The Elder Deities
The elder deities are not as powerful as the Primordeals, but still have the powers of creation. The concepts they represent exist in the world solely by their existence, and without them Theril would be a very different place.
Selus, Goddess of the Moon
First born of the Deities, Selus is the daughter of Silnai and Tersqu. Selus was effected by Kerthos' curse and was of two minds, one striving to bring light to the world and the other to plunge it in eternal darkness. She eventually tore herself asunder, creating Caris the Goddess of Darkness, but still they fought and from their wounds created Mysth, goddess of Magic. Selus, Caris and Mysth share markedly similar appearances, and their powers filled the void around Theril creating the Ethereal and Shadow co-planes. Selus never fully recovered from the fighting, and her power constantly waxes and wanes, represented by the phases of the Moon. Selus together with Pelos brought forth Wilken, Goddess of Luck. Selus had a few demigod children: Lupa, the Lycenthrope; a demi-human who had the power to transform into beasts beneath the full moon and 'shared' this power with the mortals of Theril. Luna, the Mad; a demi-elf who is more than spreading her disposition amongst the mortal races. Finally there was Greya, the Time-Keeper, who taught the mortals how to count days, and names all the years.
Caris, Goddess of Darkness
She was originally born as an aspect of Selus, and became a deity in her own right when Selus tor herself asunder. Caris deeply hates Selus, and does everything in her power to reduce her influence. Driven back by the combined powers of Selus and Mysth, Caris has spent much of her time on the fringes, hiding in the dark places of the world she plots her revenge. Caris deceived many gods, courting Tersque in the guise of Silnai and bringing forth Belough, goddess of Caverns, courting Silnai in the guise of Tersque and bringing forth Nurlin, Goddess of Pestilence, and courting Mysht in the guise of Pelos, bringing forth Olimik, God of Trickery. Caris has a strong relationship with her daughters, and they work together closely. Olimik on the other hand serves only his own interests. Caris stole the secrets of magic from Mysth as she courted her, and has created shadow magic, a secret hidden from the other gods. Also in secret, Caris stole some of the power of Kerthos and created the Shades, a powerful race which she plans to use to whip out all life on Theril. Caris' demigod children are: Merina, the Mistress of Shadows; a Demi-Shade who held great mastery over the Shadow magic of Caris and Missa the Lady of Sorrows; a Demi-Human who spreads sorrows and loss.
Mysth, Goddess of Magic
Formed from the fighting between Caris and Selus, Mysth is turned out to be quite a powerful deity, she removed Karsus' curse on Selus and by siding with Selus forced Caris into a retreat. Mysth created and maintains the weave of magic, and taught the mortal races the art of its use. Unwittingly, Mysth together with Caris brought forth Olimik, God of Trickery. She also brought forth Nyph, Goddess of the Wilderness with Arbus, Obsimagh, God of Knowledge and Caresh Goddess of Emotions with Pelos and Omnis, God of Machines and Charlim, God of Alchemy with Vaen. Mysth had eight demi-god children, each blessed with mastery over a particular school of magic: Liavol the Evoker; a Demi-Elf, Darthzim the Abjurer; a Demi-Dragonkin, Halfrin the Conjurer; a Demi-Elf, Erlos the Diviner; a Demi-Human, Ria the Enchanter; a Demi-Changeling, Dimel the Illusionist; a Demi-Gnome, Skaros the Necromancer, a Demi-Human.
Arbus, God of Plants
The son of Silnai and Tersque, Arbus moved upon the face of Theril and brought forth in all places the first forms of life, Plants. First the grasses then the shrubs and then the trees and the flowers. Arbus loved the beauty of all his creations, but it was the majesty of the trees that he loved the most. Stout and strong, with great strength and equally beauty, the trees of Arbus were well blessed. Arbus wooed Mysth and brought forth Nyph, Goddess of the Wilderness, and his only child brought forth from his trees the Elves to tend his forests. Arbus also courted Silnai, bringing forth Yonet, the Goddess of Harvest. Arbus had many demi-god children, particularly among the elves and humans, of greatest note is Fandrom, the Tree-Shepherd. Like the demi-god children of Parn and Nyph; Arbus' demi-god children gave up their divinity and became the Fey.
Parn, God of Beasts
The son of Silnai and Tersque, Parn got on well with his brother Arbus, and created many beings to interact with his plants. The god of Beast was a cruel one though, he pit all his creations against one another in a mad struggle for survival, where only the strongest survived. Parn and Drumnet together brought forth Shissa, the Goddess of Reptiles. Parn had many Demi-god children, particularly among the elves and humans, though none are sufficiently well known. Like the demi-god children of Arbus and Nyph; Parn's demi-god children gave up their divinity and became the Fey.
Pelos, God of the Sun
The son of Silnai and Firas, Pelos more than any other god took up Silnai's role as the bringer of light to Theril. His daily journey across the sky brings light and nourishment too all life, and often Pelos is worshiped above Selus for this fact. At the very least, Pelos is offered lip service by surface dwelling races, though many will have dedicated temples and priesthoods to him as he is known as a dutiful and responsive deity. Pelos brought forth Obsimagh, the God of Knowledge and Caresh, Goddess of Emotions with Myst, Pelmyt, God of Healing with Silnai and Vilken, Goddess of Luck with Selus. The Demi-God children of Pelos are numerous, and of an assortment of races. Referred to collectively as the shining hosts, all but two perished during the breaking of the world; Herm the Messenger, the Demi-Halfling charged with rallying the other gods, and Helm the Guardian, a Demi-Human who was left on Theril to protect it.
