The phae of Vinelocke primarily worship four deities: Cephi, Kiora, Nishay, and Hadhan. The hearts of all Vinelocke have a strong connection to the land around them and a healthy respect for the fragility of life. They are a deeply spiritual people and they cherish their island and all of its inhabitants, as they are all children of Cephi, the great mother and creator.
There is also a fifth deity, Emnos, whose name is spoken with fear and trepidation. They are the eternal enemy of Cephi, the plague to her prosperity. Worship of Emnos is seen as taboo, much like the worship of their son Vronne.
The members of Vinelocke acknowledge that different herds have different methods of worship, but prefer the worship of their own gods in their land. However, so long as outsiders respect Vinelocke’s laws and traditions, they’ll only receive a few skeptical looks at the mention of other gods.
Cephi
[seh-FEE]
Personality
Cephi is overall a benevolent being who cares deeply for all phae. As the creator of the phae species, she loves all of her children, but will favor some more than others based on their attention. The phae of Vinelocke are widely acknowledged as her favorite, as they follow her teachings closely.
Cephi is family oriented, and her values run deep within the Vinelocke culture. The communal raising of fawns and the mutual love between partners is central to her familial values, as she believes this brings strength to society.
What is most important to her is respect, understanding, and growth, so when conflict arises she will quickly involve herself to resolve it. When roused her wrath is powerful, often accompanied by earthquakes and the opening of faults. She is responsible for the Shattering during the war against Vronne.
As the deity of nature, fauna, and the wilderness, she will protect that part of her domain above all else. Though she is regarded as the deity of change, she does not view technological progress with much favor when it injures the earth.
Role
Cephi the Creator – deity of nature, fauna, change, cycles, motherhood, and the wilderness.
Cephi is one of the most ancient deities in existence. She was present at creation of Thaeria, and is regarded across the archipelago as the one who created phae. Some herds believe stronger than others, but none more than Vinelocke. She is the mother of Kiora and Nishay.
How Vinelocke views them:
She is revered and respected above all other deities in the hearts of the phae of Vinelocke. She is the one who made and protects their souls, the giver of light through her daughters. She is regarded as a mother to all, and often also symbolized as the protector of fawns and young phae.
Myths & Legends
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Kiora
[KEE-oh-ruh]
Personality
Calm, but upbeat and optimistic, Kiora is the goddess associated with Tavebu, the constant moon. She is kind and loving, forgiving, pacifistic, and knowledgeable. She takes most after her mother, and believes that her constant presence is necessary, even, sometimes, to her detriment. She was the wife of Hadhan, and even though they were separated, she still loves him, and blames neither he nor her sister for what happened. She has snuck her gifts into his jungle as the years have gone by, blessing all kinds of plant life with bioluminescence, so he may always be reminded of her light and love. She’s a bit of a people-pleaser, but over the last few centuries has been working on her boundaries in her exile. She only really has her sister to keep her company, anyway, and could never stay mad at family. Still, they do bicker sometimes, although Nishay always seems to stay one step ahead of her, dancing across the night sky, just out of reach.
Role
Kiora the Brilliant – deity of clarity, light, luminescence, vision, and strength of mind.
Associated with the steady moon, Tavebu. Kiora and Tavebu are used interchangeably to refer to this goddess in Vinelocke. The other herds typically only use the moon’s name to describe them.
Kiora oversees the domain of bioluminescence, and all things that glow within the jungle are seen as sacred to her. She resides over clarity in all things, but especially mentally and communicatively. The ability to see both into the past and into the future, to predict how one’s actions have impacted and may impact further is encouraged, especially among those who follow her closely. She is seen as the strong mental front, and is frequently worshiped more intensely by those who are less physically inclined or capable– what they lack in physicality, they can more than make up for in magical and mental ability.
While Cephi is seen as the matron of all there is, Kiora is more akin to an older sister to the people of Vinelocke. They speak of her with reverence, but also with a familiarity that one might expect of family, especially among older phae that have practiced arts that she oversees for most, if not all of their lives.
