The Terrors
The waters of the world are also home to many unseen creatures whose existence would chill the blood of any who heard of their horrible forms and even more terrible deeds. These are the Gods who such evils worship or seek power from. Each of them is terrible in their own right, so woe to the world if their goals reach fruition.
Divine Origins
The Terrors aren't an official Pantheon, as each entity would happily destroy the others for dominance and control of the other's followers. However the struggle for the same portfolios and followers has created a dangerous balance where their mutual hatred and distrust of each other keeps them balanced against one another. Rarely, one may align with the other to accomplish a common goal, but never for any longer. In these flooded lands, each of these Terrors sees a chance to take over the realm and twist it as they see fit.
Worship
DEMOGORGON
Followers of Demogorgon make sacrifices which invariably involve the killing of innocents, especially good-aligned priests and demon hunters, whom Demogorgon despises. One particularly profane ritual unique to the followers of Demogorgon involves summoning a demon to perform the killing blow, whereupon the soul is carried to his realm and forcibly forged into a demon larvae.
Another terrifying ritual is called the Feast of the Self. A demon scoops out and eats part of the brain of a willing participant, before spitting it back into the participant's mouth, who must consume their own brain matter. Those who survive this dangerous rite become a Thrall of Demogorgon, gradually transforming into a horrible creature.
Temples to Demogorgon were split in half, with one side representing Aameul and the other representing Hethradiah.
DAGON
Outside of aquatic races he is also revered by some debased coastline societies who hide their devotion by maintaining a façade of worshipping another deity. In these twisted communities, land dwellers mate with terrible ocean creatures sent by their Lord to create unholy cross-breeds which have no place in the natural order of things.
Isolated communities may turn to him on the promise of bountiful fishing or treasure from the depths. Some sailors also worship Dagon, luring ships to collide with rocky shores to pillage them and performing blood rituals to call forth sea monsters.
Dagon is usually worshipped in decaying churches, caves, or lighthouses located near the sea, or dark underwater cathedrals.
SEKOLAH
The shark-god is worshipped in natural caverns at the highest and lowest tides. Sahuagin sacrifice both defeated enemies and valuable jewelry to Sekolah whenever possible, the priests officiating at these rituals. They are usually tossed down a deep shaft.
Temples to Sekolah are built of stone or coral. The most humble temples, built by sahuagin in exile, are little more than rude caves. The greatest are decorated with mosaics of sharks and sahuagin dancing joyfully, decorated with seashells, mother-of-pearl, and actual pearls and featuring windows made from crystal.
Local shark breeds are extremely common within the temple, and some are even rumored to live at the bottom of the shafts. Similarly, shrines dedicated to Sekolah include the jaw of a local shark species, preferably one known to be vicious or a man eater.
A large bowl, ideally built beneath a statue of Sekolah, is used for offerings and divination. There are chambers for the priestesses to dwell in, barracks for the guards, eating halls, and libraries filled with shells and tablets inscribed with sacred texts and eelhide scrolls bearing the history of the settlement.
PANZURIEL
The sacrifice of magical items or sea elves is always a cause for celebration among Panzuriel’s clergy. Such ceremonies, known as The Gifting or The Empowering, are required to be held annually, although communities will always try to hold them more often if possible. The ceremonies are always held above great sea trenches or deep shafts on the seafloor. Magical items taken in raids and battle are encased in giant clamshells and secured to heavy rocks before being thrown into the deeps. Similarly, sea elves are tied to heavy stones in such a way that struggling will cause bleeding injuries, in the hopes that they are devoured by the denizens of the depths; if not, they are simply crushed by the great pressure of the deeps.
The temples of Panzuriel are huge cave complexes or simple stone circles surrounding tentacled idols. Krakens sometimes force their slaves to toil for centuries creating trenches deep enough to uncover portals leading to Panzuriel's stygian realm. Even when they don't uncover what they seek, the trenches will become the lairs of kraken and other sea beasts.
BLIBDOOLPOOLP
Lobsters were one of Blibdoolpoolp's preferred offerings and were regularly sacrificed to her. As a scavenger goddess, she also appreciated offerings of personal objects that were discarded and later recovered. Regurgitation at her feet was seen as a sincere show of faith, practiced regularly by her more devout followers.
