scholarship of erenth: Exalted Heroes

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Index of the Deities & Demigods

CREATOR

Ere All

PRIMOGENITORS

The lords of the Besnir were Aenire who came to Erenth in service of the Ere All, but were deceived into doing the work of the enemy, Agelleas. And yet their work was redeemed and they became great forces for good.

and the Betrayer himself,

Agellas

However false the many other "gods" were in respect to divinity, they were very much true and powerful in their ascendance. Prideful beings were they, in that they desired recognition and acclaim more than anything, and peculiar were they in that the more they received, the greater their power became.

PRETENDERS
The Pretenders were those beings which came to Erenth from their original plane of existence, and finding it peopled by lesser mortals, set themselves up as rulers and kings. While not immortal, the Pretenders were nonetheless very long lived, and would have persisted for centuries.

It is believed by some that they rode a fiery chariot which crashed into the Ramparts. Others say that they were born along by the lightning of a storm which swept through many worlds. Still others say that they were brought here by a collision between this world and theirs. The last theory is that some magic of the Elves or Dragons pulled them into our world, perhaps even separately.

And the unmet Prince who is invoked to move Heimos

Brand the Suffering

VASTIRAH
The Vastirah are those who would have been of mixed Erenthean and extra-planar blood. These became the patrons and patronesses of cities and tribes.

To this order of demigods belongs the rest of the Westrun Decadon -- the Faith of the Ten Divines who were born of Heimos and the human women he took to wife.

Along with the Southrun demigods:

The brothers Amir and Bhamut, born of Umirra and the Marida
Sekhat (f)

And the Giant God:

Jendul

In Eastrun

Jen Shu the Conquerer

In Southrun

AENIREDE

The Aenirede were the Aenir who came to Erenth in judgement of the Vyrum Empire and this includes their lesser children, the Titans, all of whom have sacrificed their first estate and must now remain on Erenth.

DEMIGODS

The demigods were old powers who came to Erenth as Aeniresa and some became Agathinon (raging spirits with physical bodies) or had offspring such as the foul and fair Nefilnir, and these were worshipped as gods.

In Northrun

Terraq

In Southrun

In Eastrun

In Westrun

HEROES
Finally, the heroes were the offspring of demigods and other mortals. They were men and women of renown who made names for themselves among their tribes and nations. Some of these are legends and not known if they actually exist.

Worthy Ulric

Worthy Planos

Worthy Jerebola

Worthy Gamasiel

Worthy Cronos

Valkauna

Thorne Blackwyd: Prince of Thieves

In days of yore, there lived a thief of unparalleled skill. His name, whispered with both awe and trepidation, had become the stuff of legend, for Thorne Blackwyd had accomplished the three most audacious heists known to the annals of history—the theft of the jewels of the dragon empresses.

These treasures, so priceless they could purchase a kingdom, were guarded by the most formidable warriors and the most intricate defenses the world had ever seen. Yet, Thorne, the greatest thief of all, was undaunted by these obstacles. His heart burned with the desire to claim these jewels, no matter the cost.

The first empress was renowned for her cunning. She housed her jewels within the impenetrable walls of a fortress, guarded day and night by vigilant sentinels. But Thorne was not deterred. Disguised as a humble servant, he infiltrated the fortress. With unparalleled dexterity and stealth, he spirited away the jewels from under the very noses of the guards, leaving no trace of his passage.

The second empress, a paragon of vanity, adorned herself with her precious jewels in public, basking in the admiration of the masses. Thorne, however, saw an opportunity. In the bustling heart of a parade, he approached the empress. With sleight of hand so deft it defied comprehension, he relieved her of her jewels as she wore them, replacing them with imitations only later discovered.

The third empress was the most cautious of all. She concealed her jewels in a secret location, known only to herself. But even her meticulous care could not thwart the greatest thief. Through cunning and perseverance, Thorne uncovered the secret hiding place. In the dead of night, cloaked in darkness, he stole the jewels, vanishing into the dark with his prize.

Thus, the legend of Thorne Blackwyd was etched into the annals of time. With the jewels of the three empresses in his possession, he vanished from the world, never to be seen again. Yet, the tales of his incredible feats were passed down through the generations, a testament to his unmatched prowess.

In time, Thorne's legend grew to mythical proportions. He was venerated as an ascended hero, and in certain corners of the world, some even worshipped him as a god. His story, a tapestry of daring and brilliance, continued to inspire awe and wonder, ensuring that the name Thorne Blackwyd would forever be remembered as the greatest thief of all time

Shamash, Sun Faris

Rostamdar the Hero

Reme the Healer

A tribal goddess of the Nandi people, Reme was supposed to represent the power of healing and recuperation. She was often depicted as a winged elf who would carry off those grievously injured in battle and grant them protection in her eyrie - only returning them when they were recovered. For that reason, those who are comatose are often said to be “Resting in Reme.”

There is some crossover in the veneration of Reme as the elves also have a figure in their own legendarium by nearly the same name. As one of the Avariel (first generation elves) Rayam was said to be a daughter of Aerdie Faenya who did not traffic with those who were bound to earth, but nevertheless brought healing to the exiled in the twilight following their battles.

When the Grand Temple of Peakshadow was instituted, the cult of Reme had widespread support and was accreted into the worship of the many gods in the person of Neroia, daughter of Ninlee, also goddess of healing. While the trappings of Neroia were affixed to the person of Reme, they could not supplant her cult. The name Neroia never caught on outside of temple’s own scholars. Reme’s name and role were well-established among the populace.

