The Dominions

Theondume

Theondume, alternatively Theondume Aukstoji, Theondume Tevas, Theondume Khurvash, and Theondume Demonslayer, is the King-Father of the Dievai, Emperor of the Nykstuka, Lord of the Hidden Cities, Sovereign of Starspire, Guardian of the Throne of Heroes, Master of Karo Vadas, and High Emperor of the Jakn. Theondume is a conqueror, and has led vast armies over the course of his life, such as the Scy-Re Legions, the Krathor Horde, and the Battlecult of the Black Rider. Theondume notably subdued the Elemental Spirits of Zemedievai by defeating the Icelord, Stormcrowned, and Ashking in single combat to claim their thrones for his son, The Triglav. Next, Theondume conquered the Nykstuka Kingdom, crushing the dwarven army and declaring himself their Emperor. The Nykstuka who bowed to him built his next army, battalions of warriors made of silver, and those who didn't were exiled to the far reaches of Skhvakveq’niuri. Finally, Theondume turned his gaze to the Velnia race of demons, baiting their invasion of his son's Kingdom so that he may cripple their armies and storm into Hell, massacring the remaining demons and freeing the souls they had taken to torture. In cases such as these, Theondume stole or won the power of others, befitting his status as a god of thrones and kings.

Dievai

The Dievai are the sons of Theondume, the divine court of his dominion. Lerasi is the firstborn, the favored son of Theondume. He acts as a steward and enforcer for his King. Lerasi was once an Emperor of men, leading the Lerasian Empire to glory in the early ages of civilization, but has since returned to his father as the highest ranking of the Dievai. His spear goes by the same name as he, and his other artifacts include the shield Aegis and the helm Argensidr. Temporarily, Lerasi was granted the title of Master of Karo Vadas, but he has since relinquished this title for his father. Dyros the Lawgiver is another Deivos commander, known for his close involvement in mortal affairs. He is seen by mortals as a spirit of truth, justice, honor, and war. He was granted the title of Jarl of Fimbulvetr by Theondume. Veltus is the Deivos of the Earth, but not much is known about him apart from his name, loyalty to his father, and vengeful attitude. Valdovas is a Deivos whose mortal status is as the Harvest God, but he is also the Gatekeeper of the Dievai and their realm, and one of Theondume's top commanders. Prisimines is the Trickster God, a Deivos with secrets and schemes. Despite this characterization in legend, he is staunchly loyal to Theondume. Prisimines was imprisoned in a tree for stealing from Veltus, but was freed by Theondume a thousand years later. Aukletoja was the Keeper of Records for the Dievai, a librarian and historian with a passion for collecting knowledge, especially forbidden knowledge. This path, however, led him to Ezoterika, a path which warped his mind, consumed him, and nearly killed him. Aukletoja secured the help of Paslepta, another Deivos, to create a weapon capable of killing his father. Seeking to overthrow Theondume, he was hunted and killed by an unknown figure, his remains sealed in a magic coffin buried along the shore. Paslepta, meanwhile, was banished to the mortal realm, where she remains in hiding, regarded as the goddess of sin.

Keepers

Keepers are followers of Theondume who hold titles of power on his behalf. They act as wardens of certain realms, keepers of a piece of Theondume's dominion. Often, they guard artifacts as well. Nemirtis is the Keeper of X, who appears in various obscure legends regarding a deal for conditional immortality. Formerly human, their lifeforce is contained solely and completely within their heart, which was surgically removed for protection in Theondume's care. Unless the Heart of Nemirtis is destroyed, Nemirtis cannot be killed or injured. His blood is known to have some magical properties, a fact exploited by Yngvi, a Free Nykstuka. He was gifted the heart by Theondume as a power play to win the alliance of a foreign being. Varessil is the Golden Snake, a lieutenant of Theondume who historically led a division of Scy-Re. His current status is unknown. T. H. Varmo was a mortal prince in Zemedievai who was turned into a powerful Vampire under the blood moon by Sanguis Zzor. Varmo became Theondume's vassal nearly a hundred years later while he was hunting The Triglav. He holds the title of Blood-Prince, and acts as the Keeper of the Sword of Zzor. Tyramin of Gyldenheim is the Count of Gyldenheim, the Hidden County, a very wealthy land that only sometimes exists in the mortal realm. Peryn Eramant is the Steward of the Hidden Cities. Other known Keepers protect the realms of Ghamis Kheoba, Araperi, and Q'elis.

The Darkness

Shadows, stalkers in the night, living and breathing darkness. Erebus is The Darkness Incarnate, the King of Infinite Darkness and Shadow. He is the night and the absence of light, the dark and what lurks within. His avatars are his children in spirit - the spirit of lurking and striking from shadows, champions of night. His manifestations breathe shadow, their very existence feeding their Dark King. His followers thrive in the shadows hiding from the light by embracing the dark. The light is the only thing they have to fear. The Darkness is not always malicious, but it is easily feared. The Dark King is a shadow in shadow, and rules from a realm of pure, blazing, fierce darkness.

