The Wheel of the Gods
The Gods
The gods are real. Most people accept this. They have appeared throughout history—rarely, but undeniably. Not to conquer or command, but to respond. Sometimes a priest’s desperate plea is answered. Sometimes a visionary sees a divine figure in a dream. And occasionally, a god walks the earth for reasons unknown. But it’s always distant. Mysterious. The gods do not rule the world, nor do they speak with one voice. They exist, and they are watching—maybe.
No god is purely good or evil. The benevolent and malevolent labels are more cultural than factual. It’s not “light vs. dark,” it’s growth and shelter versus decay and destruction—both parts of the cycle. And every culture interprets that cycle differently. What one society calls a benevolent storm god, another might view as a destructive force of vengeance. The line between sacred and profane is flexible.
The god of time, whoever or whatever they are, is considered the oldest and most mysterious. Some say they are the sum of all the others. Some say they merely keep the wheel turning. Whatever the case, their presence anchors the pantheon, and their worship tends to be more philosophical than ritualistic.
Worship and Practice
Religion is decentralized. There is no universal church, no global council of priests. Worship is localized, personal, and adaptive. Most people offer prayers to different gods depending on their needs. A farmer might give offerings to a fertility goddess in the spring and to a death god during winter to protect their family. A sailor might pray to a god of storms for safe passage, or to a malevolent sea god to spare them.
Some cultures maintain grand temples and organized clergy. Others see gods as spirits, ancestors, or forces of nature. Heresies, sects, and splinters are common. In some places, the gods are myth. In others, they’re a guiding force behind the state. You’ll find holy orders devoted to specific gods, dualistic cults focused on rival pairs, or even regions that shun half the pantheon entirely.
History and Mystery
What people don’t know is vast. History stretches back thousands of years, but only the last two millennia are reasonably documented. Everything before that is fragmented, speculative, or completely lost. Religion has evolved a dozen times over, with new gods rising in prominence and old ones fading into obscurity. And because the gods themselves rarely clarify anything, truth and legend blur.
The old myths say the gods shaped the world. Others say they found it and adopted it. Some cultures claim the gods created mortals, while others teach that mortals were born from the world itself and only later found the gods. Every theory has its champions—and its critics.
The Balance Must Be Maintained – When one side of the Wheel gains too much sway, disaster follows. Peace without struggle leads to stagnation. Destruction without purpose leads to ruin.
Mortals Choose Their Path – Worship is not demanded. The gods are not rulers. Mortals are expected to find their own way through faith, reason, or experience.
The Cycle Is Eternal – Life, death, decay, rebirth, order, chaos—it all turns like the wheel. Nothing is permanent, and everything has its opposite.