Arkati
The Arkati are the Gods of Elanthia.
Legends tell of a First Age of Elanthia, over a hundred thousand years ago, when dragons ruled the world. The Arkati were servants of the dragons, residing on the two moons Liabo and Lornon. They were known to take humanoid forms and protect the lesser races from their masters' wrath.
The rule of dragonkind was broken in the Ur-Daemon War. In the aftermath, the Arkati rose to become the primary powers of the world. Factions formed out of the conflicts between them. The Arkati of Liabo became known as the Gods of Light, for their role as caretakers of Elanthia and the mortal races. Those of Lornon became the Gods of Darkness, concerned more with their own power and pursuits. The two factions have never come into open war, but throughout the ages there have always been smaller battles.
Across the history of Elanthia, many other beings have been worshipped as gods as well. Some are still Arkati, though not of the two main pantheons. Others are local spirits, or even mortals who have achieved godhood by various means.
Divine Magic
Spiritualism, also known as spiritual magic, is the magic that gods grant to their followers. It is one of the three acknowledged spheres of magic, along with elementalism and mentalism. Of the adventurer professions, Clerics, Paladins, and Rangers employ spiritual magic, while Empaths and Sorcerers draw upon it partially. Several other professions have access to a Minor Spiritual circle of spells.
In archaic lore, the spiritual spellcaster "channels" the power of their god. For lesser feats this may be done without a god's direct attention, but nevertheless the magic comes solely from the divine source and the spiritualist would not have any power without it. Moreover, such magic is only effective within a sphere of emanation corresponding to the god's influence. The influence of the major pantheons extends over the entire world, while a weaker divine spirit would only be able to affect a small region.
These limits are not explicitly stated in current lore, but neither has it been contradicted. Some scholars, particularly among the Faendryl elves, have argued that spiritual magic can be worked without the gods at all, though this is not widely believed and others consider this to be either trickery or evidence of more insidious influences among the dark elves.
Worship and Theology
Ancient elves in the age of dragonkind worshipped the Arkati as gods and protectors. Some time after the Ur-Daemon War, many elves came to follow the teachings of the shaman Yadzari, who argued that the Arkati were not truly gods, but powerful yet still mortal beings who bore responsibility for opening the veil to the Ur-Daemons. The corpse of a dead Arkati was purportedly discovered by Amas, who disposed of it before the evidence could be widely seen. Elves of the modern era mainly view Arkati as patrons and exemplars and build temples to honor them, but few worship the gods as they once did, save for the sylvankind.
Legends tell of other Arkati who are thought to be dead: Maigra, Tarandel, L'Naere.
In the human Turamzzyrian Empire, worship centers around the Church of Koar, and the elven view of the Arkati is considered a dangerous heresy.
Game Mechanics
- Main article: CONVERT (verb)
Player characters can align with one of the gods using the CONVERT command.
For most adventurers, this is a one-time choice. While it is possible to convert to a different god later through Intercession, the process is difficult and potentially very expensive.
Clerics and Paladins, as primary users of spiritual magic, receive additional benefits from conversion, and the choice affects the type of critical damage dealt by their spells.
Sortable List of Elanthian Deities
| Name | Class | Pantheon | Domain(s) | Symbol(s) | Smite/ Bane |
Critical Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charl | Arkati | Liabo | sea, storms | an emerald trident on a field of blue | Bane | Electrical |
| Cholen | Arkati | Liabo | humor, festivals, performing arts | a crimson lute on a field of gold | Smite | Puncture |
| Eonak | Arkati | Liabo | labor, craftsmanship, triumph over adversity | a golden anvil on a field of brown | Smite | Disruption |
| Imaera | Arkati | Liabo | healing, autumn, nature, plants, animals, harvest |
a golden sheaf of grain on a field of green (farmers) a brown doe on a field of green (Sylvans) |
Smite | Puncture |
| Jastev | Arkati | Liabo | visual art, prophecy, poetry | a black artist’s brush on a field of grey a silver crystal ball on a field of grey |
