THE NINE GODS

 
There are many gods in Thule: Protectors of cities, patrons of merchants, spirits of forests or beasts, and dark things remembered only by a few savage tribes or vile cults. Mysterious powers surround this superstitious age. People naturally seek to understand the forces around them by giving them names and seeking to win their favor or avert their displeasure. Whether the gods take note of such things or not, few indeed could say, the gods are inscrutable.
Gods and other divine entities of this landfall into one of three broad groups: The Nine Powers, a pantheon of mythological figures who are the gods of the civilized peoples; the Forest Gods, myriad spirits of beast, wood, and weather that are worshiped by many of the savage and barbarian tribes; and the Other Gods, dreadful prehuman entities that are venerated only by the most degenerate cultists and tribes.
ASURA Goddess of Dawn, Messenger of the Gods, Flame of Atlantis Symbol: A crown or tiara with rays of sunlight Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Dawn, fire, beginnings, inspiration Favored Weapon: Spear The goddess of dawn, Asura is said to begin each new day by kindling the sun with divine fire. She is a figure of glory and hope, dispelling darkness and driving away evil things with her coming. Her holy texts teach that people are meant to live free of oppression and realize their potential, doing good works and aiding those less fortunate than they. She was once considered the special patron of Atlantis, and her radiant glory symbolized the progress and enlightenment of Atlantean civilization. Temples of Asura commonly greet each sunrise with ringing gongs, and keep a sacred fire burning at the altar all year round. The priests of Asura lost a great deal of wealth and influence when Atlantis was destroyed, but after centuries of decline, Asura’s faith is now gaining strength again as her priests champion the cause of Thule’s lower classes. The priests of Asura oppose the worst excesses of the slave trade, calling for laws to ensure that slaves are treated well, and a few of the most radical even go so far as to call for the abolition of slavery altogether a position that puts them at odds with the elites of Thule’s cities.
HERUM Lord of Beasts, the Ape-God Symbol: Broken bones Alignment: Chaotic evil Portfolio: Beasts, savagery, rage, destruction Favored Weapon: Greatclub An old and brutal god, Herum represents the violence and bloodthirstiness that lurks inside the human heart. He was one of the first gods of humankind, a suitable deity for naked savages who were barely more advanced than apes themselves. Herum teaches that humans are no more than beasts that can think, and that the true man is one who rids himself of his delusions and false morals, giving himself over to the beast that lurks within. Few civilized folk still worship Herum. His message of primitive rage and brutal impulse repels the more advanced cultures of Thule, and his temples sit forgotten (or shunned) in the older quarters of Thule’s ancient cities. But here and there Herum’s crude altars stand in the wild places of the world in jungle clearings or on windswept hilltops, stained with the blood of the sacrifices the ape-god demands from his worshipers. His worshipers include the most savage warriors, murderers, and lycanthropes.

 
ISHTAR Goddess of Love, Luck, and War Symbol: Eight-pointed star Alignment: Chaotic neutral Portfolio: Love, beauty, art, fortune, passion Favored Weapon: Scimitar Ishtar is the goddess of love and beauty. She is legendary for fickleness and fits of jealous rage, but this same passionate nature also drives her to fight fearlessly to protect those she loves and boldly confront foes. Ishtar therefore possesses an important aspect as a goddess of war. While Nergal is the god of warmaking and conquest and Tarhun is the god of battle, Ishtar represents war as the ultimate expression of unchecked emotion. Her dogma can be reduced to one simple idea: Live passionately, in all senses of the expression. Ishtar is one of the most widely worshiped of the Nine, and her temples can be found in almost every city. Consequently her priestesses tend to be rich, powerful, and influential. Many of the rites and festivals associated with Ishtar’s temple are orgies of one kind or another, which goes a long way toward explaining Ishtar’s popularity with the masses. Clerics of Ishtar are also seekers of beauty, defenders of art, and protectors of their cities.
