There was in the beginning only the Great Nothingness. At some point the Great Nothingness developed awareness of itself.

"I am Thanatos. I am Nothing." It said.

   From its words sprung forth a blinding light. The light had its own consciousness, and spoke to Thanatos.

"Then I shall be Ananke, and I will be Everything."

   Ananke pushed against Thanatos to move away the darkness so she could see, but Thanatos would not be moved. From the shadows created between them sprung the first gods. Ananke stood in wonder of her Children, for unlike their parents they possessed form. Thanatos was simply bewildered, as his Children caused quite a ruckus and disturbed his quiet.

"Silence them, or I shall destroy every last one," said Thanatos to Ananke.

   "Let us create worlds for them to explore, then surely they shall leave you be," said Ananke.

   And so Ananke convinced Thanatos to sacrifice a part of his Nothingness to create worlds for the gods to explore. And within those worlds the gods created all manner of races and creatures.

   Ananke cherished each creature, whether good or evil, for each served a purpose and helped bring about the greater balance. And so long as the universe remained in balance, creation could continue to expand.

   But soon creation expanded too far, and once again the noises of the gods bothered Thanatos in the far reaches of the Great Nothingness. But now not only did the gods pester their Father, but so too did the gods' creations themselves.

   And so Thanatos decided that he would destroy all of creation so that he may have silence again. For there are two ways to destroy the whole of creation. Push it too far toward the light, and it shall burn away in complacency and contentment. Push too far to the darkness, and it will wither away in malice and despair. Thanatos knew he could hold no sway over the Children of the Light, for their hearts would raise not one finger against their friends, or those weaker than them. But in the hearts of the Children of Darkness Thanatos found seeds that could be cultivated to do his bidding. For they would do anything for glory or power or wealth.

   And so it is that Thanatos seeks to destroy the whole of creation, and even the evil deities warn their followers of their Father's dark promises. For as goes creation, so too shall go all the gods.

ANANKE: The Light of Creation, The Lap of Many Threads
Greater Diety
Alignment: N
Follower's alignment: N, CN, LN
Domains: Healing, Knowledge, Protection, Luck

Tenets of the faith: All things have a right to exist, for each creature serves a purpose. There can be no light without darkness, no good without evil. So long as one's actions do not directly caused the destruction of another creature without due cause, then do as yea will. Seek always balance in all things, for excess denies other creatures resources they need to survive.

Ananke's Church: Ananke has very few followers herself, instead encouraging the races of the world to worship her through her Children. All deities funnel some of the faith they receive from their followers to their Mother, so that she may remain strong to combat the schemes of Thanatos. The few temples dedicated to her serve as "neutral ground" when clerics from faiths at odds with each other can go to discuss matters. Any being can request safe refuge in Ananke's temples, whether good or evil, so long as they can convince the clerics that their lives are in danger.

   Her clerics often travel the land serving as professional negotiators and diplomats, finding the common ground to end a dispute if not fairly, at least close enough to stop any bloodshed. Her clerics celebrate no holy days, but often show their support to other faiths during their high holy days by giving their blessings in the name of Ananke. Ananke's clerics pray for spells in the morning as part of the celebration of a new day and the bringing of new life.

Ananke's Avatars: Though often depicted in art as a noblewoman sitting on a throne with thousands of different colored threads falling into her lap, she has no form and possesses no avatars. Instead, she infuses some of her essence into her highest ranking clerics. These Chosen of Ananke possess the following powers.

*+10 constitution, +6 charisma, +6 wisdom
*+10 divine bonus to all saving throws
*Detect magic at will
*Comprehend languages at will
*True Seeing at will
*Regenerate 10 hp/round
*DR 15/+3
*Cure serious wounds 5x/day

THANATOS: The Great Nothingness
Greater God
Alignment: N
Followers alignment: N, NE, CE
Domains: Destruction, War, Chaos, Trickery

Tenets of the Faith: No sentient being can ever be truly neutral. The only way to have balance in the universe is to revert all back to the Great Nothingness. Creation is violent and greedy, causing pain and suffering. The end of all suffering can only occur with the end of existence.

Thanatos' Church: Small cabals of nihilists worship Thanatos in secret, plotting ways to bring the world to an end. When confronted by followers of other faiths, they will simply kill good-aligned individuals and try to trick evil ones into doing there bidding. His worshippers acknowledge no holy days and pray for spells whenever they feel the need.

Thanatos' Avatars: The Great Nothingness is so loath to have contact with anything that he does not even use avatars. He does, however, sometimes select random followers for special assignments. At which times, he channels some of his energy into them. Such Chosen of Thanatos receive the following bonuses:

*+10 constitution, +5 strength, +4 dexterity
*+10 to hide and move silently checks
*Immunity to attacks that channel negative energy (specters, shadow dragon breath weapons, vampire slam attacks, etc)
*Change Self once per day
*+4 natural armor class

   Legend tells of the highest ranking cleric of Thanatos, and individual known only as He of No Name. Thanatos faithful believe this individual to be so close to the will of Thanatos that he no longer possesses any facial features. Rumored powers include Polymorph Self at will, Vampiric Touch at will, DR 20/+3, +10 divine bonus to all saving throws, the ability to see invisible creatures, and regeneration 10 hp per round. Needless to say, if such an individual does exist, he would be a frightening foe indeed.