Got faith?
On Ados, the world upon which the Constable Inspector Lunaria Adventures is set, this is more than a simple question. On a world where the gods are present everywhere, and there is hard evidence of how they have molded and shaped the world to suit their needs and whims, questions about faith can say a lot about a person. Most of the gods are playing “The Great Game”, using Ados as the game board, hoping to become the “One God” that rules over the entire world. This means that the mortals on Ados are, quite literally, the pawns in this game. Some are proud to be used this way, seeing it as their duty to serve their god in any way possible. Some are fearful of being used like this, afraid of how “evil” may spread through the world. And some, like Reva, just want the gods to get out of their way so they can do their damn job.
There are (currently) 46 different deities in the Adosian pantheon. We don’t know if all of them will make an appearance in the Reva books (probably not), but we’ve already included and mentioned 14 of the deities in the series. Below is a brief overview of 5 of these gods and how they have impacted Reva’s world. (Note, the abbreviations that follow each deity’s name are the books where that deity is mentioned. WFB = Wrath of the Fury Blade, JWT = Joy of the Widow’s Tears, and FMJ = Fear of the Minister’s Justice.)
Banok (JWT, FMJ): Lord Banok is the God of Chaos and is worshipped by one of our favorite characters, the cleric Coleus Pfastbinder. Banok cares less about the Great Game than living in the moment and, as a result, Banok’s followers are free spirits who feel that laws and order don’t apply to them. They thrive in chaotic situations, so they try to live their lives without forethought or advance planning, knowing that Banok will provide for them.
Basvu (WFB, JWT, FMJ): Basvu is the God of the Forest and is the primary deity worshipped by the elves of Tenyl. Legend says that Basvu created the first elves from the trees of the primordial forests to compete with the humans that had been created by the god Ados (for whom the planet is named). Basvu’s followers not only consider the forests to be sacred, they also believe that, through the planting of trees, Basvu’s followers will grow as well, making their god more powerful. It’s one of the reasons that magically enhanced growth of trees in Tenyl – primarily in Old Grove, but throughout the city – has taken place. In addition, many of the elves are trying to find their connection back to Basvu and the original elves they created. The members of Pfeta fey Orung (Elves of Purity) work diligently to trace their ancestry back to the first (pure) elves.
Dreen (JWT, FMJ): Dreen is the God of Pain and Suffering. The story of how the mortal, Dreen, became a god is revealed in the dreams that Erroll has in Joy of the Widow’s Tears. Dreen believed that he could absolve the god Ados of His sins. This absolution would only come if Dreen experienced great pain and suffering, an act of faith that Dreen believed would allow him to learn the truth about the sins of Ados (primarily the sin of losing to the god Cralde, but that’s a story for another time), and that only by acknowledging His sins, would Ados be redeemed. Dreen’s motto, spoken incessantly by the undead Disciples in Joy of the Widow’s Tears echoes this journey of faith: Dreen is Pain, Pain is Truth, Dreen is Truth. Followers of Dreen seek out and enjoy pain, hoping that the pain will bring them enlightenment and thus, the truth about Ados. In their own twisted way, Dreenists are essentially an offshoot of the Adosian faith.
Jansure (FMJ): Jansure is the God of Justice. Jansure teaches that the law must apply to all people equally, and that no person is above the law. Punishments for breaking laws are to be in accordance with the crime, an eye-for-an-eye belief. This may sound reasonable to outsiders; who doesn’t like the idea that no person is above the law? But not all laws are written by mortals. Some are only known to Jansure, and thus, only to His followers. This allows them to “interpret” a law however they want, and punish those who do not follow that law. In our newest book, Fear of the Minister’s Justice, one of Jansure’s followers – The Minister – is an assassin targeting Ansee for the “sin” of being a sorcerer.
Qurna (WFB, JWT, FMJ): Qurna is the Goddess of Magic. She pulled the magical aether from the northern aurora to gift magic to Ados. She taught the first wizards (who some also believe were elves) how to harness the aether and how to shape and control it to create magic. The primary reason why wizards on Ados believe that they are superior to other magic users, especially sorcerers, is because they feel that only those who have learned Qurna’s craft as she first taught it are the true followers and practitioners of magic. This has created most of the friction between the two groups. Some sorcerers, like Ansee, believe that Qurna has also gifted them with the ability to tap directly into the aether, allowing them to shape it to their will and cast their own magic.
We hope you enjoyed this brief overview for these five gods. If you’d like to see more information like this in future newsletters, please let us know. Until then, to tide you over we have provided you with a short story featuring Reva and Cas, her Seeker partner prior to Ansee, and their first meeting with a certain cleric of Basvu. Enjoy!
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