The gods in Aetolia are powerful, enigmatic beings. They exist for their own reasons and you are well-advised to pay them the respect they are due. Unlike in many worlds, Aetolia's gods are played by individual human beings. They regularly interact with their worshippers, and provide guidance and advice. Though they rarely directly interfere, when they do, it is always with dramatic implications.

Each of the gods has a Divine Order. Joining a god's order is a way of actively declaring your faith and loyalty to that god, and a pledging of support to that deity's cause. Being in an Order is an integral part of many Aetolians' lives, and some find membership and participation in the activities of the Order to be the most rewarding aspect of their existence. It should be noted that each of the Divine Ones has their own goals and their own distinct methods of accomplishing them, but they nearly always act through mortal agents, rather than acting directly.

Offerings are the major way in which you as a devoted follower may gain your god essence. Many things that a Divinity might do cost He or She essence. In order to offer to your god, you must first find a location in which a shrine to that god has been erected.

Once you have done that, you must choose what to offer. You may offer gold or dead things. Be warned that offering gold will automatically offer all the gold in your hands. Simply type OFFER <offering> and you will send your offering winging its way to your beloved patron, who will be notified of your offering.

As you wander about the land, you will undoubtedly encounter shrines to various gods. These shrines have been erected by highly-ranked followers of gods as testaments to the glory of their god or goddess, and in order to provide more offering points for followers.

Those who have attained rank eight or higher in an Order may ERECT SHRINE. This will take approximately ten seconds, during which you may not do anything else. It will also sap half your willpower. It should be noted that shrines may not be placed closer than four locations away from each other.

If you wish to help strengthen a shrine, you will do OFFER <offering> TO SANCTIFY while if you wish to harm a shrine, you will OFFER <offering> TO DEFILE. In both of these cases, the god's essence will not be affected.

Varian, the Celestine is the origin of all Creation. All that is, was, and will be is thanks only to His Divine Will. Before the universe existed, there was simply Varian. He was Creation, and Creation was Him. In a desire to experience multiplicity and the complex interactions of individuals, He created the universe and this world.

Varian is generally neither a benevolent nor a malevolent god, choosing instead to observe and guide the actions of mortals and immortals, but is swift to correct those who attempt to violate His vision of Creation.

The Hunter was created by Varian shortly after the birth of Aetolia, seeing a need for a Divine realm to tend the cycles of birth and death in Nature. Haern finds virtuous the traits of strong will, severity and destruction, and seeks a balance of rhythm, rather than of stability. It takes courage to not fear dissolution and to know that all spiritual principles are indestructible. His realm encompasses all animals, and He harbors a respect for the prey as well as for the skilled hunter. He frees us from that which has become obsolete, and inspires us with the will to protect. Born in a time of great inbalance, He is intolerant of transgressions and is known to bring swift action against any creature that oversteps its bounds, or any abomination that has no place in Nature.

The Rhythm is the ever-changing, never static, flow of Nature. The Way of the Hunter is as complex as the Rhythm itself, but is known by three names - The Way of Defiance, The Way of Destruction, and The Way of Severity. This rhythmic balance is the realm of Haern, as He is the force that keeps the Rhythm in motion. The hunt is about sacrifice - clean and merciful, a conscious and deliberate choice of a greater good over a lesser good. Good, to the Hunter, is this application of force in the appropriate time, space and proportion. Evil is the misapplication of such force, or the unwillingness to act at all. It is a virtue to know one's place in the natural order of Aetolia. To allow another to dictate this to you is a vice.

The Hunter is an elusive God, rarely appearing to mortals in His true form but preferring to interact through other agents, often observing or testing mortals indirectly. His followers include a mixture of those who strive for a strict balance in Nature, those who value strife as an agent of growth, diversity and harmony, and those who see themselves as passionate advocates of the wilderness and the wild.

As fresh blood on the cold, pure snow, the colours of Haern are crimson and ivory. His symbols are a red bone claw on a field of white, and the open triad, a three-branched knot reminding of the Ways. The bear, the serpent, and the raven are held sacred by those who follow Him.

Though not a destructive deity, Severn strives only for personal gain, regardless of the means. Usually quiet and detached, He observes and analyzes the goings on of the world from His throne while planning His strategems. Rarely does He leave His throne to manifest on the Material Plane, generally sending minions and manipulating others to carry out His will instead. Plotting for years, even centuries, He presents a calm and disarmingly magnetic personality - a mask of the fire within. None can say exactly what His true form is, as the reports vary greatly. Some claim he is a diminutive chameleon, others insist to have seen a raven or a nondescript human with black hair.

