Longbridge L O N G B R I D G E
The Skybourne Pantheon
The mythology of the Order of Solus, now referred to as the Skyborne Pantheon, was centred around a group of gods and goddesses who presided over various aspects of life in the city.
The Skyborne Pantheon was an integral part of daily life for the people of Longbridge, with each deity having their own temples, rituals, and festivals. The worship of these gods and goddesses focused on maintaining harmony with the forces of nature and seeking their guidance and protection to ensure the continued prosperity and safety of the city.
In the current era, the Skybourne Pantheon is regarded as an obsolete, superstitious and complicated doctrine. It’s temples have largely been repurposed to other functions, except for the largest, the Grand Temple of Solus in Union, which serves as the headquarters and ceremonial site for the modern day Veil and Sky. The main lasting imprint that this mythology has on the culture of Longbridge is to provide the names used for the months of the year, various idioms and sayings that are still in common use, and sometimes as facenames.
Deities of the Skybourne Pantheon
Firis, God of the Sky
Ruled the heavens and provided the canvas against which the history of Longbridge was played out, as well as the keeper of time, bringing the inevitability of both life and death to the citizens of Longbridge. As a father figure, Firis represents the responsibility of a father to ‘pull up’ their children into the world - to raise and socialise them to thrive.
Nebura, Goddess of the Veil
The guardian of the ever-present blanket of cloud that rolled below the bridge, shielding the city from the supposed horrors of below. Nebura was also credited with the creation of the bridge itself, represented as the birth of Aurin, and by extension all the people of Longbridge. As a mother figure, Nebura represents the genesis of each individual person, and the responsibility of a mother to protect their children’s health and physical wellbeing.
Selindra - Goddess of the Sun
She provided warmth and light to the people. Selindra represented life, light, and daytime, and was dual with Valdor.
Valdor - God of the Moon
He governed the night and influenced the cycles of life, as well as providing a soft, ethereal glow to guide the city’s denizens in darkness. Valdor is dual with Selindra.
Ganthor - God of the Winds
De ensured that the air was always flowing, providing the people with fresh air and governing the weather, and representing valor, responsibility and taking the high road in conflicts.
Rokan - God of Thunder
He was a fearsome and powerful deity whose rage created mighty storms, and representing resentment and revenge.
Elyssia - Goddess of the Stars
She represented the mystery of the world beyond the bridge, and wanderlust of adventure into the unknown, offering guidance and wisdom to those who sought it. Elyssia was said to be manifest in the form of the swarms of luminari found everywhere in Longbridge.
Nymira - Goddess of Dreams
The keeper of the subconscious, provided solace and guidance through dreams and visions to the people of Longbridge, and embodied solitude, calm, and the value of introspection.
Aurin - Child of the Bridge
Not really considered a full deity in dir own right, Aurin was the personification of the bridge itself, birthed by Nebura into the world, and raised up to the heavens by Firis. As a representation of a child, de was not attributed any particular sphere of responsibility and mainly existed to establish the importance of ‘protection’ in the familial archetype of Firis and Nebura, and as such, didn’t have a dual. To the extent that Aurin embodied any particular concepts, it would be precarity and vulnerability, since the bridge is seen as exposed to the elements, and reliant on appropriate support to thrive.
Dualities
The Skybourne Pantheon was structured in a system of nested ‘duals’. When each deity was paired with another, that pairing was paired with another, and so on. Each pairing had spiritual significance on top of that provided by each individual deity. The final pairing, known as Solus, represented the unity of the cosmos, although it did not have a personification or specific sphere of dominion.
Firis and Nebura
Said to be in a relationship with each other because they meet at the horizon. Their relationship was perceived as ideal, and they supported each other. Their duality represented parenthood, connection, and enduring love. Embodying the ideal parental archetype, Firis provided safety during the day and Nebura at night. The duality of Firis and Nebura reminded citizens that the family was built upon the close cooperation of both parents to provide stability and protection to their children.
Valdor and Selindra
It was said that they were in a mutually unrequited relationship, each one chasing the other across the sky, never catching up and therefore never able to have their desire fulfilled. The duality of Valdor and Selindra represented tragedy, separation, and longing, and gives rise to the idiom “chasing Veldor/Selindra”.
Ganthor and Rokan
It was said that they were brothers engaged in a bitter, eternal feud. Rokan was scheming, ever trying to dispatch rain and storms to disrupt Ganthor’s peace and undermine his authority. He was seen as fallen and misled due to his obsession with revenge. Ganthor was seen as taking the high road of forgiveness and tolerance, and dir mature approach brought stability and tranquillity. The duality of Ganthor and Rokan represented the souring of formerly fond relationships, the seduction of revenge, and the way that rising above squabbles yields more favourable conditions for everyone.
Elyssia and Nymira
It was said that they complemented each other; Elyssia, the outward quest for knowledge and the bravery to face the unknown, and Nymira, the inward quest to understand one’s self and the mysteries that lie within. Their duality represented the balance between seeking external adventures and internal understanding, between relying on others and improving oneself, and between laying the blame for misfortune on the world and one’s own deeds. The duality of Elyssia and Nymira reminded citizens that reward is found on both the inward and outward journeys of the soul.