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Contents
The Godly Courts
The Court of Virtue
Often considered the greatest of the Five Courts, the Court of Virtue is the embodiment of Righteousness, of Will, and of Emotion. All things that spring from such concerns are embodied within this great and mighty court, and those within it often lord it over more ‘mundane’ courts.
The Incarna of the Court of Righteousness is Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun. His purview is righteousness and virtue in all its forms, and his nature is such that he cannot act in an unvirtuous manner. Because of this, he is generally more of a spiritual leader than a temporal one; the difficulties of the world are hard for him to understand, and he does not easily grasp why one might act against Virtue (although, as his nature, he is willing to forgive.)
The Exemplars of Virtue are the Five Paragons. Each takes human form, but as an impossibly ideal human touched with the strains and ideas of their purview. They are:
- Nejen, Paragon of Compassion
- Odelia, Paragon of Conviction
- Adris, Paragon of Temperance
- Estos, Paragon of Valor
- Vineli, Paragon of Willpower
The Court of Change
Without change, Creation would be stable, but it would not be interesting. Worse, without change, Creation could not defend itself against the ever-shifting attacks of the Wyld. The Court of Change, thus, stands for all the forces in Creation that render it able to withstand, to adapt, and to grow. It is, perhaps appropriate, a chaotic and strange court, holding concepts that might not, at first glance, seem compatible.
The Incarna of Change is Luna, the Shifting Moon. Her nature is to change, to move, and to transform, but she does so in fluid, understandable ways, reminding the people of Creation that change can be safe, or it can be deadly. Luna is a cheerful and friendly goddess, most of the time, but she is also a trickster, and those who cross her do so at their own peril – as even the other Incarna have learned.
The Exemplars of Change are the Champions. Each has a very different appearance from the other, as they shift and cycle through images and pieces of whatever their domain represents, becoming more or less human in a gradual flow; not immediately visible, but anyone who speaks with one for ten or twenty minutes will find they are talking to someone who looks very different than they did before. The Champions do not have names, technically. Some say that names are anathema to them, while others claim that if you could learn a Champion’s true name, you could control them.
- The Bloody Huntress, Champion of Animals
- The Silver-Horned Watcher, Champion of Chaos
- The Two-Faced Bride, Champion of Humanity
- The White Navigator, Champion of Transformation
- The Walker At The Crossroads, Champion of Magic
The Court of Fate
All things change, coming to pass in a new light. Within the Court of Fate, destinies are woven. Those who seek to have the future understood, changed, or diverted pray to the aspects of gods related to Fate. As all things have a fate, so too do all gods attach themselves to one of the purviews of this Court. The Court of Fate is, however, the most feared of the courts, for most humans fear the future.
The Incarna of Fate is Ouranos, the Skyfather. His purview is destiny, and this makes his a god who alternates between grim understanding and bursts of good cheer, often without a trigger than mortals can comprehend. His ways are mysterious, and he rarely bothers to explain why he does what he does, even to his fellow Incarna.
The Exemplars of Fate are the Five Maidens, often said to be the children of Ouranos and Luna (although other stories claim Ouranos sired them with a now-banished Primordial). They appear as five young women, each clad in the accoutrements of her calling, and coloured the shades of the constellations they support. They are:
- Mercury, the Maiden of Journeys
- Venus, the Maiden of Serenity
- Mars, the Maiden of Battles
- Jupiter, the Maiden of Secrets
- Saturn, the Maiden of Endings
The Court of Concepts
The Court of Concepts deals with knowledge, with ideas, and with the understanding that things can be defined. Its members were instrumental in defining the Court structure as it exists today, and are almost always strident supporters of the Celestial Bureaucracy as a way to prevent war amongst the gods.
The Incarna of the Court of Concepts is Autochthon, the Great Maker. Once, he was one of the great Primordials (although not the greatest), but in his desire to impose order on Creation, he was frustrated by his fellows, who mocked his efforts, sabotaged his works, and drove him almost to madness. When the gods rebelled, he was the first Primordial to join their cause, and his leadership helped the Enlightened gain dominance. It is sometimes said that Savants are those who can see the workings of Autochthon’s mind, and their mighty artifacts are pale imitations of his dreams.
The five Exemplars of Concepts are the Five Ministers. All five are male, appearing as vaguely humanoid shapes composed entirely of whatever they desire to be at the given moment of their arrival. They are:
- Noi, Minister of Skills
- Kektung, Minister of Substance
- Mog, Minister of Locations
- Runel, Minister of Laws
- Kadmek, Minister of Creation
The Court of the Elements
The most direct and obvious of the Five Courts, the Court of Elements deals with physicality in a way that few other Courts bother to. Their domain is the five Elements of Creation, through which all things are created, and they embody and expand upon these elements, incarnations of joy and wrath strained through the weather, the land, the sea, and the very bones of Creation. The Court of Elements is the oldest of the Courts, its members having been born earliest, and its members often take pride in this.
The Incarna of the Elemental Court is Gaia, the Earth Mother. Gaia was another of the great Primordials, one of those who helped shape Creation in its infancy, and she was among the first to recognize the potential power of the gods, attaching herself to the Elemental Court as a patron long before the Choosing War began. It was Luna that helped bring Gaia and her gods into the war against the Primordials, and the two continue to have a romantic relationship to this day (to the endless annoyance of Ouranos, who once courted Luna and blames Gaia for taking her from him.)
The five Exemplars of Elements are the Five Elemental Dragons. Each takes on a dragon shape, formed of the purest conception of their respective elements, and in honour of them, many of the greater gods who hold allegiance to the Elemental Court take such shapes as well. They are:
- Mela, Elemental Dragon of Air
- Pasiap, Elemental Dragon of Earth
- Heshiesh, Elemental Dragon of Fire
- Danaa’d, Elemental Dragon of Water
- Sextes Jylis, Elemental Dragon of Wood