The Divine Muse is the patron of artists and writers, who often hear Her soft whisperings of inspiration in their time of need. Though she is most closely associated with authors, performers and artisans, Iosyne favors creators and thinkers of all varieties, delighting in the myriad capabilities of the mortal mind, and encouraging the mortal capacity to bring ideas to manifestation. She is known as a gentle spirit, but rather than this trait being due to any aversion to war or violence, it is more accurately reasoned as a product of Her simple disinterest in such things beyond their dramatic value. Beyond all else, she adores the limitless possibilities of experience, whether in sorrow or joy, finding the beauty and intricacy of the ever-changing tapestry of life.

The appearance of Iosyne to mortal perceptions is rarely the same twice, as Her moods and interests vary from day to day, along with Her chosen style. A feather is the most common symbol of Her realm, both as a quill for composition, and a representation of the boundless possibilities of creation and thought.

Water is changeable and adaptable, shaping itself to its container and flowing around obstacles in its path. Yet water can erode the mightiest mountain and reshape whole continents.

Slyphe represents both the slow change of a river cutting through a valley, creating a canyon through the years, and the abrupt changes wrought by fierce typhoons and pounding tsunamis. He is as changeable as the water that represents Him. He can be as moody and brooding as the darkest thunderhead, or as bright and cheerful as a babbling brook. Slyphe promotes change and dynamism in the mortal world, both of the physical world and of stagnant mortal political establishments.

The rising sun shines across the bright spring morning, and the Prelude begins. The blossoms sing a simple song of birth, life, and the growth of a new soul. As the notes of the spring play on, a new hope is sung to the tune of renewal.

The sun at its zenith shines brightly across the summer afternoon, and the Sonata begins. Life in all its forms grows and flourishes under the caring light of the notes of summer, and the new hope becomes the pursuit of a growing soul.

As the sun falls over the autumn evening, the Serenade begins. Lulling itself into a cool sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment, the new life begins to shine of its own light as it leaves the safety of its source to expand itself further. The notes of the harvest season bring new value to all that the soul has accomplished.

The cold night of winter settles over the land, and the Crescendo begins. Fallen from its height, the once-new life sits beneath a heavy white layer of time, cold and left alone in the darkness of the winter's final notes. As the soul fades away, as spark settles within it, and the new soul springs forth from it into a Rhapsody of the seasons.

The beauty of the prelude of spring flows into the rising sonata of summer. As the notes of summer settle again, they play into the serenade of autumn and finally into the crescendo of winter. Through this cycle, each note reaches its full potential and is renewed before the light of creation. The fingers of Lleis, Goddess of Renewal dance across the strings of Her harp and the seasons change. Life is born, grows, bears fruit, and dies again in the endless wheel of Renewal.

Lady Lleis is the hand that turns the wheel. Hers is the song that flows through the seasons, and its beauty and dynamism are unmatched. But with that turning comes more than just growth, health and happiness; Hers is also a song of loss, as without eliminating the static and unchanging past the growing and dynamic future cannot bloom.

Strength of character. Discipline. Courage. Honor. These are the pillars of Valor embodied by Arion.

It is not brawn or skill that define the hero, but power of conviction and strength of heart. A sword may be forged of the strongest steel and honed for days to the keenest edge imaginable, but unless tempered by heat and cold cannot possibly live up to its fullest potential, its reason for existing. Similarly, followers of Arion teach that physical strength and skill are only the raw ingredients of heroism, and that they must be tempered by discipline and sacrifice in order to achieve true potential.

Arion despises all those who scurry in the shadows, fear and deception cloaking their motives and actions. The way of the spy and the assassin are foreign to Him, and nothing is more heinous in His eyes than the insidious plots of Artifice and Corruption. To salute one's foe and meet him head-on, whether for victory or defeat, that is the path of the hero upon which all aspiring followers of Arion must stride.

Arion's symbol is a plated arm bearing a golden blade on a square of purple.

When one travels far, relentlessly searching for answers, he inevitably encounters the inexplicable. This glimpse of the unfathomable creates in him a guilty awe that makes him believe as though he was almost not meant to witness something so great. This awe, the mortal reaction to the source of mystery, is the essence of Niuri. She exists in all possibilities, in all things that have potential, and in all individuals who may one day become great.

