The Gods Who Dwell...
The Coiga are the pantheon of deities venerated mostly by the Canal Society, although folk of surrounding towns and realms also place faith in them. Like all such beings, they are creations of the Collision, formed out of chaotic energies. It isn't recorded or readily recalled how this pantheon became the patron deities of the Canal Society. Nor is it recorded how this disparate group became collectively known as the Coiga. It is said in Fenstre that Cydain is the father, but this is untrue, as well as impossible.
The Coiga differ from the usual concept of gods in many ways. They did not create any world or realm for their followers to dwell in, nor do they espouse doctrinal behavior or delineate examples by which an adherent would lead his or her life. Generally, they are uncaring beings whose followers have emulated each deity’s particular portfolio. The beings known as gods who reside in the Welkin are simply the upper echelon of that transcendental hierarchy and bear little resemblance to the ancient concepts of deity.
The roles that the Canal Society and other followers of the Coiga give these beings are a reflection of the forces of nature and odylicism around them. It is doubtful the goddess Mniops cares about the dawn or birth, traits ascribed to her. Mniops exists, to be sure, but her seen role as goddess of dawn is simply that; a seen one. There is one exception to this and that is Ydrys, god of canals, complexity and concealment. He, unlike his kin, takes an interest in his followers and is active in all facets of Society life.
Who they are
In order the Coiga are; Cydain, god of gods…considered to be the leader of the group, though this is not fact. It is true that Cydain, as a being, has more power than the others do yet he is not their true leader. It is doubtful whether Cydain knows or cares about his adherents, at least not on the Three Rivers Continent (see this page for more on Cydain). A group dwelling in the small enclave of Virince kowtow to Cydain. The folk of Orur and Bozlin also pay this heedless deity lip service. Cydain is said to resemble a middle-aged strongly-built man in magisterial clothes, surrounded by a blue nimbus. Theophanies of this deity are rare and no sage in Fenstre has recorded such an occurrence.
Chiasm is the Coiga god of power…his name is generally invoked when there is some conquest to be sought or a woman to be won. Most authorities of Welkin personages doubt the existence of this being, as there are no recorded appearances of him. He is said to resemble a powerfully built man in his prime attired in leather straps…he has no followers, and his name is used only in oaths and pleading.
Elesmis’ portfolio is that of blue skies…like Chiasm, those in the know doubt he exists. He is seen as an element in a tripartite ritual with Ilojin and Mared. His worship, where it exists, is desultory and involves nothing more than hoping he would defeat Ilojin and give Fenstre clear skies. Elesmis is proof that natural forces deified are still an event among the folk of the Society.
Mared is the god of water on the ground. This confuses the antemer who sees him as a sea or ocean god. Mared is not any such thing; he represents what Ilojin has left behind, and what the blue skies of Elesmis evaporate again. People grateful for fresh water venerate Mared to an extent. He is the link between Elesmis and Ilojin in their three-part ritual.
Ilojin is the god of rain, of which the tropical Fenstre receives copious amounts. It is Ilojin who brings the monsoonal deluges for half of the Fels year. He is said to give back to Mared what Elesmis had taken away…cynics smile at the Society to ascribe climactic cycles to deities, yet this trio predate the Society. Doubts to Ilojin and Mared’s existence are rife. None of this trio has any clergy.
Zail is the god of soil and mud. His worship usually occurs in the small satellite settlements of Podis, Amurl or Kulun (q.v) where most of Fenstre’s foods crop production is. Fenstre, an urban maze of canals and buildings, has no time for a god who represents the muck on one’s boots. Definitely a contemporary version of age-old fertility gods.
Mniops is the purported goddess of dawn and birth. This is seen to be her role in Fenstre. The Society, in ages past, pre-empted this goddess from the Chirda people where she was the patron of innovative odylicism. The Chirda have since become irreligious and down-trodden midwives and expectant mothers in Fenstre now invoke Mniops generally. Her other spurious role of goddess of dawn is generally ignored, as dawn is seen as the start to another hard day by the Society. Mniops does exist, and dwells in a small abode in the Welkin.
Irtys is the goddess of luck, which is a source of mirth to the more erudite inhabitants of the lower Three Rivers Continent who know this deity to be male. How Irtys was transformed into a female is speculation although luck is a fickle thing much like a woman is supposed to be. In any case, the Society invokes the name of Irtys before major gambling or hunting pursuits. Irtys has no clergy and his/her part in the Coiga is one of pure happenstance.
Ii is the god of charity. Charity is a trait the Society does not normally subscribe to, which makes Ii’s place in the Coiga even more of a mystery. He has a definite clergy, a group of ministrants who distribute moldy bread to the abject poor of Westmer Community and Ipty. His origin is surely not of Fenstre, and it is known to a few that this god has followers in the north of the Continent, beyond the Khuior Desert, in Orrstantwaan.
