Akatosh, dragon-god of time and Father of the Divines.
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The Pantheon of the Nine Divines consists of the most important religious order in Novem Deos. The religion combines the eight Aedra with the founder of the Eurasian Empire, Julius Eurasius. There are six gods and three goddesses. In Cortoriacum, there is a chapels in each major city venerating the divines, as well as in many non-Deosian Eurasian cities. There are also wayshrines along the roads that are devoted to the Nine Divines.
Pantheon[]
- Akatosh – The Dragon God of Time and chief god of the pantheon
- Arkay – God of Funerals & Burial Rites
- Dibella – Goddess of Beauty and Sexual Desire
- Julianos – God of Wisdom and Logic
- Kynareth – Goddess of Nature, Wind, and the Sky
- Mara – Mother-Goddess and Goddess of Love
- Stendarr – God of Mercy and Justice
- Talos – God of War and Governance
- Zenithar – God of Work and Commerce
History[]
Alessia and the Eight Divines[]
The Eight Divines as an official religion was instituted by Alessia, the first saint upon her slave revolt against the Ayleids. She is said to have consciously chosen a mixture of Ayleid and Eurasian gods, to help aid her subjects, but simultaneously appease her powerful northern allies.
Perhaps coincidentally as according to the Deosian creation mythos, the eight Aedra Alessia chosen are those Aedra said to have been most active in the creation of the world. When the Aedra realized what Lorkhan had done, and how their divinity was being drained to create Nirn, most of them objected or withdrew. The eight Aedra that make up the divines, however, willingly gave of themselves to complete the act of creation. In doing so, they were left weakened and confined to their own planes, which mortals on Nirn see as the planets.
Popular opinion and worship[]
The worship of the Divines is not universally accepted, even in Eurasia. Cortoriacum is home to the largest bloc of Deosian adherents to the Nine Divines in the world and within Eurasia. However, outside of Cortoriacum, and even within it, there is disagreement over who should be worshipped. Within Cortoriacum, Daedric worship is banned, however it continues underground. In Eurasia itself, Daedra worship is allowed so long as heed is paid to the Maiorist gods, and as such many Daedric worshippers flee Cortoriacum for the mainland.
Communication with mortals and manifestation[]
Prior to Alessia's pact with Akatosh, binding her soul to the Amulet of the Sundered Throne, many Aedra and Daedra were able to fully interact with Nirn and its population. However, even during this period, these eight Aedra are not known to have manifested physically on the planet, but communicated through dreams and visions (as with Alessia). Their interaction with the world is relegated to blessings through their altars and shrines, and in extreme circumstances, through mortal avatars infused with their divine spirits. Of particular note is that Akatosh did not appear himself to Alessia to seal his pact with her; instead, it was Lorkhan who came in person, something he was presumably able to do because of his close connection with Nirn itself.
Eight Divines[]
Because Talos was not originally one of the Divines, in some religious sects they are referred to as "The Eight And One." His worship is controversial within non-Cortoriacensian sects, as they view it as a deification of the Eurasian Imperial family without cause. However, Talos is generally accepted to be a god of some sort.
However, amongst the Marquettian Orthodoxy, Talos worship is considered heretical, and is punished as a crime.