The Old Gods

Dwayna

The goddess of life and air, Dwayna is the even-tempered leader of the old gods. Her followers are primarily healing Monks and Elementalists specialising in Air Magic (though in times of war, there are few who do not send a prayer to the Winged Goddess to spare them or their loved ones). Dwayna is often depicted as young, tall and slender, rising above the ground on huge feathered wings. Canthan artists often depict her floating above the vibrant, living souls of their eternal ancestors.



Balthazar

The god of war and fire, Balthazar is often worshipped by Warriors and Elementalists, though Monks devoted to the Protection or Smiting disciplines can also be found among his devotees. Army commanders and guild lords will often say a few words to the Bastion of Martial Glory before leading their followers into battle. Balthazar is frequently shown holding a greatsword, its tip lodged in the ground, with a pair of battle hounds sitting at attention at his feet. In Cantha, the sword is usually one of the single-edged imperial style and the battle hounds are usually replaced with winged drakes.



Grenth

Necromancers learn early that the way to true power is by bowing down at the foot of the god of death and ice to pledge total, undying allegiance. The Assassins of Cantha pay homage to Grenth, and rarely take on a job unless a priest of Grenth places a blessing upon the task. Ritualists, who speak to and control the darker forces of the underworld, also draw strength from Grenth’s teachings. Statues of Grenth depict the god with the body of a man and the narrow, skeletal head of a beast; Canthan artists tend to add a draconic look to the skull. The Canthan version of Grenth stands astride a small mountain of the dead, but in Canthan art the faces of these corpses are always averted from the god of death, as if in shame, to distinguish these enslaved dead from the “living” ancestor spirits.



Lyssa

Twin goddesses of beauty and illusion forming a paradoxically singular entity, Lyssa is the patron god of the Mesmer profession in the northern Tyrian continent. In Cantha she also represents the incarnation of luck, both good and bad. Many Canthan Assassins revere Lyssa more for her intrinsic duality than her famous beauty and have been known to invoke her charms. Depictions of Lyssa in Canthan culture reflect the typical northern style: lithe twin figures of exquisite beauty entwined in an eternal dance.



Melandru

Many Canthans, especially the suspicious Luxons and the warlike Kurzicks, believe that the goddess of earth and nature has abandoned the empire. They believe that not even Melandru could have withstood Shiro Tagachi’s literally petrifying death cry. But Melandru’s devoted followers—the Rangers, Earth Elementalists, and many cultist sects—know that this is merely a misunderstanding of what the goddess truly represents. They know that the goddess endures within the crystalline shell of the once-thriving Canthan landscape. Melandru is frequently depicted in both Cantha and Tyria as a tall, winged dryad from the waist up. But whereas northerners see a creature whose lower half grows naturally into a living tree, Canthan artists usually describe a severe figure ensconced in an outcrop of Echovald quartz. Melandru’s roadside temples offer shelter, food and water to weary travelers even in Cantha, though such shrines are few, and separated by long stretches of lifeless stonescape.
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