Posida, God of the Sea
The son of Silnai and Wayith child of Silnai and Wayith, and as his eldest son, Posida claimed dominion over the largest bodies of water on Theril, and filled it with a myriad of life. Telor is responsible for stealing water from Posida and takes it to the land, this greatly displeases Posida, and in order to placate him, Nalar returns much of the water that is taken. Posida had no god children, but did have two Demi-Elf children; Tyrion the King of the Deep and Moes the Tide Caller.
Nalar, God of Rivers
The son of Silnai and Wayith, and infact Wayiths youngest child, Nalar often acts as an intermediary between the children of water. Nalar placates Posida's malcontent by returning much of the water that was stolen by Telor or held by Frigaes. Nalar's calm and predictable nature, especially when compared to the other children of Water, made him quite popular with the mortals of Theril. Nalar had no god children or demi-god children
Telor, Goddess of Weather
The daughter of Wayith and Auria, Telor is a wild and unpredictable goddess. Telor is the bane of Posida, stealing from him whenever she can. Telor is greatly feared and admired by mortals, she is unpredictable and wild, but at the same time crucial to life. Telor, together with Frigaes, created the Giants, her favoured becoming known as storm giants. Telor had no god children, but had a demi-god child, Keus of the Thunder, a Demi-Giant.
Frigaes, Goddess of Cold
The daughter of Wayith and Auria, Frigeas was unhappy about Posida's dominion over almost all the water on Theril. Thus she hoards as much of Theril's waters as she can. It is Pelos who began to stop her advance, and their eternal struggle began, as their powers waxed and waned the seasons were created. Frigaes had no god children, but had two demi-god children; Evars the Mountain Lord, a demi-giant and Charst the Winter Queen, a demi-human.
Vaen, God of Metals
The son of Tersque and Firas, Vaen moved about the depths of Theril and caused the earth to bring forth ores and minerals. Vaen supported the dwarves in the great dragon wars, teaching them the art of crafting with metal. He also built for them a mighty forge, around which clan Gudsforje was founded. Vaen had two children with Mysth; Omnis the God of Technology and Charlim the God of Alchemy, and with Vilkan brought forth Wolpur, the God of Wealth. Vaen had numerous children who are collectively referred to as the Warforged, most perished during the breaking.
Silicia, Goddess of Gems
The Daughter of Tersque and Firas, Silicia also traveled the depths of theril and spread her bounty in the earth. Silicia supported the dragons in the great dragon wars, binding the skin in scales as hard as crystal. Silicia had no god children, and three demi-god children; Charhn the Emerald Drake; a demi-dragon, Glithern the hoarder; a demi-gnome and Silmar the Crystal Grower; a demi-elf.
Dramnet, Goddess of Dragons
The daughter of Auria and Tersque, Dramnet is a cruel and fickle goddess. She created the dragons from the stones of the earth and then immediately abandoned them to their own devices. So frugel is she that the first generation of dragons held the souls that would be reused for all time. Each new dragon egg would tax the souls of their parents, who could only restore themselves by slaying a fellow member of their kind. This eternal cycle of death and birth forced a group of dragons to break the cycle, by taking on a humanoid form and appealing to Silnai to give them mortal souls, this breakaway group became known as the Dragonkin. Of the dragons many petitioned Silicia for aid, becoming the Cromatic dragons and saught to destroy dwarfkind, others sought an uneasy alliance with the dwarves though, and instead petitioned Vaen. Dramnet, together with Parn bought forth Shissa the Goddess of Reptiles. Dramnet had many demi-dragon children; one to lead each of the dragon-wings, she also had a demi-naga, The Dragon the Lord of Chiefs, who was the only leader of all the Naga until he disappeared during the breaking of the world, as well as countless demi-mortals who served as her protectors during the Age of Wandering.
Pharloh, God of Badlands
The son of Tersque and Auria, Pharloh is a harsh and unforgiving god. Over the lands devoid of life he rules, punishing those who trespass in his domain. Pharloh has an alliance of sorts with Shissa, who’s creations he allows to prosper in his harsh domains, but there little life takes hold. Pharloh seeks to expand his domain at every chance, growing his deserts and dry crags. Pharloh had no god-children, but had two demigod children, the Cricket Hermit; a demi-naga and Xanath the Defiler, a demi-human.
Here we begin to flesh out the gods that mortals might actually worship. The elder gods are preferred subjects of worship by mortals as they are more powerful with wider reaching domains then the Younger Gods, but unlike the primordials have a more tangible presence in the psyches of mortals thanks to their extended stay on the material plane during the Gods War. This is not to say they are loved equally among the different races; most surface dwellers loath Caris for example, where as those native to the underground worship her fervently, the Elves treat Pharlor with disdain, but many Naga worship him just below their creator Shissa.
This is a general theme that arises in Theril, in general there is no intrinsically good or evil choice. Though a case could certainly be made that Silnai and Kerthos could be considered the good and evil deities respectively, I don't really see that as the case particularly as neither attempt to enforce any kind of morality. I deal with alignment in the setting slightly differently, but we will cover that latter.
Another interesting thing that arose when I was putting together the divine family tree was that very few deities arranged themselves into hetero-monogamous couples. This wasn't an intention when I set about building the tree, as it was built more along the line of concept addition (I want a deity of of the Sun, what two Elements do I mix to get the, Fire and Life seems like good choices). I haven't finished thinking through the what effects a pantheon such as this would have on the views of mortals of Theril, but I lean towards at a minimum there being a lot less stigma against non-hetero and non-mono relationships.
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