Elder Gods¶
Contested
This page is named in the open question Einar: Elder Gods or younger gods. The sources do not agree on whether the Elder Gods are the Einar themselves, a faction of the Einar, or a pantheon that preceded or followed them; see Terminology below.
The Elder Gods are the first pantheon of Terrun: the gods who ruled before the Kalari and the other Younger Gods, under the queen Izhtari. There were once hundreds of them. They were overthrown and imprisoned, and most are now "banished or weakened to the point of being little more than demi-gods" (S101). In the Fifth Age several have slipped their prisons, and these Awakened Gods, chief among them the Beetle-God Seth'Arax, are among the great powers of the age.
Overview¶
The Elder Gods "did not get along, but were forced into submission and some level of civility by Izhtari", who was "the ultimate/all-powerful ruler" (S101). They "scheme and squabble amongst themselves". Scholars have recorded more than a hundred of them, "at least" (S387); the Fifth Age notes say there were initially hundreds (S101).
Their morality is not that of the gods who followed. The Younger Gods, except the Dark Gods, are attached to the creations of Kalar and "see morality through a humanistic lens". An Elder God does not: "Elder Gods see living creatures as toys, playthings or at best tools. An Elder God has no interest or empathy for living creatures, even their 'servants' which are at best treated as disposable tools" (S101).
Elder Gods do not raise Ascendants. Instead they kept servants, and "their most prized servants contained a fragment of themselves". These god-spirits carry the suffix -spex: the Evruspex of Nox'Somn, the Necruspex of Teneb'Vari, the Goruspex of Teneb'Urat, the Caeluspex of Amun'rak and the Ulraspex of Seth'Arax (S101). The older Compendium credits the Elder Gods with giving birth to the elder races, "the Fae, the Titans, the Elementals, the Giants, and the Dragons" (S387, S372).
The fall of the Elder Gods¶
The fullest account is the 2020 history (S386). After the Primordial War the Throne of Law was forged to govern both the Inner and the Heavenly Planes, and the High God Tamariel sat upon it. The gods quarrelled over how the world ought to be, their wars played out among the early races, and the quarrel became the Elder God-War, "a brutal civil war" among the gods themselves. It ended when Tamariel was murdered by his wife Izhtari, who "ushered in a new era for the Elder Gods" and took the Throne for herself. When the Demons1 came, the gods split again over how to meet them. Izhtari banished those who were not with her from the Astral Plane, and this was the rebellion of the Younger Gods: a group led by Kalar made a pact with four imprisoned Primordial Elementals, broke into the Astral Plane and destroyed the Throne of Law. "Izhtari's power was broken, and individual Einar took possession of the remaining shards and power of the Throne" (S386). The Einar who afterwards sought to restore the Throne and undo Kalar's changes were called the Izhtarus (S386); the war itself is told under the Age of Titans.
The Compendium tells the same fall more briefly. The Elder Gods were "overthrown by the younger gods (The Einar) with the help of Kalar. While they were not killed, their powers were usurped and are now greatly diminished" (S387). The Fifth Age notes add what became of them: they were put in "Kalari prisons" (S020), "prisons (formed by the Riven Gods)" (S014). The prisons took several forms. Teneb'Vari's essence "was split into many parts and scattered across Terrun" (S051); a Necruspex of hers was shut in a prison "constructed by Kalar himself" (S053); Seth'Arax was held behind "7 seals" (S196) and in a prison beneath an Aquitanian temple (S177).
The Awakened Gods¶
In the Fifth Age the Kalari are dead, and the prisons they made are failing. The Fifth Age deity notes call the escaped Elder Gods the Awakened Gods: "Elder gods which have existed since long before recorded history, but which are now free from their Kalari prisons. They generally despise each other as much as they do the other gods. The only exception being the Riven Gods, but they are frustrated in their ability to take out vengeance upon them (as they are already dead)" (S020). "Many Elder Gods have emerged from their prisons (formed by the Riven Gods) and fight amongst themselves for control of the material plane. Some seek to exact their revenge upon the creations of the Riven Gods" (S014). Many Ascendants and allies of the surviving Night Gods "have fallen in battle with the Elder/Awakened Gods" (S020).
The consequences in the north are severe. "The release of several of the Elder Gods is causing big problems … creatures from their planes are crossing over", and together with the invasions of the Araxian Empire this "led to the fall of every human kingdom on the north side of the Broken Sea" (S076). Permanent portals fail because "the Elder Gods seem to be able to exploit them easily" (S076). The Elder Gods are counted among the rarer sources of magic of the Age of the Divine, worked through "(Uncommon) Cults (Priests)" (S112).
