In the human religion of the Theosi, there are eight Greater Gods and twelve slightly Lesser Gods, along with scores of demigods. The Greater Gods are coupled, with each pair ruling one of the four spirit realms: The Heavens above, the depths of the Seas, the lands of the Earth, and the gloomy realms of the Underworld. Each couple has three children with dominion over different aspects of human life.
Theosi temples are known for their tall columns, intricate detail, symmetry, harmony, and balance. They are traditionally made from blocks carved from marble, though poorer communities will make do with the resources available. The gods themselves are traditionally depicted as physically perfect humans, usually dressed in draped sheets of fabric, pleated tunics, and flowing gowns – a style no longer popular among the worshippers of the Theosi, but still traditionally used in statuary, tapestries, and paintings depicting the gods.
The Gods by the Realms
The Heavens
The Gods of the Heavens in the Theosi faith live in Aurinko, a magnificent palace made of gold and light that floats through the skies during the day as the Sun. It is said that those who are the most virtuous in life are brought to the heavens to reside in Aurinko. The most heroic of these are placed in the heavens as stars, are prayed to like saints, and have the powers of Celestials. Although the other gods have their own homes, when they congregate together, it is generally in Aurinko.
- Iliós, the Sun God – Iliós, the God of the Heavens, commands Thunder and Lightning, and is the god of battle and war. Many royal and noble families claim to draw their lineage from Iliós. Domains: Light, Tempest, Twilight, War
- Vasilissa – Consort of Iliós and the goddess of governance, law, and civilization. Domains: Light, Knowledge, Order, Twilight
Their three children:
- Dáskalosa – The goddess of wisdom, scholarship, and academia. Domain: Knowledge, Arcana, Peace
- Plíthos – The god of diplomacy, communication, wittiness, and humor. While his parents are often favored by monarchs and rulers, Plíthos is considered to represent poor people and whatever democratic institutions there may be. He is also a god of healing and medicine. He is sometimes depicted as being in a relationship with Fýlo, the god of lust and sex, and the two of them are sometimes considered to be the patrons of same-sex love. Domain: Life, Peace, Trickery. Alternate Domains: Love
- Epicheiríseis – The goddess of battle strategy. Domain: War
The Earth
The Gods of the Earth in the Theosi faith reside in a palace called Trypóno. The palace is depicted as being accessible through unexpected natural earthen places – the back of a cave, a hillside crevice, hidden in a grove of trees, and, most commonly, by entering through a hole in a giant tree.
- Thirío – The god of animal life, creator of all of the unintelligent creatures of the surface world. Domain: Life, Nature
- Iouloúdia – Creator of all of the plant life on the earth. Domains: Life, Nature
Their three children:
- Arotro – God of agriculture and livestock (essentially, the god of domesticating nature). Domains: Life, Nature
- Kynígi – The goddess of hunting and of the untamed wilds. She is sometimes depicted as the patron of maidens who do not wish to marry, and women who seek nontraditional paths in life. Domains: Nature
- Kósmimo – The god of mountains and of the earth’s metals, gems, and mineral resources. He is also the god of the forge as well as of builders and architects. Domains: Nature, Forge
The Seas
The gods of the seas in the Theosi faith dwell in Helmi, a spherical palace made from a giant pearl that traverses beneath the ocean seas as well as the seas of the skies as Lunaal, the gray the moon. It is said that the spirits of ordinary folk who are neither extraordinarily good nor particularly evil dwell amongst them until it is time for them to be reincarnated and “try again.”
- Thálassi – God of salt-water oceans and seas. Domains: Tempest, War
- Révma – Goddess of freshwater lakes, rivers, streams, and springs. Domains: Life, Nature
Their three children:
- Psarás – God for those who make their living from the sea: sailors, fishermen, sea traders, and those who specialize in naval combat. Domains: Life, Tempest, War
- Eidýllia – The goddess of love and romance. She has a son, Fýlo. Domains: Life, Twilight. Alternate Domains: Love
- Polemistís – The Warrior, god of individual combat. He is depicted as honorable but hot tempered. Domains: War
The Underworld
The Theosi underworld, Kólasi, is depicted as a cold, gloomy, cavernous place – not icy, but dank, damp, and cold. It is a home for troubled souls, those whose ill deeds condemn them to punishment and penance before being allowed to reincarnate. The gods of Kólasi are recognized and feared, but rarely worshipped on their own. Funeral rites include homage to Dikastís, the Judge, and believers will pray to Éleos to intercede on behalf of their loved ones’ spirits, particularly those who had committed egregious crimes in their lives. The only temples and shrines to their offspring are typically those of covert and sometimes illegal sects.
- Dikastís, the Judge – The Lord of the Underworld and the Adjudicator of Souls. Dikastís determines which souls have committed sufficient evilness to be confined to the Underdark ream called Kólasi. He is considered to be the patron of justice, judges, law enforcement, and punishment. Domains: Knowledge, Tempest, War. Alternate Domains: Grave, Death, Order
- Éleos – The goddess of mercy, who tempers her consort’s judgments. Domains: Knowledge, Life, Twilight. Alternate Domains: Grave
Their three children:
- Fylakí, the Warden – Fylakí is the jailer for the prison of souls, the God who oversees the torments inflicted on evil-doers who are punished until they are allowed to return to the earth to “try again” in another life. Domains: War. Alternate Domains: Grave
- Thánatos the Undying – God of the Undead: the animated bodies of the dead, like zombies and skeletons; the troubled spirits who have not passed over, like ghosts and poltergeists; and those like vampires and liches who have achieved everlasting life through undying death. Domains: Death
- Prodosía – Goddess of the creatures of the Underdark. She rules the intelligent and unintelligent creatures who dwell beneath the surface: orcs and ogres and carrion crawlers, among others. Some say she gave birth to them; others say she recruited them to serve her. She is also the goddess of treachery and deceit, of traitors and assassins, of poison and cunning, of backstabbing and dishonorable combat. Domains: Death
By Domain
- Arcana – Dáskalosa, Fýlo
- Death – Prodosía, Thánatos the Undying, Dikastís, the Judge
- Forge – Kósmimo
- Grave – Fylakí, the Warden, Dikastís, the Judge, Éleos
- Knowledge – Vasilissa, Dáskalosa, Dikastís, the Judge, Éleos
- Life – Plíthos, Thirío, Iouloúdia, Arotro, Éleos, Eidýllia, Psarás, Révma
- Light – Iliós, Vasilissa, Fýlo
- Nature – Thirío, Iouloúdia, Arotro, Kynígi, Kósmimo, Révma
- Order – Dikastís, the Judge, Vasilissa
- Peace – Dáskalosa, Plíthos
- Tempest – Iliós, Dikastís, the Judge, Psarás, Thálassi
- Trickery – Plíthos, Fýlo
- Twilight – Éleos, Eidýllia, Arotro, Iliós, Vasilissa
- War – Iliós, Epicheiríseis, Fylakí, the Warden, Dikastís, the Judge, Polemistís, Psarás, Thálassi
Alternate Domains