How Vinelocke views them:
As the sustainer of the bioluminescent hubs across the jungle isle, Kiora is well loved and regularly worshiped across the Jungle Isle. She is held in high regard, second only to Cephi, and many festivities are held in her honor. Phae seeking guidance and provision in their path often pray to the deity of clarity, hoping she will share her insight into their life journey.
Myths & Legends
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Nishay
[nih-SHAY]
Personality
Playful, fickle, and mysterious, Nishay has never been one to let others know what she is thinking. Like the dancing of her celestial body, Mdima, Nishay is elusive and evasive, and has always been mischievous and playful. She’s clever and realistic, preferring to hide the ugly truth with pretty lies, to obscure and confound and create puzzles for sharp minds to unravel. She has a reputation for being a troublemaker, seducing her sister’s mate and being the direct cause of their exile to their celestial bodies. She and her sister bicker occasionally, but Nishay remains out of Kiora’s reach, always one step ahead and ready to continue their dance. Nishay is willful and does whatever she pleases whenever she pleases, but truly does adore her family. She’s happy to spend her exile with her sister and best friend, despite their occasional arguments.
Role
Nishay the Enigmatic – deity of obscurity, darkness, shadow, subterfuge, and wit.
Associated with the dancing moon, Mdima. Nishay and Mdima are used interchangeably to refer to this goddess in Vinelocke. The other herds typically only use the moon’s name to describe them.
Where her sister oversees the constant brilliance of the static moon, Nishay evasively dances in and out of reach. Her will is much harder to discern than her sister’s, and she is sometimes harkened as a trickster. She’s more wily and clever than her counterpart, and is looked up to by those who use more subtle professions; spies especially often have her as their patron, as she guides them stealthily through the shadows and the night.
Elusive and often the subject of cautionary tales, Nishay has been troublesome and witty since her fawnhood. From playing tricks on her mother and sister to playing dangerous games of hide-and-seek with the wildlife, she’s always been tricky and troublesome. It only came to a head when she seduced Hadhan away from her sister, and earned the two siblings exile to their celestial bodies.
Still, her favor is mostly given to the sharpest of Vinelocke, those who would draw inspiration from her elusive, dancing movements across the night sky to inspire their own movements across their islands, and indeed, the entire archipelago.
How Vinelocke views them:
She’s received with mixed reviews among Vinelock; some revere her, others admonish her as someone whose actions should be learned from and never repeated. Those who prefer to stick to the shadows and remain elusive, or are themselves fickle in nature might find kinship in she and her stories, where others might be unnerved and mistrustful of the things she embodies. Where her sister is viewed as a revered older sibling, Nishay is viewed as a rambunctious, disobedient younger sibling. Still, those who admonish her do so with care; she has eyes and ears everywhere, and cursing her name might net unwanted attention, if those who do so are unwary.
Myths & Legends
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Hadhan
[ha-DAAN]
Personality
Hadhan is a frivolous, arrogant stag with a very outgoing and adamant personality. He is constant and strong, and his presence is felt in all regions of the jungle– from the massive Kapoks to the tiniest leaf-cutter ant, all exists within the jungles he helped raise. Proud, stubborn, and a bit too determined for perhaps his own good, he was the mate of Kiora once upon a time ago. Her sister lured him into an affair (although it didn’t take much convincing, depending on who you ask) and for their actions, both the sisters were banished to their celestial bodies to be seperate from him. He was condemned to remain on the earthly coil so that Cephi could keep her keen eye on him. He’s done a lot of introspection over the years, and has become more dependable, sturdy, and virtuous… although he can still regress into his fickle and flirtatious nature. It is sometimes said of troublesome colts that their true sire was Hadhan in disguise (even if their sires are well known.)
Role
Hadan the Inexorable- deity of the jungle, growth, and personal development.
He is seen as a young and indecisive deity, due to his disloyalty and disrespect to his mate. However, his persistence is his most respectable trait as he has ever sought to gain back his place in the hearts of the people. He may never have his mate back, but he can strive to better himself.
Hadhan is usually likened mostly to the sturdiness of the massive trees that grow all throughout the jungle. They have been around, most of them, since time immemorial, and so their persistence and his are united as one. He is frequently called upon for determination and perseverance for the more physically inclined among the phae that live here, asking for borrowed strength or blessings.
