At present, many different factions exist on the island, ranging from the Bandits to the College of Mages. Each faction pursues its own goals, but two stand out as the largest and directly opposed: Emperor Therion's Legionaries and the Rebels. Dissatisfied with the current state of affairs on the island, the Rebels launched an uprising and settled in an abandoned northern fortress.
The island itself is considered sacred. Streams of mana run through it from the southern seas to the northern mountains, while rich mineral deposits underground and fertile land on the surface plainly attest to its abundance. The island is the Gods' "property." None of the factions that now live there inhabited it before, except those that had been there since time immemorial, such as the Tribe. Several years ago, on Emperor Therion's own orders, Legion soldiers and the imperial College of Mages landed on the island to develop and settle it, as well as to extract valuable minerals. Following the Legion's residents, members of other factions and social classes flocked to the island, and before long the once quiet and sacred place had changed beyond recognition.
This greatly angered the owners of the land: the Gods themselves. The College of Mages erected a magical Barrier as a defense against curses, but the Gods, even more enraged and offended, sent their servants and their curses to the island as punishment and divine retribution. The higher beings who seemed to grant people hope and enlightenment in exchange for faith proved to be the most formidable and dangerous force of all. Even the Gods and Goddesses who offered people healing, skills, and knowledge revealed an entirely different face after their sacred lands were defiled by outsiders.
Some mages of the Imperial College also began to distrust their peers, believing that the Barrier had been created solely to enchant every island resident and eventually subject their minds to the Archmage. This led to an internal schism and the founding of the Cult of Truth. The Gods immediately seized the opportunity and answered the Cultists' prayers, granting them power and knowledge. Their purpose was to make the self-doubting members of the Imperial College help bring further punishment upon every inhabitant of the island.
Each God and Goddess governs particular powers and knowledge. The deities' will must be obeyed unquestioningly, and any disobedience or apostasy is regarded as blasphemy. The Gods also possess their own physical forms, although the beings who have seen their Deity in person can be counted on one's fingers.
Name of God
Description
Kreza
Goddess of trade and freedom. The combination of these two aspects makes her especially revered by merchants, who value open economic relations and the ability to trade between factions and peoples, supporting the growth and prosperity of civilizations.
She is also worshiped by various adventurers and even poets, who value not only freedom of speech but also the freedom to travel across this vast, boundless world.
Terra
Goddess of earth and fertility. Terra literally embodies all plant life. She is nature personified, the cycle of green life itself.
She is worshiped by farmers and monks who live in harmony with all existence. Some communities of her devotees spend centuries growing entire forests, where they conduct prayer rites and offer her everything that grew within those woods.
Pyrx
God of fire and physical strength. He is highly revered among blacksmiths and renowned warriors.
Unlike Valtor's adherents, who are willing to rush thoughtlessly into any battle to challenge themselves and cause slaughter, followers of Pyrx generally value strength as a means of protecting their kin and their own factions.
He is also highly esteemed by skilled craftspeople who forge swords, armor, shields, and other products of the smith's trade. The artisans associate the forge's heat with the presence of Pyrx, who helps them create.
Soma
Goddess of mercy and healing. She is worshiped by physicians, folk healers, monks, and priests.
Soma's devotees believe that every sentient being deserves both physical and spiritual healing, and that any mistake can be undone through redemption, hard work, and faith in a better future.
Magnus
God of knowledge and magic, the very embodiment of the magical currents of mana that permeate the entire world, especially the island itself.
He is worshiped by nearly all mages and very old priests. Some thirst to learn and absorb so much knowledge that they become obsessed and lose their minds, although such cases are rare.
There are also rumors of the "Forsaken," or "supporters of the primordial Nexar," who became disillusioned with Magnus's teachings and acquired the knowledge of the earliest ages. Apparently, they embodied their ideas in some kind of Cult.
Morbius
God of death and decay. Morbius represents not only the end of all life but also its continuation afterward, in the form of animated skeletons or rotting flesh condemned to eternal suffering and a peculiar kind of immortality.
Morbius's teachings are forbidden in the Legion's lands, but this does not stop necromancers and dark mages from continuing to believe in him.
Zaigo
Goddess of deception and guile. Those who make their living through methods considered less than lawful by medieval society offer her part of their spoils: throwing it from high cliffs, burning it, or surrendering it to the oceans as a tribute of gratitude for her patronage and good fortune.
Valtor
God of war and violence. His followers are fearless and steadfast warriors ready to fight until their final breath.
In years past, a large group of his followers marched bloodily across the continent, carrying out massacres and demonstrating their devotion to a single cause: domination and strength.
As a result, his followers are treated with distrust and apprehension.
Nexar
Once the greatest God, ruler of the laws of the world and time and virtually the God of Gods, he is now the God of revelry, drunkenness, and an idle way of life.
His devotees firmly believe that there is no reason to worry about either the past or the future. Instead, one should live in the present, indulging in idleness, alcohol, and life's pleasures, which usually lead to oblivion.