---
title: Gods
---

Ancient, mysterious beings who dwell beyond the mortal realm, imbued with the essence of divinity by the faith of mortals who worship them. Gods of [[the Hallowed Lands]] are known only by titles; their true names (if they even have them) are not shared with humans. In the modern Hallowed Lands, there are only two known gods: [[the Keeper]] and the [[Our Lady of the Black Rose|Black Rose]] (known as Our Lady of the Black Rose by her devout). Of these two, the Keeper enjoys significantly more worship, and more power. However, it is said that in the distant past, a wide pantheon of gods taught and protected the sentient peoples of the Hallowed Lands in all walks of life. Most of these gods lost their following, and consequently lost their godhood.

Update for old man lore: The fall of these other gods was not a matter of happenstance. The power-hungry Keeper believed divinity to be a finite resource, and reasoned that if the strength of the other gods should wane, then his own strength might wax. According to [[the Old Man Upstairs]], the Keeper and his most devout priests conducted a long and secretive campaign to undermine the people’s faith in other gods, and gradually consolidate worship into his own Church of the Guiding Way. They were, by all accounts, successful; now, the myriad gods of this land have fallen so far that even their titles are lost to time — only the Black Rose avoided total annihilation because the sheer love of her congregation proved too deep to shatter. According to the Old Man, there was once a god of the arts, and a god of the sea, and presumably many others... It is unknown whether these “fallen” gods simply died or if they live on in anonymity, mere shadows of their former glory.