The major Arcydean pantheon is based on the gods who rose to power during the Third Age as well as some survivors from previous ages, many of whom exerted much of their power to keep the planet from falling apart following the destruction of the moon Century at the hands of the inhabitants of Brightshine. During the Fifth Age, most of these deities temporarily fell into obscurity due to a combination of weakening strength as a result of their sacrifice, and a loss of followers and sacred spaces due to the deliberate actions of the Church of the Traveler. Many shrines and churches to specific gods were converted to Churches of Arcydea that housed multiple gods, which gradually phased out other deities from their scriptures until only the worship of Arc remained.

The benevolent god who decries his divinity, Arc is often prayed to when another god's temple is unavailable, as he is openly accepting of all races and people, as long as they have a good heart.

Holy Symbol: A jade coin with two sides; one has a pentacle engraved into it, while the other has a swirling vortex. On single-sided symbols and objects, the vortex is usually the side shown and acts as a focus for spiritual communications; however, sanctuaries and places of protection use the pentacle side instead. Recent incarnations of this symbol include a hole in the middle for a cord to go through, so that it can be easily worn as a pendant. The symbolism is ancient, with the coin representing the choices one must make in life, the vortex a symbol of his connection to the Void and to passage between worlds as well as lands, and the pentacle a symbol of his protective nature.

Favored Colors: Green and silver.

Appearance: Arc is most commonly depicted as a green-haired elven man, roughly five feet tall, with long hair that almost covers his ears and extends to below his neck. He chooses a wide variety of forms, but green eyes or green hair are a fairly common preference of his, regardless of form or gender.

Favored People: Arc is directly responsible for the introduction of the wanderkin to Arcydea, and is most frequently worshipped by elves; however, he generally welcomes anyone with a good heart.

Portfolio: Wanderers and travelers, the Void, balance, nature.

The deity who grants divine authority to those who rule, for the most part, Vargas is more commonly known as Ghamao in older tests, and is the god of justice and war. The clerics of Vargas are vigilant in watching against the re-emergence of the Cult of the Traveler, knowing all too well the dangers that this murderous cult can cause.

Holy symbol: A balanced set of scales hung from the crossguard of a sword.

Favored colors: Blue and silver.

Appearance: A human male with a bald head and a long red beard, who uses an axe and a mace in combat.

Favored People: Vargas favors humans and dwarves most, and in return, dwarves and humans are most likely to maintain shrines to him.

Portfolio: Justice, honor, war, law

Also known as the Blue Lady, or Silathra or Destiny by those who study ancient texts, Faen is the goddess of divinations and predictions, and is commonly known as the goddess of fate - although she is likely to benevolently help people escape negative fates. She is symbolized by the red moon of Century, but after its seeming destruction during the Reign of Tears and its subsequent reappearance, her religion has undergone major transitions in the following generations. Occasionally, people see Century in the sky, right before a significant moment, shining blue instead of red, heralding the saying 'once in a blue moon'.

Holy symbol: Her current holy symbol is that of a deck of tarot or playing cards with blue markings of a constellation pattern on the back; the pattern is that of four interwoven strands forming a rope that then unravels into three strands. Older symbols use a red-painted badge (representing the Century moon) with two piercing blue eyes.

Favored colors: Blue and red.

Appearance: A beautiful elven woman in pale blue robes, with long black hair.

Favored people: Faen predates most races, and as such seems to have no attachment to them. Her actions are often inscrutable, meant to move someone away from a dire fate or connect someone with a noble destiny.

Portfolio: Fate, the moons, hope

Synonymous with the afterlife and the home of the gods, Alshira is also the goddess of dragons, tarns, leupaks, lizardfolk, dragonborn, kobolds, and reptiles and scalykind of all sorts. She is a generally benevolent goddess, slow to anger, but is known to command all of the powers of her people in battle.

Holy symbol: A circle made from two dragons, like a sort of yin yang, one darker and one lighter, and in between them all sorts of scalykind.

Chester is the god of overcoming long odds, a mortal wanderkin who eventually worked his way up to becoming a minor deity through personability and force of will.

Holy symbol: A target with a very tiny bullseye in the center.

Arc's wife, goddess of chaos and the void. Responsible for slaying – then reincarnating – Dlonn after opening the sealed can of evil he was trapped in to finish the job properly.

Holy symbol: A pink flamingo standing on one leg, the other bent, standing atop a castle.

