is directly opposed to Malech, who believes that freedom should only belong to the powerful. She has her differences with Accia, who seeks order over freedom, and Omenus, who seeks power over all else.
Leorus, God of Wisdom
“Question everything.” That is the Leoran mantra. His color is purple, representing creativity in thought. Leorus seeks wisdom and knowledge above all else, and often considers tradition to be a barrier against this. To Leorus, thinking is an end in itself: it doesn’t have to serve some higher purpose—it is a higher purpose. Anything which robs one of independent thought, either by removing that freedom or by removing the reason for it, is an atrocity to Leorus.
His immediate allies are Lyren, who champions freedom, including freedom of thought; and Rexel, for continually seeking out the new. He is directly opposed to Accia, who often believes that tradition should make some decisions regardless of thought. He has his differences with Malech and Nomius as well: Malech, for seeking to extinguish the independent thought of the weak; and Nomius, who believes that thought exists only to build tangible things to benefit society.
Rexel, Goddess of Destruction
Rexel believes that everything must be made new through purification, strengthening, and destruction of the weak or unnecessary. Her colors are red and orange, symbolizing a purifying flame. She is not a nihilist, wishing to return everything to nothingness; far from it, Rexel believes that, in the wake of destruction, only the strongest parts survive and society is made better for it. She is feisty, curious, sometimes violent, and never content with the status quo.
Her immediate allies are Leorus, who also believes in continually seeking the new, and Omenus, who believes that power is a mean to every end. She is directly opposed to Nomius, who believes only in building and abhors destruction. She also has her differences with Accia, whom she believes is mired in tradition, and Iona, who takes offense to her wanton destruction.
Omenus, God of Death
Omenus believes in power above all else. His color is black, symbolizing death and power. While others fear or shun death, Omenus embraces it as an inevitability of life. “God of death” is a bit of a misnomer, though, bestowed by others fearful of his nature—Omenus is really all about holding power to accomplish any end. Some choose to wield this power for good and some for evil, but power is the beginning to any ambition. That which grants power is good and that which reduces it is worthless.
His immediate allies are Rexel and Malech, who both believe that power is a means to their ends. He is directly opposed to Iona, for her belief that all life is worth protecting. He also has his differences with Lyren, who protects freedom at all costs, and Nomius, who believes that power should only be used for benefiting society.
Malech, God of His Bond
Malech never lies, but he always gets his way. Malech’s color is gold, symbolizing great wealth. Malech is a god of contracts, bonds, and agreements. He is known for crafting these so well that he is able to give himself the upper hand in any agreement. His personal belief is that the weak should always be at the mercy of the strong—the strong should be the ones making and enforcing the rules, and the strong should be the ones setting the terms for the agreements. Unlike Omenus, however, Malech is a very orderly god and prefers keeping rules and regulations in place to keep things nice and predictable.
His immediate allies are Omenus, who supports his quest for power, and Accia, who supports his desire to keep order. He is directly opposed to Lyren, who believes that everyone should be free to act on their own accord. He also has his differences with Iona, who believes that all lives are equal, and Leorus, who believes that everyone should be free to think independently of others.
Accia, Goddess of Justice
In Accia’s eyes, justice is swayed by neither good nor evil. Accia’s color is grey, representing total neutrality and objectivity. Accia believes that order is to be kept at all costs. Rules and authority are absolute, and tradition is heavily leaned on as well. That which is already known bears much more weight than that which is unknown, and predictability is always good.
Her immediate allies are Malech and Nomius, both of whom support order in life and society. She is directly opposed to Leorus, whom she sees as chaotic and unpredictable. She also has her differences with Lyren and Rexel, both of whom are fierce individualists who oppose her single-minded obsession with order.
Nomius, God of Civilization
Nomius is driven by a constant desire to build and make better. His color is blue, which likely came about as it is a color rarely occuring in nature. He believes that civilization should flourish and that all of society should benefit from it. In Nomius’s eyes, mankind came out of darkness and is moving toward the light. Things like war and destruction move it back toward the darkness and things like growth and invention move it closer to the light. His goal is the enlightenment of all through a stable, helpful society.
His immediate allies are Iona, who champions all life, and Accia, who helps to keep order. He is directly opposed to Rexel, whose destructive tendencies undo much of his hard work. He also has his differences with Leorus, whom he deems lazy and nonsensical, and Omenus, who would rather use power for personal gain than societal good.
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