Lisman

[Gwaimir Windgem]

*puff, puff, pant*

I had planned to type up some stuff on Lisman to put up here, but as it ends up I'll just start with the pantheon. Then, it turns out I'll just start with the good pantheon. Took me several days to finish this, so for the baddies, I'll probably just copy and paste what I already have. Anywho:

First and Foremost, I shall tell of the Gods and faiths of Lisman. As for individual Orders, I will tell but little of them; if requested, I will do my very best to expound on any order/orders to the satisfaction of the reader (and be quite happy. I’d be quite glad to share more, I’m just trying to cut down on the boredom level . Above all else reigns Eltarn the All-powerful, the Elder God; Creator of Lisman, Father of the Gods, and Supreme Power. Twelve Children has he, and One who has turned from Him. Camras the Divine Knight is named first by the children of Mankind, though the Twelve were created with equal strength. Such virtues as Justice, Chivalry, and Law are attributed to him. Since the fall of the First Child, Camras has been the patron of those who fight against the forces of Evil. His name and His blade are invoked during battle; prayers to Him and to Eltarn are chanted to sanctify weapons of war. In mortal shape, he appears as an Archangel, with long golden hair, fair complexion, and great, majestic wings. His priests without fail believe strongly in battling against Evil; the great majority of them train in and practice the art of wielding weapons. Martial Orders have sprung up claiming Him as a patron deity, most noticeably the Crusaders and the Puritans, also called Exorcists. In a wedding of opposites, the spouse of Camras is Valtan, the Goddess of Mercy and of Life, as well as of Rebirth in the forms of the renewing of Spring and the newborn light of Dawn. It is said that during the Winter, the grasses, flowers, and trees, weary from the growth of a year, rest in her warm, sunny gardens, until they are grown strong again, when she begins to sing a song, and lead them back to their proper places. She appears as a young maiden of tanned complexion with deep, emerald green eyes and long hair of light brown; ivies and vines are often entwined about her limbs. Those who serve Her hold life to be sacred, and will flat out refuse to take part in any form of battle. The Phoenicians, who claim the Phoenix as their patron, as well as Valtan, are an exception; martial training is a requirement for their Order. Next, we come to Lutas, the Imparter of Doom. He is the Lord of Prophecy, as well as keras, a word in the Elder Tongue which has no equivalent in English. It conveys a concept that a fate is chosen for all, yet that they choose to accept or reject their fate, combining Fate or Freewill. Those who are chosen for a high Fate are said to have been struck or smitten with His staff, while it is believed that the Prophets are kissed on the forehead by Lutas; thus, they are often called “Fate-kissed”. The priests of his Order are often recorders and archivist of prophecies, as well as oracles at holy places and shrines (though let it be noted that these oracles are different from the Prophets). He is portrayed as a strongly built man with jet-black hair and beard, a streak of silver running just to the left (his) of the center of His beard. Next on this list is Eltaia, the Goddess of Joy and Delight. Those who are lovers of mirth and laughter render their prayers to Her, and She is often invoked in the less formal festivals and holidays. Thanks are given to Her for sensations of joy and elation. She is portrayed as a young maiden of pale complexion and grey eyes with long, golden hair cascading to the ground. Her twin sister is Ecanas, the Goddess of Love and Peace. Where Eltaia is lively and mirthful, Ecanas is serene and calm, with a sense of deeper happiness than the oft-wild joy of her sister. She is the patron Goddess of the love of wedded twain, as well as the love of friends, of brothers and sisters, and parents and children. Her blessing is invoked over weddings, births, alliances, and the like. In form, she is identical to her sister, save that her hair is dark as night, and her eyes deep blue. Ranwyl is the next God, and the Lord of Truth and Courage. The priests of his Orders are very learned in matters of discovering the truth and laying bare the deepest secret of the soul. On occasion, they may be called upon by the civil authorities to extricate the Truth of a matter from those believed to be withholding it. A number of the Orders of Ranwyl are militaristic orders, though by no means are they all. He is portrayed like a fair-skinned young man with bright blue eyes and long, white hair.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

