When the gods speak…

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“When the gods speak, they have not the voices of mortal men. They cannot be understood by words or speeches or written scrolls. When the gods speak, the heavens move, the seas rage and the wind whispers across the land. When the gods speak, mountains rise and kingdoms fall, life begins, and life ends. This is the way of the immortals, whose voices are the lifeblood of our world.  When we listen to the gods, we look for signs, portents. Messages in our dreams and visions. We feel their closeness, and prostrate ourselves to their bidding. Only those who follow the call and give themselves up to the message can hear them. But all are governed by their power.” Extract from the Book of Ihlok  

Allow me to introduce you to a few of the gods of Teth-Kiran, some are mentioned in Warlords of The Dreaming God, others may appear later:

Ihlok the Redeemer – Highest of the gods (as humans see them). Ihlok is represented by the Holy Hand, he is the god of right action, wisdom and goodness. Redeemer of those that have fallen to evil, the ultimate judge in the afterlife

Ivirian – Goddess of life, represented by both an ever-young girl, or a young woman. She is the embodiment of all life, growth and renewal

Avathar – God of death and the afterlife, represented by black wings, a boat, or an oar. He guides souls from death into the underworld, where they remain if not taken by Ihlok or the other gods to another afterlife, or reborn

Ashaila – Goddess of the land, worship of Ashaila is common among farmers and those who depend on the land. The araquan race venerate her above all others. She is the one who gives and takes, governess of all the earth. Her symbol is the tree

Nogarmos – Lord of the waters, his symbol is the crest of a wave. Chief deity of sailors and those whose crop relies on seasonal river floods. His nature is capricious, both harsh and gentle in equal measure

Kalar – Lord of the heavens, wind, rain and storm. His symbol is the eagle.

Arezhel – Goddess of luck, fortune and fate, represented by scales, a coin, or dice. Thieves, gamblers and men of honour alike worship this capricious goddess to appease her and avoid her enmity

Aslath – Champion of the Gods, represented by the sword. He defends the weak and powerless, and fights darkness

Kalis-Omathia – Mistress of Magic, symbolised by a book. She passed the knowledge of the arcane arts to mortals and is worshipped by magicians

In my world, the gods of Teth-Kiran are many. They are ever-present and their power can be felt directly. Their priests wield miraculous powers. In a world where there is no question that the gods are real, how does one live life? Devoutly, knowing that the threat of punishment in the afterlife is equally real? For some, yes. But there are others, who trust their eternal souls to gods of an altogether dark nature. Gods of murder, pain and madness. They are real too, and no less powerful. And when they speak, terrible things happen…

About Scott Foley

Scott Foley is a British fantasy writer based in Manchester. He is author of Knight of Aslath and the Dreaming God Chronicle. Brought up on a steady diet of Tolkien, roleplaying games and a never-ending fascination with the question ‘what if?’, writing fantasy novels seemed the only sensible and worthwhile thing to do with his life. Knight of Aslath is his first novel, and he is currently working on the sequel Warlords of the Dreaming God. Both novels form the beginning of the Dreaming God Chronicle and are set in the fantasy world of Teth-Kiran. Knight of Aslath is available on Amazon, and you can find out more about Scott's work at: http://www.scottfoleybooks.com