Every culture has their particular dogmas and traditions, but the names of the various pantheons, mono- and polytheistic, are commonly known throughout every Tribe and nation to any who desire to learn them all.
The Empire of Mankind
- Eheih – The Empire believes in one true god called Eheih. This deity is manifest in flesh in the body of the most holy Emperor or Empress. It is believed that the Empress is the face and voice of god and her word is absolute law. When an Emperor or Empress is called home to heaven the divine power takes residence in their first born. Eheih is light and order, and is represented in many cases by symbols of light in various forms.
The Meurlain
- Shiak’tian – The Meurlain do not believe in a deity. Rather, their belief is that the universe and everything within it are bound together by universal energy called the Shiak’tian and that the furthering of mental discipline and scientific study makes one closer to this universal energy ensuring rebirth and eventual enlightenment. This belief is based on not only faith but on quantum mechanics and entanglement theory, everything and everyone is interconnected on a sub-atomic level. Energy is eternal, and consciousness and observation fundamentally alters reality.
Fringers
Nidregg – The goddess of destruction and chaos, depicted as a vortex of swirling water or space. Her symbol is the spiral. Few besides Marauders worship Nidregg, but her name is a common curse throughout human space. Nidregg is the void, the space between worlds and outside the gateways. She is formless, birthing endless abominations; each whose soul purpose is to extinguish the light of life. She strives to extinguish Tane’s light forever so that she may rule unhindered throughout space and time.
Tane – The deity most Fringer’s favor is the star or sun god, Tane. He is the giver of life and light. Temples devoted to him are found on nearly every Fringe world. The faith of Tane states that time began when he awoke from a long slumber. He sat up, shaking the sleep from his eyes and body. This debris became planets. As his gaze swept across these new forms, he noticed that they were slowly being consumed by the chaos of Nidregg. And so Tane concentrated and everywhere his thoughts rested a star was born, its light pushing back Nidregg. He then set about creating companions to help in his battle, and from the dust of the nebula he created the gods and goddesses.
Domhring – The god of war and strength in battle. His symbol is an axe. He is depicted as an armored man made of solid gold covered in splatters of blood. Domhring is the quintessential warrior. He was the first deity created by Tane to combat the void and its horrors; forged from the destructive fury of comets. True to his nature, Domhring proceeded to cut a swath through void and creation alike, rending all unto nothingness in chaotic ambivalence.
Jerda – The goddess of death and rebirth. She is depicted as a woman with two faces; one lush and beautiful, the other skeletal. Her symbol is a broken moon. When Domhring began his destructive existence, he did not notice the small, frail creatures that were destroyed in his wake. From the death and blood of these unfortunates, Jerda was born. Tane was distraught, for had he known the path his son would take he could have planned and protected better. He embraced his granddaughter, and set her to watch these creatures so that he might know of their passing and that she may help their energies find new vessels to inhabit when their old ones were spent.
Nornir – The goddess of thought, she is depicted as a beautiful woman who never touches the ground. Her symbol is a book. After Tane’s mistakes in Domhring, the sun god began to worry that there were other things he may be ignorant of. So he created Nornir to seek out all knowledge and record it for him. Her first report to Tane was of the lesser creatures and of their suffering, how they hungered and eventually were destroyed by violence against each other over sustenance or were taken by the disease and corruption of Nidregg. This troubled Tane so greatly that Clotho was made.
Clotho – The god of time and fertility, depicted as a man made of wicker and barley. His symbol is the wheat sheath. Clotho was created to sow the galaxy with plants and lesser animals so that man would not have to prey upon one another to soothe their hunger. Tane noticed that his children could beget their own offspring by coming together, so he set Clotho to also watch over this and to protect children from Nidregg and her corruption.
The Tribes
- Kenshu – He is an amalgam of all races (including humans) and sleeps at the center of the universe, dreaming all reality into existence. Nothing exists outside Kenshu, and all are just dreams and vapors in his mind. Because of this, death is just another state of dream and all who die are dreamt into another conscious form. The gods and goddess of the tribes faith are extensions of Kenshu who help to regulate his dreams. In the oldest stories, Kenshu dreamt one place into existence first, and from that place all life expanded to fill the universe. Middian (the Tribe name for the planet Eclipse) is at the center of all reality and is closest to Kenshu’s true mind. The rediscovery of Eclipse has heralded a time that will change the view of everyone and bring all life together as one.
- Tishtyra – Goddess of rebirth and death. She is depicted as a beautiful, black skinned woman. She keeps all mortals in Kenshu’s mind in check, for what greater equation is there than the check and balance of life and death. It is from her that all attain mortal form, and it is she that claims us when our time is spent. The moving from one life to another pleases Kenshu, and many philosophers say that to travel the road of death and rebirth makes one closer to the sleeping god.
- Jemshid – God of strength and battle, Jemshid is depicted as a giant of metal with flames for hair, wielding a huge war club. Even gods sometimes have nightmares, so it is the job of Jemshid to combat that which troubles Kenshu’s sleep. Jemshid fights Intruders that would wish for Kenshu to awaken and end all reality. His battles are legendary, and it is said that all asteroids and meteors are the bones of creatures from beyond the sleeping mind of Kenshu that were destroyed by Jemshid.
- Sedu – God of technology and gateways, depicted as a humanoid made of metal with wings. Sedu is the keeper of secrets. It is through him that all may one day become closer to the sleeping god, Sedu is a teacher and all knowledge is his to spread to those who are worthy to understand. It is said he is closest to Kenshu and that he can see the future of the dreaming god’s dreams, if not outright shape them in the way that Kenshu desires.
- Elal – Goddess of fertility and harvest, she is depicted as a pregnant woman covered in mud, holding a scythe. It is through Elal that we may produce life and bounty. These things make Kenshu happy, for without life the God’s dream would wilt and die.
- Sundrav – Also called Sundrav the Destroyer. Sundrav is depicted as a serpentine dragon without end. Without destruction what happens? Stagnation and eventual corruption. Without Sundrav, the sleeping god’s dream would become polluted and over-populated. Sundrav makes the universe clean by holy destruction and removal of obstacles.