Ydrys is last, but by no means least in this group. Ydrys is real, and is very much a daily aspect of a Societor’s life. He is a shadowy and secretive lord. He is the god of canals, complexity and camouflage and instructs the Society on these things through his paracletes, the Geriarchs. History, such as it is, does not tell how this god gravitated to Fenstre, or how he became their patron deity.
One thing is sure, his name is a byword for every Societor trait, from xenophobia, intrigue and dissembling to the elaborate horticulture disguising every front door or balcony in Fenstre. Outsiders on their visit to Fenstre find this overwhelming and it accentuates the desired effect of unwelcome. Theophanies by this god are frequent, usually channeling himself into avatars, or given private counsel to the Geriarchs in the Clathrate.
His appearance is manlike, although a deep, fuliginous black gown clouds his features. His eyes are a feral yellow and his voice is the susurrus of a wind through a tomb. Ydrys is an unforgiving lord and will act directly in defense of Fenstre on the occasions the Mellifluity allows it. He evades that principle by channeling himself into mere mortals. Some scholars have postulated that Ydrys is a Hypernatural who has profited in the dickering in lives of humans.
If he is a Hypernatural, he has power exceeding what is known for their class. His normal abode is a misty dimension somewhere in the median depths of Cththonia, which gives the good man and student alike an indication of Ydrys’s mindset. While in Fels, he is said to reside on a throne in the Hexaquer temple, a rumour no person has ever dreamt of verifying, given the security of that place and the natural secretiveness of his adherents. The Geriarchs, aged priests of Ydrys, are Fenstre’s rulers and are discussed elsewhere. They can draw on Ydrys’s power at will, which shows the level of integration of this being with his people. Ydrys is rarely worshipped outside of Fenstre.
Of other deities and transcendental beings of note are the Three Who Walk. This trio of shadowy manlike powers are the sword arm of the Tarot Magician Fanatos…they indeed do walk, and few that cross their path live to boast about it. They normally appear where abuses of the scytae have occurred, such as a magician who has proclaimed himself lord and master and challenged Exa itself. They have never appeared in Fenstre, possibly due to Ydrys, despite vast and wondrous use of the scytae contrary to the edicts of Fanatos.
Many in power do not see Fanatos as the last word in odylic mastery and his role as keeper of all magic. It must be noted that his role allotted to him when he was created in the chaos of the Collision, and Fanatos would counter that he is only doing his appointed duty. The Three Who Walk seem to enforce this. Their name is often used in imprecations in Fenstre where some dastardly deed of sorcery has occurred.
The last recorded occurrence of the Three Who Walk appearing was in the Forsoth city-state of Nelucium where the Hypernatural Ge Diomala has taken up residence and proclaimed himself God of the Final Sound, in violation of the Mellifluity. Ge Diomala prevailed and banished the Three Who Walk back to Exa. The individual names of the Three Who Walk are not recorded, and nobody has dared to ask them personally.
Explanation of supernal beings
As mentioned elsewhere, the Collision created a whole array of god-like beings of all sorts and power. Most of them are derived from ancient mythological concepts or blendings of such concepts. They exist in a very strict hierarchy based on power. They all appear to be human, usually beautiful and glowing with transcendent energies, though many can change their appearance at will. At the head of this hierarchy are the Ultranaturals; Ultranaturals are usually, in the case of the Tarot, ruler of some odylic or symbolic system, such as the scytae, or lyrical poetry.
To the mortal, most are considered gods and a lot are worshipped as such. Truth to tell, there are practitioners of magic that exist that would rival many Ultranaturals. Examples of Ultranaturals are Cydain, Lhusk, the Tarot Magician Fanatos and the Muse Erato.
The Hypernaturals come next on the list. They are the messengers and "right-hand men" of the Ultranaturals, though many are not subject to any higher being. They lack the innate high odylic ability of the Ultranaturals. Many try to transcend their rank, such as Ge-Diomala, by swaying and manipulating the lives of men. They lack, generally, the "presence" Ultranaturals bear with them. Mniops, the Three Who Walk and Irtys are examples of Hypernaturals.
Supranaturals are the next in order. They are the errand-runners and servants of the higher two orders. They cannot pass inside the Argence to enter the Natural Law universe as the first two can, so they are rarely encountered by mortal folk of Natural Law lands. Any that are encountered outside of the Welkin, Exa or Cththonia are exiles or a member of a retinue.
Lastly, and very leastly, we have the Supernaturals. The Supernaturals are the ghosts, booger-boos, spirits and fetches of human legend. They are usually mindless malicious spirits that depredate on the fears of mortals. All Supernaturals inhabit the Natural Law universe. The Supernaturals are free-willed and not subject to the whim of any higher up.