And now we come to Galtir, the God of Wisdom and of Magic. Those who are in need of prudence and discretion pray for the aid of Galtir. Many Orders that name him as their patron are dedicated to not only the cultivation of wisdom, but also to the preservation of scholarly knowledge. He is portrayed as an old man with a great beard that falls to the ground and deep blue eyes, like deep pools filled to the brim with the Wisdom of the Ages. He is normally seen wearing a long, white, hooded robe, with a wide-brimmed pointed hat (hey, I love the look! ) with a cloak of similar hue over his shoulders. He may or may not use a walking stick, but He is always accompanied by Ollos, an owl of almost shining white plumage that rests on His shoulder. Ailant is wife to Galtir, and is the Goddess of Benevolence, Compassion, and the Stars. Her priests emphasize kindness and aid to others, and Pity as virtues. A number of the clergy of Ailant will refuse to take the life of even the most twisted and vile of creatures, though this is not as common as with the priests of Valtan. In physical shape, she is like a woman of middling years, but with great beauty, like an Elf-queen. A great sea of hair flows down her back, dark as the night, with streaks of silver and white throughout. Her eyes are bright as stars, shining with a white light so bright that few can look straight upon them. Teverah is the Goddess of Motherhood, and of the Home and Hearth. When a child is born, Her blessing is invoked to keep him safe, that his mother may raise him well, and that the child proves to be good to his mother. When the man of a house undertakes a journey, prayer is offered that Teverah may protect the home while he is away. Her priests are very strongly localised, rarely leaving the community into which they were born. She is portrayed as a maternal woman of middling years with long dark hair and kind, soft eyes. Kenón, espoused to Teverah, is the God of Diligence and Labour, especially the various arts of smithing. Before a smith begins to work on a piece of art, whether it be sword, hoe, garment, or key, he prays that Kenón will guide his hand and bring his skill to its greatest in his work. When a father is in need, he will pray to Kenón for aid and guidance. He is portrayed as a man with dark hair and beard, a forge hammer in his hand and a bright twinkle in his eye. Yethar is the God of Patience, Perseverance, Self-Denial, and Suffering. He is prayed to when one is in need of resolution, persistence, or patience. Those who take ascetic vows pray to Him for aid in keeping those vows. When one suffers wrongly at the hands of others, he may pray to Yethar to give him strength. Last, but not least, we come to Antoreah, Goddess of Beauty, of Poetry, Song, and of Eloquence. Um…this one was just very recently added from scratch to the pantheon (replacing a male God), so everything about her is completely new. She is prayed to by those who make songs and other forms of literary work, as well as those who pass them on to others, for inspiration, as well as for various other purposes. She is seen as a tall woman, always pale of skin, though her hair varies from raven-black, to fiery-red, to sun-like gold, to snowy white. Her eyes vary as well, and may be light or deep blue, green, or grey.

And that is the good Gods. Twelve evils to go. Considering how long it took me to come up with this, I’ll probably just copy and paste what I already have (when I get around to it. )

I would greatly appreciate feedback, comments, etc. on any of this, but most especially of the use of the terms “Puritan” and “Phoenician” early on. The first is of the Order of Purification, the second is of the Order of the Phoenix. Originally, I called them Purifists and Phoenists, but then I thought of this alternative. I would appreciate feedback most especially on these matters, though of course on anything else, as well.

Copyright © 2003 by Joshua Lee Gonnerman

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Mermph, my documents on the evil Gods are quite inconclusive, so I'll just throw something together quickly.

