The City Gods

Novigrad has more need of the gods than most, and pay them much less attention than one would think. The gods of Novigrad are fighters, intriguers, and more than a little dangerous, like the people of the region. The leader of the pantheon and the patron of the region is the war god Tyr, and his order’s influence cannot be overstated. The temples to the elven gods have been largely abandoned, and the gods have repeatedly turned against one another. The priests and oracles fight for their beliefs, sometimes literally, and enslavement of divine messengers, priests, and even gods has a long history here. In Novigrad, religion is close to war, and only the civilizing hand of Ceres restrains the region from even more frequent bloodbaths. Discussions of religion rarely end well, and foreign priests get hard stares, especially those who preach or proselytize.

Deity	Alignment	Province	Domain	Symbol
Ceres	Good	Midgard	Life, Nature, Travel	A sickle and a shaft of wheat
Charun	Neutral	Helheim	Death, Ocean, Travel	A boat and two oars
Hecate	Evil	Midgard	Darkness, Knowledge, Moon	A crescent moon
Heimdall	Lawful	Asgard	Light, War, Travel, Speed	A curled horn made from the horns of a ram
Nethus	Chaotic	Midgard	Ocean, Tempest, Travel	A trident
Tyr	Lawful Good	Asgard	Life, Justice, Tempest, War	A balance weight upon a hammer

Ceres

Ceres is a goddess of civilization. Her domain is the worked field, the developed land, the trading house, and the road that connects them. All feel her presence whenever large groups of people gather together, and her favor leads to prosperity. Followers of Ceres are builders and growers: they domesticate animals and grow crops, build roads for trade and travel, and create communities. She is the patron of farmers, shepherds, crafters, merchants, and travelers. Although she favors unity, her unity does not necessarily engender peace. Her urban and rural followers are often in conflict, both overtly and quietly. Cerean harvest rites include the Spring Rite of Sowing and the Fall Rite of Harvest. The week-long sowing rite culminates in the crowning of the Harvest Maiden, which associates the health of a young woman to the village’s crops. The harvest rite includes dances and long parades and ends in an enthusiastic celebration of thanks. In cities, all market days are dedicated to Ceres, when farmers come to the city for trade. Market days immediately following harvest rites are major holidays.
Depiction. She is depicted as an older woman in a golden dress, long brown hair, and wielding a sickle or a sythe.
Worshippers.  Most of Novigrad venerates Ceres. Humans represent her most devoted worshippers, although she welcomes all races. Most are advocates of peace and commerce, and city guards pay her respect. Several groups worship the goddess as Ceres the Reaper, most notably serpent cults based in the marshlands of Trombei. These worshippers practice bloody rites, including sacrificing an unhealthy Harvest Maiden to choose another, healthier maiden. During their Rite of Reaping they sometimes attempt wholesale slaughter of their enemies. Even in peace, the Reapers are known for their love of excess.
Commandments. 

• Value teamwork and cleverness. 
• Help in the harvest rites and honor farmers. 
• Food may never be stolen. 
• Protect farmers, herders, cooks, and growers, and all those who provide life and sustenance.

Charun

Charun oversees the passage of souls: at birth, at death, and in the afterlife, maintaining the proper steps along the natural roads. He protects planar travelers, especially mortals, from demons and celestials alike. Charun uses the undead as tools and servants, though he sees them as the damaged shells of his charges, holding only a few scattered memories. Darakhul, vampires, and liches gain higher regard in his eyes, since they retain their personalities. Immortal creatures such as outsiders and the fey meet with Charun’s disapproval if he finds them in Midgard, because all too often they trade souls and disrupt their natural migration.
Depiction.  Charun wears a hood in most depictions, and his features are never clear. Visions of the god include snakelike hair, a hooked nose, large boar tusks, heavy brows, cold blue or fiery eyes, or a long black beard. Most agree that his arms are pale cream, though others say Charun has blue or gray skin; all agree on the snake tattoos on his forearms.
Worshippers. All mortal creatures worship Charun to some degree, for all things die, but those who see death on a regular basis become devoted followers: soldiers, executioners, mourners, necromancers, and the grieving. The Ghoul Imperium considers Charun a weak god for slaves. There, Charun’s worship is part of Hel’s rites (secretly or openly), and Charun offers the hope of escape. Charun is one of relatively few gods worshipped by creatures of the planes, due to his control of planar rivers. Charun the Boatman is a popular figure among the river elves of the Arbonesse, who consider him a sheltering and welcoming figure after a long life. He is likewise popular among shadow elves, who see his control of the planes and shadow roads as powerful and worthy of supplication.
Commandments

• Bury the dead according to their rites; leave no body to rot, not even those of enemies. 
• Venture into darkness and learn to walk without light. 
• Protect those entering this world and those leaving it. 
• Honor the remains of the deceased, and destroy rampaging undead and thieving immortals. 
• Visit a gravesite at least once a week, to maintain it and meditate on the end of all things.

