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Description

The many bird species of the Gull universe all have different rituals, naming customs, and traditions, but there is one thing that all bird religions have in common: the pantheon of the gods.
Middle God: The main god, Hokk, goes by many names; ‘The One Who Was Before’, ‘The Twelve-Winged One’, ‘The Giving Wind’, ‘He Who Is All’ and ‘Keeper of The Plate of Peace’, to name a few. The legend of Hokk is a tale of creation.
It is said that once, before life on Earth began, the entire planet was covered in water. There was no wind or solid ground. One day, the waters of Earth began to boil furiously, and from the froth and foam rose a beaked figure with twelve glorious wings. His rising was so powerful, it created great clouds of steam and gusts of air, which became the clouds and wind respectively. He found that creating things brought change, and change brought more beautiful and unexpected things into being. However, he soon realized that if he wanted to create things that were more lasting, more physical, he would have to make a sacrifice.
He decided he wanted to create creatures in his own image, so that they would have the abilities of flying, swimming, and walking, as he did.
Bottom Left God: Hokk removed one of his wings, and dipped it in a clear tidepool. From the water rose Current, the first swimming bird and god of the water. Current is known as ‘The Tidebringer’, ‘The Endless Wave’, and ‘The Fighting Riptide’. He is worshipped heavily by the Alcidinidae subfamily of birds, which includes kingfishers, bee-eaters, and kookaburras. He is known to have a dual personality, both calm and chaotic. He is the one who created the fish and all life that lives in water.
Bottom Right God: Another of Hokk’s wings was sacrificed, but this time Hokk dove to the bottom of the ocean and buried the wing under the sand. The goddess that burst from the soil was called Strata, goddess of the earth, but is known as ‘The Earthshaker’, ‘The Unwavering Mountain’, and ‘The Wall of Stone’. She is a humble yet powerful deity, stubborn yet wise. She is worshipped by the flightless birds, and those who nest on the ground, like killdeers, quails, and sandpipers. She created the continents by dragging great rocks up from the depths of the ocean.
Right Middle God: Hokk removed his slimmest, smallest wing, and buried it in the earth of one of the continents. He then watered it with pure water. The goddess who sprouted from the earth did so in the bulb of a beautiful flower, and she was named Nectar, goddess of plant life and growing things.. She is known as ‘The Gardener’, ‘The Sprouting Bloom’ and ‘The Mighty Oak’. She is worshipped by tropical bird species and birds who pollinate flowers, such as hummingbirds and birds of paradise. She is energetic, yet has the patience of an old forest grove.
At this time in history, the sun and moon existed, but both of them were constantly warring over what time of day it should be. To solve this, Hokk took two of his wings and bathed one in sunlight and one in moonlight. These would become Night and Day, the gods of the moon and sun.
Left Middle God: She is called Day, but is also known as ‘The Sunriser’, ‘The Astral Spark’ and ‘The Solar Flare’. She is known for being very generous, and acts as a judge for birds’ souls when they die. She is worshipped by songbirds and diurnal birds, like bluebirds, doves, and mockingbirds.
Top Left god: He is called Night, but is also called ‘The Mooncaller’, ‘The Celestial Zephyr’, and ‘The Port In The Storm’. He only speaks once every few millennia, and is the one who delivers souls to Day for judgement. He is known for ‘opening his wings to all’, which means he accepts all flying creatures’ souls, whether they be birds, bats, or even dragons. He is worshipped mainly by nocturnal animals, like owls, bats, and nightjars.
Top Right God: Hokk once again removed one of his wings, and, using the heat created by the sun, lit it on fire. From the ashes rose Char, the god of fire and heat. He is also called the ‘The Firestarter’, ‘The Cleansing Flame’, and ‘The Neverending Pyre’. He is the most rash of the gods, mostly because he is the youngest, and he is prone to making mistakes. He is worshipped by birds of prey, such as hawks, falcons, and condors.
After Hokk had created his pantheon, he tasked them with creating the life that would inhabit their new world. Each of the gods worked together, using their unique powers to make organisms. Current created the blood that would pump through veins and arteries, Strata provided the clay that would turn into bone and muscle, Nectar provided plant life for the creatures to feed upon, Day provided the ability to think, Night provided the ability to feel, and Char provided the spark of life. Once the lifeless bodies of millions of creatures were created, Hokk stood upon the highest peak of the tallest mountain, and blew the breath of life into the winds, which swept across the planet, granting life to all creatures.
For a few decades, all was peaceful among the creatures and gods of earth. Each animal lived inharmony, and there was no death, until one day, a wolf and a robin were having an argument over a berry bush they had found. The argument turned into a fight, and the robin was killed. All of the animals were shocked. They had no idea they could stop being alive- that they could die. After coming to terms with this, the animals made another revelation- they could snuff out the lives of their fellow creatures. Many fights broke out, and these disputes turned into a war that lasted almost 100 years.
Over this century of conflict, the minor gods tried everything they could to pacify the animals, but ended up taking sides with their subjects. Finally, one day, Hokk descended from above, saw the conflict and how it had twisted his beloved planet, and decided it needed to end.
One last time, Hokk sacrificed one of his wings to be turned into something else. But instead of a god, Hokk crafted his bones and flesh into an object of pure energy. It was called the Plate of Peace, a holy object that radiated a healing, calm aura and was used to end the long war. In the many long millenia since that day, the Plate of Peace has been lost to time, but it is said that in the darkest hours of bird-kind, it will be discovered, and used to restore balance to the future.