Children of Erebus

The Eight Avatars of Erebus are the highest servants of Erebus - his right hand men. Thanatos was the first. His reign was shadowy death, and he sacrificed many to the growing and twisting monsters of the Darkness. He struck from the shadows and created a legacy of fear. Apate was the second, the so-called Specter of Deceit. Apate embraced the darkness as a concealment of her plans. In the shadows she built the Evergloom Cult to follow Erebus and eclipsed the sun before she finally ascended to the right hand of Erebus. Hemera was the third avatar, born of her own fear of the dark. She eventually betrayed Erebus and forfeited her powers, before she was killed by Hypnos, the fourth, whose reign was defined by his rebuilding of the darkness cult. Nemesis was the fifth avatar, whose shadowy reign began a feud with the Werebeasts. Oizys was the sixth avatar of Erebus, but not much is known about his reign. Perhaps this makes him the darkest of them all. Eris was the seventh avatar, and the first to attempt a large scale ritual designed to remake the world in the image of Erebus. She failed. Oneiros is the eighth and current avatar of the Darkness, who seeks to replicate the Eris Ritual with enough alterations to fix her flaws.

Shadows of Erebus

Shadows of Erebus are monsters of darkness, lurking in the darkest darkness. Vague shadows and odd sounds at night are commonly associated with these Shadows, but the Darkness more often manifests in sinister forms. One tale tells of an ashy creature with a dark scar over its heart, dark blood dripping from its black claws that appears in dark smoke on quiet nights. Other legends tell about the Void Spirits, malevolent entities bound to pitch black armor, from which thick tentacles emerge, burrowing into the minds of their victims. Shadows of the Darkness are completely subservient to the Children of Erebus.

Church of the Evergloom

Although there is only one Child of Erebus at a time, embodying the full power of the darkness, there are other mortal followers of the Darkness. The Church of the Evergloom bows to Erebus and his children, reveres the night creatures that stalk mortal prey, and offers their undying loyalty to the King of Infinite Darkness and Shadow. The Church of the Evergloom is the largest organized group of mortals that directly worship a single dominion, and a force to be reckoned with. Their strength is the main cause of the peace treaty with King Theondume.

Ganadgureba

Destruction. Desolation. Devastation. Decimation. Slaughter, chaos, and blood. Unbridled and pure. Ganadgureba is a fluid dominion, thriving on strife and chaos, living for revolution and change, shifting like desert sands. The breathing parts of Ganadgureba live to bleed and kill. There is no King of Ganadgureba, since Magnum Chaos, its first god, was killed by Utsnobi. Magnum Chaos was a wretched figure of scar tissue with an open chest revealing a bleeding heart and cracked ribs. Iron sheets were nailed over its face to protect its followers from death when they looked upon it, and led its followers into battle with a terrible scream which faltered the bravest of warriors. Following its demise, Ganadgureba has simply been a unified purpose to destroy completely. It breathes pain, feeds on suffering. Often, mortals who follow its path have lost everything, and only seek to make others feel the same. They don't just slaughter people, they torture them and destroy their hope. Ganadgureba is true evil, unlike the Darkness.

Princes of Ganadgureba

The Princes of Ganadgureba are often called Demons. They are the greatest princes of Magnum Chaos, second only to their king in its life, but now disorganized masters of their own fates. Laag is a prince that appears as a towering figure with horns, a spiked tail, and a head resembling that of a dragon. He leads armies of monsters made of corpses and blue fire, and fights with cold, iron chains. Wildfire is another prince of fire, a grey figure with a twisted crown which appears beyond the trees before forest fires. Molten flames flow freely from its hands and burn hotter than any normal fire. Voyenachal'nik is a powerful prince which acts as a god for many followers of Ganadgureba. It emphasizes strength, dishonor, and combat above all. Its worshippers are known to fight each other to the death in service of Voyenachal'nik, which rewards the last one standing with great power. This Prince is also known for possessing the corpses of sacrificed innocents, forming a figure locked in a frozen, ugly expression of terror clad in black armor and wielding a double-bladed battleax, but its true form is unknown.

The Affliction

Sometimes seen as its own power, the Affliction, or sometimes The Plague, is living disease. It has no agenda, no desire but to spread. It is an old god of decay, reviled by all, and defined by that disgust. It cannot be stopped, only spread. Rarely, contained. Hosts of the Affliction are given powers over disease, and often use these powers to infect their victims.

Ezoterika

Ezoterika, alternatively Vyru Sodininkas, Tvali, or the Keeper of Minds, is an old god of knowledge, wisdom, and magic. Depicted as a concealed figure traveling the halls of the Eternal Library, Ezoterika is also the god of secrets and forbidden knowledge. Darker than that, it is the dread feeling of being watched, of having your whole existence, your whole mind, invaded and exposed and horribly seen, of having your secrets laid bare. Above all, it is the inescapable drive to know, to seek and find. To uncover secrets yourself, to see and to know. It has a dark lure, promises of power and infinite knowledge. Ezoterika rules from the Eternal Library - a realm of infinite rooms with a collected infinity of volumes, containing every combination of letters, symbols, words, and phrases possible. Within the library are the secrets to the universe, every answer to every question, every story ever written and thought of, but infinitely more gibberish and garbage. The more you search, the closer you are to falling under the influence of Ezoterika, and the harder it is to leave. Entrance to the Eternal Library is guarded by Black Books of limitless power.