Hecate

The ways of the gods are inscrutable to mortals, and the ways of Hecate are likewise inscrutable to the gods. Hecate embodies change and transformation, and her actions seem haphazard. Her worshippers believe she uses her foreknowledge to improve the world, while her detractors say her visions of the future have driven her insane. Once an ally of Nethus, she was responsible for his enslavement and his release. Her followers insist the act was necessary. Others believe she usurped much of his power, and for years the followers of Nethus made repeated attacks against her church. Now that the Marriage of Moon and Ocean has united the two churches, the priesthoods are growing more amicable, but some priests of Nethus refuse to forgive.
Depiction.  Hecate appears in three forms, depending on the phase of the moon. Most worshippers venerate all her forms, but some favor one over the others. During the new moon, Hecate appears as the Lady of Darkness, a maiden who moves with a decisive and deadly grace. Capricious and vengeful, her followers are masters of poison, torture, and the shadows. At the half moon, she becomes the Lady of Sighs, a grown, dark-haired woman who appears in dreams to whisper arcane secrets to her followers. She opens all doors, including the one between life and death. She holds a key in one hand and a book in the other. Mysterious and aloof, she favors arcanists, the fey, and shape changers. Hecate’s full moon aspect is the Lady of Tears, elderly and benevolent and holding a lantern or lamp. White or gray-haired, she reveals the future to her servants as she grieves for the pain of the world
Worshippers. Hecate is venerated in Novigrad. Most of her worshippers are human, but Hecate also commands sizable followings among kobolds, minotaurs, and lycanthropes.
Commandments

• Seek and acquire knowledge, and learn magic or shapeshifting if you can. 
• Follow the Mysteries and obey the orders of her chosen unquestioningly. 
• Speak many languages and revere the spirits of the dead. 
• All items of magic and transformation belong to the goddess. 
• Keep no secrets from her priests

Hiemdall

He is best known as the Watchman of Asgard, who will blow his great horn Gjallahorn to alert the gods to the beginning of Ragnarok. He is one of the most important gods of Asgard.  Heimdall has many powers related to his duty as a watchman. He cannot be snuck up on except by a more powerful deity such as Odin. He can see through illusions and disguises. He can see, hear or sense everything within the realms. It is said that Heimdall could hear the wool growing upon a sheep. Heimdall is a god of watchfulness, sight, hearing, and loyalty. He has power over the domains of good, law, and war. He automatically senses any attempts to reach Asgard as soon as they begin.
Depiction.  Heimdall is a man, seven feet tall, with a great beard. He wears a horned helmet and gleaming white armor.
Worshippers.  While the people of Midgard typically worship the Aiser as a collective group, Heimdall is particularly petitioned by sentries and guards. He is followed by fighters, paladins, and dwarves. Watchful rangers also follow him. The followers of Heimdall seek to emulate his sense of duty to stand lookout and protect their communities. Many rangers perform this duty.
Commandments

• Believe in the virtues of self-discipline, responsibility, and obedience to legitimate authority.

Nethus

Once beloved throughout Midgard, Nethus has fallen far since he was chained and held as a prisoner. He has since been freed (and his wife Mnemosyne imprisoned and forgotten), but many of his old temples were abandoned and others overtaken by other gods. The priesthood of Nethus is rebuilding and he has been restored as a god of the people. Indeed, Nethus has married the great goddess Hecate, and forgotten his first  wife entirely. Some believe Nethus made a vow of service in exchange for his freedom.
Depiction. He is depicted as a man with bluish green skin with his hair and beard being made of sea weed. He wears a tunic and has barnacles growing upon his skin.
Worshippers.  Nethus is widely worshipped primarily by humans and to a lesser degree by minotaurs and elves. In ancient days, his faith was widespread in Antlantis before it sank. Currently, his priesthood is growing and his followers are rebuilding his neglected temples and restoring and gilding his statues. Those who fish or dive for pearls are among his most devoted followers, but so are merchant captains, shipwrights, and netmakers, not to mention seafaring soldiers and the explorers of the Ocean Expanse.
Commandments

• Honor the tides and the moon. 
• Learn to sail and fish and swim. 
• Explore new lands to the west and east, and respect the seas. 
• Make sacrifice before any voyage over water. 
• Never forget that all waters return to the sea, and a dam can never hold a river for long.

Tyr

Tyr is the patron god of most of Novigrad, and it is his will that they remain at war as a holy mission. His domains are well known and well described, and he is associated with his brothers Baldur, Perun and Thor. His extensive church forms a culture unto itself in the south; some adventurers, mercenaries, and priests proclaim their loyalty to the his church, rather than to any city-state.  He is the bravest and most honorable of the Aesir gods. His trustworthiness is legendary; Tyr allowed the wolf Fenrir to bite off his right hand rather than break his word. To this day is the only god Fenrir shows any trust in. Tyr has never broken his word.
Depiction.  Tyr is a strong, bearded man with a missing right hand.
Worshippers.  Followers of Tyr in Novigrad include soldiers, most citizens of Valera, and captains and officers throughout the land. Women and children view him as a protector, beyond his role as the god of war.
Commandments

• Teach the value of courage in all things, though not to the point of foolhardiness, and self-sacrifice, but not for personal gain.