Shalarin pantheon

The Shalarin pantheon was a collection of gods worshiped historically by the shalarin of the Sea of Corynactis.

Organization
A major figure in the pantheon was a "mother goddess" who was widely revered among all shalarin. Each caste further revered an additional god or goddess alongside this mother, with the two effectively serving as that caste's "parent" deities. Beyond this, the membership and organization of this pantheon was unknown to Faerûnian scholars.

At one time, these gods' power extended at least across all of Toril, but became increasingly limited to just the Sea of Corynactis. It was believed by some that they might also be worshiped on Karpri.

Relationships
They were opposed by the obyrith Dagon, who schemed to steal their powers and worshipers.

Worshipers
They were venerated zealously by the shalarin. Members of the shalarin Faith caste (the priests) who honored these gods had dorsal fins marked by bright red spirals, while priests in Serôs and Faerûn who honored other gods had black fins with a red circle at the base.

The shalarin saw their gods as testing and judging them with the Passings, and as willing to deny them a rightful afterlife if they were found wanting. Corruption and lack of piety were characteristics that these gods were thought to dislike.

While it was understood that the gods were absent from Serôs, some shalarin priests claimed to recognize a few of their gods in certain members of the Faerûnian and Elven pantheons, and thus simply worshiped those gods as if they were their own. Most notably, Trishina was adopted as a new mother goddess, and was referred to as Ri'dea'trisha.

History
"Five times will the great tide turn and five times a bridge arcs between worlds new and old. The castes shall go forth on that bridge and share the bounty each Passing allows. One for Hand, one for Heart, one for Head, and one for Currents. The Fifth Passing shares nothing but judges, and it will restore the shalarin as one or see them scattered ever."

- Ancient shalarin prophecy

Since at least the circa, Dagon plotted to overthrow the gods of the shalarin in hopes of claiming their divine power for himself. Setting the stage for this scheme required him first to seed prophecies among the shalarin people to believe they were destined to be sent to "another world" in a series of journeys. Next, he used long lost eldritch magics to limit the power of the shalarin gods on Toril in order to exclude Faerûn from their sphere of influence. Then, beginning in the, he set his scheme in motion by separating and eliminating the gods' worshipers. In what the shalarin would come to call the "First Passing", Dagon opened the first Wildtide Gate, through which he swept many shalarins out of their gods' domain in the Sea of Corynactis and into the Sea of Fallen Stars to be slaughtered by his waiting servants, led by the mad King Kyron of the merfolk. Approximately 70-75% of the newly transported shalarin were slain, with the remainder only being saved by the intervention of Dagon's enemies.

Among the shalarin who survived, it immediately became apparent that most if not all of their gods were no longer responding to their prayers. Confusing this for a test of faith, many shalarins doubled-down on their piety and zeal. However, within a generation the shalarin of Faerûn had almost completely abandoned their old gods in favor of new ones. This process repeated itself following the Second Passing in, but new arrivals following the Third Passing in and the Fourth Passing in  adopted the new gods much more readily. This, as well as increasing corruption among the powerful shalarin of the subkingdom of Es'rath, led the priests of the subkingdoms of Es'daan and Es'roch to fear that their people would not pass their lost gods' test during the Fifth Passing.

Following the Fourth Passing, the shalarin gods fell completely silent, allowing Dagon's Cult of Corynactis to become the dominant religion among the shalarin of the Sea of Corynactis. When at last the fifth and final Passing occurred in, the last Wildtide swept the absent gods' remaining faithful out into the Sea of Fallen Stars.

Unlike the previous Passings, the Wildtide Gate between the Sea of Corynactis and the Sea of Fallen Stars remained opened. This sparked renewed interest among the Serôsian shalarin in their ancestral gods. Despite the fact that their prayers went unanswered, a number of these Serôsian shalarin began worshiping the silent shalarin gods once more, even abandoning some of the Faerûnian gods to do so, most notably Umberlee (whom they called Ri'dea'brela). However, it soon became clear that the Dagon cultists posed a great threat, and the shalarin of Serôs barred travel through the Gate.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Queen of the Depths
 * Queen of the Depths