Herb is the god of shadows, thieves and rogues of all stripes, including insurance salesmen, oddly enough. There are rumors of a strong worship pool to Herb located somewhere in the Krytarrim mountain range.

Holy symbol: A shadow with two hands visible – in one, a dagger, and in the other, a bag.

Marie's best claim to fame is meeting Dlonn in the void between worlds when both had been annihilated from the mortal plane, and upon being returned to the material plane, successfully negotiating bringing Dlonn back to life to give him a chance to redeem himself.

Holy symbol: An open set of manacles and a key.

The god of nature, and healthy cooking, Daron is a reserved and quiet god, but those who invoke his wrath are reminded at their peril that nature does not play nice at all when it's angry with you.

Holy symbol: A Tree of Life, with all manner of plants blossoming from its branches and all manner of beasts blossoming from its roots.

The god of death and undeath, Gareth is specifically noted as being a dark elf and tends to look out for them when he remembers. He is notoriously lazy and fickle, and has Reapers go out into the world to collect the souls of the fallen and bring them to the afterlife to be judged. He has strictly forbidden hidden object games from being on the list of challenges you can make with Death for souls after one particularly embarrassing incident.

Holy symbol: The Grim Reaper, playing a scythe like a guitar.

Shaya is a wanderkin - one of Arc's original disciples, in fact - who fell in love with Gareth despite his faults. She is a lycanthrope at heart, and serves as the goddess of passions, desires, and lycanthropy.

Holy symbol: A crescent moon with a pair of eyes and lips visible in the darkness.

The goddess of love and relationships in all their forms, Reena seeks to create bonds between people, and explores the potential of those bonds.

Holy symbol: A heart bordered with lavender roses.

God of knowledge and magic, and according to some scholars the original creator of the Orb of Wisdom that Shydi uses.

Holy symbol: An open book with an orb of light floating above it.

Goddess of healing and reincarnation, Khiala governs an island in an out of the way location away from the hustle and bustle of the other gods. She is the ultimate master of healing magics up to and including true resurrection, and is responsible for reincarnating souls when they are ready to return to the mortal coil.

Holy symbol: A feline pair of eyes in the midst of a circle made from intertwining arrows.

The goddess of dark elves, Jarillia is known as the Demon Witch by her detractors, but she is devoted to the protection and restoration of the dark elves to their traditional territory, as well as their acceptance into society at large.

Holy symbol: A black spider within a web of golden threads.

The god of war and combat in all of its forms, Avel'Nikash is best known for being the god responsible for the Colby line of martial artists whose feats have become legend. The family line still breeds strong, and once a generation or so, a new Colby picks up the mantle of warfare and leads armies to greatness. Due to Avel'Nikash's strong animosity with Dlonn, the Colby line was blessed to be better capable at slaying demons and yet cursed to always be detectable by them. However, when after the End of Days the great monk champion Harris Colby took as his bride the succubus Amber, demon and human reached an accord, and demons have since escaped much of their infernal heritage of untrustworthiness.

Holy symbol: A clenched fist.

Child of Gareth and Shaya, Fenoa is one body with two souls, male and female. They serve as the deity of shapechangers to a limited extent.

Holy symbol: A half-circle, half-square, with one eye blue and one eye red.

Third child of Shydi, Novan is focused on the realm outside of the planet, the inky night of space. Truthfully, he doesn't do much, as the last time he made a major contribution on the godly front, it was a 'gift' to Destiny of a pet human and an ill-planned trip that resulted in the apparent destruction of Century, Destiny's moon. Yet with the stars calling to mortals, his realm comes to the forefront.

Holy symbol: A circlet of seven stars.

Originally Dlonn, god of the Void, who went a bit crazy when harassed and mistreated by the other gods over the creation of Nexus (which, it turns out, may not even have been his fault at all.) This god slaughtered half of the existing pantheon during the Second Age before finally being temporarily halted by Alshira and sealed in a trap bound by her very soul. He was eventually defeated and destroyed, only to be reconstituted later at the request of a penitent mortal. Having had time to think things through, and time to spend as a mortal, improved Donal's behavior, and he currently serves as the god of Balance that keeps the other gods from getting too chaotic.

Holy symbol: A cloak made of stars.

The goddess of fire and fire elves, Pele lives in a volcano and generally keeps to herself, aside from occasionally dropping in to mingle with her fellow deities. She is passionate about the concerns of the world, sometimes destructively so.

Holy symbol: A volcano erupting, with fire pluming out the top.