Vilkroth is the Black God, the First Child of Eltarn. He rebelled against Eltarn, seeking to destroy and dominate His Creation, and was cast from the Heavens. As the servants of Good were twelve in number, Eltarn decreed that the Lords of Darkness should be of the same number, and allowed Vilkroth to create elven others. He is worshipped by various peoples throughout history and space, but most noticeably by the Duorgothi, a group of Humans who have worshipped Him for a great part of the history of Lisman, and by the Cthalgar, an ancient barbarian tribe of olden days that rose to such power that they ruled over the entire North-lands; the amount of time that their rule lasted is said to be from five hundred to three thousand years.
The only God who is the Son of any in a sense that we know, Vuu'ora was born from a vile union between Vilkroth and the first Queen of the Vampires. He was intended to be a figurehead to keep the powerful and arrogant Vampires in line, but proved to be stronger than was expected, and wrested His will from that of Vilkroth, proclaiming himself the God of the Vampires. None know whether he resides somewhere in the vast stretches of Lisman or in an immortal realm. Next, we come to Zharha, the greatest of the evil Powers next to Vilkroth. She is the Goddess of Spiders, Poison, and Betrayal. In form, she is like a worshipful and terrible Dark-Elf Queen from the waist up, and from the waist down like a terrible. black spider, splotched and striped with red. She is worshipped by the Dark-Elves, along with her spouse, Thuuiach. (note: the "ch" is pronounced "kh". I've been entertaining various different spellings for this, such as Thuu'iakh, Thuu-iakh, Thúiakh, Thúu'iakh. Any feedback or comments on spellings would be deeply appreciated. ) He is the God of Pain, Sadism, and Suffering. He is often seen as a tall Dark-Elf grinning viciously, his hands soaked in warm, red blood. Note: Both Yethat and Thuuiach are called God of Suffering. However, the difference lies in that Yethar is the God of receiving and getting through difficult times or suffering, whereas Thuuiach is the God of deliberately and cruelly inflicting suffering upon others. Next, we come to Seenai, and Sanroc, the Serpent-Goddess of Deceipt and the Dragon-God of Desolation, respectively. They are worshipped by the Goblins. Goblin priests will almost always chooose to worship one or the other of them, but may choose to attempt to appease both with a delicate balance, though of course this is quite dangerous. The barbarians serve four Gods: Urgond, the God of Chaos and Havoc, which they delight in spreading; He is the chief of their Gods. His brother is Zakrazak, the God of Warfare, which they delight in making. Urgond has two twin daughters, Khulga the Goddess of Life and Tograku the Goddess of Death. Needless to say, they are rather estranged; Khulga claims that all life belongs to Her, while Tograku claims that all of it is Hers (though naturally there are differences in what they do with life...) This naturally results in conflict and rivalry between the two. Ungamat and Tuhrethet are Gods without a people, worshipped as the exception rather than the rule. Ungamat is the King of Hatred and Master of Enmity. Tuhrethet was the God of Undeath, but I recently determined Necromancy (in Lisman, at least) to be Demonic in nature, so Undeath falls under the dominion of Vilkroth. I don't know yet what Tuhrethet should be God of, now. If anyone has good suggestions for an evil God, I'd be quite open to them.

And there you have it, my spur of the moment Evil Gods.

[Linaewen]

Ahh! Finally found a thread that you were probably talking about Gwai! I will read this when I'm offline.. it's too long for now. I have skimmed thru it tho, seems very good. Very long, too ( Do we have a future Tolkien here?)

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Sacrilege!

Yep, you found one of them. I highly doubt I'll ever turn out enough to fill twelve Histories of Lisman volumes, but thanks anyway.

[Linaewen]

Sacrilege? No... Just..ummm... So I may print it out later.....yeah...

Of course it will! 12 volumes ain't enough! Why not 13? Or more! Lisman!

Where are the rest of them?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

You certainly may. Just don't say that there will be another Tolkien...

I highly doubt it, but thanks anyway.

In a very, very, far away, dark library, surrounded by monsters and foul enchantments...

[Linaewen]

You certainly may. Just don't say that there will be another Tolkien...

Oh. I never meant that. Just... another fabulous author whom all will adore, cherishing thy every work etc etc.

In a very, very, far away, dark library, surrounded by monsters and foul enchantments...

Sorry. I meant, where are the rest of your posts? Your stories?
But, to what you said, So they DO exist. Go, get 'em for me. NoW!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Under 'The Apostasy' thread. I don't really do short stories, so it's just a part of a story.