The most commonly held ceremonies to Blibdoolpoolp involved the drowning of humanoids. Worshipers requested favors from the goddess by offering copious amounts of gems and pearls. Larger amounts had a better chance of winning the Sea Mother's favor, so an offering of about 100,000 gold pieces worth of gems (or 50,000 gold pieces worth of pearls) would be considered adequate.
Temple complexes dedicated to Blibdoolpoolp dominate kuo-toan cities. They are centered on a ziggurat rising around a large pool, on top of which stands a large malachite statue of the Sea Mother, with one claw raised above her head and the other held at a low downward angle. The eyes of the statue are typically made with lustrous black pearls, if possible.
Surfaces in these temple complexes are frequently covered by aquatic motifs with non-Euclidean geometric designs; it is said that most other races that stare too long at them risk madness.
Priesthood
DEMOGORGAN
The cults of Demogorgon rarely works with other faiths, for his followers desire to dominate and enslave all other creatures. They may sometimes work with others when greater threats are posed, but never maintain alliances longer than needed, and seek to ensure other forces are weakened while theirs are not.
One notable exception to this rule is the Sahuagin, as their Devil Shark God, Sekolah, is a hated enemy of Demogorgon. He also has little love for the Kraken who he once commanded until their scheming made them untrustworthy in the Demon Lord's eyes.
Individual priests often scheme to undermine their rivals, hoping to embarrass or assassinate them in order to advance to higher ranks and eventually be "blessed" by the Demon Lord. Only the most cunning, conniving, and capable are deemed worthy of this honor.
The Ixitxachitl, an aquatic race of intelligent rays little known to land-dwellers, are Demogorgon's most numerous followers.
DAGON
Followers of Dagon are mostly demons from the Abyss. Aquatic demons such as wastriliths and uzollrus are his favored agents, but almost all Demons begrudgingly or fearfully respect him to some extent. But even outside of the Abyss there are worshippers, as his presence dark knowledge is coveted by many.
Dagon is served mostly by aquatic demons, especially wastrilith, and by aquatic races such as kraken, chuuls, sea hags, water nagas, and kuo-toa. He shares many of his followers with his ally, Demogorgon.
Some fervent Priests of Dagon seek to impress Dagon by claiming islands in his name. Usually a terrible calamity will soon ensue that swallows up the landmass, depriving the world of what little foundation remains after the Deluge.
SEKOLAH
Sekolah's relation to his priests, like all sahuagin, is uncaring. He grants them spells, but expects them to be self-sufficient, able to thrive without him. He even allows them to form pacts with other powers and deities without consequence. The sole exception would be making a pact with Demogorgon.
Sekolah’s priesthood is feared and respected throughout sahuagin society, for they command gifts of magic directly from Sekolah. Nominally, they act as advisors and spiritual guides for their people, instilling the tenets of Sekolah’s faith into each hatchling from the moment of birth, but they also command tremendous political power.
Sekolah's priests, who are all female, wear gray-white colors. Their favored weapon is the trident. They lead raiding parties and take their choice of the spoils after the nobles have had their share. Sekolah's church follows a rigid, tyrannical hierarchy in which status is determined through ritual combat.
PANZURIEL
Panzuriel's shamans and priests are, for the most part, mere rabble raised from a variety of different races. Their chief duty involves organizing attacks against others, particularly aquatic elves. They sacrifice all magic items they acquire to their deity (although kraken priests are exempt from this commandment).
In order to become a cleric of Panzuriel, worshipers must sacrifice a sea elf in a ceremony known as the Endless Revenging.
BLIBDOOLPOOLP
Blibdoolpoolp's only worshipers were the kuo-toa, whose priests ran most of their civilization. Her kuo-toa priests kept large black pearls and giant crustaceans in their temples, looking for changes in the pearls' coloration or in the animals' activity that indicated favorable omens. Priests from different settlements collaborated with each other to ensure their mutual defense, and were mandated to immediately drive away any illithid settlers found close to their homes.
Priests of Blibdoolpoolp fill most major roles of the kuo-toan theocratic society. They serve as leaders, administrators, and judicial officials of their realms, function as diplomats, and often lead major trade expeditions, although normal everyday trade and military matters are handled by other castes within the society.
They oversee the culling of small and weak fingerlings (kuo-toan young), and raise and educate them in large communal groups. They produce no goods for their communities, save the unique adhesive substance their people coat their shields with. Finally, they lead their people in frequent ceremonies to invoke the Sea Mother’s blessing over various ventures, and reinforce the dominance of the royal clergy over society as a whole.
"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Divines
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