Goddess of technology, innovation, communication, and portals. Mekista is strongly worshipped in Grenadine, Milochan, and Crommel, and to a lesser extent throughout the world, and was one of the most active goddesses of the Fifth Age, walking amongst mortals and actively helping build weapons and support supplies of war. She is personally responsible for the ATTN communications system and portal network.

Holy symbol: A spiral of gold circuitry on a green backing.

God of mechanics, engineers, and mechanical constructs, the Mechanist was actually a man by the name of Eddie Lancaster, who ascended to godhood to become the builder of great machines for the gods, such as their flying craft. Why do gods need flying craft? Style, of course.

Holy symbol: A wrench and gear.

Technically, Helios is not the Sun – he is the driver of a large schoolbus that glows, heating and lighting the earth below as it travels. In the days when Arcydea was a flat coin, he would circumnavigate the disc by day, and rest at night on the other side of the world. In the modern era, his bus still travels around the world, but seems to take no stops. While the name of Helios is thought to derive from ancient Greek, nobody has confirmed whether he is the actual Helios from Greek mythology, or simply an also-ran who does similar work in Arcydea.

Holy symbol: A sun symbol with eight cardinal triangles as rays.

Goddess of wanderball and the arena, this demigoddess is a ferocious and tenacious fighter who believes in combat pragmatism above all else. She is the de facto leader of the Wandering Designs private military company when not directly led by Arc, and is a master strategist.

Holy symbol: A sword, staff, and orb within a circle.

Whoever said luck was a lady hasn't encountered Kieran – a self-proclaimed Wanderer following in his father's footsteps who has made it his goal to ease the suffering of the people. He often is prayed to by those who feel down on their luck, and looks after those unfortunates who are such through no fault of their own.

Holy symbol: A large gold coin with two different heads.

A budding goddess still trying to find her own place, Sehncia sympathizes with those lost in both a physical and metaphorical sense, and helps anyone she can. She does her best to be friendly and approachable, and still gets a little excited to recieve new prayers. While not considered a trickster, she has been known to sometimes appear to those seeking her as a fox.

Holy Symbol: Her current symbol is a sun halfway below and above a horizon, with a winding trail leading towards it. It is open to personal interperetation whether it is a sunrise or sunset. She encourages regional variation, someone who lives in the mountains may add mountains above the horizon, or there may be trees or particular natural landmarks. This is meant to represent an appreciation for the diversity of beauty in the world, waiting to be discovered.

Her original symbol, sometimes still seen, is crafted of woven vines, most commonly by druidic magic. The shape is a house encased in a ring, with a spiral of vines from the walls curling inward to hold a shard of amethyst. This symbol is used by her champion as a focus. (Notably, there is probably still one hanging over the front door of the Black Rose Inn.)

Favored Colors: Purples, particularly amethyst hued, accompanied by the oranges and pinks of sunset or sunrise.

Favored People: She shows equal kindness to all, but has a fondness for druids, rangers, roadwardens, hermits, and wayward folk that enjoy being immersed in nature.

Portfolio: Sehncia's domain is paths, most commonly the open road. Her presence encourages wanderlust, but she is equally concerned with helping people be lost and un-lost. She is known for helping to reunite families in times of strife and guide people who are lost, wheither they know it or not. Her activity leads her to brush with nature, time, and fate on occasion, and she works to keep a good relationship with them.

Cassandra is the goddess of hope, and is interested in finding ways to make even the worst things bearable. She encourages exploring and learning, is accepting of everyone, and likes warm hugs and genuine kindness.

Holy Symbol: Cassie’s current symbol is a tin circle, two sided, a rainbow stamped onto each side. When the symbol is blessed, the tin circle is strengthened, and the rainbow shimmers in the appropriate colors. Additionally, some people are gifted prisms. If held a particular way, a rainbow is projected onto a nearby surface. They are warm, and somehow inspire feelings of home when held.

Favored Colors: Pink and rainbow.

Favored People: Everyone is equal, but she shows particular fondness for those who have lost all hope, or who have nothing left to hope for.

Portfolio: Hope and optimism.

Once a mortal chef who sought to make everything - including sentient species - taste delicious, Morton is now a minor demigod due in no small part to the faithful clientele of his chain of restaurants, McGrieson's. Despite this, the other gods aren't too keen on his existence, though he does bring the best decadent food to the parties; he has an active rivalry with Daron on this front, as Daron was once his apprentice.

Holy symbol: An arched M next to a curving G.