[Linaewen]

Ahhh. I think I looked there, but got daunted by not knowing anything. (What's new?) Ok, heading over there now, then to the dark, far away library....

[Gwaimir Windgem]

So, any suggestions from anyone re: the use of Puritans and Phoenicians, and the spelling of the Dark-Elven God's name? I am especially hoping for input from IronParrot, as he certainly seems to have well-defined opinions on such matters. Though, of course, input from any/everyone is GREATLY appreciated.

[Lief Erikson]

What kind of a character does this evil god have? Is he just pure evil, like Satan, or does he have a personality? Like prefering to torture or not to, or prefering to kill or not to, one form of evilness (or better yet, nonevil characteristics) over another? Those details could help someone trying to invent a name.

Also, are the names you create capable of being ramshackle collections of letters so long as they sound correct, or would you rather have purpose in them? If you'd like them to have purpose, looking in mythology books might be helpful. In Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, his name Shaitan (The Dark One) means Satan in Arabic.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

The relevant passage from above (the third post, wherein one may find the information I posted about all of the evil deities, the first two being devoted to the good deities):

She is worshipped by the Dark-Elves, along with her spouse, Thuuiach. (note: the "ch" is pronounced "kh". I've been entertaining various different spellings for this, such as Thuu'iakh, Thuu-iakh, Thúiakh, Thúu'iakh. Any feedback or comments on spellings would be deeply appreciated. ) He is the God of Pain, Sadism, and Suffering. He is often seen as a tall Dark-Elf grinning viciously, his hands soaked in warm, red blood. Note: Both Yethat and Thuuiach are called God of Suffering. However, the difference lies in that Yethar is the God of receiving and getting through difficult times or suffering, whereas Thuuiach is the God of deliberately and cruelly inflicting suffering upon others.

"She" being Zharha. Thuuiach (or however I'll end up spelling it ) does in fact have a meaning in a rudimentary invented Dark-Elven language: Master of Suffering. I wasn't referring to inventing a name, but rather to feedback on the various spellings I've posted (or similar ones ). The "u" sound is quite drawn out, which is why there always is either two "u" or an accented "u" (or both ).

Many of the names do have meanings in my own, rudimentary languages, principally the Elder Tongue (the Language of the Church of Eltarn, unaltered from the first time it was spoken, from which all other languages are deriven) and Elvish, though some in other languages, such as Dark-Elven and Dwarven.

[Lief Erikson]

Pick whichever of them sounds best to you. You wanted to draw out the "u" sound in the pronunciation, so I'd discount the Thúiakh and Thúu'iakh spellings. The first one the reader might not pronounce the "u" as drawn out, and the second might confuse the reader. A "ú" right before a "u" will probably confuse some as to pronunciation.

Either of the other two would work, as far as I'm concerned. Thuuiach would work too, except for potential confusion among some of the "ch". The Thuu'iakh and Thuu-iakh seem like they get across the right pronunciation. Thuu'iakh looks better to me than Thuu-iakh because I like the apostrophe better than the slash, but that could be just me.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Judging from IronParrot's reaction to the wicked things, I'd say it's opinion. I must say, I wonder why the apostrophe is so different from the - in Gil-Galad?

Anywho, as I think it's my best (or only ) hope to get a response, I'll copy and paste another section:

