Triumvirate of Archons

The Triumvirate of Archons is a polytheistic pantheon that can be used as the only pantheon within a setting or as one of many.

With many varying modes of worship and themes of dogma, the Triumvirate if a fundamentally fragmented though ultimately unified faith. In essence it is a paradoxical religion that brings unity through strife. Though each of the three deities are most commonly worshiped separately, there are those who worship them all as a single godhead. Between them and those who do not worship in such a manner, there is plenty of room for conflict.

The Triumvirate
As you might expect, there are three principle deities within the Triumvirate as follows:

Ristnim
Ristnim is the central and most widely worshiped figure of the Triumvirate. He is a profoundly sad god, who mourns the death of his wife forever until such a time as she might be restored to him. His grief is compounded on itself, as due to its constant and extreme nature, no other being in the celestial firmament is inclined to intrude on his godly sorrow and thus comfort him. Though consumed with grief, he sees all, and weeps all the more for the pain and sorrow the people of his world inflict on each other.

Those who worship him seek the promise of his divine tears that offer absolution for all transgressions along with the ability to heal all wounds and ills. His faithful seek the wisdom only Ristnim can offer and in exchange pray to their god that his grief may be abated.

In the iconography of the Triumvirate, Ristnim is represented by the larger grey orb.

Sombali
Sombali is seen as an active, energetic god, overflowing with ideas and optimism. It should not be assumed that he is a "good" deity, as many of the events in his history are anything but. Ultimately though, his motivations are a quintessential example of the "best of intentions" that do not always go as planned or desired, as his exuberance often leads to faulty planning if he even plans at all.

Followers of Sombali seek his blessing in their passionate pursuits, whatever they may be. Those people who are propelled by desire, passion, or ambition offer up prayers and service to Sombali. In return Sombali smiles on them and fills the worthy with inspiration and the faith to follow their own dreams, if not always the fortune needed to meet with success.

In the iconography of the Triumvirate, Sombali is represented by the smaller red orb.

Xarmalan
Xarmalan is quiet, removed, and never satisfied but he is nonetheless a thoughtful and prudent god. When he does act it is with a dispassionate efficiency that is a near perfect foil to the methods of Sombali. Though frequently broody, melancholic, and intransigent, he is no less caring than the other deities in the Triumvirate. This component of his personality is facilitated by his spouse, Sahn, who attends to the Thoughtful God in all the swings of his perpetual disquiet.

Worshipers of Xarmalan seek his steady hand in matters of great importance. His disciples are keenly aware that the world is no place for reckless pursuits and that only through careful planning and consideration will prosperity be achieved. In return for their emotionless devotion, Xarmalan offers his faithful guidance and protection from the chaotic world in which they live.

In the iconography of the Triumvirate, Xarmalan is represented by the smaller green orb.

Creation
From what is known of it, there was no beginning. Ristnim existed, yet he was not alone. There was one other. Through uncountable eons he was with his wife, Khala, who was like him in power and majesty. They complemented each other in the most grand and subtlest of ways. Their mutual bliss was great, yet after time without measure a longing crept into Khala's heart. No one knows where this longing came from or why it came at all, for the fulfillment that both Ristnim and Khala gained from the other was supremely perfect. Yet the longing came, and Khala desired greatly to have other things like herself about her and with her. She desired things with voices and minds and wills of their own, so that the great emptiness of the void might be lessened.

For countless years Khala sought to bring new life into being, yet her efforts bore no fruit. During all of her endeavors, her husband Ristnim was idle and did not aid or inquire as to why she toiled in futile pursuits, for he did not share her desire. As each of Khala's efforts met with failure, the longing in her heart burned greater and grew into frustration and then anger and ultimately wrath. Eventually she became consumed with the rage of her unfulfilled desire, and Ristnim was no comfort to her.

Ultimately, in an act of unfathomable fury she tore her heart from her chest, seeking to rid herself of the pain that had consumed her and robbed her of her former joy. In so doing, she died and when Ristnim came upon her he marveled at what he saw. Away from the body of Khala, Ristnim found that her heart had become a great ball of flame. So fierce it was that even Ristnim was unable to approach it as the unquenchable desire of Khala burned on even in death. Knowing that without her heart within her Khala could never be restored to life, Ristnim took her body and fashioned a world from it. Over this world he labored, seeking to impart the life to it that Khala had sought. Yet his efforts were also for naught. In time, as his failures mounted and mingled with his grief, a single tear fell from Ristnim's eye and onto the world he had made from the body of his goddess.

