The pantheon formed around the wound Vaul inflicted upon Sythrax at the dawn of time. Each deity embodies a force released by that struggle: Kharos became conflict, Elaris became grief, Nymara became memory, Brannoc became creation, and the others arose as consequences of mortal existence. The gods have never agreed whether they are a family, a prison guard, or fragments of one shattered consciousness.

Creation began when Vaul struck the Void with his law-forged spear, splitting nothingness into the mortal world and the divine firmament. From the wound emerged Sythrax, who became the hunger beneath reality. The remaining gods arose from the first consequences of existence: Kharos from conflict, Elaris from sorrow, Othrys from wonder, and the others from mortal needs and cosmic accidents. The world is believed to rest upon three foundations: Vaul's Law, Nymara's Memory, and Brannoc's Flame. If two foundations fail, Talanor prophesies the world's destruction; if all three fail, Sythrax will consume creation.

The Assembly has two Greater Deities, Vaul and Kharos, though their authority is constantly contested. Six Lesser Deities—Elaris, Talanor, Morvane, Nymara, Othrys, Brannoc, Veyra, and Selkene—hold influential but limited portfolios, while Sythrax is an Outsider beyond the divine hierarchy and Ilyr is a violent Demigod seeking promotion through catastrophe. Divine rank determines how many miracles a deity can sustain, not how dangerous that deity is; Sythrax and Ilyr are weaker in formal worship but far more destabilizing than several higher-ranked gods.

Mortal societies worship the pantheon as a dangerous divine family rather than a unified church. Most communities honor Vaul, Elaris, Brannoc, and Nymara publicly, while warriors invoke Kharos, rulers placate Morvane and Veyra, scholars seek Othrys, and travelers bargain with Selkene. Talanor's devotees gather around rebellions and omens, while Sythrax and Ilyr are condemned as enemies of civilization. Clerics may serve one deity exclusively, belong to rival sects, or interpret the entire pantheon through local custom. Temples often contain multiple shrines because mortals know that Vaul's law, Elaris's mercy, Brannoc's craft, and Nymara's memory are all needed to resist the wrathful powers beyond the world.

The dead descend first into the Ashen Vestibule, where Vaul judges their oaths and Nymara weighs their grief. The worthy are claimed by a deity whose values they embodied: warriors may join Kharos, mourners may rest with Elaris, and seekers may enter Othrys's starry archives. The dishonored are cast into the Maw Below, where Sythrax devours their names. Even the blessed fear that Talanor may one day break the gates and unleash the dead upon the living.