Sancturi Pantheon¶
"Welcome to the Grace of the Sancturi." — Sancturi greeting (S132)
The Sancturi Pantheon is the "1+5" of the Sanctum Imperium: a Sun God at its head and five gods beneath him, who are the Dark Gods and their allies under new names (S132). It was proclaimed in 522 SM by rebels in the ruins of Sanctorum who "declare themselves and their gods the Sancturi" (S326), and for four centuries it was the only tolerated religion of the Imperium. Its adversaries call it "The Sanctuary Gods, The Sanctuary Six or the False Sanctuary" (S132). The clergy that serves it has its own page, the Sancturi Clergy.
Members¶
| Sancturi name | Title | The god beneath |
|---|---|---|
| Amu'Solk | Lord of the Sun; the Almighty Sun; Sanctuary of the Sun | an Ascendant of Necatus |
| Tenenec | Lord of Death and Night | Necatus |
| Kha'maka | Lady of the Earth | Namaka |
| Er'Deivos | Lady of Life and Chance | Eris |
| Untyra | Lady of Knowledge and Crafting | Tyra |
| Rak'Thule | Lord of Strength, War | Thule |
Amu'Solk¶
"Sun God is the head of the Pantheon, known as 'The Lord of the Sun', 'The Almighty Sun', 'Sanctuary of the Sun'. His name derives from Sanctorum, from whose ashes he arose to wrest control from the addled Riven Sun God, Anariel. It also represents the founding moment for the pantheon who rose out of chaos of the impotent Riven gods" (S132). He is a "Necatus-Ascendant" (S132); the Kalari account says the Dark Gods "propped up a pretender Sun God hoping to wrest control" of the Sun that Anariel had given up (S132). His people greet and bless by him: "May the Sun
Sanctolas¶
The roll of the Sancturi in the Hellgate War reads "Sanctolas, Necatus, Namaka, Eris, ??" (S132), with Sanctolas standing where the Sun God stands in the pantheon of six.
Gap
No source says whether Sanctolas is Amu'Solk under another name or a further member. The fifth name in that roll is left blank.
Er'Deivos¶
"Lady of Life and Chance (Eris)", whose "common phrases" are "The way of Life" and "Born of Chaos" (S132). Eris is the Goddess of Chaos among the Dark Gods (S420).
Untyra¶
"Lady of Knowledge and Crafting (Tyra)" (S132). The newest reckoning of the gods knows Tyra only as "Queen of Slavers" among the Rakkarim (S420); the two titles are not reconciled.
Rak'Thule and Thule¶
"Lord of Strength, War (Thule)" (S132). The newest reckoning lists a Dark God "Thulee - God of Destruction" (S420); no source joins the two names, and Thule is otherwise unrecorded.
Gap
Thule has no entry of his own anywhere in the sources; whether he is Thulee, or a title of Rakkar's borrowed with the prefix, is not said.
Tenenec and Kha'maka are Necatus and Namaka outright, and are described on their pages.
Doctrine¶
"These are the 'good' guys but they are harsh, unforgiving and cruel. Riven worshippers are derided as weak, soft and coddled. They are barely tolerated or enslaved. In larger numbers they may be purged to keep the 'disease' from spreading. Daemivus worshippers are devil worshippers and destroyed/hunted outright" (S132). "The Sancturi preach that the Kalari and Rakkarim are powerless, impotent gods. The faithful of the Kalari/Rakkarim don't have anywhere to go after death and therefore remain behind to terrorize the living" (S318). Honour "stems from the Sancturi and their representatives", and "to harm or fail to follow the direction of a member of the clergy is considerable dishonor" (S132). The holy text is Elysium's Gate, copied from the Sanctoric Cartus "dictated by the first emperor to scribes"; its principles end in "Glory. Elysium's reward and greater honors await those who die in service to the Sancturi" (S321). See Elysium's Gate.
The gods are present in their rulers. The Empress is "considered a God in a mortal form. When that mortal form dies, the God finds residence in one of the other chosen" (S323); Empress Okora bears the title "The Glory of Elysium" (S323). In 550 SM "God-Emperor Aes'Solk ascends into heaven, leaving the God-Empress Aes'Ekhi to rule" (S132).
Rites¶
Every Sancturi settlement keeps a Vigil, an obelisk of fused Mithis "generally five-sided in honor of the Five Gods of the Sancturi", with "5 small altars around the obelisk where commoners can make their own blood sacrifices to empower the Vigil. If the settlement has a chief patron (as most do), the altar to their patron god will be larger" (S325); see Vigils. "Ritual sacrifice of the captured leaders is the traditional victory ceremony" (S132). "Witches are burned at the stake by the Sancturi, but under the supervision of Namakan Runecasters, which entrap their souls to ensure that they are never reincarnated (these are added to Vigils). Also, all executions are performed under the supervision of the Sancturi Clergy and they are careful to mark heathens so that they will transition instead of turn" (S318). The Sancturi "don't give out their power like that. They rely on their followers to give up their lifeforce for it" (S132).
History¶
Sanctorum, founded by the followers of Anariel, "is destroyed in 513 SM by a massive volcanic event" (S326). In 522 SM "rebels organized around a new faith ... retake the ruins of Sanctorum and the Fae-Sancturi War begins. They declare themselves and their gods the Sancturi" (S326). From 554 to 565 SM came the Great Purge: "the Sancturi purge all Riven (Kalari & Rakkari) priests and raze all shrines, churches and temples. Riven-worship is made a crime, and those refusing to convert to the Sancturi Pantheon are enslaved" (S326). Keepers of Abaddon who swore loyalty "go on to found the Dae'Venari (the Sancturi's religious order devoted to devil and witch slaying) in 685 SM" (S326).
The pantheon fought the Hellgate War as one of three divine factions against the Abyss, to "preserve their power, defeat Asmodeus and return the demons to their place (the Abyss). Restore or gain control over Mithis and the Sun" (S132). The Eldritch hate "Sancturi gods and other Einar which are just an offshoot of the Kalari and responsible for the death of their patron Tamariel" (S147). The Imperium ended in 904 SM when Sanctorum fell to the Araxians (S112); the refugees of the Unholy Flight carried the Sanctoric Cartus north and founded the Divine Alliance, which worships the Divine and counts "the Riven and Sancturi Gods" alike among the evils to eradicate (S078, S004).
Earlier accounts¶
The campaign notes of 2018 date the rise of "a new human faction, led by God-Emperor Tolac" and the Great Purge to 516 SM (S132); their author adds "Timeline is WRONG!", and the Sanctuary Age Timeline's dates are followed here.
Gap
No source gives the rites, symbols or priesthoods of the five gods individually, nor the Sancturi account of how their Sun God took the Sun.