Thyatis (hinterlands and adjacent islands)
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesVanya - War, conquest, victory, pride, honour
Tarastia - Law, order, truth, justice and just vengeance
Asterius - Trade, wealth, guile, social climbing, communication, travel, merchants, thieves, messengers
Valerias - Love, passion, desire, charity, sexuality, protection, arts
Protius - Oceans and marine creatures, water, capriciousness, travel
Thor - Battle, fury in battle, honour, bravery, virility
Kagyar - Crafts, metallurgy, dwarves, sculpture, construction, miners
Vulcan (Wayland) - Metallurgy, engineering, constructors, smiths, armourers, magical constructs
Tyche - Luck (good or bad), chance, destiny, risk and hazard
Tiresias - Visions of the future, dreams, poetry and music, astrology, prophetic revelations, legends, magic
Magna Mater (Terra) - Birth, prosperity and fertility, earth, agriculture
Ilsundal - Protection of elves and nature, wisdom, knowledge, magic, tradition, serenity, peace
Khoronus - Knowledge, history, philosophy, good government, loyalty, patience
Idraote - Magic, knowledge, medicine, alchemy, strategy, war
Lupercus (Faunus) - Instincts and sensuality, drunkenness, revelry, hedonism, animals
Noumena - Knowledge, guile, enigmas, mysteries, tactics, strategy and logic
Halav - War, strength and determination, strategy and tactics, sacrifice, combat humanoids
Patura - Women, family, children, motherhood and fertility
The Ambassador (Masauwu) - Intrigue, politics, diplomacy, deceit, illusions, spies, cheats
Solarios (Ixion) - Sun, fire, order, preserving the balance, banish the darkness
Madarua - Women warriors, courage
Carnelian - Tradition, nobility, patriotism, order, Machetos
Korotiku - Liberty, nonconformism, guile, cleverness, subterfuge, clear thinking, cheating
Koryis - Peace, prosperity, diplomacy, mercy, tolerance, respect of laws
Mrikitat - Wererats, subterfuge, thieves
Odin - Authority, guile, knowledge, wisdom, winds and storms
Turmis - Bravery, arrogance, cleverness, epic deeds, adventurers and boastful thieves
Saturnius - Liberty, independence, fight slavery, pirates, adventurers
Alphaks - Destroy Alphatia and the Alphatians, hate, vengeance, massacre
Nyx - Night, darkness and shadow, undead, necromancy, secrets
Thanatos - The end of all lifeforms, death, entropy, destruction, decadence, oblivion, corruption
Mitra (Maat) - Justice, honour, virtue, integrity, honesty, order, loyalty, redemption, fight chaos and evil
Diulanna - Courage, strength of will, perseverance, hunting, liberty
Orcus - Violent death, sadism, mass destruction, undead, cannibalism, lycanthropy
Lokena - Intelligence, guile, tactics, war, magic
Liena - Thyatis, war, discipline, history, Order
Notes:
1. The Empire of Thyatis is an enormous political and military power that dominates the life of the Known World. Inspired by the Roman and Byzantium empires, Thyatis is distinguished by the extreme polytheism spread within its borders, and it is thus not surprising that you can find some many cults in the Thyatian hinterlands. Beside those specifically listed in the Dawn of the Emperors manual, others have been added based on the history of the various Immortals and to their possible interest in the struggles of the empire. Naturally the cults of the entropic Immortals are those always considered illegal, and therefore operate in great secret and with mixed luck.
2. The triad Vanya, Tarastia and Asterius dominate the Thyatian religious life, given that the first is considered patroness of military strength (on which the Empire was constructed) and Thyatian national pride, the second is considered the patroness of constitutional order and justice, and the third is patron of wealth, prosperity and of the cleverness of which the Thyatians are so proud.
3. Valerias occupies the rank below in the preference of the Thyatians, and is associated with excess, welfare, passions and the arts (favourite therefore with the opulent nobility) with love (both spiritual and physical) and charity (aspects preferred by the lower classes).
4. Among the northmen Immortals famous with the Thyatians, Thor is certainly the most favoured, due to the Thyatian passion for battle and heroism, and his cult dates back to their ancestors that lived in Davania. There is also a temple of Odin in the capital, founded by godi originally from Ostland and tolerated by the Empire by virtue of the good rapport with the Ostlander dynasty, even if he doesn’t have a strong following among the modern Thyatians.
5. Vulcan appears as a Thyatian Immortal present in Specularum in the cycle of the Penhaligon trilogy as creator of the sword Wyrmblight. Due to his characterisation as smith and creator of artefacts, has been associated with Wayland and inserted into the Thyatian pantheon. Together with Kagyar (patron of the Buhrohur dwarves) he is recognised to Thyatis as patron of artisans and honest labour.
6. Tyche and Tiresias are two Immortals whose cults date back to the ancestral period of the Traldars, and that were later assimilated by the Thyatians one time landing in Brun. In particular the Immortal of fortune possesses small altars everywhere and is considered the patroness of crossroads (to witness that each choice is a crossroad of opportunity), while Tiresias has a most important function with the nobility, given that they often consulted her seers (called haruspices) before taking important decisions, for understanding what is the better choice to make.
7. Among the Thyatians of the rural regions is popular that which was nicknamed the “Sylvan Cult”, or the faith in the Immortals that protect the harvests, game and woody areas. The Magna Mater, Lupercus and Ilsundal are the three Immortals associated with the Sylvan Cult, and each has a different role in this mysticism: the Mater is the creator and patroness of prosperity and female fertility, Ilsundal is the guardian of peace and patron of wisdom and sylvan races, Lupercus instead is the patron of instinct and fun, as well as of the sexual sphere and masculine power. Each is opposed to one aspect of the others, but all three are complementary. The orgiastic rites dedicated to Lupercus are famous, as well as those elves dedicated to Ilsundal, while the Magna Mater was adored especially by farmers and shepherds.
8. Idraote, Khoronus and Noumena are the Immortals associated with culture, knowledge and magic by the Thyatians. In particular, Idraote is patron of magic, alchemy and medicine, Khoronus is patron of wisdom, history and philosophy, while Noumena is associated with logic, divination and enigmas. Only that of Khoronus is a cult taken by the traditions of the ancient Traldar and of the Milenians: Idraote got his fame due to the heroic actions that he fulfilled in the peninsula of Tel Akbir before becoming Immortal, while Noumena enters into the Thyatian pantheon thanks to the revelations of the first and most famous priest known as Nous Trismagis, founder of the esoteric sect of the Illuminati.
9. Halav also has a discreet following among the Thyatians, due to his cult being imported from nearby Traladara by the first missionaries that explored it in the V century AC. The Thyatians worship Halav as a paragon of strategy and leaders, the so-called thinking warrior, patron of heroism, sacrifice and tactics.
10. Patura is the typical Thyatian matron, patroness of motherhood, prosperity and family, and symbolising not only the fertility of the woman but also the will and the firmness with which she defends the domestic calm.
11. An atypical situation is found in how they regard the cult of Masauwu, known as the Ambassador: he is considered the patron of diplomats, mediators, politics (scoundrels and cheats, according to his detractors), and therefore is a perfectly legal religion within the Empire, without the diabolic aura that Masauwu has instead in other regions (evident sign of the umpteenth deceits perpetuated by this Immortal).
12. Solarios is the name with which the Thyatians identify Ixion, to distinguish him from the Alphatian and Ispan Immortal that has instead created many problems for the Empire. The philosophy of Solarios according to the Thyatian vision is limited to associate the light and the sun to the universal balance, and as such Solarios is the one who maintains the cycle of the seasons and of life, whose only task is banishing the darkness and giving light and life to the world. For this the rituals dedicated to him are most important during the winter, when the sun is less warm and the shadow is thick, and aimed to recall the attention of the Immortals on the world, so that it inevitably returns to embrace in spring and summer.
13. Madarua is an Immortal extremely popular among the warriors and the amazons, and that finds followers especially among the Thyatian women desiring redemption, as she embodies the more authoritarian and independent side of femininity.
14. Carnelian is the founder and divine patroness of the Duchy of Machetos and can count on a large follower base only in this province.