After the God War of 5108, the Remedians (Priestesses of Reme) converted wholesale to the Church of Westrun and disavowed the actual worship of their pagan goddess, but they did not forsake their considerable skills. Now holding themselves out only as sages of herbs and the healing arts, those who invoke her name operate their so-called Remeyries in cities and large towns across all Four Lands. Some of the Sacred Sisters of the Church of Westrun will serve a dual role in the Remeyries as healers and surgeons, but there are many Remedians without any such connection to the church.

Qamari, Moon Faris

A knight of the moon god...

Melenne Erebenne

The air of Negwh -- the waiting place of the Besnir after death -- is thick and damp, heavy with the smell of moss and wet earth. No bird sings here. Only the sigh of the streams and the soft groan of the old wood mark the passage of the dead. The spirits gather here waiting for the Ferryman. To keep them from despair, Melenne Erebenne is a sylph-like being which dances to distract and give dreams to those waiting.

Janib ibn Khaliq

The god of many names, he is also known as Jareeh or Jareeh Lam Yuksar. He is the god of suffering and compassion.

Generous, good-spirited, and even-tempered he sought to offer aid and relief and words of comfort to those in pain, who were oppressed, or otherwise in great need. He encouraged those who could, to endure their pain, suffering, and abuse in order to grow stronger. He encouraged his faithful to halt and relieve the suffering of others, and to take it on themselves if they must. He is said to have set the example by allowing himself to undergo a severe torture which was unjustly inflicted.

While his followers agree that he perished as a result of his torture, they are not dissuaded in their faith, rejecting the entirety of the pantheon of Southrun, calling them misguided or deceptions.

Garl Glittergold

Garl Glittergold was a Raen of the Gnomes before the flooding of Sumervale and the loss of the five ancient cities of that people. He opposed the Gnummorong and would not participate in the enslavement of the Halflings. He was betrayed by his fellow Raens and drowned in the deluge that brought the end of the age.

He remains an exalted hero of his people and in that role has not rejoined his spirit to his primogenitor. Despite his tragic end he is quick with a laugh. He enjoys pranks and schemes of all kinds. He carries a magical adze which is a deadly weapon of war, an unparalleled tool for mining and digging, and which carries the personality of his life's love, Dina.

Enheri

The Enheri are those warriors selected by the Dwarven Valkauna to be the paragons of their people. It is believed that the Enheri are selected for their acts of virtue and/or bravery. At the moment of their death, rather than wait at on the banks of Hyburleth, they are ushered to a secret pool in Negwh, there to board a swanship, and sail from thence to Morenth. There they are revived and relentlessly trained to become warriors to help bring in the 8th Age of Erenth.

Clare of the Valley

Clare of the Valley is the goddess of fidelity, devotion, and love. A one-time mortal woman whose soldier husband died while returning from war, she now lives undying in her mortal body.

When Clare's husband died within sight of his home, Death took the opportunity to take her husbands body to experience mortal life temporarily. Death felt the affection and ministrations of Clare and at first believed he had known what it was to be loved. By the end of his experiment, he slowly realized that Clare only had feelings for her husband.

When Death realized Clare did not love him, nor even truly know him; he cast off the husband's body and left her a widow.

Despite her not knowing him, Death found that his love was real. He truly loved Clare, and he has loved her ever since. For this reason, he has never permitted her to join him for fear that she would discover his deception. Worse than not loving him, he fears she might come to hate him.

Because she is never claimed by Death, she would have been consigned to continual aging and eventual decrepitude. Her darkened veil is the gift of Reme who took pity on her and granted her a permanent boon to reverse all aging.

Simply put, Clare cannot die. She is immortal because Death will not claim her. She is the patroness of true love and fidelity for married couples.

Camara the Matriarch

So Vanpir was the first of those called the Nosfernir who are born of evil desire and cursed to live in solitude. His days thereafter were spent in the agony of that desire for it rose in him as a hunger which only the blood of others could sate. Then Vanpir was shunned by all who knew him and the light of day burned at him. He became a creature of darkness and fled from the lands of all people, reviled and feared.

One of his victims recovered when she was thought to have died. Her name was Camara and she rose with the darkness of Vanpir’s thoughts and the same hunger which beset him now drove her. And Camara, seeing what had befallen her dark sire, purposed to feed her own hunger in secret. She created the Facade, by which she would live among the Besnir and make victims of them unawares.

If Vanpir was the first order of the Nosfernir, Camara and those like her were the second. Camara and those who followed her, organized themselves into Houses and sought to perpetuate themselves by deceiving others into disbelief.

Arecelos

Arecelos was a wizard and Priest of Maegara, becoming so powerful that after death he was worshipped by generations that followed. He will respond to his worshippers’ pleas and plights if made aware of them.

He can become aware of anything that happens adjacent to an open flame, if his name is spoken. He remains a powerful wizard with nearly unlimited strength in the vicinity of any open flame.

Agronar the Ghost King

Agronar was a General of Westrun who saw to the conquest of the Principalities of Vyruma Serpentis (the Taming of the Serpent) when his King was too far in debt to repay the creditors that lived there. He was so popular with his soldiers and the common folk that rumors abounded that he would be proclaimed king upon his return to Westrun. A fit of jealousy may have led to his assassination.

Despite his death, his banners still hang on the anniversary of his birth each year.

Agronar dresses in the purest white silk over chain armor trimmed in gold. His device is that of a humbled dragon with a bit in its mouth.

Agronar wields the sword Excalte, a sword sharp enough to sever limbs and the slightest stroke. It has a magical scabbard that heals all slashing, piercing wounds. His magical helm makes him absolutely immune to breath weapons and area attacks.