KISHAR Goddess of Grain, Mother of Rivers, Queen of the Gods Symbol: A sheaf of grain Alignment: Lawful neutral Portfolio: Agriculture, the earth, rivers, motherhood Favored Weapon: Light flail Goddess of agriculture and growing things, Kishar is the consort of Mithra and the mother figure among the Nine. She is the mother of Tarhun, and held in some reverence by followers of that faith as well as her own. Kishar teaches that all things come in their own season, and that people should give thanks for the bounty of the earth. Few temples are dedicated specifically to Kishar. She is more commonly worshiped in conjunction with Mithra, and in many places the highest-ranking priestess in a temple of Mithra also serves as the city’s high priestess of Kishar. Kishar’s clerics observe the seasons of the year, declaring the times for planting and harvest and seeking Kishar’s blessings of rain and sunshine in good measure.
MITHRA God of the Sun, Lord of the Sky, King of the Gods Symbol: A sunburst and eagle Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Sun, justice, sky, rulership and dominion Favored Weapon: Heavy mace The ruler of the Nine, Mithra is the god of the sun and sky. Kishar is his consort, and headstrong Tarhun is his son. He is a just and benevolent king, ordering all things so that his followers can enjoy justice and prosperity in their lives. Mithra is also a stern and vigilant judge who checks the wicked ambitions of gods such as Set, Nergal, and Tiamat, ensuring that they fulfill their role in the scheme of things without exceeding their lawful authority. He teaches that order and justice are the instruments by which the most good can be done for the most people. Mithra’s temples are often the grandest and most powerful in a city, and his priesthood is rich and influential. They are usually strongly aligned with the city’s monarch, and the support of Mithra’s priests is often one of the chief pillars on which a city’s king or queen bases his or her rule. Few rulers can keep their thrones for long if Mithra’s priests determine that Mithra no longer blesses the monarch’s reign.

  NERGAL God of the Underworld, Lord of War, King of the Dead Symbol: A black lion with a mane of flame Alignment: Neutral evil Portfolio: War, death, avarice, the underworld Favored Weapon: Longsword
A grim and implacable figure, Nergal is the god of the underworld, war, and death. He represents war as the drive for power, dominion, and triumph, the desire to subjugate enemies and claim what is theirs. Nergal is also the stern and final judge of the dead, sentencing souls deserving of punishment to ages of penance in his hell of black flames. Nergal’s philosophy teaches that the strong rule over the weak, and people are meant to seize the things they want in life—a creed that often casts the lord of the underworld as a sullen and resentful being who believes Mithra’s place as the ruler of the pantheon belongs to him. While Nergal is a dark and demanding deity, his temples are found in many cities and are firmly established in Thule’s civic life. War comes to all lands sooner or later, and warriors seek Nergal’s favor in the struggles they face. His priesthood urges a strong hand in dealing with the wretched masses and rival cities, and they also sponsor spectacular (and bloody) games to celebrate the anniversaries of triumphs and conquests from past wars.
SET God of Night, the Great Serpent Symbol: Twin serpents Alignment: Lawful evil Portfolio: Night, secrets, treachery, poison, snakes Favored Weapon: Short sword Set is ancient beyond measure. According to some stories, the lord of snakes actually arose during the long ages when serpentmen ruled over Thule and was first worshiped as a god by that ancient and wicked race. He is the eternal enemy of Mithra, and a bitter rival to Nergal and Tiamat. Set teaches that free will is illusion, and that the only path to understanding is to surrender oneself to him in body, soul, and mind. While the worship of Set is unwelcome in many cities, none can deny the power and influence of his temples. As much as the priests of Mithra and Asura rail against the sinister machinations of Set’s priests, few would dare to move openly to ban Set’s worship or desecrate his altars. Over the years, zealous crusaders have tried to do just that in cities such as Katagia and Quodeth, but sudden mysterious deaths and various other disasters invariably ensue, bringing these ill-considered campaigns to an end. Set’s worshipers consist largely of the downtrodden and the defeated, people who think so little of themselves that they surrender their all to the Lord of Night in the hope that he will reward faithful devotion with the comforts and power that have eluded them. Many other people simply hope to propitiate the Lord of Serpents and avert the misfortunes and catastrophes at his command.
