Phenax, God of Deception

Phenax is the masked patron of lies and cheats, governing the spheres of gambling, deception, and betrayal. Subtlety and manipulation—of mind, word, and deed—are the cornerstones of Phenax’s power and his influence over mortals and immortals alike. Even gods enjoy hearing what they prefer to hear instead of the truth, and Phenax is happy to give them what they want. He takes pleasure in finding ways to subvert or corrupt champions of law, order, and justice, turning them to his cause. Whether by feeding the hubris of a champion of Heliod or subverting the moral code of a stalwart of Iroas, he tempts mortals by confronting them with seemingly inconsequential decisions, each of which offers an opportunity for the person to compromise their principles. One by one, these acts move the needle of a person’s moral gauge by a small amount. Over time, these choices accumulate until the individual’s fall from grace is complete. Every lie is an homage to Phenax. Because his most devout followers are criminals and gamblers, his influence is keenly felt in gambling halls and dens of thieves. But everyone has their own reasons to stray from the truth at times, and thus, they also find small ways to seek Phenax’s favor as they go about their daily lives. Formal services to Phenax are conducted at night, with the most sacred rituals performed on nights of the new moon. Offerings are made to attract Phenax’s favor, with valuables from successful robberies, parchment filled with lies, or loaded dice being thrown into deep crags or buried at crossroads. Such sacrifices often vanish soon after, claimed by the god or his servants. Devout criminals often offer Phenax stolen goods as part of their preparations for premeditated crimes.

Champions of Phenax

Most champions of Phenax are exemplars of deceit, motivated by greed, revenge, or a good swindle. They have chosen to serve a mortal who ascended to godhood, possibly because they want to emulate him.

Phenax’s Favor

Phenax expects his champions to be cunning and self-sufficient, much as he was when he escaped the Underworld. He has great respect for a sound plan that is craftily executed and might offer all manner of clever assistance to mortals he deems worthy. What did you do to garner his attention? What set you apart in his eyes from petty schemers, grifters, and criminals? What made him think you would be a good champion? The Phenax’s Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.

d6	Circumstance
1	You were born at midnight under the new moon.
2	One of your parents is a champion of Phenax.
3	You pulled off a daring theft or escaped from confinement at a young age.
4	You have proven yourself a capable liar and teller of tall tales.
5	You dedicated your life to upsetting the balance of power in a corrupt polis.
6	You have no idea why Phenax showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish he hadn’t.

Devotion to Phenax

Following Phenax means devoting yourself to a life of trickery and guile. To a champion of Phenax, a life without risk is no life at all. Some rules are meant to be broken, some secrets meant to be shared, and order must be upended from time to time. As a follower of Phenax, consider the ideals on the Phenax’s Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.

d6	Ideal
1	Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for.
2	Pragmatism. The ends justify the means; I do whatever it takes to win.
3	Duplicity. I lie when it suits me, which makes things so much easier.
4	Secrecy. All deception requires secrecy, but not all secrets are meant to deceive.
5	Luck. Want more luck? Take more chances!
6	Adaptability. Plans change, circumstances go awry. I must bend in response to changes, not break.

Approval

You earn Phenax's approval when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

Helping a fugitive escape justice
Pulling off a daring robbery
Obstruct champions of other gods
Building or restoring a temple to Phenax

Phenax's approval decreases if you diminish Phenax’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these: