Lantowolnt

The deities of the Wolntarean, the Lantowolnt are known as the Spirits. While they have the powers of deities, well beyond what is capable by most mortals, they are not omnipotent. They are viewed as protectors of the Wolntarean and as forces of the natural world with their own agendas.

History

Wolntarean historians and Wolntxima, those religious leaders who follow the Lantowolnt, speak of four major time periods: Sunrise, Season of Spring, Season of Autumn, and Season of Winter, with the last being the current age.

Sunrise

The history of the Lantowolnt is closely intertwined with that of the Wolntareans themselves, beginning with Lelantos, the first Lantowolnt, and Shards, and first (remembered) Wolntarean.

During the latter half of the Age of Prophecy, over 3 thousand years ago, the Empire of Loushae, sprawled across the continent even before the ancient nations of Shesaen, Otakai, or the Bain’nard. Loushae had an extremely strict caste system and religion, believing in the power of Arcane Casters as Divine Beings. The empire villainized those who did not share this religion and one of those groups were the Wolnt People, who worshipped the Spirits of the Land, and for this were considered the lowest of the low, mistreated, and often used as slaves.

Near the end of the Age of Prophecy, a young Wolnt known as Node caught the attention of the Trickster Spirit, Lelantos, and the two made a deal. Node would free his people with the help of Lelantos and, in turn, Node would make it known that Lelantos was the most powerful of the Spirits.

As the two prepared for the war to free the Wolnt People, other Spirits joined them. They become some of the most powerful and well-known of the Wolnt People:

Node faced many challenges in the fight for freedom and, over this time, Node gained the name Shards, a twist on the word Shar which mean hero. Just before he led the uprising against the capital of Loushae, Kayae, the Fey Star gifted Shards with a horn to lead their people into battle.

The uprising eventually led to Loushae’s collapse, coinciding near the beginning of the Age of Darkness1. With their newly gained freedom, the Wolnt People renamed themselves, Wolntare2. Shards remained a hero for the people even after he was long gone and Shards Horn, that gift from Kayae, became one of the most prized artifacts.

1While the two occurred close in time, there is no relation. The Age of Darkness is marked from a distant land for events which history has mostly forgotten about. There mages had perfected the art of divination, yet when their most powerful predictions came out wrong, many nations collapsed.

2‘tare,’ at the time meant true.

Season of Spring

Season of Autumn

Throughout the millennium of the Wolntarean peoples’ freedom, one spirit has stayed constant: Loel, the Shadow Spirit. In many ways, Loel is the opposite side of the same coin to Lelantos. But while Lelantos plays tricks for a combination of fun and support of his people, Loel uses manipulation as a way to gain power.

After the Land Spirits no longer faced external threats, they took to their own ways. Loel used this time to seek power. He learned from Lelantos that it was possible to make deals with people and gain a puppet, so to speak, through which to act. He made many deals over the years. While those that were called to him, were dangerous, many never amounted to much.

Then, in –2158 CE, Loel made a pact with a young woman, Lonowẽda, who had lost her family in an accident, the cause of which was traced back to a trick of Lelantos. Lonowẽda fed her power from her anger and grew. She eventually controlled all the Wolntareans as a dark queen as a means to take revenge on Lelantos. Over the decades, she made deals with other beings, devils, demons, shadows and aberrations. To avoid others discovering the source of her true power, which was still Loel, she claimed to be blessed by a being known as Khethar.

She was eventually overthrown and imprisoned.

Season of Winter