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The Varia - Gods of the Sacred StarsWhen Tambreci won his battle against the Dragon Lord and conquered the central continent of Myth, he did so with the blessings of the Sacred Stars. The Holy Order he instituted for his empire follows the edicts of the Varia as described by the arrangements of Sacred Stars, read by complex astrological formula and known through congress with the spirit messengers of the Varia themselves. The Varia represent a complex family of deities, 13 of whom lay claim to the yearly cycles of the moon. The four central deities are rulers of (or ruled by) the elements, and they represent the central family of the Varia. Charatt was born of the Primal Fire and with Spera and Talia, his sisters/consorts, they embodied the first essence of Myth. Junon came from beyond the Celestial Sphere, though it is believed he is Charatt's brother, and took Spera from Charatt to be his bride. This is the basis of their conflict. Spera was born of the earth itself, and from it she has become goddess of marriage and childbirth. She was drawn up to Junon, and brought the dome of earth with her, forming the lands of Myth. Her sister Talia was born of the World Sea, and her two faces are shown by the Dual Moon. This duality is the reason for her strange disposition as goddess of both healing and illness. She is often jealous of the stable relationship her sister has with Junon, and for this reason she alternately covers and abandons the earth with the oceans. There is a fifth deity of note, who does not belong to this central family. Sarvas is an unknown and unknowable force, who hides behind a dark mask and whose constellation changes when the sun crosses it. Sarvas is known as the Silent One, and rarely reveals its motives through omens. Because of this mysterious quality, Sarvas is known as the arbiter of justice and dispenser of luck, both good and bad. The only known deed of Sarvas is its acting as the peacemaker between Charatt and Junon, a failed task at best. It is believed that this failure is the reason Sarvas maintains its silence. The next greatest dieties are the children of the central gods. Valith, god of industry and smiths, is the son of Charatt and Spera, born before Junon claimed Spera as his own. Valith is a rebellious child, preferring neither his father nor stepfather. He became bored wandering the Sphere until Myth became populated by men, who he chose to inspire to great works. Diandra is the daughter of Junon and Spera, their first born. As they doted on their little child, Diandra became the embodiment of romance, affection and artistic prowess. Mars is the son of Charatt and Talia, a fitful and angry child who thrives on competition and strife. Only when his mother is at her most endearing does Mars inspire greatness in men. Deimuu is the son of Junon and Talia, born of Talia's one and only seduction of her sister's husband. As lord of the rivers and oceans, Deimuu is every bit his mother's son - calm and refreshing one moment, tempestuous and dangerous the next. Junon and Spera's second child is Tavakk, lord of the woods and keeper of animals. While he maintains some affection for his parents, Tavakk maintains a steady neutrality towards the other Varia, preferring to keep out of their power struggles. His only close friend is Deimuu, whose worst tantrums he tries to soothe. Lowest ranked of the Varia are the grandchildren of the central four and those created to be consorts to their children. When Diandra became old enough to wed, her parents took all the qualities she would admire and embodied them in Yaniss, hoping to keep her happy. Diandra was more than pleased at their gift, but she did not want to be kept in her place by some lesser being. She and Yaniss maintain a very friendly relationship, but her indifference has made him occasionally unstable and melodramatic. Because of this, Yaniss has become the god of wine - that which brings joy and pain just as easily. With Talia and Mars creating strife in the world, death became an inevitable consequence. As the first spirits began to roam helpless and unfulfilled, it became clear that a way must be made for them after death. While Talia was between phases, she made a pact with her sister, and the two created Necross, who would be keeper of the dead. Necross made his position very clear when he began to study the rare omens of Sarvas, and with this arcane knowledge he decided which spirits would be reborn and which would be sent to serve the other Varia. Necross alone seems to know the will of Sarvas, and some believe he may be the secret son of the Silent One. Galaik, the god of wealth and merchants, is the son of Valith and Diandra. Born with a love for artifice from his father and a craving for attention from his mother, Galaik became the patron of trade and travel and the hunger for material wealth. Galaik can be a difficult child, and has often embarrassed his parents with his powerful greed, but none can doubt the power trade has over the mannish spirit.
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