Ristnim paused and watched, and then saw that from his tear new things began to appear. Creatures of every kind grew and walked about and marveled at their own existence. In that moment Ristnim was struck dumb, and he realized that his indifference in the labors of his wife were the cause of her failure. Knowing then that he played a role in her end, his repressed sadness overwhelmed him and tears poured from his eyes in numbers undreamt of. In that way not only was the new life on this new world diversified and made abundant, but great oceans and rivers were made, that, coupled with the ever-burning heart of Khala, sustained the world with life.

When his work was done, Ristnim sat with sorrow as his only company. He took no pleasure from what had been made, considering what it had cost to make it. After many an age of unending grief, Ristnim had one thought left to him: to escape his own sadness.

Emergence of The Triumvirate
After a great many years, before the speaking peoples of the world began to gain their bearing and construct great cities in which to dwell, Ristnim reached the limit of his sanity. After enduring so much time under the grip of his own despondency, his mind fractured. He had two desires within himself that competed for dominance, one to be free of his grief and capable of creating more new and wondrous things on his teeming world, and the other to liberate himself from the unbearable emotions that plagued him and simultaneously to bring order and greater perfection to what had already been created.

In the end the dual pressures of the war against himself and the unabating grief was too much even for a god to endure. In either an act of inspired creation or reactionary desperation, out erupted from the very flesh of Ristnim three quarreling new deities. So sudden was their emergence that the new gods were at first unaware of their new existence as they continued throw themselves at the other, filling the heavens with the sparks of their strife that have ever since burned in the night sky. Yet after a time one of them looked away from the godly struggle and beheld the ruin that had befallen Ristnim. So died the last of The First. Yet like Khala before him, Ristnim's body was taken by the freshly birthed gods and made into a new thing. Fashioned into a heavenly object akin to Khala's heart, it was placed in the sky and it glowed with an ethereal light that was the manifestation of the sorrow that lingered in the body of Ristnim even though all life had left it.

Universal Beliefs

 * Marriage is the most sacred of institutions.
 * Just as the greatest bliss came to Ristnim and Khala by their union, so too is it for us. Those who trespass against a marriage, or the institution itself, are guilty of the greatest of blasphemies and abominations.
 * The world is founded on evil forces.
 * The world was built from death. It is illuminated by the radiance of divine rage.  Tears of sorrow brought life to us all.  Vigilance and defense against evil is a great virtue.
 * Working alone is a sin.
 * Ristnim failed in not aiding his beloved. Khala failed in selfishly persuing her futile ambitions.  Those who mirror their actions are prideful and worthy only of condemnation.

Beliefs of The Cult of Ristnim

 * Sorrow and grief are the greatest of virtuous emotions.
 * They are the origins of compassion, charity, and nobility. Embrace them to attain enlightenment.
 * Only through sorrow and loss can true wisdom and understanding be attained.
 * The loss of Khala provided Ristnim with the means to see what he otherwise could not. Nothing is truly appreciated when it is possessed.
 * Comforting the grieving, healing the sick, and otherwise relieving hurts of the world is virtuous.
 * Just as Ristnim ever mourns for Khala and heals the pain of the world, so, as good disciples, should we strive to do the same.

Beliefs of The Cult of Sombali

 * Death is beautiful.
 * Had the death of Khala not come to her, the world would have never been. Rejoice in all death, as it brings life and new possibilities.
 * Fortune follows those who act in the interests of the Triumvirate.
 * Not all meet with success. Surely those who do are favored above others and have been blessed by the Archons.
 * Artists, warriors, and prostitutes hold the holiest of professions.
 * They represent the greatest virtues of the universe because through them exuberance flows and the beauty of the world is revealed.

Beliefs of The Cult of Xarmalan

 * Evil can never be destroyed, but it can always be prevented.
 * Through reason and discretion, clarity can be gained to avoid and prevent the ills of the world.
 * First perfect what is, only then should new things be made.
 * The world is lessened by abundant mediocrity. Strive to improve what already is so that quality exceeds quantity.
 * Judges, alchemists, and craftsmen are the holiest of professions.
 * Their labors of thought and skill seek to bring order and purpose to a world rife with chaos.