Yhera Tredéa, Queen of Heaven
Yhera is the Goddess of Night, Queen of the Waters, and one of the goddesses of the Moon. She is worshipped in the Highlands and elsewhere, as the Creatrix, the divine origin of all that is. She is the goddess of language, sovereignty, rulership, wealth, wisdom, love, fertility, protection, and war. Yhera is known by countless names and epithets, so as Yhera Cosmopeiia she is the divine World Spirit, as Yhera Luna she is the Goddess of the Moon and sister to Adjia and Djara, and Yhera Chthonia she is the primordial earth and sister to Geniché, as Yhera Anath she is the goddess of war, and as Yhera Invictus she is the undefeated Queen of Victory. (see also the Gods and Goddesses of War)
Geniché, Queen of the Underworld
Geniché was once Goddess and Queen of the Earth, the giver of life, and, with her sister Geteema, the mother of all within Yhera's creation. The Earth was once her garden, and she ruled it as a Paradise until, in a moment of grief and anger, she abandoned the world and fled into darkness. She created the Underworld and spoke the First Law, mandating that all born of her Earth must follow her into Death. The cause of her grief has been shrouded in mystery.
Adjia Luna, sometimes called Adjiana is one of the three goddesses of the Moon, along with her sisters Yhera and Djara. She is the goddess of transformations, of birth, growth, maturity, maternity, and death. She is also the goddess of transitional places and moments — as the Huntress, she is the goddess of the space between man and animal, between culture and nature; as the Dreamer, the giver of good visions and dreams, the goddess of the space between consciousness and unconsciousness, the Heavens and the Earth.
Djara, sometimes known as Urgale or Morgale, is the Moon goddess of Death and Darkness; she is the queen of ghosts and dark magic, the giver of lunacy and nightmares, the keeper and reavealer of secrets. Many of her dark brood serve Geniché as guardians and guides to the dead. She is most commonly worshipped like her twin sister Adjia as the goddess of crossroads, and she is often invoked in secret by anyone using curse magic or divinatory magic.
Sister to Geniché, Geteema is the monstrous Queen of the Dark Earth. She is sometimes known as the Dragon Mother and the Mother of the Giants, and her children include Irré the Black Sun, Amaymon the Whisperer, Vani the Mountain King, Heth the Sea King, and many others. Out of jealousy she sent many of her children to destroy ancient Ürüne Düré, and she herself consumed the body of Agdah Cosmopeiia, after which Yhera imprisoned her in the Underworld.
Agdah
Cosmopeiia, the Year-God
The God of the Shining Sky, Agdah Cosmopeiia is the god of the year-cycle: the growths of spring, the harvests of the fall, and the deprivations of the winter. Worshipped as Agdah Helios, he is the Cosmos Sun, the Sun as the source of life. As Ammon Agdah, he is both the Household Protector — the guardian of herd and hearth, giver of fertility, luck, and household prosperity — and the Keeper of the Animals, the lord of the forests and wild animals. He taught the peoples of the world the arts of survival after Geniché abandoned the Earth. As Agdah Cosmopeiia, he was slain by Geteema in defense of Düréa, but later restored to Heaven.
A son of Yhera, Daedekamani is considered by many the first magician and creator of the magical arts, especially alchemy; he created the first magical runes, and gifted them and the secrets of their use to mankind, particularly to his descendents amongst the ancient Golans. Daedekemani is a wanderer, a patron of travelers, and sometimes a guide to the dead. (see also Alchemy)
A son of Geniché, Osidred was the first to follow his mother to the Underworld and became the Judge of the Dead. He watches over the corporeal remains of the deceased, sends Djara's daughters to guide them on their journey, and judges them when they appear before him in the Underworld.
Illiki
Helios, The Sun-Bull
Illiki is the Sun-Bull, a son of Agdah Cosmopeiia and Ami the Morning Star. He lived for a time in Ürüne Düré, until it was lost beneath the sea. He was the father of Islik the Divine King. He is worshipped in his guise as the Spring Sun as the bestower of progeny and the promoter and protector of vegetation and crops, an archetype of divine kingship; as the Winter Sun, he is the dying god with knowledge of the Underworld, cast from the Heavens by his half-brother Irré the Black Sun. He was later restored, either by Yhera or by his son Islik.
Irré, The Bow-Bearer
Half-brother to Illiki Helios, whom he usurped for a time, Irré is the Black Sun, bringer of unbearable heat, drought, and the blinding intensity of both darkness and light. Irré is the bow-bearing god of plague and fire; he is the Black Goat, a god of war, struggle, disaster, disorder, the desert and the wilderness. He is held responsible for illness, disease, and sudden death; more positively, Irré is a protector of entrances, and so is invoked in the defense of buildings and cities against fire and siege.
The Devouring Fire of the Sun, Hathhala is worshipped as the lion-headed goddess of battle and vengeance. Hathhala is the goddess of the Sun's righteous strength, and at Yhera's behest she imprisoned Irré in the Underworld after he cast down her brother Illiki Helios.
Ami
and Dieva, the Morning and Evening Stars
Twin daughters of Yhera, Ami and Dieva are the Maidens of Dawn and Dusk respectively. Ami is a goddess of love, and is associated with fertility and fraternity in their romantic aspects; Dieva is a goddess of sexuality and physical pleasures. They may be worshipped singly or together.
