An overview of the Major Deities
Lady of Light and Lord of Darkness:
Revered as the gods of civilization, the Lady brings the light that blesses day and lets crops grow, while the Lord is seen as a bringer of peace, safety, and rest. Together they protect the People from the creatures and demons that would harm the simple and civilized People of the world.
Some worship them as lovers, others as brother and sister. Some believe the Lady is only light, and the crops are tended by another goddess, the Sister, and that protection is brought by the Mistress; likewise the Lord only brings darkness, and the Slumbering Child brings sleep, while the Brother offers places of safety. Whether these are aspects or entire other beings is a matter of one church to the next.
Gaimon the Seer Known also as Silent Gaimon or The Kind King, Gaimon oversees the realms of Dream and Fate. They are worshipped widely as it is believed that they do not simply record, but determine the nature of the fate of People. If Gaimon looks kindly upon you, it is said your road through life will be easier; Gaimon does not say anything about this, and the priesthood is forbidden from answers that are not in the form of riddles. Dreams are seen by the faithful as riddles to be understood that will lead to greater fates. The truly faithful tend to get weird because of this. A great paladin of Gaimon once entered a king's tournament, won, and refused the prize, asking that he be allowed to instead deliver a message to the gathered court at the feast to be held at the end of the tourney. That night, he stood, proclaimed “Your fate is thus:” and 1000 greased goats were loosed in the king's hall. The paladin refused to explain.
Xirren While People rever the Lady and Lord for keeping civilization strong and safe, they praise Xirren for keeping the wild world functioning how it should. She sees the rains fall when and where they should, he ensures the forests grow strong and burn only when needed, they cause the winds to blow and the earth to lie still. The Wild One is respected, as are priests that revere them, though the wildness is not a clean or easy thing, so most folk tend to respect from a distance. One thing they see as under their purview is the hunting and slaying of cannibals. They see the eating of sapient creatures by other sapient creatures as an act of deepest sacrilege. This tends to only crop up in far flung wilderness settlements, but if you ever see these priests draped in animal hides and wearing headpieces of antlers and leaves moving through a city, it's almost certain there's a cult that has been eating people nearby.
Sindare When the world was young and mortals were still being shaped, Sindare was old. He is frequently thought of as the lord of Elves, though this connection is not clear; some elves think of Sindare as more like an older brother than a parent to their race, while others ignore him entirely out of disinterest. The only certain thing is that his depictions are older and more refined than those of any other god, either ancient or modern. Sindare isn't really making things clearer, both by refusing to answer, and by holding his priests to a strong sense of mystery. Sindare oversees realms of Mystery, Transformation, and Magic. His worshipers are rarely who they were born; they find ways to change their minds and bodies into forms more fitting who they desire to be. Sindare himself is typically depicted with scars across his chest and with a thin beard, as a mark of having become male of his own volition.
Dol Redtusk Where Sindare is the oldest deity, Dol Redtusk is the youngest. An orc who was born during the last great war, he grew disillusioned with the fighting and pressures placed upon the orc clans by their god. So he grew strong enough to do something about it, fought his way the the throne of the realm of Conquest, and took the throne by force. He then decreed a cessation of conquest until such time as he could properly take control of the realm. This was a clever ploy, since the realms of conquest by nature are constantly shifting. And so the orc clans have been mostly allowed to determine their own paths rather than be whipped into a fury every few generations, and no further great wars have begun since Dol took his throne. In the few hundred years since this occurred, the priesthood has settled into their new role as moderators and diplomats. They have come to enjoy their new form of conquering, although it may be better described as co-settlement as they join the existing towns and cities and strive to improve them so as to show the greatness of their god. Not all orcs worship Dol, nor are all his worshipers orcs any longer. They do all agree that to utter the name of the old god who Dol destroyed is a great heresy.
The Sire of Stone Legends say that once the world was only ocean and sky. When the gods began their shaping of life, one was uninterested in fish and fins. She choose to create a new thing for her children to live on, and she raised a mountain from the depths of the sea. The other gods saw this, and some choose to support his new land and make more and make their own mortals to live there, and others disdained it and stayed in the sea or sky. The god did not care about the choices of the others, and continued to make land and mortal things to walk upon and underneath it. Known also as the Swami of Strength, since they do not care for material goods and are impressed almost exclusively by acts of strength done for no reason other than to prove to oneself you can, this god is frequently worshiped by people who live underground, miners and wrestlers, and any who find beauty and wonder in the permanence of stone. A common fact about the “church” is that it doesn't exist. Or rather it does, but doesn't really care. Following the Sire of Stone means looking to yourself and your strength first and foremost, and helping others with your strength is a byproduct of your devotion and desire to test your own strength. The only known temple is essentially a gym, and access is only granted by pushing open incredibly heavy doors, lifting even heavier gates, and so forth, which each level of access requiring more impressive acts of strength.