The northern powers of the Fifth Age list five Elder Gods as nation-states in their own right (S015):
| Elder God | Domain (S015) | Creatures and followers |
|---|---|---|
| Seth'Arax | left as "??" in S015; Supremacy, Nobility and Travail in S101 | the Araxian Empire; beetles, bugs |
| Yrl'Egoz | Rot | worms, perhaps Myconids |
| Vu'thok | the Night | wolves, werewolves |
| Krul'gorm | Forests | bears, deer, elk, moose |
| unnamed | Death | the Tlan, bonecasters |
The Elder Gods¶
| Name | Domains | Standing (S101) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Izhtari | Queen of Astryssil and Ruler of the Gods | the all-powerful ruler | murdered Tamariel; her Throne of Law was destroyed by Kalar's rebellion |
| Tamariel | High God of the Throne of Law | dead | patron of the Eldritch; murdered by Izhtari |
| Seth'Arax | Supremacy, Nobility and Travail | Strong | the Beetle-God; fully awake in the Fifth Age; lord of the Araxians |
| Teneb'Vari | Darkness, Undeath and Vampirism | Strong | twin sister of Teneb'Urat; Mother of Darkness to the Boreal Elves |
| Teneb'Urat | Darkness, Charm and Paralysis | Moderate | twin brother of Teneb'Vari; snakes and venom; his minions stir beneath Proturas |
| Nox'Somn | Sleep, Tranquility and Dreams | Moderate | the sleeping bear; his Wakers |
| Gelu'lax | Hoarfrost, Ice and Death | not rated | the Boreal Scions, worshipped by the Boreal Elves as Than Agle |
| Lha'nott | Fire, Rebirth and Desolation | Moderate | the phoenix goddess |
| Amun'rak | Predation, Wind, Sky and Storms | Medium | brother of Seth'Arax |
| Yalluch | unknown | unknown | imprisoned; sought by the eldritch beast Ungaaritk |
| Dago'Talass | unknown | unknown | parent of the Tolassovores |
| The Iron Lady | unknown | unknown | a "false god" with a priesthood in Alghert |
Lha'nott¶
Elder Goddess of Fire, Rebirth and Desolation, rated Moderate. Her symbol is a phoenix with a star inside, and she "appears as a phoenix headed humanoid"; her special form is the Great Phoenix. "She acquired servants by obliterating them with fire and then rebirthing them as children of fire with their memories wiped. They would re-assume their previous form, but have no memory" (S101). The earlier Seth'Arax notes give her symbol as "flame with star inside" and count her among Seth'Arax's "particular enemies" (S160).
Amun'rak¶
Pronounced Ah-Moon-Rock. Elder God of Predation, Wind, Sky and Storms, rated Medium. He is the brother of Seth'Arax and "has a difficult and complex relationship with Seth'Arax which varies between cooperation and hostility". His symbol is a bird with prey caught in its talons, and he is associated with birds of prey, "especially large birds such as the Roc, Great Eagle and Wyvern". His essence in a servant is a Caeluspex, "a being granted powers of Air, Fire and Lightning" (S101).
Yalluch¶
The Fifth Age notes give Yalluch a heading and nothing else (S101). What is known comes from the dreams of Inwe: before the Hollowing, "the eldritch beast Ungaaritk is close to discovering the prison of the Elder God Yalluch" (S031, S071).
Gap
Yalluch's domains, form, servants and the location of the prison are not given in any source.
Dago'Talass¶
An Elder God known only through its children. The Tolassovores, the amphibious, four-handed, four-eyed creatures who secretly run the Dockside Cutters of Proturas, "are the children of an Elder God (Dago'Talass)". They are "highly intelligent and native eldritch spellcasters", and "in the past they possessed advanced technology rivaling the Dwarrow". The young must eat intelligent brains to develop, and the Cutters' human trafficking feeds them (S028).
Gap
Nothing is recorded of Dago'Talass beyond the name and the Tolassovores' descent.
