The Continuum: the Faith of the Besnir

Among the demi-humans (Besnir), the spiritual world is an inseparable part of their public and private lives. The Hierophant of each tribe is the ceremonial head of that people. He is a high-placed advisor to their ruler. He is the one who seals marriages and contracts. He is the one who crowns their king. His job is to represent his people before their Patron and to reunite them to that Patron in death.

Each of the races: Halfling, Gnome, Dwarf and Elf recognize that their people were created by one of the Aenire... the chief lieutenants of the Creator of the Universe. They were the Lords of the ancient world. The races were made from the substance of the universe (the alloruh) and quickened by the self-sacrifice of their maker -- each of whom poured their own spirit into the beings they had made, thus bringing them to life.

While this act was self-sacrificial, it was also a kind of rebellious act and invoked the ire of the Creator for doing so. Yet, the Creator did not destroy what the Aenire had made, and allowed the Lords to become the intercessors of their people.

Also, because the Aenire spent themselves in the process, the future of these Patrons are altogether wrapped up in the success and faithfulness of their people. While they still live on Erenth, they are mere shadows or wisps of their former selves. They can barely interact with the material world outside of manipulating sound and light and are therefore forced to rely on their people to see their ends met. 

Halflings revere Yomal whom they depict as a great gardener and warrior maiden. Gnomes revere Goren -- a master craftsman and inventor who is almost always laughing. The Dwarves worship Morad, a smith of unparalleled ability. The Elves worship Lareth -- a contemplative and scholarly leader. 

Beneath each of these gods are the Exalted Heroes of their individual races. They are those who have become so powerful and so noteworthy as to have transcended death. In their new forms, they are able to take temporary form and sometimes to involve themselves in the affairs of the living, albeit for a limited time.