Smite | Steam |
| Kai | Arkati | Liabo | strength, athletic prowess, skill at arms | a silver arm with fist clenched on a field of crimson | Smite | Crush |
| Koar | Arkati | Liabo | justice, loyalty, law, mana, rulership | a golden crown (usually on a field of white) | Smite | Electrical |
| Lorminstra | Arkati | Liabo | death and rebirth, deliverance, winter | a golden key (usually on a field of black) | Smite | Plasma |
| Lumnis | Arkati | Liabo | wisdom, knowledge, magic | a golden scroll overlaying five conjoined circles | Smite | Acid |
| Oleani | Arkati | Liabo | love, spring, fertility, halflings | a red heart with a budding flower growing from it | Smite | Fire |
| Phoen | Arkati | Liabo | sun, summer, fatherhood | a golden sunburst on a field of blue | Smite | Fire |
| Ronan | Arkati | Liabo | night, dreams | a black sword with a silver edge on a field of black | Smite | Fire |
| Tonis | Arkati | Liabo | speed, travel, thieves | a golden pegasus on a field of blue | Smite | Air |
| Gosaena | Arkati | neutral | death | a silver or grey sickle on a field of green | Bane | Cold |
| Zelia | Arkati | neutral | moons, insanity | a silver crescent moon on a field of black | Smite | each cast is random |
| Andelas | Arkati | Lornon | felines, hunting | a black cat's head on a field of red | Bane | Slash |
| Eorgina | Arkati | Lornon | domination, darkness, tyranny | red, stylized flames on a field of grey | Bane | Fire |
| Fash'lo'nae | Arkati | Lornon | magic, libraries, forbidden knowledge | a yellow, slit-pupiled eye on a field of grey | Smite | Slash |
| Ivas | Arkati | Lornon | desire, lust, passion | a stylized, green wisp of smoke on a field of red | Bane | Grapple |
| Luukos | Arkati | Lornon | lies, undeath, death | a green serpent on a field of brown | Bane | Puncture |
| Marlu | Arkati | Lornon | demonic summoning, destruction, power | a star of six black tentacles on a field of grey | Bane | Acid |
| Mularos | Arkati | Lornon | suffering, torture | a dagger-pierced heart on a field of white | Bane | Slash |
| Sheru | Arkati | Lornon | night, nightmares, insanity, terror | a black jackal's head on a field of gold (and sometimes crimson) |
Bane | Crush |
| V'tull | Arkati | Lornon | bloodlust, combat | a black scimitar on a field of red | Bane | Slash |
| Aeia | spirit | neutral | earth, gardens, River's Rest | a white lily on a field of green | Smite | Acid |
| Amasalen | spirit | Lornon | sacrifice | a two-headed purple serpent wrapped around a crimson hand |
Bane | Slash |
| Arachne | spirit | neutral | spiders, betrayal | a black widow on a field of red | Bane | Unbalance |
| Ghezresh | spirit | neutral | deceit, intimidation, manipulation | a chelioboros (an eel devouring itself) | Bane | Disintegration |
| The Huntress | spirit | neutral | vengeance, hunting | an eight-pointed silver star on a field of black | Bane | Slash |
| Jaston | spirit | Liabo | air, birds, the four winds | a white feather on a field of green and white | Smite | Vacuum |
| Kuon | spirit | Liabo | herbs, flowers | a gold leaf on a field of brown | Smite | Crush |
| Laethe | spirit | Liabo | lost love, young love | a black rose on a field of purple | Smite | Fire |
| Leya | spirit | Liabo | amazons, martial arts | an ivory-hilted dagger on a field of blue | Smite | Puncture |
| Niima | spirit | Liabo | water, sailors, sea life | a dolphin on a field of blue | Smite | Impact |
| Onar | spirit | Lornon | homicide, assassination | a broken white skull on a field of black | Bane | Puncture |
| Tilamaire | spirit | Liabo | music, dance | a yellow note on a field of blue | Smite | Disruption |
| Voaris | spirit | Liabo | forbidden love, young love | a yellow rose on a field of red | Smite | Fire |
| Voln | spirit | Liabo | destruction of undead | a white shield on a field of black | Smite | Fire |
| Meyno | spirit | stone giant (good) |
none | none | n/a1 | n/a1 |
| Khaarne | spirit | stone giant (neutral) |
none | none | n/a1 | n/a1 |
| Illoke | spirit | stone giant (evil) |
none | none | n/a1 | n/a1 |
- The deities of the stone giants are included here for completeness only. Player characters cannot worship Meyno, Khaarne, or Illoke through the deity system.
Resources
- The Gods of Elanthia (Official Documentation)
- Deity messaging - Deity-specific messaging for applicable spells
- Divination: A Comprehensive Guide
- CONVERT (verb)
- Elanthian Gems
- Arkati box
- Arkati illustrated by Tisket
- Officials folder: Arkati and Other Spirits
| Arkati and Lesser Spirits - edit | |
|---|---|
| Liabo: | |
| Lornon: | |
| Neutral: | |