Description

The many bird species of the Gull universe all have different rituals, naming customs, and traditions, but there is one thing that all bird religions have in common: the pantheon of the gods.
Middle God: The main god, Hokk, goes by many names; ‘The One Who Was Before’, ‘The Twelve-Winged One’, ‘The Giving Wind’, ‘He Who Is All’ and ‘Keeper of The Plate of Peace’, to name a few. The legend of Hokk is a tale of creation.
It is said that once, before life on Earth began, the entire planet was covered in water. There was no wind or solid ground. One day, the waters of Earth began to boil furiously, and from the froth and foam rose a beaked figure with twelve glorious wings. His rising was so powerful, it created great clouds of steam and gusts of air, which became the clouds and wind respectively. He found that creating things brought change, and change brought more beautiful and unexpected things into being. However, he soon realized that if he wanted to create things that were more lasting, more physical, he would have to make a sacrifice.
He decided he wanted to create creatures in his own image, so that they would have the abilities of flying, swimming, and walking, as he did.
Bottom Left God: Hokk removed one of his wings, and dipped it in a clear tidepool. From the water rose Current, the first swimming bird and god of the water. Current is known as ‘The Tidebringer’, ‘The Endless Wave’, and ‘The Fighting Riptide’. He is worshipped heavily by the Alcidinidae subfamily of birds, which includes kingfishers, bee-eaters, and kookaburras. He is known to have a dual personality, both calm and chaotic. He is the one who created the fish and all life that lives in water.
Bottom Right God: Another of Hokk’s wings was sacrificed, but this time Hokk dove to the bottom of the ocean and buried the wing under the sand. The goddess that burst from the soil was called Strata, goddess of the earth, but is known as ‘The Earthshaker’, ‘The Unwavering Mountain’, and ‘The Wall of Stone’. She is a humble yet powerful deity, stubborn yet wise. She is worshipped by the flightless birds, and those who nest on the ground, like killdeers, quails, and sandpipers. She created the continents by dragging great rocks up from the depths of the ocean.
Right Middle God: Hokk removed his slimmest, smallest wing, and buried it in the earth of one of the continents. He then watered it with pure water. The goddess who sprouted from the earth did so in the bulb of a beautiful flower, and she was named Nectar, goddess of plant life and growing things.. She is known as ‘The Gardener’, ‘The Sprouting Bloom’ and ‘The Mighty Oak’. She is worshipped by tropical bird species and birds who pollinate flowers, such as hummingbirds and birds of paradise. She is energetic, yet has the patience of an old forest grove.
At this time in history, the sun and moon existed, but both of them were constantly warring over what time of day it should be. To solve this, Hokk took two of his wings and bathed one in sunlight and one in moonlight. These would become Night and Day, the gods of the moon and sun.
Left Middle God: She is called Day, but is also known as ‘The Sunriser’, ‘The Astral Spark’ and ‘The Solar Flare’. She is known for being very generous, and acts as a judge for birds’ souls when they die. She is worshipped by songbirds and diurnal birds, like bluebirds, doves, and mockingbirds.
Top Left god: He is called Night, but is also called ‘The Mooncaller’, ‘The Celestial Zephyr’, and ‘The Port In The Storm’. He only speaks once every few millennia, and is the one who delivers souls to Day for judgement. He is known for ‘opening his wings to all’, which means he accepts all flying creatures’ souls, whether they be birds, bats, or even dragons. He is worshipped mainly by nocturnal animals, like owls, bats, and nightjars.
Top Right God: Hokk once again removed one of his wings, and, using the heat created by the sun, lit it on fire. From the ashes rose Char, the god of fire and heat. He is also called the ‘The Firestarter’, ‘The Cleansing Flame’, and ‘The Neverending Pyre’. He is the most rash of the gods, mostly because he is the youngest, and he is prone to making mistakes. He is worshipped by birds of prey, such as hawks, falcons, and condors.
After Hokk had created his pantheon, he tasked them with creating the life that would inhabit their new world. Each of the gods worked together, using their unique powers to make organisms. Current created the blood that would pump through veins and arteries, Strata provided the clay that would turn into bone and muscle, Nectar provided plant life for the creatures to feed upon, Day provided the ability to think, Night provided the ability to feel, and Char provided the spark of life. Once the lifeless bodies of millions of creatures were created, Hokk stood upon the highest peak of the tallest mountain, and blew the breath of life into the winds, which swept across the planet, granting life to all creatures.
For a few decades, all was peaceful among the creatures and gods of earth. Each animal lived inharmony, and there was no death, until one day, a wolf and a robin were having an argument over a berry bush they had found. The argument turned into a fight, and the robin was killed. All of the animals were shocked. They had no idea they could stop being alive- that they could die. After coming to terms with this, the animals made another revelation- they could snuff out the lives of their fellow creatures. Many fights broke out, and these disputes turned into a war that lasted almost 100 years.
Over this century of conflict, the minor gods tried everything they could to pacify the animals, but ended up taking sides with their subjects. Finally, one day, Hokk descended from above, saw the conflict and how it had twisted his beloved planet, and decided it needed to end.
One last time, Hokk sacrificed one of his wings to be turned into something else. But instead of a god, Hokk crafted his bones and flesh into an object of pure energy. It was called the Plate of Peace, a holy object that radiated a healing, calm aura and was used to end the long war. In the many long millenia since that day, the Plate of Peace has been lost to time, but it is said that in the darkest hours of bird-kind, it will be discovered, and used to restore balance to the future.