World-Building by way of finding Motivation

Spent some time this week trying to build the world for my book.  Which doesn't make a lot of sense considering how hard it's been for me to write, but who cares, right?  I mean, seriously... who cares?  It's hard to write for an audience of 0 people.  At least for me.  At least right now.  So anyway, maybe I'll put it together, and maybe I won't.  Regardless, here's the bit of backstory development.  Enjoy it and comment on its awesomeness.  Or don't.  Heh.

The Pantheon of the Free Cities

Jove – The All-Father of the Gods.  God of Storms and Harvest.  Called Olinder by the Elves.

Hellicate – Jove’s Wife.  The goddess of Life and Fertility. 

Apollo – Son of Jove and Hellicate.  God of Courage, Knowledge, and Warriors.

Alitiera – Daughter of Jove and Hellicate.  Goddess of Wisdom, the Moon, and Nature. 

 -- Alitiera is also the name of the primary moon, usually white, occasionally orange.

Thoren – Son of Jove and Hellicate.  God of Home, Hearth, and Forge.  Father of Dwarves.

Tyranna – Mistress of Jove.  Goddess of Conquest and Seduction.

 -- Tyranna is also the name of the secondary moon, usually red.

Bel – Daughter of Jove and Tyranna.  Goddess of Death.  Considered an Aspect of Olinder by elves.

Dwarven Pantheon

Thoren – Father of Dwarves.

Hephaestus – Dwarven Patron of Smiths.

Caerditter – Dwarven Patroness of Life and Family.

Doluminael – Dread Keeper of Secrets and Dark Places.

Maelificent – Wife of Doluminael.  Revered as the Great Mother by goblins.

Elven Theology

All elves revere Olinder, the One True God, who exists in four Aspects.  Many, but not all, elven theologians believe Olinder is himself an Aspect of Jove, the human All-Father, and that the rest of the human gods are merely lesser Aspects of Jove/Olinder that, for whatever reason, the One True God has chosen not to Reveal to his Truest People.  Elves disagree about what this portends.  Nevertheless, all elves can channel at least one aspect of Olinder, using it to do what humans consider “fey magic”, though not always with equal degrees of ability.  This leads to a stratification of elven society along caste-like lines. 

Elven Society and the Aspects of Olinder

In Elven theology, Olinder is represented by a four-pointed compass with Helios at the north point, Gaia in the west, Bel at the south, and Arcanus at the east point. 

Helios – the Aspect of Life and Opportunity.  Elves who channel Helios are called “Lights”.  Minor lights are the most common type of elves, becoming farmers, builders, or healers.

Gaia – the Aspect of Nature and Wisdom.  Elves who can channel Gaia are called “Druids”.

• Dualists who can channel both Helios and Gaia are called “Lifesingers”.

Bel – the Aspect of Fate and Death.  Elves who can channel Bel are called “Mortiers”.  

•  --- Dualists who can channel both Gaia and Bel are called “Truthspeakers”.  

Arcanus – Aspect of True Magic and Courage.  Elves who channel Arcanus are called “Magicians”. 

• Dualists who can channel both Bel and Arcanus are called “Necromancers”.

• Dualists who can channel both Arcanus and Helios are called “Sorcerers”.

Elves who can channel all four Aspects of Olinder are very rare.  They become the elven Wise Ones and are leaders of elven society.  Elves who can channel two Aspects of Olinder are called Dualists.  They are also very rare, but not so vanishingly rare as Wise Ones. 

Lifesingers are generally the most powerful and revered of Dualists, and they make up the upper crust of elven society.  They are the kings and High Mages of the elven nation.  Truthspeakers and Sorcerers are next, though they occupy very different places in the social order.  Truthspeakers generally serve as counselors, viziers, or priests, but common elves often find them unsettling.  Sorcerers are considered blessed amongst the elves, and they generally become either wizards or war leaders.

Magicians are the rarest and most revered of Singulars.  They also become often wizards, though lesser wizards than those who are Sorcerers.  Minor Magicians who are trained to fight with a sword are called “Blade Dancers”.  These are the elves’ elite soldiers. 

Below Magicians are Druids.  At least one Druid can be found in nearly every elven village.  Though not generally given leadership roles, Druids—and their control of nature—are utterly essential to the elven way of life.  As such they are well-respected by the common folk.

The very vast majority of elves are Lights.  They channel Life in myriad minor ways, encouraging their crops and generally living to be ancient by human standards.  Still, their “magic” is minimal at best.

The lowest of the low are the Mortiers.  Their powers are often less than those of even minor Lights, and their touch is considered to be bad luck.  Mortiers are often killed by their parents during infancy or sold into slavery.

Like Mortiers, Necromancers are hated and feared by common elves, unlike Mortiers, common elves have good reason to fear Necromancers.  As powerful as even the greatest of Dualists, but uniformly cruel and self-interested, Necromancers command the powers of Death and Magic and are the boogeymen of elven society.  Thankfully, Necromancers are no more common than Lifespeakers.