Gods of Grimthorn

The Gods were divided into two main categories, The Order and The Chaos. Most gods and their chosen (e.g., avatars, saints) belonged to The Order. Most demons and their agents (e.g., villains, corruptors, Elven ghosts) belonged to The Chaos. Evil and Good existed on both sides of this divide. It may help to consider order and chaos in relation to pro- and anti-human constructs. Nature (spirits) for instance, belonged to The Chaos because they did not abide by human sentiments.

The Fissure

Many gods and pantheons once presided over the World of Grimthorn. That changed with an event called the Fissure. Reliable details of what transpired are hard to come by. The date is known because on 3rd of Sēle, 7206 AR (Archemādrēan Reckoning) the ecclesiastical world fell apart, worldwide, with few exceptions. Priests howled and temples crumbled. Prophets and seers were struck blind by terrible visions of sinuous, inexorable motion through the depths of blackest space. That same night, the stars began winking out one-by-one until the only celestial lights remaining were the moons Iridis and Lūnela. The Dark Night lasted for three days. On Sēle the 5th, the stars returned. To this time, the day is celebrated worldwide with a night-long festivity enjoined by all civilized peoples.

When the Fissure was complete, the world was forever changed. The surviving devout lost all connection with their heavenly patrons. Divine magic ceased to exist. The power and influence of many religions faded and with the passing of a few generations, they now seem quaint and very distant. Power lost leaves a vacuum however, a void that must be filled. The loss of the gods was no different.

People who believe in The Fissure are sometimes labeled Fissurists. These people are often met with the same scorn and ridicule as people wearing sandwich boards that read "The End is Nigh". Incidentally, Fissurists believe that The End is not only near, but upon us.

The Order

Argeldin Ironshield

[AHR gehl din] Dwarven sentinel of defenders. The Shield of Argeldin was a holy relic of great power, forged by the master armorer Brakar. When the shield's bottom was planted in the ground, the defender was duplicated left and right into a great shield wall. The number of defenders equaled the combined levels of the shield-bearer. Duplicates could only defend.

Kāalva Swordweaver

[kay ALE vah] Goddess with eight arms that wielded eight blades simultaneously in circular, hypnotic patterns. Though a force against Chaos, Kāalva would leave a swath of dismembered dead wherever her summons took her.

Mad Eredam the Gray

[ERR eh dahm] God with long eyebrows and beard who sat in a twisted wood throne surrounded by teetering stacks of well-worn books, unrolled scrolls, and a white-eyed raven named Krāak who croaked truths. Eredam might be the patriarch of the Order, but no one remembers and Kraak never answered questions on the topic.

The Chaos

Vēellis Farwalker

[VEE ehl lihs] Elven ghost of portals, gateways, travel, and secret places.