Dispater

(a.k.a. Aegir, Vellaunus, Apep)

Dispater is the god of disease and decay and is known as the creator of the Orcish and goblinoid races (i.e., goblins, hobgoblins). He is considered one of the elder gods, whose parentage is unknown. His worshipers believe him to be as powerful as Jupiter. Indeed, the Latin name is a contraction of "deus" and "pater," which means literally "father of gods," and consequently, his worshipers maintain that he is the father of all gods. Priests of most other gods dispute this, citing Jupiter's name (which means "father of law"), as evidence that the laws of the universe were created by Jupiter, and argue that he predates Dispater. Either way, Dispater's followers tend not to get along well with those of other gods, and his teachings are, broadly speaking, considered evil by most humanoids.
Dispater famously does not get along with the good-aligned gods, having feuded with Minerva, Diana, Venus, and even the normally peaceful Vesta, although his chief rival among the gods is usually considered to be Apollo. He has occasionally been known to ally with Asmodeus, although the two are not considered to get along well.
Dispater's clerics and paladins must be evil-aligned, and bear his symbol, which is a jawless skull. He is known to the River Folk as Apep, to the Elves as Aegir, and to the Dwarves , Gnomes, and halflings as Vallaunus.

Divine Domains

Grave, Death

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Jawless skull

Tenets of Faith

• Dispater is a Neutral Evil god. He only accepts evil-aligned worshipers. He cares not whether they obey or disobey the law.
• Dispater has a strong enmity with the good-aligned Roman gods and demands that his worshipers oppose theirs whenever possible.
• Dispater requires sacrifice to obtain his favor -- although live animal sacrifices are permitted, he prefers to have humanoid sacrifice or else offerings of monetary treasure.

Physical Description

Apparel & Accessories

Dispater is typically depicted as wearing black armor, a red cape, and bearing a twisted staff topped with a humanoid skull.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Worshipers of Dispater depict him as having poor relations with most of the other gods, with the occasional exception of Asmodeus. Although Orcus and Demogorgon, like Dispater, bear no love of the other gods, it is not generally believed that they are willing to work together against those gods. Among the rest of the pantheon, Dispater's chief enemy is usually depicted to be Apollo.

Family Ties

Dispater is thought to be some manner of sibling to the other evil gods (Orcus, Asmodeus, and Demogorgon), but the manner of birth for all four of these gods is unknown. It is generally not thought that they were sired by Jupiter, as all of the other young gods such as Apollo and Diana are believed to have been.

Divine Classification

Deity

Religions

• Roman Pantheon

Church/Cult

Roman Pantheon

Circumstances of Birth

Unknown

Gender

Male

Eyes

Dark Red

Hair

Bald, horned

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale white

Aligned Organization

Roman Pantheon