Ardor itself consists of the manifest power of the eleven divines who shaped it. Every structure and material on it is a product of their ideas and shaped by them into the things they are now, with everything consisting of different mixtures and amounts of what each god has given, depending on where their interests lay. This power is forever spent, and through it the gods are bound to the world (in the sense of affiliation, not that they are trapped in it).
All living things have, besides their bodies consisting of the matter of Ardor, a soul that is equally shaped as a combination of the divine's power.
When a creature dies, its soul leaves the surface of Ardor and returns to its very heart, where the divines have established their spirit realm. There it is violently torn asunder by the twisting currents of energy until it's initial componets return to their masters, who use this power to shape an entirely new and unique soul.
In this sense souls are the "active" part of the god's power, that is ever shifting and changing, creating the fate of all things.
The only exeption were the first eleven dragons, who each had a soul shaped by only one of the divines. So while the divines themselves manage the souls of the dead, at first they installed their representatives to guide the living as a means to ensure the world goes it's appointed way.
A dragon's soul can never return to the divines, having lost its part in their being by becoming an independent pure existant creature of its own, much like a lesser god.
It will fade slowly in time, as all things do, unless two dragons choose to become one, creating a fusion of their souls so that a new dragon is created.
As soon as this process is complete and a single offspring born, the old dragons die. An exeption were the dragons of the earliest generations, which were so powerful that they could use only a part of their soul, which would weaken them, but leave them alive.
In this manner the number of dragons increased greatly at first, but is now ever in decline.
If a dragon is slain before the time of his fading, the soul becomes lost, trapped in the spirit world but unable to join the others or return to Ardor. It will stay there in torment, until it is consumed by the currents of time.
Humans and Kaoun have not been on Ardor from the very beginning, nor are they a part of it's natural balance. They are not made by the divines, but are divine.
It is unknown why or when exactly they appeared, but their souls are of a completely different nature than anything else on Ardor. They are the split conscience of a god, unlike any other known. They take form using the matter of Ardor as their shell, and they can learn from it and its creatures. But they are just as easily corrupted by its evil, as inspired by its beauty. Their actions can change the unchangable, and their decisions bend the ways of life.
As with dragons, the fate of their souls cannot be determined by the divines, but unlike them they are reborn in their children and no soul is ever lost or changed in its essence.
Many humans have taken to worship the divines of Ardor, as the first of them have been taught by the dragons, who by these means hoped to control and integrate these unexpected new arrivals. But there is little understanding between these essentialy different creatures, and often unintended conflict was the consequence.
Kaoun have from the very beginning taken to a seclusive life, although back in the early days they were a powerful civilization with breathtaking cities and architecture.
They have, unlike most humans, realized the connection they share with their ancestors, so their belief concentrates strongly around the idea of rebirth, spiritual communication and guidance. Even though many wars have split them into the small, scatterd clans that most of them live in today, their belief has survived in many colourful varieties all across Ardor.
In their rightful order by the ancient people of Kamarahs.*
Preserved from the devastating events at the beginning of time reckoning, on Kamarahs the oldest shrines and temples of the forgotten civilization of the First Age are still in existence, giving account of the ancient lore of the gods.*
These have been inherited by most peoples, but in each culture occur differences in naming and manner of worship.
In remote and seclusive societies and on other continents, one can at times find a very similiar system, but also completely different kinds of belief.
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1. Valecrath - God of Time and Space
Valecrath is the chief of all deities*, for they only exist in and through him.
He had no active part in the making of Ardor and takes no interest in it.
Therefore he is not directly worshipped in any form, but is nonetheless named as the first deity for the sake of formality. If depicted, he is usually shown as a sickle encircling the sun Su'Catar and the orbs surrounding it.
2. Su'Catar - Goddess of light, the suns, summer, wisdom and protector of the young
Depicted as eagle
3. Marath'Liac - God of all water, storms, rain, seacreatures and patron of the lost
Depicted as whale
4. Thaliae'Da - Goddess of the air, spring, flying creatures, compassion, friendship and love
Depicted as crane
5. Tharum'El - God of the earth, courage, tasks, order and earthbound creatures
Depicted as snake
6. Aframthiel - God of change, autumn, memories, speech, writing, dusk and dawn
Depicted as panther
7. Ra'Zahaz - God of chaos, lightning, nightmares, deceit, hedonism and fear
Depicted as bat
8. Mirahil Xuun - God of the moon, righteousness, judgement and creatures of the night
Depicted as owl
9. Mehruz Takor - God of knowledge, lies, secrecy, indulgence and treason
Depicted as human
10. Karal - Goddess of frost, winter, guidance, council and solace
Depicted as wolf
11. Namuur Kien - God of dreams, visions and forests
Depicted as deer
12. Haew - Goddess of fire, fortune, joy and excess
Depicted as lizard
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13. Lorkem - Deity of eternal life, creation, rule and herald of doom
Lorkem is not counted among the divines*, being a dragon born on Ardor.
He has however, through the power of Soultearing which allows him to absorb and incorporate the very essence of those he kills, reached an equivalent status.
The fact that his knowledge and power come not only from himself, as with all the divines, but are composed of the understanding and wisdom of all of them, gives him an unmatched insight into the nature of all things, be they long gone or events yet to pass.
He seeks to create a world with beings of his own, so that he might rule them as their only Lord. He is worshipped by those looking for a place in a better world, admirers of his power and creatures hoping to escape their fate by seeking his council.
Notes:
* Kamarahs is Ardor's main continent
* "Deity" is referring to all god-like beings and is a status one can earn
* "Divines" refers only to the twelve original gods
* "God" is equivalent to divine
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