Atruis, the Blade of Justice Worshiped by knights and judges, Atruis grants her favor to any who would take up arms to ensure justice is upheld. It is not a path many walk for long, for that favor is lost as soon as selfishness or avarice enters the heart, and the purest heroes are tempted constantly. It is for this reason that her church remains comparatively small; it becomes clear when a priest loses her favor (also, rulers don't tend to look happily on churches who are willing to call them out on bad behavior). But while the favor lasts, such defenders of right are significant powers for “good”. A story frequently told about the fickleness of her favor is that a man (frequently named Jax, though not in l versions of the story) found himself fully devoted to the idea of justice (often because of the violent loss of family, but not in all versions). The man wasn't only out for vengeance, he wanted to bring justice so that others would not go through the same hurt he had. Atruis blessed him, and his quest was successful for many years. He grew old, and desired to retire from his crusade. When the choice was made, he was in the middle of a fight and decided that he was simply done after this fight. All his strength left him, and he fell under his enemies blade.
Berhin Aellis One of the best loved of all the gods, Berhin Aellis is a simple deity with a simple purpose: to feast. Whether for the sake of another celebration or simply for the sake of the feast itself, whether it's quantity or quality, the simple act of enjoying food is the greatest show of devotion to Behrin Aellis, while declining offered food and drink is the greatest of sins. For this reason, many of the more ardent worshipers create or find magics to help them resist poisons and settle digestive issues. There are many offshoots of the religion, who focus the importance on a single kind food. Such offshoots focus more on the holiness of the food itself than the god, but Behrin Aellis doesn't seem to mind. These often will be tied to the economic status of the follower: poor followers may keep a pot of stew that never empties and feed others with whatever they can manage to put in the cauldron, while more wealthy worshipers might focus on a specific expensive or hard to find delicacy. Rarely will these be baked goods though, just due to the logistics of maintaining enough ingredients to consistently make batches of baked goods; some of the goblins from the more civilized city states have taken up this practice though, as they see overcoming the difficulty as a great act of devotion. These tend to be among the most evangelical followers, constantly proclaiming the superiority of their chosen food.
Gaimon the Seer Known also as Silent Gaimon or The Kind King, Gaimon oversees the realms of Dream and Fate. They are worshipped widely as it is believed that they do not simply record, but determine the nature of the fate of People. If Gaimon looks kindly upon you, it is said your road through life will be easier; Gaimon does not say anything about this, and the priesthood is forbidden from answers that are not in the form of riddles. Dreams are seen by the faithful as riddles to be understood that will lead to greater fates. The truly faithful tend to get weird because of this. A great paladin of Gaimon once entered a king's tournament, won, and refused the prize, asking that he be allowed to instead deliver a message to the gathered court at the feast to be held at the end of the tourney. That night, he stood, proclaimed “Your fate is thus:” and 1000 greased goats were loosed in the king's hall. The paladin refused to explain.
Xirren While People rever the Lady and Lord for keeping civilization strong and safe, they praise Xirren for keeping the wild world functioning how it should. She sees the rains fall when and where they should, he ensures the forests grow strong and burn only when needed, they cause the winds to blow and the earth to lie still. The Wild One is respected, as are priests that revere them, though the wildness is not a clean or easy thing, so most folk tend to respect from a distance. One thing they see as under their purview is the hunting and slaying of cannibals. They see the eating of sapient creatures by other sapient creatures as an act of deepest sacrilege. This tends to only crop up in far flung wilderness settlements, but if you ever see these priests draped in animal hides and wearing headpieces of antlers and leaves moving through a city, it's almost certain there's a cult that has been eating people nearby.
Sindare When the world was young and mortals were still being shaped, Sindare was old. He is frequently thought of as the lord of Elves, though this connection is not clear; some elves think of Sindare as more like an older brother than a parent to their race, while others ignore him entirely out of disinterest. The only certain thing is that his depictions are older and more refined than those of any other god, either ancient or modern. Sindare isn't really making things clearer, both by refusing to answer, and by holding his priests to a strong sense of mystery. Sindare oversees realms of Mystery, Transformation, and Magic. His worshipers are rarely who they were born; they find ways to change their minds and bodies into forms more fitting who they desire to be. Sindare himself is typically depicted with scars across his chest and with a thin beard, as a mark of having become male of his own volition.
