The Shora Mythology Lorebook
Introduction
Information1Deities
The deities of the Shora mythology include any figure surrounded by mystic legend and possess powers not normally attributed to humans. As such, in this list there are the gods of the Shora Pantheon, but also other heroes, monsters, and mythic figures.
On the Use of the Word Goddess: I don't use it at all. Female deities are called gods same as the males. Why? Because the word "goddess" holds no power. Call a woman a goddess and what image does it inspire? To me, at least, it brings to mind the image of a woman that is golden, beautiful and sought after. Powerful maybe, but only in ways that are acceptable to a man. Call a man a god, though, and what comes to mind? Someone strong and all-powerful, right? Someone who bends the world to their will. There is awe, in that description; there is fear. That's what a god should be: an object of awe and fear. But a goddess is often an object of desire. I find this somewhat funny. What right do you have to desire her? If a woman went up to a god and attempted to lay with him, she would be presumptuous and stupid. But a man attempting to lay with a goddess? Why wouldn't he try that? She's golden, beautiful and sought after.
Thus, I make my point. In Shora, both the language and the culture, there are only gods. These beings are meant to be feared, regardless of gender. You may desire them. After all, many of them are beautiful in many ways. However, do not make the mistake of forgetting what they are. Just because they are beautiful does not mean they are merciful.
The Shora Pantehon is divided into two categories: the gods of the natural world and the gods of humanity. This might imply that humans are separate from the natural world and, to some extent, they are. But this is rather a classifcation of the gods themselves rather than the areas they represent. Natural gods often came into their powers naturally. They were born with them or discovered an affinity innate within them. Gods of humanity often became what they are through their actions and what they began to represent to humans or because their innate affinity is directly linked to the traits of humans in general.
The Pantheon is further separated into generations. First generation gods were born from the primordial chaos and thus have no parents. Often they predate humans and the human world and are, thus, gods of the natural world. Second generation gods were born to first gen parents and existed around the creation of the human world, either immediately before or immediatey after. Thus, they are evenly split between gods of the natural world and gods of humanity. Third generation were born to second gen parents and exist well after the establishment of humans and the human world. They are more often gods of humanity.
Gods of Humanity
Chawiro, God of Hearth and Home
One of the oldest gods to exist, Chawiro is known to be a caretaker. He is a patron to abandoned and orphaned children and a scrouge to those who do not uphold their communal obligations. His lands are neutral for gods and mortals alike.
Chapivi, God of Storytelling and History
The eldest child of of the second generation of gods, Chapivi is known as a dedicated scholar. He is a patron to bards and academics alike. Chapivi suffers from regular attempts on his life and freedom from both gods and mortals.
Churados, God of War and Strategy
Known for his genius, Churados is known to start conflicts in order to showcase his brilliant strategies. He is a patron to war commanders, politicians, and many other kinds of strategists. He has repeatedly imprisoned the god of history, Chapivi.
Isha, God of Vanity
Best known for his fierce temper and his beauty, Isha is a patron to artists of all kinds. He once drank human blood in an attempt to increase his own beauty and has thus succumbed to the Blood Curse and requires it to live.
Pithza, God of Innovation and Progress
The artficial child of Achotha, birthed by Wonu, Pithza is best known for his intellect and creativity. He is the patron for all inventors and innovators. He is deeply in love with Alona, the god of winter, though his abnormally high body temperature is harmful to her.
Wonu, God of Humanity
Born to the wrong body and unable to have children of her own, Wonu is known for being the maker of humans whom she views as her children. As such, she is the patron of all humans. She has birthed one child from her flesh, the god of innovation, who was planted inside her abdomen by Achotha.
Demigods
Demigods are always gods of humanity as one of their parents is human. They are always the embodiment of some human emotion and thus are born with their powers.
Zula; God of Social Love
The eldest of the eight gods of love, Zula is the god that represents the love one has for the society and community that supports them. He is patron to all who would give back to their communities. Known to take after his human father, the poet Ochithu, in both looks and interests.
Shuzu; God of Platonic Love
The second of the eight gods of love, Shuzu is the god that represents the bond of friendship. He is a patron to all those seeking to build their platonic relationships. Known for hiding his identity and making friends amongst humans.
Lachuo; God of Familial Love
The third of the eight gods of love, Lachuo is the god that represents one's love for family, either blood or found. He is a patron to hopeful couples and lost children. He often brings orphans to Chawiro when they are in dire need of support.
Pani; God of Romantic Love
The fourth of the eight gods of love, Pani is the god that represents romance in all its forms. He is patron to all people seeking romance or those already in romantic relationships. He is known for falling in love endlessy and carelessly, often at first sight.
Cholae; God of Unrequited Love
The fifth of the eight gods of love, Cholae is the god that represents love that is not returned. He is a patron to all those who love people that do not love them back, in all forms that takes. He is a prolific poet, like his father, and is known for his tragic ballads and plays.
Dachai; God of Sexual Love
The sixth of the eight gods of love, Dachai is the god that represents lust and sexual attraction. He is patron to many forms of sex worker and seducer as well as those trying to resist the temptations of the flesh. He is best known for his ongoing affair with the god of vanity, Isha.
Doshon; God of Lost Love
The seventh of the eight gods of love, Doshon is the god that represents the bonds of love lost through death or other means. He is a patron to all widows and widowers, orphans, parents that buried thir children and other victims of lost love. He once had a human lover that he believed was his soulmate. They perished and he refuses to love again.
Vazopi; God of Harmful Love
The eighth of the eight gods of love, Vazopi is the god that represents all the kinds of love that is harmful to either the giver or recipient. He isn't patron to anyone, rather he is the kind of god people pray avoids them and they ask him for mercy or forgiveness when they do become objects of his obsession. He has a tumultuous history of being both abuser and the abused in his relationships.
Vaira; God of Spite, Vengence, and Petty Curses
The eldest of Isha's human-borne children, Vaira embodies all emotions centered on revenge and spite. Her powers consist of the ability to craft curses and the uncanny ability to devise fates worse than death. She inherited her father's Blood Curse and ages unnaturally quickly without ingesting blood. She is known for starting the First War and cursing the great sorceress, Zila.
Washa; God of Souls, Paranoia, and Death
One of Isha's human-borne children, Washa embodies paranoia and the human fear of death. Her powers consist of a mild shapeshifting ability that allows her to appear as a human-sized leech and the ability to see and communicate with the dead. She inherited her father's Blood Curse and needs to eat souls to sustain herself. She and Owen, the Spector of Death, have adopted each other as siblings.
Zolatho; God of Apathy and Selfishness
One of Isha's human-borne children, Zolatho embodies all human emotions centered around depression, apathy, and selfish single-mindedness. His powers consist of a mild puppeteering ability that causes temporary insanity or memory loss in humans. He has inherited his father's Blood Curse and begins to lose his sanity without consuming the emotions of others. His is the lover of the god of misfortune, Chuthano.
Gods of Nature
Achotha; God of Creation
A first generation god, Achotha is the one responsible for ending the endless nothing of the primordial chaos. She is the first being to ever create something with her own two hands and thus is a patron to anyone who creates. She is known for her relentless curiosity and her often ill-thought experiments.
Alona; God of Winter
Sharing a body with her twin sister, the god of summer, Alona spends half of the year asleep and dormant within her body. When she is awake, she brings with her the ice, snow, and cold needed to renew the earth. She is thus a patron to anyone who lives off the land or needs renewal in their lives. Her ongoing romance with Pithza, god of innovation, has started sending her into longer and longer sleeping fits.
Ariano; God of Fate, Luck, and Coincidence