15. Koryis and Korotiku are two foreign Immortals, whose cults have penetrated the empire shortly after the annexation and the conquest of Ochalea and the Pearl Islands. They have also gained some followers among the metropolitan Thyatians (in a special way Korotiku, whose astute and irreverent character is very similar to the Thyatian spirit, while Koryis was considered too weak and easygoing), but their cults is largely based on the ethnicity (Ochalese for Koryis and Tanagoro for Korotiku).
16. Mrikitat is the founder of the community of wererats that live in secret in the sewers of Thyatis, and his cult is extremely widespread among these beings (in their thousands), that prey on the Thyatians without wanting to supplant them (therefore the cult of Mrikitat is favourable to the expansion of Thyatis, since as a parasite he will benefit).
17. Turmis is a young Immortal popular both among the Thyatians and the Nuari, he is the patron of arrogance, adventure and guile. He competes with Asterius on the areas of cleverness and thieves, and he seems destined to carve out an important post in the Thyatian pantheon.
18. Saturnius is a Minrothadder Immortal that the Thyatians have adopted as patron of pirates and freedom. However, some clerics of Saturnius are actively and secretly battling to free the slaves present in the Empire, and this was often considered a betrayal by part of the Church of Thyatis, that for this reason the Immortal has never been numbered among the protectors of Thyatis.
19. Alphaks gained a discrete following among the more warlike Thyatians, appealing to their hate towards the Alphatians that he desires destroyed in every way. However, his cult is considered dangerous by the Thyatian government and therefore declared outlaw, and his adepts must move in the shadows in order to plot against Alphatia, even if he more easily gains adherents among the military of any other entropic cult.
20. Of all the entropic cults spread through the Empire only that of Nyx is deliberately authorised by the Senate, as necromancy is considered a science and the power of the Necatori (the priests of Nyx) was often used more or less secretly by the government proper for the glory of Thyatis. The Necatori and whoever espouses the faith of Nyx are however objects of constant control on the part of the Illuminati.
21. Thanatos has many proselytes in the Empire, especially among the Hattians (in particular thanks to his mortal identity of Heinrich Oesterhaus, Count of Hattias), that are naturally well guarded from revealing their true affiliation. These cultists operate for subverting the actual order and taking power, transforming Thyatis into an Empire based on hate, violence and total annihilation of the enemy. The basis of the cult of Thanatos is rooted in the Empire such that to be considered the most dangerous enemy of Thyatis, but not enough for having realised his plans of corruption.
22. The cult of Diulanna has been imported into the Empire only in the last fifteen years, following the conquest of the Davanian Hinterland where the followers of this Immortal abound. Actually it has made a breach especially among the gladiators and the slaves proper thanks to the predication of the enslaved Thratian clerics, and her acolytes have already allied with those of Saturnius in order to create a shock to the rigid Thyatian mentality.
23. It is thought that in Thyatis there is an ancient secret sect of paladins and clerics (exclusively male) devoted to the cause of Good and Justice that revere Maat with the name of Mitra. The symbol of this sect is a bull (known as the Brothers of the Bull) and its aim is to track down and guard ancient powerful and dangerous artefacts, preventing these forbidden items falling into the hands of the followers of Entropy. They moreover are also active in combating any entropic cult, in particular the followers of Thanatos, and have links with other secret sect loyal to Maat that acts in the nearby nations.
24. Orcus possesses followers among the humanoids and lycanthropes present in the imperial territory, as well as among obscure sects of individuals hungry for blood and animated by a homicidal fury.
25. The cult of Lokena has been introduced to Thyatis only in the last century, following the epic deeds of the mage became Immortal. It enjoys a small following of mages and fighters united in the sect called the Owls (allied with the Brothers of the Bull of Mitra): her members using their own strength and intelligence to acquire power and combat the force of chaos in the empire.
26. Liena is a heroine from the recent Thyatian past, rising to the sanctity and Immortality by the handiwork of Emperor Thincol himself, the son of the Immortal. Thincol seeks to promote her cult to give himself a divine aura that enhanced his prestige and ultimately sanction legitimacy to the throne of his house.
27. There are some itinerant priests of Sinbad present among the inhabitants of Thyatis, but despite them being respected they haven’t founded public temples and don’t possess sufficient followers to justify the insertion of Sinbad in the above list.