Ornathum

Ornathum was a martial deity of the Quirinal Empire who was invoked in the name of conquest, law and order. Although there were a number of other supernatural beings the Quirinal invoked, Ornathum had no rival for the spiritual energies of the people of the Empire - Ornathum was the “god of the Quirinal Empire”. The symbol of Ornathum was an eagle's head in profile (which was also the symbol of the Quirinal Empire itself). The earliest reference to Ornathum has been dated to 958 BU based on devotional stelae found near Charinton (ancient Quirinum), suggesting a connection between the god and the Quirinal people at the earliest phase of their expansion.

Worship of Ornathum ended with the collapse of the Quirinal Empire or, to be more precise, in 12 BU when the priests of Ornathum stopped receiving spells or granted powers. The exact relationship between the collapse of the Quirinal Empire, the virtual evaporation of Ornathum as a divine force and the appearance of the Sybil of Amari has been debated incessantly by scholars for the past four hundred years.

Temples and shrines to Ornathum can be found in a ruined state all across the lands where the Quirinal Empire held sway (and especially in the Three Kingdoms). However, it can be difficult to tell them apart from other buildings in a similarly ruinous condition since the symbol of Ornathum was ubiquitous in the empire.

The worship of Ornathum in Angeltir was always associated with the Quirinal conquerors and so was never popular among the common people. Since the collapse of the empire the name of Ornathum has become little more than a historical curiosity in Angeltir. There have been a few attempts to revive the religion in the past four centuries, typically by ambitious nobles trying to present themselves as heirs to an earlier, more civilised culture that could provide better leadership for Angeltir. These efforts have always dissipated without significant impact on the country.