The pursuit of knowledge that ultimately leads to revelation is the realm of Niuri. Scholarship is valued highly, and experimentation and philosophy are also prized. Such activities are not simply the key to enlightenment, however. Instead, they are tools that are used to aid oneself in the exploration of one's inner wisdom. The mysteries of the world can be accessed when one stretches the boundaries of both inner thought and outer knowledge. The path to these mysteries cannot be circumvented, and the answers to these mysteries cannot be revealed by simple discourse. Those who have yet to embark upon the path should be led to it, but not along it. The journey that is learning is as important as the destination of enlightenment, as information gathered while adventuring, speaking in passing with others, and even while in battle are all relevant. Scholars should seek out all topics that interest them, devour all knowledge accessible and make those subjects their own.

Born of the essence of two of the realms' oldest Goddesses, the Corrupter, Chakrasul, and Khepri, the Trickster, Ysmali is a force of unknown influence. Though only recently come into the realm, Her power has already been felt strongly.

Maintaining the tenants of Corruption on the one hand and Chaos on the other, Hers is a treacherous and oft confusing path to walk. Yet, those who follow Her claim untold rewards from the depths of darkest despair.

Taking the title of Sanguine, Ysmali claims stewardship over the Consanguine of Aetolia, shepherding their passage from mortality unto the eternal embrace of the night. Though others may dispute Her matriarchy, it remains to be seen whether the forces of the Imperium will rally behind Her banner.

Long dormant in a deep slumber, the Lord of the Sky, Galleus, once more graces the land with His presence. Holding dominion over the very Winds which shape the material world, as well as the aetherial currents underlying it, He long held dominion over the fight for Order.

From high above the world on the Throne of the Horizon in the Azure Minaret, Galleus watches over the realm, guiding the actions of His followers and, through them, much of civilization. He is known to be a harsh Master, keeping those who serve Him close at hand as much to berate them as to guide, though the rewards are great for those who would seek to follow His ways.

Divine Auresae is an amalgamation of a small child and the great spirit of consumption, the elemental essence of Fire. She is the sovereign of Fire, Light, Faith, and Purity.

From Her roiling pillar in the Peshwar Delta, She watches over mortals with a munificent eye. Her interest predominates upon those with a strong empathy towards life and Light. She in no way condemns the experience of death, but She hates unnecessary devastation and senseless cruelty.

She is fascinated by those mortals that dedicate themselves to a cause greater than the sum of their corporeal parts and is a faithful Matron of the devout. It is Her Flame that grants purity in deed and heart, and those who seek Her are held to a higher standard than most.

An avid communicator, the Lady of Light is gifted with the curiosity of youth and the wisdom of great age, and advises those who seek with a mixture of childlike exuberance and timeless understanding.

Though She is patient, once angered She is a powerful force to be reckoned with. A Lady with many faces, but one voice, Her symbol is a firefly encased in amber: a metaphor for Her life-force. Her brother's symbol, the salamander, is also sacred to Her as is the shining angel.

After untold years of enforced isolation, Omei, the Dreamer, emerged into the waking realms. Her garden lies beyond the veil of sleep, promising lucid dreams of every sort to those mortals curious enough to seek it. She names Herself sovereign of Emotion, blessing those that indulge in every
Sensation known to mortality and those bear insight into that which has not yet occurred.

The way of Dreaming is one of introspection. All knowledge sleeps within the soul, say the Dreamer's priests. All discovery is a remembering of the self.

As Dhaivol brooded, and Dhar's thoughts turned ever to the Cycle that He had once abandoned, feelings of rancor brought about an eventual sundering that led to the return of Ivoln, the Earthen Lord. His renewed presence and physical form can only be attributed to a former host of Goreskrat valley, a faithful servant in Undeath.

As has been in times past, jurisdiction of the Earth lies solely with Him and His children - the Undead. It is through the Earth that those who serve Him, and those who would carry His gift, are given renewed life and strength. Those who seek to serve Him should not expect to be coddled by the Earth's embrace, but to be reshaped, molded, and taught to better themselves through His domain.

His symbol is that of a black marble egg: a metaphor for the vast differences between His Undead and the living. The wyrm of the Earth, a creature carved from His domain and known for its ferocity and strength, also finds its place among His favour.

All that exists must eventually come to an end, and all that truly lives must die. In death lies the ultimate justice, for all are equal there, and earthly possessions and status hold no sway on judgment. The followers of Dhar will often pride themselves in dispatching swift justice, and can always be sought to be a balanced judge. As a farmer harvests his fields to collect what the season has produced, so does Lord Dhar harvest the soul, and that which is produced in the season of life is reaped. All that has been done will be accounted for.

A solemnity is kept among His followers, and often they will be quiet but well spoken. The beauty of silence is studied and observed, for one can only speak what they already know; only when one listens can he learn. It is for this reason that disciples of Dhar are often known for their brevity.