Gods
Gods are extremely powerful entities that exist primarily in outer planes and vie for worship or veneration of mortals in order to gain more power and influence. They each represent a constant, or a concept related to them. Gods can come in the form of greater deities or lesser deities. Demigods and Primordials also hold divine power, but on a lesser scale.
The Helian Pantheon
| Deity | Alignment | Rank | Domains | Constant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aelwin, "god" of day | NE | Pseudo-god | Light, the sun, abundance, time | Time |
| Aero, goddess of air | NE | Lesser God | Air, the sky, wind | Matter |
| Baronysis, goddess of deep waters | N | Lesser God | Middle and lower oceans | Matter |
| Cynefrid, goddess of nature | LN | Greater God | Elements, nature, beasts | Matter |
| Forte, god of chance | CN | Lesser God | Luck, misfortune, gambling | Magic |
| Hura, goddess of storms and seas | CN | Lesser God | Storms and upper oceans | Matter |
| Lucifer, god of treason | LE | Greater God | The Nine Hells, devils, treachery | Will |
| Maldir, god of chaos | CE | Greater God | Chaos, fire, demons, the Abyss | Will |
| Minos, judge of the hells | LN | Primordial | Limbo, judgement, humility | Will |
| Mortuus, scribe of the dead | LN | Primordial | Fugue plane, mortality, death | Time |
| Prometheus, the firebringer | CG | Primordial | Fire and heat | Matter |
| Saewara, goddess of justice | LG | Greater God | Justice, mercy, patience, balance | Will |
| Satan, god of wrath | LE | Lesser God | Wrath, lesser devils | Will |
| Soporia, goddess of dreams | CG | Lesser God | Sleep, illusion magic | Magic |
| Tiamat, goddess of evil dragons | CE | Lesser God | Heresy, chromatic dragons | Magic |
| Titan, god of stone | N | Lesser God | Stone, mountains, dwarves, giants | Will |
| Vicissia, goddess of change | CG | Lesser God | Change, transmutation magic | Magic |
| Zelios, true god of day | NG | Greater God | Light, the sun, abundance, time | Time |
Worshipping the Divine
Divinity in Helia is largely a symbiotic relationship between mortals and those who have risen above them. Mortals will often pray for the favor of a specific deity when undergoing a task related to that patron. A sailor traveling the seas will pray to Hura in the hopes that she will keep her storms at bay. A farmer will make sure to offer a portion of their abundant harvest to Zelios in thanks to ensure the next yield is just as plentiful. In return, gods receive power and influence amongst other deities with more worshippers and followers. Even begging an evil or destructive god to avert its influence is considered worship.
The most common practices of worship in Helia involve offerings of valuables, sacrificing time through prayer, and performing rituals. For most mortals, strict devotion is held for one or two gods that relate to the person's profession or living situation, but reasons may always vary.
Places of Prayer
For some mortals, service of a deity is more than just a couple prayers a day with the occasional monthly ritual. Some may feel called to devoting their lives in the name of their idol. Different gods have different titles for religious leaders and places of worship. Depending on the area, one may see a pontiff overseeing a Church of Aelwin, a priest tending to a temple of Cynefrid, or, an initiate leading a circle of Maldir.
Religious officials may gain magical benefits and blessings from their deity in the same sense as a cleric would. Unlike clerics, however, these gifts are usually tailored for maintaining a place of worship and the people within. For example, a deacon belonging to the Church of Aelwin may be blessed with radiant healing magic to tend to their clerics that they send to do their god's bidding.
Communing with Divinity
The gods of Helia are a distant sort when it comes to physical manifestation. With some exceptions, divine beings usually only communicate through distant whispers to those able to hear them, as anything more requires a frequent commitment to expending their power. Gods may choose to communicate with their followers via a holy scripture, chosen group of prophets, or simply remain distant. After all, as long as they are able to maintain worship or veneration, their power will remain regardless of communication.
This does not mean that gods have no means to physical confrontation. All divine beings have a physical form in their origin plane. If the need calls for it, gods can send avatars and aspects of themselves into other planes. This takes a large amount of power and must be used sparingly. Whenever a god sends their avatar to the mortal realm, it is an event that is spoken about for hundreds of years after.
The best ways to make contact with the gods is with the assistance of a religious leader in the respective place of worship, or with divination spells such as commune.
Divine Tokens and Chosen
Within Helia, deities can exert their will within areas of their direct domain and influence, such as the oceans with Baronysis and Hura, or within the Hells by Lucifer or Tiamat. There are restrictions and limits to the extent at which their power can be wielded, however. Direct action by gods outside of their home plane requires an immense amount of magic and energy. There must be incitement from other mortals via prayer, ritual, and even summoning to lighten the burden. On the other hand, deities can interfere with mortals if their own domain or vitality is being threatened.
All this is not to say that deities must simply observe and obey the will of their followers. Like mortals, gods have ambitions and desires, but must go about achieving these goals through other means. Two of the most prominent means are by selecting chosen and bestowing divine tokens. Chosen are mortals who have been handpicked by a deity to carry out their will. They are given direct power from their patron and retain their agency. Divine tokens are magic items or creatures that are imbued with the pure essence of the deity that it is tied to. Creating a divine token requires the deity to sacrifice a physical percentage of its power into the item/creature, making this a risky choice. If the chosen of a specific god is in possession of their patron’s respective divine token(s), their power would likely rival that of any demigod, if they aren't one already.
The Five Great Ones
Standing atop all deities in Helia are five greater gods that hold the four constants in perfect balance. These gods either have an immense following or power beyond comprehension. They are also unique in how they physically manifest, with each one differing in some way.