The Iron Lady¶
In the Rivenlands kingdom of Alghert, the Priesthood of the Iron Lady serves "a false god, scorned as a cult in many other places". The sessions of the Sancturi campaign record that "the Iron Lady is an Elder God" and that the Eldritch Allannia Vaj'zaelin serves them (S181). The priesthood's holy text is the Iron Tome, its principles are "Steadfast, Knowledge, Life, Determinism, Strength", and its priests do not drink (S181). Its prophetess, Hadelia, "the Grey Prophetess", is a former priestess of Arya and an agent of the Eldritch who works divine miracles and sits inside the Keepers of Abaddon; a priest named Cairne keeps the shrine (S181). During the Hollow crisis in Pemeril the priests helped control the Hollow and "keep the populace safe", fortifying around Nott's Gate and demolishing and burning buildings to raise a new ward in Midtown "and no one is stopping them" (S181, S184). In neighbouring Brusau the Cult of the Iron Lady was culled under the Sancturi settlement (S187).
Gap
The Iron Lady's own name, domains and form are never given. Whether she is one of the named Elder Gods under another title, or how an Eldritch comes to serve her, the sources do not say.
The elder pantheon of the Compendium¶
The 2014 and 2015 Compendium documents, written for the Earlier Ages, give a list of "the most powerful and notable Elder Gods" that the Fifth Age notes neither repeat nor contradict (S372, S384, S387, S498). It is kept here with its pronunciations.
| Name | Title | Children |
|---|---|---|
| Morkagan (More-KAgen) | Forgemaster | Father of Giants and of the Dwarrow, "precursor to dwarves" |
| Yuseva (you-Seva) | Goddess of the Sky | Mother of Great Eagles and Wyverns |
| Seole (see-Ole) | Ruler of the Seas | Mother of Kuo'Toa; S498 adds the Kraken |
| Uxbannon (Ucks-ban-non) | Steward of Magic | Father of Dragons and Fae creatures |
| Zatan (ZA-Tan) | Keeper of the Dead | Father of the Illithids (S372); "Father of Demons (created to make the spirit transition go faster)" in S498 |
| Gaea (Gay-a) | Mother Earth | Mother to most ordinary flora and fauna; S498 adds Sylphs, Nymphs and Mermaids |
| Eluna (eloo-Na) | The Moon Goddess | Goddess of the Night and Moon; omitted from the 2015 list (S387) |
| Izhtari (Is-Tari) | Queen of Astryssil and Ruler of the Gods | Mother to the Innus; see Izhtari |
The Compendium adds that "all of the 'younger' gods were also once Elder Gods, but successfully led a rebellion which overthrew the Elder pantheon", after which the victors "split due to disagreement into the 3 factions of gods (light, dark and twilight)" (S372). On how far the losers fell the two 2015 texts differ by a word: the Elder Gods' power is "still considerably greater than Demi-Gods" (S372) or they are "still considered Demi-Gods" (S498).
Terminology: Elder Gods and Einar¶
The sources use "Elder Gods" in at least four senses, and the question of which is right is open.
- The newest cosmology (2026) calls the Einar themselves the Elder Gods: "For most of the Second Age, Einar (The Elder Gods) squabbled and disagreed on how to bring order to their new world. The Throne of Law was forged to settle the matter and granted uncontestable dominion to 12 High Gods of the Einar. When the Throne was shattered, this dominion passed to the Einar (The Younger Gods) which claimed the shards" (S001). The 2022 magic treatise agrees, "the arrival of the Einar (The Elder Gods)" (S208), and so does the treatise on demons, for which the Nephilim are "fallen Einar (The Elder Gods)" (S520). The cosmology drafts know twelve High Gods holding the twelve High Shards (S421, S389).
- The 2020 history makes the Elder Gods Izhtari's party among the Einar, and the Younger Gods Kalar's party (S386).
- The Compendium makes the Elder Gods a prior pantheon overthrown "by the younger gods (The Einar)", while also saying the younger gods "were also once Elder Gods" (S372, S387, S498).
- The Dwarrow history reverses the order entirely: the Elder Gods are "the new gods" who arrived after the Einar's victory in the Primordial War, and the Younger Gods are born later still at "the fall of the Elder Gods" (S529); the Uk'Zarai history likewise places "the fall of the Elder Gods" after the Dwarrow faded (S515).
The Fifth Age notes, which this section follows, treat the Elder Gods as Izhtari's pantheon and distinguish them from "the younger gods" of Kalar, yet also give Seth'Arax "his Einar soul" (S101). The ruling is pending.
Gap
No source names more than a dozen of the "hundreds" of Elder Gods, says which prison holds which god, or describes any Elder God's cult outside those recorded on the pages above.