No one knows exactly how many gods and goddesses there are. Accounts vary by alignment, sect, and personal belief; it is an accepted fact, however, that they number at least in the thousands. Many believe that deities of light and neutrality, at least, dwell in a spiritual plane that is parallel to and superimposed on the corporeal world, and that they can observe, influence, and communicate with mortals from that plane or enter (in a corporeal body) into the mortal plane if they so desire. The dark gods, however, dwell in an entirely separate realm free from the influence of mortals or other gods, and it is said that the souls of their followers travel to this realm after death.

A god or goddess's name always reflects the element of life over which he or she presides. For example, the tutelary goddess of the Himitsu family, who is a patron deity of justice, balance, and retribution, is known in the Human tongue as She-Who-Exacts-Rightful-Vengeance and in the Elven tongue as jááhen-moú-ŋolil (literally, honored female who takes payment for a past wrong); the goddess of the moon is called She-Who-Ever-Changes among humans, while she is known among dragons as Raeli'ei'olua (literally, she who is balance).

Deities of light are life-giving deities, often known for healing, fertility, wisdom, or protection. Many patron deities of the arts are among the "good" deities. They take joy in watching their "children" grow, supporting them in failure as well as in success. Some are more zealous than others, actively taking part in the progression of the world, while others prefer to observe and advise but never interact. Most light deities are worshiped at shrines kept by priests and priestesses, often with elaborate and beautiful rituals. These shrines are open to all, provided that the necessary purification ritual (this varies by location, but usually includes washing of the hands, feet, and mouth with blessed water) is completed before entering. Most shrines are small and nearly all are made from wood and cloth, though large cities may contain much more elaborate structures of special religious importance, to which many practitioners make at least one pilgrimage during their lives. Festivals celebrating growth and rebirth (such as New Year's Day and the Spring Equinox) are held in their honor, and the gods are often said to be present among the gathered celebrants to take part in the food, drink, and festivities. Followers of these deities often focus on the benefit of others through healing and teaching.

Neutral Deities are balance seekers, seen as both of light and darkness or life and death at the same time. Many are dedicated to nature (i.e. gods of harvest or weather), astronomy (i.e. deities of the sun or moon), or the pursuit of knowledge. Cyclic deities may come in pairs or groups (for example, triplets presiding over the rice harvest, in which one represents fallow fields, the second growth, and the third gathering of the food) that are worshipped as a single entity. Gods and goddesses of natural disasters such as storms or volcanoes are also seen as neutral, because such happenings are part of the planet's natural cycle. While they may take life, storms bring rain to purify the earth, earthquakes rejuvenate the land, and volcanoes nourish the soil with their ash. Followers of these deities are often those who seek inner peace, balance, or knowledge of themselves. Monks and nuns are expected to devote a great deal of time to study, and the followers of these gods and goddesses often meditate for long periods of time. Official laces of worship are usually large temples, which are found in most of the larger cities. Followers living in smaller settlements where such a structure cannot be found do not feel hindered, however; it is frequent for any quiet natural location where one is unlikely to be disturbed to be used as a place of worship and meditation. One's relationship to the neutral gods is private and unique to each individual, though monks are often sought out for advice or prayer rituals. Neutral deities also preside over death, and their monks and nuns are called on for funeral rites.

Deities of darkness are usually regarded as evil or life-taking entities, and are the patrons of negative aspects such as greed, power, famine, or war. They are the rulers and guardians of the nine hells, where their servants join them after death. They are clear in their superiority over mortals and expect those who would communicate with them to acknowledge this; they are swift to anger and seldom merciful. A life spent following the dark gods is a life of servitude, pain and sacrifice, but it is not without reward - they will grant tremendous power to those who please them. These temples are usually dark and highly exclusive, only allowing followers of the darkness inside the temple grounds. Macabre practices including blood sacrifices and ritual mutilation are often common procedures, and many rituals are highly guarded, so very few outsiders know exactly what goes on inside the shady depths of the temples.

These three alignments of gods and goddesses are generally not disputed among the population. However, different sects often choose to venerate certain gods and goddesses over others - some may devote their following to a single deity, while others may follow only those of healing or only those of death, for example. Some broader sects follow all the deities of one alignment. In addition to these, many families venerate a tutelary god or goddess and will construct a shrine in their house or somewhere on their property in that deity's honor. Specific practices of worship vary from sect to sect.

Human Creation Mythology

Elven Creation Mythology

Dragon Creation Mythology

Dragons, while believing that there were divine beings involved in their creation and that said entities still exist, do not offer worship to them in the human manner exhibited to their deities. Rather, dragons acknowledge the existence of those creative forces and each dragon exhibits that acknowledgement in a personal way.

The dragons' gods are not sworn by directly - it is as close to a taboo as you can get without there being a taboo. Dragons will swear by the "Ancestors" which is actually a general reference to their gods, but no dragon will ever get more specific.

The gods the dragons acknowledge are five in number: Krag'nith'Ackno (Ancient Red Father) is held to be the oldest (mostly by the male dragons; females tend to lean to the next as the eldest). As his name indicates, he is held as the original sire of all draconic races. Sleiya'Ikthay (Great White Mother). As with Krag, Sleiya is held to be the matriarch of all dragons.

The legend recited to hatchlings is as follows:

In the beginning time, Krag and Sleiya came forth from the same egg and saw a new world, all of land. When the season of mating came on them, they coupled and broke the world, releasing the world's different types of blood: the cold blue, the hot red, and the clear vapor. At the time of laying, three eggs rested beneath Sleiya. From them hatched the Firstborn:

Scrug'no'Tiak (Bringer of Darkness; a male), the great black whose scales are tipped in white; Scrug'no'Eiya (Bringer of Light; a male), the golden one, who had even eyes and tongue of the same shade as his scales; and Raeli'ei'olua (She who is Balance), the pale sister, her scales smoky and pure by turns.

When the season of mating came again, while Krag and Sleiya once more joined and birthed the ten races, Tiak and Eiya rose in battle over who would be the one to mate Raeli. The brothers battled fiercely over the honor of being her mate, and Raeli could not herself chose between them. So great was their rage that it threatened the newly laid eggs of Sleiya, who cried to her mate to save them. Enraged, Krag banished the Firstborn to the skies beyond the world and laid a curse on the brothers. They would ever battle until the end of times, while their sister would be forced to journey between them, unable to chose which would be her mate. Thus came the golden sun, and the white-tipped scales of night, and the pale moon that travels between.

(Dragon mythology contributed by Ben)

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