Islik, The Divine King
Islik is a demigod son of Illiki Helios, the Sun-Bull. He was the first of the Illian Dragon Kings, the founder of the Sun Court, and ruled as King of the Earth. After his father was cast down by Irré, Islik was usurped by Israha the Rebel, who cast him into exile. After wandering the world for 21 years, he returned to reclaim his throne, and after imprisioning Israha in the Underworld, Islik ascended to the Heavens and became King of both Heaven and Earth. His worshippers believe that rather than descending to Geniché's Underworld, they ascend to the Heavens to Islik's Palace after they die.
Agall is a demigod son of Agdah Cosmopeiia. Equally famous for his considerable temper as for his strength and courage, he is worshipped as the first Hero. The Sacker of Cities, he fought alongside Geteema's children at the destruction of Ürüne Düré. Though already old, he joined Islik in exile as the Black Sail, and helped him regain his throne.
The
Gorgonæ: Mogran, Halé, and Médüre
The Gorgonæ are the Triple War Goddess, daughters of Urgale, worshipped singly and in combination. Mogran, the Riot Goddess, is the goddess of terror, confusion, and dissension; Halé, the Goddess of Slaughter, is the goddess of (mindless) rage and berserker fury; and Médüre, the Cunning One, is the goddess of warlike skill and heroic valor. They are kept chained in the Underworld, and only Yhera Anath or her general Ariahavé, may set them loose. (see also the Gods and Goddesses of War)
Ariahavé the Civiliser is Yhera's brightest and most rebellious daughter. She is the protectress of cities and citadels and their citizens and defenders; she is the patroness of civilization and its heroes. After Geniché abandoned the Earth, she taught the lost peoples of the world the arts of society — agriculture, poetry, spinning, pottery, music, and mining. She is Yhera's general and the chief war goddess of the Palatians, her most dedicated adherents. (see also the Gods and Goddesses of War)
Brage is the first smith, the creator of the arts of metal working; he is the fire-god of hearth, kiln, and foundry. He created a system of runes and a series of wondrous magical artifacts, some of which may still be found throughout the known world. For a time Brage lived amongst the Düréans, and he fell in love with an Amé Queen. They eloped to the Isle of Khael, and their daughters became the Oracle Queens.
A daughter of Brage, Achre rebelled rather than undergo the ritual to become an Oracle Queen of Khael and lose her eyesight. She crippled Brage, drove him into the Underworld, and escaped the Isle. In her wanderings she was adopted by Ariahavé the Civilizer. Achre bound the great Dragon of the Pallithanes and, as the mother of Archaia, is the demi-goddess ancestress of the Palatians.
The daughter of Achre, tutored by Ariahavé, Archaia is the founder of the city of Palatia and built its Seven Gates. She bore three daughters, who founded the three most ancient Houses of Palatia. With her daughters, she sailed to war against Geteema's children, and was slain in defense of Düréa.
A daughter of Geniché, Thula is the demi-goddess ancestress of the Thulamites, the snake-queen fire-stealer who took the secrets of magic and civilization from the Düréans and the otherworld for her descendents. She and Achre dueled with both weapons and dance to a standoff, and according to some stories she performed magics which allowed her to bear a child by Achre. Thula sailed to defend Ürüne Düré against Geteema's children, though she had herself weakened its defenses. She is known variously as the Forked Tongue, the Mother of Heroes, and the Fire Queen.
Twin daughters of Thula and chief amongst her children, Dall and Pulma were placed in the care of Adjia Luna as infants, and they made the Heavens their first home. They used Thula's stolen magics to bind horses, fought by her side at the sinking of Düréa, and later they returned to the Heavens and now appear as the Twins constellation.
A son of Thula, Ceram the Thunderer is the demi-god ancestor of the Ceraics, exiled by his mother after he refused to aid the Düréans. His father is said to have been Illiki the Sun-Bull, seduced by Thula during her raid on Ürüne Düré. Ceram still walked the earth when his half-brother Islik was in exile, but he refused to aid him as well, and instead hunted Islik across the Midlands.
Demi-god ancestor of the mountain-dwelling Vanimorians, Vani is the son of Ammon Agdah and Geteema; he is often depicted as having either an eagle or vulture head. He is called the Mountain King, and brings the Spring thaw. Worship of Vani spread considerably during the Vanimorian dominance of the Thessid-Golan Empire, but with the rise of the Islikids (who champion Irré), his worship has largely retreated back into the mountains.
A daughter of Geteema, Ligrid is the Queen of Perversity, described variously as a rival to Dieva, Dieva's secret tutor, or as a guise or mask of Dieva. While Dieva's sexuality is generally socially acceptable, Ligrid is the breaker of taboos and the corruptor of flesh and spirit.
The Prince of Intrigue and Secret Power, Amaymon is the dark rule-breaker. He is the son of Geteema and Daedekamani, though his father rejected him and denied his paternity. Amaymon is now his father's greatest rival and enemy. He is the god of secret knowledge, bribery, corruption, and assassins, worshipped by those who want something for nothing. He counselled Irré to overthrow Illiki Helios and Israha to begin his rebellion against Islik the Divine King, thus beginning the War in Heaven.
A son of Ligrid whose father remains unknown, Israha was a faithful general to Islik after his ascent to the Sun Throne of Illian and the creation of the first Sun Court. After Irré cast down Illiki Helios, Israha led a rebellion against Islik and usurped the thone, casting Islik and his loyal followers into exile. Islik later returned to claim his rightful realm, casting Israha into a prison in the Underworld before ascending to the Heavens.
The
Düréans A Myth of the Black Hunter A Year of Thirteen
Moons Dragon Kings & Emperors Tales of the
Witch-Queen Citadel King and Highland Clan
