The old gods
“There is a pantheon of old gods who ruled over the cosmos since time immemorial. The sheer invocation of their true name held immense power, but there was no one left to remember it or recite it to the end without falling into madness.
One of these primordial beings – Rhea- was able to combine each letter of their true names and construct an alphabet, which, to this day, the magicians use to craft their spells. With this act, she became known as the goddess of runes. Legend has it that one day, she descended upon the Earth to initiate contact with humans and learn about their way of life. To blend in, she pretended to be one of them and, in time, even grew a liking to the hairless monkeys. She had spent eons admiring their progress, watching them as they built their cities, went to war, and discovered new lands. The young goddess was impressed by how quickly they developed their intelligence. Up until then, the sands of time fell unnoticed. To her, each grain was equal to an era.
After nearly a millennium, she decided to take her leave and return to her kind, but couldn’t. She had lost her halo centuries ago and, therefore, was unable to return home to the old Gods. She promised great treasures to anyone who could find it, and to her astonishment, the young man who brought the priceless relic to her asked for her hand instead. The two fell in love, and the product of their marriage resulted in a child named Edmon – the first demigod. His children became the first sorcerers.
It was a story humans had long forgotten, and magicians made great efforts to keep it that way.”
There are, however, other cosmic deities who, with time, lost their right of worship. It was somewhere around the sixteenth century during the Renaissance that the church made it so all of the old gods were denounced except for Edmon and his mother, Rhea. The reason behind it remained largely unclear. Some say it was to prevent its followers from going on the search for ancient magic, others were convinced it was for the sake of reuniting all sorcerers in a time of great collapse after the war they led against humankind, and subsequently created the realm of magic in which they resided to this day.
Here is a list of all of the old gods that we know of:
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Edmon
The first demigod, son of Rhea. All father of sorcerers. He is often depicted as carrying a staff to channel his mana through. He is rumored to have fathered over a hundred children, each possessing a talent for a specific trade in sorcery. Legend has it that he resides on the dark side of the moon, silently watching over his kin. It’s a belief largely held by a sect of magicians who hope to one day take upon their predecessor’s steps and ascend into godhood.
Rhea
The goddess of runes. She constructed the alphabet sorceress used to craft their spells. Her marriage to a human resulted in the birth of the first demigods. In the realm of magic, one can see many statues of her erected as a symbol of fertility, prosperity, and knowledge. Young girls often wear ornaments associated with her, like her halo or headpiece on graduation ceremonies.
Veir
The god of cinder, creator of stars. His eternal flame burns throughout all galaxies. Old sorcerers believed that provoking his anger could cause the combustion of supernovas. Some believe he is the one who sent the meteor that eradicated the dinosaurs, but there is very little evidence to validate that theory. He was the patron god of pyromancers before he was denounced by the church.
Maavet
The god of death and destruction. He is among the most feared of the old gods. In the past, he was revered as the god of necromancers, although even then, he was seen more as a harrowing presence rather than a sacred deity. Worshipping him nowadays is seen as as severe as making allies with demons.
Mina
The goddess of love and companionship. Ancient sorcerers used to craft amulets with her image to court maidens, believing that the ones who wore their amulets during the consummation of their marriage would produce a mighty offspring. Back then, it was customary for sorcerers to seek partners who practiced their trade, and for a brief period, it became largely frowned upon to have a child with someone from a different trade.
Haezar
Father of nightmares. He is the god of delirium and deceit, said to reside in the minds of everyone with consciousness and feed on their brain energy.
Zenith
The god of space and time. While Heazar can manipulate perception, Zenith can shape reality itself. He used to be the patron god of time sorcerers, but their trade became outlawed by the magic society, fearing the consequences of such powerful sorcery. To this day, there are very few sorcerers born with an affinity for time magic.
