777 Gods of Vanth

Conventional wisdom holds that God City is so called because the Vulkins who opened Vanth to Galactic commerce posed as angels and divine beings in their dealings with the benighted natives. "Technology came to Vanth when the Vulkin Star Empire established a starport there to begin trading, but they were careful to present themselves as supernatural visitors from the heavens, and the starport is known as God City," writes Henry Riley in the Vanthian history Encounter Critical.

However, as Riley goes on to note, "nobody really believes God City is the home of 'angels' anymore." Yet the name persists. One reason for this must surely be the influence of the Institute for Deist, Immortalistic, Omniscientific and Theological Studies -- the IDIOTS. Founded during the height of Galactic trade with Vanth, the Institute sent exploring scholars to gather sacred texts and relics from across the face of Vanth. In so doing the Institute itself became a place of pilgrimage for both the devious and the devout, who sought in equal numbers to con and to convert the scholars. In due time an entire temple district sprang up, centered on the IDIOTS, such that 777 gods are said to live in God City.

It's my hope to compile a list of all of these gods in their hundredfold glory, beginning with the few below. I welcome any contributions my readers might have in the field of Vanthian religious studies as well. Please post any information on gods, demigods, godlings, Great Old Ones, sentient AIs, genius loci, legendary heroes and household saints in the comments and I will compile them in a master list.

1. Arugulon, The Green Giant.
2. Bongo
3. The Century Toad, who dwells in the hollow core of Vanth, or so some say (cf. Great Writhing Wormhole).
4. Conical Lint Creature, the Sleeper in the Darkness Beneath the Bed.
5. Count Worbinu, god of vampires and vorvons.
6. Esquivel
7. The Great Writhing Wormhole, the howling space-time vortex said to dance mindlessly at the center of Vanth. Placated by its worshippers with horrifying rituals of jazz flute. Repudiated by the followers of the Century Toad (cf.)
8. Hodgmozandias, Who Invents All Facts and Despairs. Patron saint of encyclopedeists, trivialiers, and liars.
9. Huron the Oathsome, barbarian godling.
10. Jubilex the Squishy
11. Phlugg
12. Smelt, War God of the Deep, He Who Came From Beyond the Stars to Spawn in the Sea; rogue klengon fish god.
13. Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra.
14. Manos, The Hand or Hands of Fate (see footnote in Comments section below).
15. TX-47 Beta, prototype Artificial Omniscience.
16. Voola & Kinos, the ur-vulkins. Though revered, the First Mother and First Father are not worshipped by more than a handful of defiantly illogical vulkins. Most vulkins regard them as a foundational myth rather than historical figures. However, several cargo cults centered on the pair sprang up in the wake of the Vulkin Star Empire's first contact with savage Vanth.
17. Zabu the Immodest
18. ZZZy, the Penultimate God.
19. Kitt Hatare, goddess of cats and temptation [Peace be upon her]
20. The Dude, He Who...well, surely you know.
21. Xagyg the Trickster (about whom see comment below)
22. The Egg of Coot, "...a giant thickly hided egg, pure energy....that...carries out its activities through the use of surrogates which it controls or has programmed." Scholars vehemently deny that Xagyg and the Egg are one and the same, though it is acknowledged that their sects overlap.

The multiplex moons of Vanth crowd overhead...

Notes on a few of the moons, planetoids, space islands and shipwrecks orbiting Vanth.

Altostratus Aeries of the Hawk-Men: Battleflights of the Blessed. 'Nuff Said.

The Ark of the Sun: The Myth-Sonic Space Ark of the demigod Sun Ra, trapped in a null-sound field by his ancient enemy the Overseer. Audio technicians conjecture that the proper quadraphonic array might be used to free the Ark.

Citadel Carcosa: A floating citadel built from black and green stone mined in unknown quarries, inhabited by mad scientists, demonologists, cryo-lich warlocks and vorvons. Their society, such as it is, centers on the pursuit of obscure ingredients needed for their weird rites, eldritch wizardries and controversial child-rearing practices. Also, they are cannibals (with apologies to Geoffrey McKenna).

The Midas Fleet and the Second Golden Planet: A legendary planetoid made entirely of gold, orbited by the remains of the Midas Fleet who sought to exploit it. A vast, unguarded treasure floating in space, but sages warn that none may touch planet or ships without also turning to gold. (swiped from Ryan North's Dinosaur Comics, particularly the alt-text.)

UltiMax Thool:
One of the galaxy's most notorious prisons, carved from the sentient skull of a Greater Void Dragon, your basic hive of scum, villainy, weed-men, boar-tuskers and brain bankers. Towed into Vanth orbit by slime pirates, who have long since abandoned their Petri Saucers but are said still to rove the high atmosphere (vide Scott Driver's Thool & Wilderlands).

Days of the Week, Vanth

Moonday
Dudesday
Wookday
Thrazday
Freeday
SARFFday
Soonday
Eighthday

SARFFday is shortened from "it'S All Right For Fighting Day." Moonday is the start of the week and each new month. Debate rages in scholarly arenas over which moon is honored by Moonday, since at last count Vanth had 76 moons and planetoids in orbit, to say nothing of the asteroids, half-built destruct-orbs, cloud cities and floating citadels that crowd the night sky. Thus the isolation of Vanth since the failure of the galactic nav-beam: without assistance only the most agile of pilots dare try to navigate through the maze. Most who have risked it have wrecked, the drifting hulks of their ships becoming part of the orbital debris.