Camras the Divine Knight is named first by the children of Mankind, though the Twelve were created with equal strength. Such virtues as Justice, Chivalry, and Law are attributed to him. Since the fall of the First Child, Camras has been the patron of those who fight against the forces of Evil. His name and His blade are invoked during battle; prayers to Him and to Eltarn are chanted to sanctify weapons of war. In mortal shape, he appears as an Archangel, with long golden hair, fair complexion, and great, majestic wings. His priests without fail believe strongly in battling against Evil; the great majority of them train in and practice the art of wielding weapons. Martial Orders have sprung up claiming Him as a patron deity, most noticeably the Crusaders and the Puritans, also called Exorcists. In a wedding of opposites, the spouse of Camras is Valtan, the Goddess of Mercy and of Life, as well as of Rebirth in the forms of the renewing of Spring and the newborn light of Dawn. It is said that during the Winter, the grasses, flowers, and trees, weary from the growth of a year, rest in her warm, sunny gardens, until they are grown strong again, when she begins to sing a song, and lead them back to their proper places. She appears as a young maiden of tanned complexion with deep, emerald green eyes and long hair of light brown; ivies and vines are often entwined about her limbs. Those who serve Her hold life to be sacred, and will flat out refuse to take part in any form of battle. The Phoenicians, who claim the Phoenix as their patron, as well as Valtan, are an exception; martial training is a requirement for their Order.

I would greatly appreciate feedback, comments, etc. on any of this, but most especially of the use of the terms “Puritan” and “Phoenician” early on. The first is of the Order of Purification, the second is of the Order of the Phoenix. Originally, I called them Purifists and Phoenists, but then I thought of this alternative. I would appreciate feedback most especially on these matters, though of course on anything else, as well.

[IronParrot]

"So, any suggestions from anyone re: the use of Puritans and Phoenicians, and the spelling of the Dark-Elven God's name? I am especially hoping for input from IronParrot, as he certainly seems to have well-defined opinions on such matters."

Okay, I'm going to tackle the first part of that question first.

Puritans - that's fair game, but stop for a moment and ask yourself if they are in any way reminiscent of the Cromwellian Puritans. (If "Crusaders" and "Exorcists" are among the synonyms, then I'd say you're on a similar track.) If they're not, make sure you define them in such a way that they are a distinctive group, or don't use the term. But it seems like they are, so by all means, go ahead with it. It's a good earthly name. On the other hand, the proposed alternative - "Purifists" - isn't bad either if you want to sever connections to "the real world".

Phoenicians - I see the derivation from "Phoenix", and that makes sense. Again, don't confuse them with the ancient Phoenicians. It's a good name, just make sure the reader isn't confused. Oh, and don't use the Order of the Phoenix, because J.K. Rowling nabbed it first In this particular case, I have a preference for "Phoenists", but go with what sounds right to you.

What I'm saying is, if you're going to use names that are immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with world history, make sure you take that connection into consideration, and decide from there. For example, in a fantasy story, I'd be careful with using terms like "Baptist", "Aryan" or "Hittite".

For example, Tolkien's "Elves" had very little to do with the diminuitive elves of fairy tales, yet he made them so distinctive and rounded as a race that it worked out fine, and he in fact created (or reintroduced) a whole other archetype of what we see as an Elf.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Actually, Crusader isn't a synonym, quite. The Crusaders are more martial, though they use an unusual weapon, by the code of their Order. The Puritans/Exorcists (Puritans being the "politically correct" term ) basically just use rites and chants to banish unholy Abominations from the Mortal Realm, whereas the Crusaders will sometimes do that, but would crack unholy skull.
Damn her! Order of Flaming Rebirth, perhaps?

If I use the Puritans or Phoenicians in stories (Actually, I'm quite certain there will be one Puritan in one story) then they should be pretty well set apart from the others.

Baptist I can see (reminds me of a game, where the priests of a certain order are called Confessors), or Aryan pretty easily, though Hittite might be a little harder to make a connection...

Yeah, I was gonna say that they weren't in any way related to those Elves, but rather the alfar (is that it? I don't remember) of Nordic mythology. Though of couse they're quite different.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Does anyone have any suggestions for another evil God? I haven't gotten any of those yet, and would greatly appreciate it. And, of course, input on anything else.

[Earniel]

You want MORE evil gods? You got already more than I could imagine. Lisman seems like a very, very scary place.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Excluding Eltarn, there are twelve good Gods, and twelve evil Gods. All in all, there's more good Gods, so don't worry. I just need to think up a function for one of the evil Gods, as his previous domain migrated to the Big Bad God.