Getting to Know the Gods

There are many gods, both old and new, that are attached to the world of Rukan. In this blog, I will give a brief description of each god as well as what they are the gods of and what species are linked to them. Let's start with the old gods.

THE OLD GODS

First, we have the twin rulers of Jinju and Arex. These two battled their way to the top, finally becoming the rulers of the heavens and all the gods.

Jinju was the goddess of cunning, and that title was well deserved. She was callous and calculating, using her brilliant mind to plot and scheme.

Arex, on the other hand, was a brutal fighter that radiated power. As the god of force, Arex did not worry about intelligence, instead focused on his muscles and his serpentine body was made for the hunt.

Both siblings made a species to battle with the other using a hunk of their own flesh, making their creations part divine. Jinju created the jin, while Arex crated the rexi. In addition to the jin and the rexi, the siblings also created the world of Rukan. They did this so their creations would have a place to due their glorious battle.

The twins had some followers in their rise to power, and two of the major players were Kurnt and Loli.

Loli also supported the twins during the battle for the heavens, but she did this for a completely different reason than Kurnt. As the goddess of change, it was in Loli's nature to enjoy things when they changed and she felt the twins would be able to change things in the heavens. Because of her support, the twins allowed Loli to create her own species to put on the face of Rukan. She created the varul, shapeshifters that had two forms.

Kurnt was the god of power, and although he would have liked to be the ruler of the heavens, he realized he could never outwit Jinju and was no match for Arex. Therefore he allied himself with them, knowing that the twins would reward those gods that supported them. He was correct, and when the twins gained control they gave Kurnt Saol, one of the rebelling gods, as a wife. Together Kurnt and Saol had four children: Knut, Nasaro, Weisyn, and Swyle.

There were six main gods that stood up against the twins and their cohorts during the battle. Their leader was Elysha, goddess of balance, along with her sister, Saol, goddess of life. When they were defeated, their punishment was harsh. Elysha's mind was broken and separated into two different bodies. Then these bodies were forced to fight each other for the twins' entertainment. Once she was freed, Elysha created the elves.

Saol's punishment was just as harsh, and she was forced to marry the brute Kurnt. Through manipulation he convinced her he actually loved her and the pair had four children before Saol was allowed to part ways with her abusive husband. Before she went into hiding, Saol crated the dryads and the dwarves to rescue her from the center of Rukan.

Baelbus was the best friend of Elysha, and the pair shared an odd connection. Being the deity of chaos, Baelbus tended to not be dependable, and often Elysha and Saol argued over Elysha's trust in the chaotic deity. It was the use of Baelbus that allowed the twins the means to break Elysha after the war.

Morgo was the trickster god, but although he was close with Loli, the goddess of change, he felt that if he sided with Arex and Jinju, he would lose his favorite people to trick. Those happened to be Elysha and the others, and so Morgo went against his partner in crime to support those who stood against the twins. That cost him his friendship with the goddess of change. Before he was banished by the new gods, Morgo created the gnomes as his greatest prank. Some gnomes have never forgiven him for that.

Orros was the god of war, so of course, he joined the side that had the most potential for that which he craved. Because of the closeness between Jinju and Arex, Orros feared that if they became the rulers, he would no longer have anything to do. Had the group beaten the twins, Orros had planned to take control from Elysha, thereby making himself ruler of the heavens. Like the other old gods, Orros was banished to the stars but created the orcs before that happened.

Finally, there was Valdomme, goddess of death. Even the other gods who were her allies didn't know why she decided to join with them to oppose the twin gods, Most believed that like Orros, Valdomme joined because it was easier than trying to take control by herself. Although she was considered an ally, the other gods did not get too familiar with the death goddess because of her unnerving habit of silence. The goddess created strig before the other gods were banished by the new gods, but it is unclear if Valdomme suffered that fate as well or if she somehow managed to evade the new gods' punishment.