Aether (Firmament)
Template:Deity Aether is the goddess of souls, time, space and truth, who is credited as the creator of the Firmament and the highest of all divinities. Residing at the center of creation, she watches the universe unfold before her innumerable and unflinching eyes, seeking an ultimate balance between all of its constantly shifting forces.
Appearance[edit | edit source]
Aether is considered quite difficult to describe even by other divinities. Mortal worshippers who manage to gaze upon her form describe her as resembling a spiral galaxy filled with radiant, unblinking eyes. She radiates an aura of goodness, evil, order and chaos all at once, causing the environment around her to constantly shift between these forces.
History[edit | edit source]
According to all non-evil gods, Aether's tears created both them and the Firmament, though it was the god Skasdrumri who shaped the planes and worlds into their modern shapes, with Aether only providing the universe with its most primal ingredients. She was remarkably interested in the raw material which would become Telamon, and once that world came to be, she shed a single tear upon it which created Eondrassla, the World Tree and first of the forces of nature.
Varagarash Narahil, the greatest among the gods of darkness, grew envious of Aether's position as queen of the cosmos. In the event now known as the Great Gap, Varagarash attacked Aether, causing a cataclysmic war between many divinities which resulted in over 2,000 years of history being wiped out from the universe's collective memory. Some scholars believe the Great Gap is a coping mechanism from Aether's part; she would rather forget the details of the war due to how traumatic the experience was.
Realm[edit | edit source]
Aether's realm is called the Heart of Creation, located at the very center of the Space In-Between. It is an ever-shifting demiplane of primal magic where matter is constantly created and destroyed as Aether focuses on creating a perfect balance which can be applied to the entire Firmament. It is an exceptionally hostile landscape to mortals and even other divinities, who usually avoid the area at all costs.
Personality[edit | edit source]
Aether is an unknowable intelligence who is unconcerned with matters of morality; to her, achieving a balance is the ultimate goal of existence. She is a distant deity, rarely responding to lone individuals, though not because she is unaware of them; she is aware of all there is, with few exceptions, but only sees fit to intervene when it suits her immutable goal. While it is difficult to tell, many gods believe Aether has a certain fondness of Telamon and its inhabitants in particular, and believe they have a purpose to the goddess which goes beyond mere balance.
Relationships[edit | edit source]
Despite being treated as the highest divinity of the cosmos, Aether has few interactions with other deities due to her distant demeanor. Most of them generally pay at least some amount of respect to Aether, acknowledging her role in the creation of the Firmament, but few find themselves willing to participate in her goal of achieving a balance for it would go against their nature. Evil deities, predominantly Varagarash Narahil and the demon lords, do not acknowledge Aether as their superior at all. Varagarash in particular is considered the nemesis of Aether's design, and the World Worm's ultimate goal is to devour Aether and take her place in the cosmic hierarchy.
Cult of Aether[edit | edit source]
Aether is the most worshipped deity of the Space In-Between's outsider inhabitants, and many fellow gods pay at least some amount of respect to her. In Telamon, Aether is worshipped by many common folk as the creator of the world; she has a strong presence in Aelvana and Eryliana, as well as in the country of Aynach.
