Deities
There are nine gods of Arctra. They are commonly referred to as The Nine.
Arca - the Father; the god of the land of Arctra itself. He holds dominion over the earth that makes up the land, and is prayed to most often by those who work the land.
Juri - the Huntress; the goddess of the hunt. She holds dominion over the creatures of the land, and is most often prayed to by hunters.
Thalan - the Seer; the god of prophecy and truth. His twin sister is Hano. The Pythia is his oracle and mouthpiece - it was Thalan who, through his Pythia, prophesied Arlan as the first Queen of Arctra, and laid in place the warning that only her line could rule without the land failing. The Pythia can be found at Hano, a sanctuary named and dedicated to Thalan's twin. Anyone who travels there will be seen by the Pythia, eventually.
Hano - the Starbringer; the goddess of light and protection. She stands at her twin brother's side, protecting him and his prophecies. Their shrines are often entwined with one another.
Leeso - the Healer; the goddess of medicine. Her priests are said to be the masters of the healing arts, but only the highest born are treated by them for sickness and injury. Her shrine is often crowded with offerings and entreaties for help.
Tura - the Warrior; the god of battle and death. Soldiers pray to him most often. He is invoked at the beginning and end of battle, and at funerals.
Gaedan - the Smith; the god of all trades and skills that create. Artisans and merchants pray to him.
Rinca - the Skymaster; the god of the sea and the weather. Sailors, farmers, anyone who would like good weather prays to him. In times of severe bad weather, his shrines overflow with offerings to make it stop.
Drago - the Winter Dragon; the god of the land beyond death. He is invoked during the time of preservation, when a body is being prepared to be laid to rest, and at funerals.
In each city, there is a large temple devoted to them, and within that temple are separate shrines dedicated to each god, tended by specific priests and priestesses. Prayers are offered in the form of small offerings placed into the sacred fire that burns in each shrine - usually small wax idols, and always made by the person offering the prayer.
The Goddess - the only deity of the Wild Ones. The nomads believe she is all seeing and all powerful, that she is in everything and knows everything. There is no shrine to her, and no temple, no priests or priestesses. The nomads commune directly with her themselves.
It is interesting to note that, though the Wild Ones do not acknowledge The Nine, they believe that Thalan and Hano are the children of their Goddess.
