Turos
Background:
Turos is the Pelandan god of Earthfire, who raised the mountains, carved the rivers, and shaped the first temples. His worship is closely related to that of the Dara Happan cult of Lodril, and the two cults have a long standing rivalry. In Pelanda, it was Turos who went into the Underworld, defeated Derdromus and won the hand of Oria. The cult of Turos once had a higher status in Pelanda than does Lodril in Dara Happa, where the Emperor Yelm reigns supreme. Turos sat on the High Seat of the Jernotian ring, where he was hailed as the God of Power. He gave laws to humans and received the blessing of Idovanus (in his pre-carmanian form). In those early years, he was worshiped by men from all parts of society - farmers and artists, kings and councilmen.
Although Turos was once the Great God Pelanda, his cult has fallen into serious decline over the last thousand years. The Carmanian Dualistic Church, established in 750 ST by Carmanos the Prophet, designated Turos as one of the Good Gods but relegated his worship to the peasant underclass. The arrival of the Lunar Empire in 1241 ST freed the peasants of the eastern Oronin Valley, but Carmanian Dualism was replaced by the Lunar pantheon among the Pelandan Firsts and Seconds. The cult of Turos remained primarily a god of the lowborn. One partial exception is the subcult of KetTuros, which is Turos in his Council Leader aspect. The subcult is primarily used for rules of order and traditional civic rituals, especially in Balovius and Rafalios.
SubCults:
ChekTuros - War Turos, who saved his lover by driving off Daxdarius.
DedaddiTuros - Bringer of Harmony. God of the Council in Balovius and Rafelios.
Deveria - A heroine from the Darkness who "rekindled dead Turos in the black city of
Hagu."*
Father Turos - God of Masculinity.
KetTuros - God of Cities, first worshiped under this name in Kendesos.
Ruler of Below - God of the Underworld.
Turos the Shaker - Also called HerraTuros, Defender of Osthens.
Turos the Shaper - God of Artists.
Idomon The Prophet - Heroic son of Turos and Jernotia, grand-father of Gartemirus.
Gartemirus The Wise - A Pelandan king, and the great-grandson of Turos and Jernotia.
Temples:
KetTuros -
Balovius and Rafalios (DedaddiTuros - The Council Staff)
Kendesos
Turos the Shaker - Osthens (HerraTuros)
*From Nick Brooke's article on the Oronin Valley.
Father Turos
(Subcult Draft)
Turos was the Great God of ancient Pelanda; blessed by Idovanus and Giver of Law. He is
the Shaper of the land and its living things. He defeated Derdromus to liberate his wife,
Oria, and the other goddesses of Life from the Underworld. He is the Lord of Volcanoes and
Male Power. He sits upon the High Seat of the Jernotian Ring, where he is revered as
the God of Power, and is worshipped as the God of Cities throughout much of the Oronin
Valley. Turos is generally worshipped in conjunction with the cult of his wife, Oria, High
Goddess of Success.
Turos has many Aspects, including The Father (leadership, health, potency), KetTuros (God of Cities, Harmony), The Shaper (construction, painting, pottery, and sculpture), and The Shaker (earthquakes, volcanoes, and war). Turos the Father is the cult that reveres Turos as the husband of Oria, father of many famous dieties and heros. Farmers throughout the Oronin valley turn to Turos, along with Oria, to ensure the heath and prosperity of their families, crops, and livestock. The myths of Turos also provide pelandan men with a role-model for their relationship with family and community.
In modern Pelanda, the cult of Father Turos draws most of its worshipers from the lower classes. In the Western Reaches (predominately in the Satrapy of Jhor), the cult is restricted to men of the peasant caste. Dispite four hundred years of freedom from Carmanian rule, Turos the Father never regained its former prominance east of the Oronin river. The highest Pelandan class in Lunar Pelanda (Seconds) have generally adopted the Lunar pantheon, leaving Turos the Father to the Thirds.
Entry Requirements: Any man. Restricted to the Peasant Caste in the Western
Reaches.
Physical Skills: Spear Combat (except in the Western Reaches), Seduction,
Endurance.
Mental Skills: Orate, Appraise Character, Mythology of Turos.
Virtues: Passionate
Affinities:
Leadership (Command Silence, Inspire Solidarity, Preside)
Health (Resist Cold, Warm Earth, Heal)
Potency (Satisfy Woman, Father Child, Animal Magnetism)
Secret: Life - Turos possesses the very stuff of life, and can restore himself or
others from virtually any wound - even Death itself.
Worshippers: Men in the Oronin Valley, restricted to the Peasant Caste in the
Western Reaches.
Other Side: Turos can be found in two places on the Other Side. Turos sits in the
High Seat of the Jernotain Ring, along with the other High Gods, on Mt. Jernotia. His
other abode is in the Underworld. When he rescued Oria from Derdromus, Turos claimed his
foe's dominion as his own. Turos divided the underworld into four parts, the first
of which is the mundane "underground". Deeper still lies the realms of
myth: Vikoranath where lies the Palace of Turos and Oria, and four magnificent
fountains - Purity, Memory, Bliss, and Rebirth. This is where most of his household
is to be found, depending upon the season. The third realm is Anudidala, the House
of Veskerele, and is reachable only by Heroes. Dwelling within are the lesser
deities of Earth and the souls of beasts of the hunt. Lastly is Darharvan.