TARHUN God of Storms, Lord of Battle Symbol: A three-forked lightning bolt Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Storms, sky, battle Favored Weapon: Battle axe Brash and headstrong, Tarhun is a god who confronts his foes and tries his strength against them without hesitation. The son of Mithra and Kishar, Tarhun is a warrior-hero, a figure that battles scores of dreadful monsters in various myths and tales. He celebrates battle as the true test of manhood (or womanhood), the strife in which a warrior can show his or her true merit, and teaches that people with courage and honor can make the world a better place by challenging wickedness and crushing it underfoot. Tarhun’s temples are common in the more martial cities of Thule, especially Lomar, Katagia, and Nim. He is increasingly seen as a god of strength and valor, a war deity who rewards courage (unlike Nergal, who rewards only triumph). Many warriors take Tarhun as their patron and seek his favor before battle. Tarhun’s priests frequently sponsor athletic games, tournaments, and gladiatorial contests to celebrate the virtues of physical hardiness and valor.

 
TIAMAT Mother of Dragons, Goddess of the Sea, Queen of Chaos Symbol: A dragon skull with five horns Alignment: Chaotic evil Portfolio: Chaos, destruction, monsters, vengeance, the sea Favored Weapon: Morningstar Goddess of the sea, Tiamat is a capricious and wrathful deity that supposedly gave birth to many of the more terrible monsters plaguing the world today. Long ago she warred against the other gods and was subdued only with the greatest of difficulty, and she still hates all the others to this day. Tiamat teaches that the world is without order, and that those who serve chaos and beseech her favor will be rewarded with power and riches. While temples dedicated to Set and Nergal can be found in many Thulean cities, Tiamat’s worship is not quite as common. At best, those who have to hazard life and livelihood on the seas—fishermen, sailors, and merchants—are careful to pay their respects to the dragon goddess, hoping to avert her wrath with suitable offerings. People who feel they have been wronged also have been known to seek out Tiamat’s shrines and pray for disaster to befall their enemies. Tiamat’s priests often seek out monsters wherever they lurk, providing them with treasures and sacrifice to honor the “children of the Queen.”
WORSHIP, BELIEFS, AND DEVOTION The gods of Thule are secretive and aloof. This is not a land where gods move mortals like chess pieces or appear in shining visions to direct their followers to take on quests or launch crusades. A priest in Thule is generally left to his own devices and determines the nature of his service on his own. In the beliefs of Thule, gods have little to do with mortal souls or the afterlife. Most city-dwellers are not terribly religious; the idea of seeking eternal salvation through faithful service to a deity simply isn’t a part of most cultures. Instead, pious citizens observe rituals and make minor sacrifices more as a matter of participating in civic culture (and perhaps invoking a little good luck) than as a matter of seek- ing favorable treatment in the hereafter. Piety and moderation are the virtues of good people, and good people need fear nothing that awaits after death. Some holy texts state that gods can reward their loyal servants or punish the very wicked, but these are usually portrayed as bounded fates—a great traitor may be sentenced to spend an age in Nergal’s black hells, or a courageous hero may be chosen to feast at Tarhun’s table the day she falls in battle. But if the writings of Thule’s priests are to be believed, most souls simply depart the world on death, and the gods have limited power or interest in decreeing otherwise.
CLERICS AND MAGIC Clerical magic is rarely seen and is every bit as secretive and mysterious as arcane magic. In Thule, clerics don’t pray for spells. Instead, they gain their magical powers when they are initiated into the deeper mysteries of their chosen deity’s worship. To put it another way, once a priestess of Ishtar is initiated and invested with power, she gains the ability to use spells. What she does with those powers after that point is up to her. Because priests can only be judged by the observable actions they take, it is far from certain that any given cleric is serving his or her deity faithfully. Priests, like all other mortals, are fallible and corruptible, and their magic has no special divine im- primatur that makes it holy or good. In Thule, magic is mysterious and not well understood, and Thule’s priesthoods are nothing if not mysterious.