Dol Redtusk Where Sindare is the oldest deity, Dol Redtusk is the youngest. An orc who was born during the last great war, he grew disillusioned with the fighting and pressures placed upon the orc clans by their god. So he grew strong enough to do something about it, fought his way the the throne of the realm of Conquest, and took the throne by force. He then decreed a cessation of conquest until such time as he could properly take control of the realm. This was a clever ploy, since the realms of conquest by nature are constantly shifting. And so the orc clans have been mostly allowed to determine their own paths rather than be whipped into a fury every few generations, and no further great wars have begun since Dol took his throne. In the few hundred years since this occurred, the priesthood has settled into their new role as moderators and diplomats. They have come to enjoy their new form of conquering, although it may be better described as co-settlement as they join the existing towns and cities and strive to improve them so as to show the greatness of their god. Not all orcs worship Dol, nor are all his worshipers orcs any longer. They do all agree that to utter the name of the old god who Dol destroyed is a great heresy.
The Sire of Stone Legends say that once the world was only ocean and sky. When the gods began their shaping of life, one was uninterested in fish and fins. She choose to create a new thing for her children to live on, and she raised a mountain from the depths of the sea. The other gods saw this, and some choose to support his new land and make more and make their own mortals to live there, and others disdained it and stayed in the sea or sky. The god did not care about the choices of the others, and continued to make land and mortal things to walk upon and underneath it. Known also as the Swami of Strength, since they do not care for material goods and are impressed almost exclusively by acts of strength done for no reason other than to prove to oneself you can, this god is frequently worshiped by people who live underground, miners and wrestlers, and any who find beauty and wonder in the permanence of stone. A common fact about the “church” is that it doesn't exist. Or rather it does, but doesn't really care. Following the Sire of Stone means looking to yourself and your strength first and foremost, and helping others with your strength is a byproduct of your devotion and desire to test your own strength. The only known temple is essentially a gym, and access is only granted by pushing open incredibly heavy doors, lifting even heavier gates, and so forth, which each level of access requiring more impressive acts of strength.
Atruis, the Blade of Justice Worshiped by knights and judges, Atruis grants her favor to any who would take up arms to ensure justice is upheld. It is not a path many walk for long, for that favor is lost as soon as selfishness or avarice enters the heart, and the purest heroes are tempted constantly. It is for this reason that her church remains comparatively small; it becomes clear when a priest loses her favor (also, rulers don't tend to look happily on churches who are willing to call them out on bad behavior). But while the favor lasts, such defenders of right are significant powers for “good”. A story frequently told about the fickleness of her favor is that a man (frequently named Jax, though not in l versions of the story) found himself fully devoted to the idea of justice (often because of the violent loss of family, but not in all versions). The man wasn't only out for vengeance, he wanted to bring justice so that others would not go through the same hurt he had. Atruis blessed him, and his quest was successful for many years. He grew old, and desired to retire from his crusade. When the choice was made, he was in the middle of a fight and decided that he was simply done after this fight. All his strength left him, and he fell under his enemies blade.
Berhin Aellis One of the best loved of all the gods, Berhin Aellis is a simple deity with a simple purpose: to feast. Whether for the sake of another celebration or simply for the sake of the feast itself, whether it's quantity or quality, the simple act of enjoying food is the greatest show of devotion to Behrin Aellis, while declining offered food and drink is the greatest of sins. For this reason, many of the more ardent worshipers create or find magics to help them resist poisons and settle digestive issues. There are many offshoots of the religion, who focus the importance on a single kind food. Such offshoots focus more on the holiness of the food itself than the god, but Behrin Aellis doesn't seem to mind. These often will be tied to the economic status of the follower: poor followers may keep a pot of stew that never empties and feed others with whatever they can manage to put in the cauldron, while more wealthy worshipers might focus on a specific expensive or hard to find delicacy. Rarely will these be baked goods though, just due to the logistics of maintaining enough ingredients to consistently make batches of baked goods; some of the goblins from the more civilized city states have taken up this practice though, as they see overcoming the difficulty as a great act of devotion. These tend to be among the most evangelical followers, constantly proclaiming the superiority of their chosen food.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments