In the first age, mortal communities were threatened by a formless conflict between law, freedom, compassion, ambition, balance, chance, envy, and destruction. Iunathar gathered these forces into nine immortal persons, binding them with the Accord. The gods then shaped the mortal world as a proving ground where choices could give meaning to morality. Each deity now maintains a champion tradition, and the most influential champions may become saints, demigods, or the next generation of divine contenders.

The universe is the Ninefold Accord, a living covenant formed when Iunathar bound eight primal forces into a single divine assembly. Each god governs one moral direction, while mortal choice creates movement between them. The gods cannot directly erase one another, because Orun maintains the balance of existence and Iunathar's First Law forbids divine annihilation. Instead, they act through omens, miracles, cults, relics, and mortal champions.

The religion is a loose but deeply interconnected network of temples, household shrines, civic priesthoods, mystery cults, and champion orders. Most communities acknowledge all nine gods, assigning each a place in the year and a role in civic life. The High Conclave, based in the city of Nine Arches, includes one mortal representative from each divine tradition but has no authority over Iunathar's temples or the outlawed cults of Othuun. Every 1, 25, or 100 years, depending on divine signs, the gods initiate the Tournament of Crowns. Each deity chooses a mortal champion, and the tournament's trials determine which god receives interpretive authority over the pantheon until the next contest.

The gods are openly engaged with mortal civilization. They answer prayers through omens, grant miracles through clerics and paladins, sponsor temples and political movements, and select mortal champions for the Tournament of Crowns. Mortal choices can embarrass, empower, or weaken a deity, so every temple is also a political faction. Some cities honor all nine gods through a shared civic calendar, while others outlaw particular deities and risk provoking divine retaliation.

The dead arrive at the Hall Beyond the Ninth Gate, where Iunathar weighs each soul against the choices it made. Souls are then drawn toward one of the eight divine dominions according to their deepest allegiance, though Talaris may claim the selfless, Veyra the ambitious, and Othuun the unrepentant. Those who reject every bond wander the Gray Margins until one deity offers them purpose.