A son of Arc with a mortal woman named Tamara, Joshua and a group of dedicated disciples were responsible in part for breaking the stranglehold of the Church of the Traveler on the world, bringing back the gods in all their glory. As such, he occupies a special place in the pantheon, even though he is a fairly new god. His portfolio is of truth and honesty.

Holy symbol: A green feather, from the belief that the truthful heart is as light as a feather.

Somewhere in Arcydea, there exists a vampire who was old when the Nexus was first born. The oldest existing vampire on the planet, having lived longer than many of the gods, the bloodline of this vampire is rumored to be all-powerful, and he is rumored to have as his young (by comparison) bride a woman with strong psychic powers.

Holy symbol: None.

Phred is an ancient demon - well, technically a horned devil - that was originally brought to Arcydea a very long time ago as part of an arch-demon's attempt to conquer the world. That didn't pan out, and through a somewhat unlikely set of circumstances Phred ended up getting along well with Shydi, and eventually became helpful to the gods. As an indirect result, in the wake of the Fourth Age, he is recognized as the god of contracts, and unofficially as the patron god of devils and demons looking to adapt to Arcydea (or looking for a one-way ticket home after being stranded in Arcydea.)

Holy symbol: A contract with a pentagram seal.

Amy is an ancient blue dragon who chooses to interact with the world in the guise of a human warrior, and who acts as the protector and First Knight of the Knighthood of the Black Rose. Over time, she has become the force that has held them together through destruction and conflict, and is their ultimate commander and patron. There are hints that she has transcended mortality and is the spirit that blesses the Knights with divine power where needed,

Holy symbol: A black rose, with green stem and thorns turning to deep blue.

Amek appears in the guise of a wanderkin, although it is said that long ago he was imbued with the power to transform into a copper dragon when needed. He has become trained in the bardic and sorcerous arts over the millenia, and yet mostly uses his gifts and talents to craft convincing and entertaining stories. However, ilke any of the wanderkin who once were Arc's disciples, Amek is a devastating combatant.

Holy symbol: A copper scale etched with a cloud carrying a musical note.

This powerful old healer is a wanderkin who seems to settle in location to provide healing services to adventurers who are working to heal the wounded and treat the sick. Her presence at the Black Rose Inn implies that she has taken an interest in the adventurers who come into the realm through the portal.

Holy symbol: A silver medallion with a red cross in a red-outline circle.

It is commonly believed that the merchant known as Rick is actually one of the avatars of Arc given form and thought; a merchant who wanders the lands, usually in the form of what looks like a Medium sized humanoid owlperson who can use its wingtips as hands and its feathers as fingers, with a magic waistcoat that somehow stores everything that Rick uses in his business dealings or sells.

Holy symbol: None, although a silvered feather tied to a twig is a common gift to close friends.

Once upon a time, Mickey was a young dragon spirit imbued with one half of the power and soul of the goddess Alshira, to protect it and her from being conquered and obliterated by darkness. He currently is seen in the Black Rose Inn as a human man with silver hair, a friendly smile, and a rapier on his hip, who tends the Black Rose Inn's bar and organizes expeditions planned to the realm of Arcydea proper, making sure groups are likeminded and purposed.

Holy symbol: A silver outlined white dragon shape that forms half of a Yin Yang symbol.

Arcydea is an ancient world, and there are many legends and legacies that have developed over the millenia, some of which have faded into obscurity over time. More of these legends will appear here as they are discovered.

Outsiders who migrate to Nexus occasionally bring their religions with them to enough of a degree that their gods get a foothold on the land, usually in the Backwaters. However, three specific examples are worth noting.

The Bek'laran people worship the Egyptian pantheon exclusively, as they originally arrived on Arcydea during a massive flood that washed them into this world. As such, the Egyptian gods hold power in that country, but nowhere else.

Technically, this is Loki of Asgard, or at least one permutation of him, who ended up in Nexus due to a mixup in departure from Asgard to Midgard. However, he's decided that he actually rather likes the chaos of Arcydea, enough to stick around and have some fun.

Holy symbol: Two serpents coiled around each other to form an S shape.

As it happens, enough Christians wander into the Nexus that there is staunch belief in their existence here. Interestingly, holy powers sourced from Jehovah do seem to work, though direct counsel is not commonly reported; it's unclear whether holy priests of Jehovah do their miracles on their own or through their faith. Muddying the water is the fact that many mortals can use 'holy' powers if their belief in a philosophy is strong enough.