Even so, his name is used to admonish rambunctious or foolhardy colts and bucks; they need to be careful, lest they end up like Hadhan. Most modern does won’t put up with that sort of behavior to begin with, but on the off chance, they had best watch themselves or earn the wrath of not only Cephi, but potentially Hadhan himself.
His name is also used to praise those who have gone through immense amounts of personal growth; the impersonal and hostile becoming more mild and accepting, the shy and withdrawn working towards sociability– these things and more are all seen as being guided by Hadhan’s spirit towards betterment, and they are smiled upon for their inner strength, as that is just as important as outer.
How Vinelocke views them:
Another mixed bag– Hadhan is the reason for the sisters’ exile, but he has also come a long way since his tail-chasing days of infidelity. His name is simultaneously used to curse those who behave like he has, historically, and to praise those who have overcome personal challenges and worked towards growth. He is, on the whole, viewed both ways. His tale is cautionary, but also inspirational; you can always grow and become a better person.
Myths & Legends
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Emnos
[ehm-NOHS]
Personality
Cunning, charismatic, and merciless, Emnos will cut down friend and foe alike. Their favor is not easily earned, and even when it is, it is often conditional and fragile at best. Their words are often veiled and have a double-meaning, and loyalty is a foreign concept to them. They really only show affinity for their son, as they both bring chaos wherever they may go. Emnos is much more partial to sewing misfortune on the physical level, preferring to see their handiwork affect the visible world around them. While they are self-serving, they are also somewhat humble in their approach toward their duties; they are a necessary part of life, and where they have ruined the wood and earth with rot and decay, fungus may spring up, and the earth beneath their hooves may become fertile with nutrients of flora and fauna both long passed. Whether or not the mortal phae respect them for what they do makes no true nevermind to them; they will continue to be an immovable, inevitable force that everyone will have to come to terms with eventually. There is no escape from them, and they will always have the energy to continue on, as death and decay are as natural as breathing.
Role
Emnos the Plaguebearer – deity of disease, infection, pestilence, and decay.
One of the pantheon of old gods, the parent of Vronne and sibling to Kaea, Emnos is seen as a cunning and insidious deity. They are said to thrive on the energy sapped from dying phae. As charming as they are sadistic, they hold a festering hate for Cephi, and have been known to masquerade as other beings to trick her beloved phae into tragedy.
They are an evil that is, unfortunately, insurmountable. Even Cephi, in all her knowledge and power, cannot stop them. They are a truly necessary part of life, although they have been known to launch campaigns of disease and rot through both plantlife and animals. They do not tolerate being forgotten, and serve to remind both god and mortal alike that they are here and will never leave.
They can occasionally grant their favor to those who seek to use their dubious ‘gifts’ for other purposes; mushrooms may serve to aid in poisons for traps and spies, and their rot may be sewn into soil to make it more fertile and full of nutrients. The flies that spring forth from their decaying corpses may give rise to a boon of frogs in a particularly insect-laden Sunhigh.
They are just as much a constant as the sun and moons, as the seasons and change of tide. They will ruin Cephi’s work where and when they can, if the opportunity presents itself, but they far prefer the more sinister, slowly marching crawl of decay that will fill the hearts of the weak and dying with dread. There is no escaping them; they always get what they want, and they are terrifyingly patient.
How Vinelocke views them:
Legend says that Emnos is the reason that Phae do not glow with the moons’ light, the way so many other things in their jungle do. Ravenous and cruel, Emnos hunted and destroyed Phae by devouring their glowing souls, and wherever they went their plagues decimated all living things. The Earth Mother was forced to cover the glow of their souls to stop Emnos from finding and wiping out all Phae in Roothollow. Vinelocke believes Emnos’ plagues were responsible for the destruction of the Breath tribe, and subsequent loss of their histories and ancient language. To this day they are feared by all. They are often represented by a wandering swarm of biting or stinging insects.
Those who seek to tentatively borrow their presence on the mortal coil must do so carefully– their rot may be infectious before it proves beneficial to composting, and their mushrooms may kill at a touch. If one is going to utilize Emnos’ presence in the physical, they must do so with the utmost care, as to not anger the deity or draw their attention.
Myths & Legends
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