Imprisoned here are hunger, madness, fear, and disease. They only come out when he
lets them. From the Palace of Turos, worshipers can exit into the Green Age, Golden
Age, Storm Age, and Darkness Age.
Other Connections: Turos is the husband of Oria, Goddess of Success. He is
the father of many children including Ekus the Wild Man, Idojartos (the Good Herdsman),
Idomon the Prophet, Vogestes the Spearman, and Veskerele (Lord of the Land of
Bones). Not all of his children are by Oria, and he is worshipped as the lover of a
variety of lesser goddesses throughout Pelanda. Turos is also one of the High Gods of the
Jernotian Ring and is on good terms with the cults of those deities.
Disadvantages: Turos is the hated enemy of Derdromus, JagaNatha, and Daxdarius.
Mythic Notes:
Due to his battles with the Blue People, southern Pelanda is dotted with hotsprings and gysers. Because of Turos, the waters of Lake Oronin are warm, and are shrouded in mist most of the year.
Turos is the Artisan, who sculpted the hills and valleys of the world and painted them with living things. Thus he is seen as the patron of painters and sculptors throughout Pelanda - the Land of Art.
His wife is Oria, the High Goddess of Success. He gained Her hand through strength and courage when he rescued Her from the Underworld where she had been held captive by Derdromus. The two of them had many sons together, although both Turos and Oria had sons through other partners. Among the many sons of Turos were Idojartos, the god of shepards and herdsmen, and Idovanus the Prophet.
Turos sits on the High Seat of the Jernotian Gods where he rules with his wife, Oria, and the other High Gods - Bentus, Dendara, Idovanus, Jernotia, and Uleria. He is the patron of the City Fathers throughout Pelanda, where he is worshiped as KetTuros.
Is Turos Lodril?
According to the Entekosiad (High Pelanda - Turos, pg 45), Turos is the
son of KaCharal, the Shaper. It was KaCharal who created the world, shaped the
mountains
Published Myths
Turos (ViSaruDaran, DiDalaDaran)
FaElsor and the Serpent
: Entek 10 - lists VenegDel, "The Burning Hare" (trickster) "The fire that burns inside people" as son of Turos.
ViSaruDaran: Entek 16 - "He is the Great Earth Grandfather, the first Ergantae [Earth Walkers - Moderi?], who is beloved by all women and obeyed by all men. He shaped the rivers and mountains, and he made the first plants and animals." He is the favorite son of KaCharal (shaper) and ReDalaMa ("Our earth mother, the terrestrial Goddess from whom all life comes"). Also called ViTersu - Great Masculine-Power.
ViSaruDaran the Painter: Entek 16 - ViSaruDaran paints the surface world, plants and animals.
ViSaruDaran and BesedEria: Entek 17 - ViSaruDaran gets his wife from the underworld. Uses his heat to heal.
The Father of Mountains: Entek 44 - BesedEria asked her husband to create mountains.
Turos: Entek 45 - Turos' dad listed as KaCharal - The Shaper. Turos defeats Derdromus and makes the underworld his home.
Oria: Entek 46 - Turos claims Oria as his wife.
Oria Rescued: Entek 47 - Oria is kidnapped four times, and rescued three times by Turos.
Turos the Father: Entek 47 - lists some of the sons of Turos including Idomon, son of Turos and Jernotia.
Water Overcomes Fire: Entek 51 - Oronin and DiDalaDaran fight and Lake Oronin is formed.
Turos: Entek 55 - Jernotia aids Turos in resisting the Kingdom of Logic at Kendesos. Idomon is concieved.
Idomon the Prophet: Entek 56 - Lists the High Gods, with #7 being "High Turos, God of Power."
Turos and Chisel: Entek 56 - birth of sculpture.
Pelandan Turos Temples: Entek 56 - A little something about Turos in Pelandan cities.
Turos Wakes the World: Entek 66 - Turos is reawakened (in Balovius at the Father Turos alter) and retrieves the dieties from the underworld.
Idojartos: Entek 67 - The gods elect Turos and Oria to lead them in the Grey Age. They chose his son Idojartos to free the animals from GanEstoro.
Freed the Sky: Entek 67 - Turos leads the gods from the Underworld during the Grey Age.
War of Light and Darkness: Entek 89 - Priests of Lodril in Dara Happa call for Turos to be kicked out. Several invasions of Pelanda ensue, culminating with Nysalor and Pelanda becomming the Land of Shadows (Spolite Empire).
Mountain Myths: Belintar's Book (GTA Initiate site) - Two stories from the mono-myth that mention Turos as a son of Lodril.
Idojartos
- Son of Turos, lord of shepards and herdsmen.Idojartos
: Entek 67 - The gods elect Turos and Oria to lead them in the Grey Age. They chose his son Idojartos to free the animals from GanEstoro.
Marheridor
(Lord of Dispair) - Entek 22 Another Son of KaCharal, and thus brother of Turos.Key
Entek ## : The Entekosiad,
page ##