This page attempts to chronicle the slightly tricky relationship of Elwens with the divine powers.
The Stars
Elwens were created by the stars, both silver and black (the spirits of ordinary stars and black holes), and claim this helps explain the good and evil among them. However, they do not worship the stars for creating them. The idea of a stable parent-child relationship- or a master-slave one- that is present in the relations of other races with the divine has apparently never taken root among them. Part of this may be that the stars do little but watch, unless the actual survival of some Elwen race is in danger. Thus Elwens are able to inflict great damage on themselves- lose heroes, suffer devastating plagues, grow too arrogant, and become slaves- without receiving divine aid. This doesn't encourage Elwens to pray, though many of them do use the stars' names in oaths and exclamations.
Indeed, what aid the stars give is highly spotty. An oath sworn in the name of the stars by an Elwen cannot be broken, but an oath sworn in the name of a god can- and this prohibition works for no other race. Some black stars interfered in the War of the Falling to help the Killsworn, but others did not. No stars stopped the Change. The decisions of the stars, like those of Elwens, seem to be highly individual.
Two things are certain: The stars inspire in many Elwens a desire to sing at their rising; and though the stars created Elwens, they wanted their children to have as much freedom as possible. This may explain their non-interference in the world. And it certainly explains their utter lack of any control over the Elwen afterlife.
Other Powers
There are some theocratic or close-to-theocratic Elwen societes- such as the alalori- who all worship a single divine power, but most Elwens consider devotion to a god a matter of individual choice. Arcadia does not have gods who represent every concept dreamed-of by mortals, and so many times an Elwen may love something that has no god. In that case, the Elwen may live and die without ever entering a temple. Ceremonies such as weddings are conducted under the stars, and only rarely with any kind of religious component.
There are many Elwen worshippers of the gods, but unless converted by a missionary or born into a particular divine-looking society, they are likely to come to conversion on their own. Elwens, living thousands of years, have time to think over things, to experience the rightness of a god for them, and to make up their minds. There are some records of ecstatic conversions, but very few of conversions made by force (at least, conversions that ultimately succeeded. There have been religious wars among Elwens, but in most cases the 'converted' bided their time until the best hour for clever, cruel, subtle, and pyschological revenge was at hand, and then attacked and annhilated their converters).
Elwens also often approach worship in their own individual ways, making it mesh with their personality. An Elwen may worship Suulta by restraining his anger, but see no need to do anything about his sexual passion, so he will not be chaste. Similarly, an Elwen might worship Chilune, but not consider becoming a priestess because she doesn't like the goddess's caprice. And so on.
For the most part, the gods accept this, though they often seek out Elwen worshippers. Gods' attempts to intimidate Elwens often fail spectacularly. Elwens have learned no innate reverence for the gods unless they are part of the theocratic societies, and even Elwens who, for example, worship Mareth see no need to fall to their knees before Tirosinajust because she is a goddess. Besides, since the Elwens are not the gods' children, the gods have no control over their afterlives, and the worst they can do is kill them. Elwen worshippers are usually wooed and won, not overawed.
There are a few of the gods who love this about Elwens, such as Nystze, and deliberately encourage Elwen wildness. However, for the most part Elwens who are not worshippers ignore the gods and the devoted.
Passionate Elwen emotions can get involved in extreme situations. Thus missionaries of Sarastaa have a high death rate because they annoy other Elwens who see murder as the answer, and many Elwens who become angry at the gods turn to the damarothi.
