Aesir (Tirr Supplement)

Aesir

While Tirr has many gods that deign to rule over and guide its inhabitants, not all of them work by the same hand as the Pantheon. These gods are called the Aesir, and are viewed by both the Pantheon and the mortals who live among them as both heroic, idyllic martyrs and unrepentant scourges.

Origins

The Aesir originally resided in the Deific Sphere, alongside the other gods who still remain there, and even fought alongside the Pantheon's members when the mad god, Varglokirr, attempted to reign over and dominate the entire sphere. Though the battles were in the scales of thousands of years, the bonds that were forged and bloods that were spilled in this great conflict could not stop that which came after Varglokirr was finally stopped, and sealed away in the Material Sphere. The question was a simple and necessary one; How do we stop this from occurring, again?

The answer was to bind the gods by their own, deific names, the ones that no mortal can ever speak, and therefore, enslave themselves to an oath; One that would preserve this mark on the deific sphere, and not allow a similar cataclysm to ever occur, again. The response to such a drastic measure was, of course, met with a large amount of controversy. Some gods did not want to bind themselves to any promise, unsure of what the future might hold, while others simply resented such a permanent bond, in principle. As time went on, the arguments only began to mount in their tension, and no progress could be made towards any sufficient compromise.

In the end, a large collection of gods who supported the Oath, issued an ultimatum towards the opposition: Bind yourself to the Oath, or be cast out, into Tirr, in exile.

The few numbers who still refused to bind themselves to the oath either fought, and failed, or willingly stepped away from the Sphere of the Gods, and instead chose to roam Tirr in search of a newer home, leaving the Deific Sphere in the hands of what would become the Pantheon of Tirr.

Those who were banished from the Sphere became known as the "Aesir", Gods without Divinity.

Forced Slumber

While the Aesir had not truly lost their godly status, even after having been banished to the Material Sphere, it soon became apparent that it could not be sustained as it had been, before, when they were bathed in the divine energies of the Sphere of the Gods at practically all times. The Material Sphere was devoid of divine energies, and the only substitutes for most could be only found in elemental and ideal energies that they had domain over.

For some, this was of little consequence; Those who had ties or domain over major universal forces present in Tirr, such as elementals, could simply move to or construct those dominant planes of energy, and simply live off of the forces present. For others, whose spheres of influence were lesser or less common in the World of Tirr, every moment of being without these energies meant that they were weakening, and this process was only expedited as some expended their powers unaware.

Some gods created civilizations, with some still existing today, and others led races of war against one another. Still some acted as benevolent bystanders, doing naught but living, and helping others to live. Over the centuries that piled upon these actions, it became evident that some of the gods were slowly losing their divinity, and the Aesir were forced into a state of hibernation, to preserve that which was left of the godliness. Unable to do anything but sleep, to ensure their survival.

Devotion of Mortals

The Pantheon of Tirr still wrestles with the decision over how to deal with the Aesir. Some of the more kind natured deities believe that the fate pushed upon the Aesir is far too cruel, but they are offset by those in the Pantheon who would sooner have the Aesir destroyed, than welcomed back, unchecked. This controversy extends to mortals, who by now have lived in the same planes as the Aesir for many thousands of years, including few races that actually trace lineage to the Aesir, themselves.

Those mortals who devote themselves to the Aesir are granted divine spells and capabilities, in return, as the devotion and spreading of the Aesir's ideals work to empower the Aesir, who draw their last energies of divinity from these ideal and elemental forces, as a substitute for the energies of the deific sphere. Every few centuries, the Aesir may awaken, depending on how they have fared under the care of their mortal worshippers. Even so, such awakenings are short-lived, often, before the Aesir descend into slumber, once more.

Deities

Those Aesir who still are present in Tirr, in the Material Plane or elsewhere, are as follows:

• Bahamut - The God-King of all dragons, dedicated to the ideal of Magnanimity. He is a protector of the Dragonkin, and of all those weaker than himself.
• Tiamat - The exiled consort of Bahamut, she embodies the ideal of Supremacy, and destroys the insufferably weak. She has an intense hatred for those who cannot triumph over their oppressors.
• Bestia - The Goddess of the Hunt and of Beasts. She is also a lesser goddess of archery and nature. She is worshiped by huntsmen and showmen around the world.
• Undine - The creator-deity of the Merfolk, she governs over the oceans of the world. She is titanic, much like the vast ocean itself, but largely a gentle deity.
• Feylgara - Known as the Stone-weaver by many, she governs over the elemental nature of earth, though she also is the deity of sleep, which when combined with her natural displeasure at being awakened, and disposition towards Evil, can be disastrous.
• Macha - The Patron deity of goblinoids and all Corrupted Creatures. She is commonly called the Goblin God, but is truthfully the mean-spirited and hateful deity who is worshiped out of fear by many, including Drow, and Hobgoblins.
• Vok - The God of Fire and Forge, he is an evil god, but due to a pact with Bahamut, he does not perform evil acts anymore, instead focusing on his interest in artisanry and artifacts.
• Munsa - The Goddess of Storms, her ideal is that of the Trial, and she challenges the mortals of the world with her storms, often having to deal with the nuisance that is her brother-god, Somata.
• Alcyone - The creator-deity of the fey, and widely revered by the elves, she embodies the ideal of Sovereignty, and is the patron goddess of Volare.
• Fir - The God of Spite, he is often depicted as a lone, great wolf, striding across the glacial plains of the north. He hardly ever speaks, and often begets blessings in the form of curses.
• Somata - The God of the four winds, he embodies the elemental nature of the air, though he is less concerned with the nature of the world than with his own constantly changing nature, and pestering his sister-god, Munsa.
• Isis - The patron goddess of Sol, her ideal is that of Refuge, and her daughters carry on in her absence.
• Mana - Formerly one of the most powerful deities of the Pantheon, she is the goddess of balance, and the creator of the arcane magicks used throughout the world of Tirr.
• Ars Machina - The artificial god, one created through sorcery and engineering rather than by natural consolidation of the three elements. He is the product of Godsreach, and is used by its citizens to fuel their advancement.

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