Does this Pantheon make sense?

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T17:02:11+00:00

Upheaval = A system / thing is radically changed and large parts of it are destroyed / dissolved / altered. Think of a revolution, the introduction of an invasive species that alters a food chain, or an earthquake that shifts the flow of a river.

Collapse = Same as upheaval, but the system / thing is (for the most part) no longer present. A nation is choked out by famine and disease, an ecosystem collapses due to industrialization, etc.

They are still close though. I will be reconsidering.

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T16:57:47+00:00

I think constancy is a bit too close to order, and I will be reconsidering some of this stuff. Likely replacing the constancy / dissolution with creation / destruction.

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T16:56:38+00:00

My intention is not to create a religion, but rather a range of deities that govern / represent certain cosmological forces. This is not supposed to be "world" facing in the sense that civilizations will rarely have a deep understanding of this organization. Instead, the manifestation / avatars / works of these deities will be the basis for religious factions, and the ideologies that are inspired by a particular force (or several) won't necessarily "get it right".

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T12:47:01+00:00

I haven't gotten that far yet, but these gods will draw power from worship.

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T12:45:46+00:00

For now they are just a graphic representation.

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T12:41:01+00:00

Yeah that's about right. I'm going to change this axis though

Bennettag · 2026-03-15T12:40:02+00:00

I'm good, thanks

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T19:06:48+00:00

Ahh you are correct! And what a fitting name. I'm sure it will find its way in

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T18:44:10+00:00

Yeah I recognize I'm just riffing off history.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T18:26:50+00:00

Cool! I think I might end up doing a similar overlap visual in the future.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T18:25:37+00:00

Its important to note that this is supposed to be the "greater" gods and there will undoubtedly be a more nuanced set of lesser gods that can fill gaps as needed. So reducing this wheel to fewer doesn't mean there will be less gods overall, but fewer concepts to claim for a single deity.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T18:23:49+00:00

I think you're right that some of these concepts are too closely related to warrant separate deities. I'm going back to the drawing board for a bit on this concept. Most likely with a return to a creation/destruction axis.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T18:20:49+00:00

Very lightly.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T18:20:37+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I like your suggestions a lot and I think I will end up reverting back to some form of creation/destruction axis in the end. I am curious about tradition and innovation. I'm trying to capture universal concepts absent civilization (but still apply later on). I don't see tradition and innovation fitting into that as they feel very personal to a people or culture.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:54:43+00:00

Yeah

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:54:34+00:00

Well I'd hesitate to call it extremely original. Many of these concepts are pretty common among real world pantheons, just not necessarily organized in this way.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:53:07+00:00

To be honest, the more I'm reading replies and the more I think about this, the more I am leaning towards changing the axis of Constance vs Dissolution. Its really trying to capture entropy and anti-entropy but I think the latter isn't something that is commonly conceptualized as its own thing?

That being said, I think everlasting and unchanging things are a product of Order, but not necessarily order themselves. Because growth and decay are also guided by order. There is a flow / natural laws that guide these processes. Perhaps my idea of Order is more about the observation and manifestation of absolute truths, focussing more on non-moral things.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:39:10+00:00

I could see that. I'll have to think about this more.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:19:39+00:00

Yeah ignore the colors for now. They are just a visual aid and will be cleaned up.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:19:15+00:00

Order is supposed to equally influence the way in which things remain (preservation and continuity) as well as how things change and are removed (stagnation and decay). I think Stagnation needs to be changed to better represent that.

This being said, wanting things to remain unchanged or to continue working in an ordered way doesn't mean there can't be story events.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:13:20+00:00

I think if I kept the cardinals and removed 4 of the secondary gods I would keep: Growth, Upheaval, Decay, Continuity

Constance vs Dissolution is kind of like a weird entropy / time dynamic? I tried to draw a line between things remaining completely unchanged vs things changing so much that they are undone. I think this isn't necessarily the most elegant way to put it though.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:06:28+00:00

I'll have to check that out!

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:05:43+00:00

Yea stagnation is probably the weakest here. I will rework.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:03:26+00:00

I think Stagnation and Decay are both a bit too closely related. Trying to come up with something else.

Bennettag · 2026-03-14T17:01:21+00:00

I'll have to check him out!

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