Nordlond Gods

The Nordlond gods are powerful supernatural entities that (usually) reside beyond the mortal realm, offering clerics and holy warriors divine power, and receiving worship from the faithful.
== The Braethralags ==
Pronounced BREYE-dthra-lach(?), a Braethralag is a brotherhood or clergy of a given deity. These brotherhoods provide some level of hospitality among their peers, and may make decent contacts or allies.
The major Braethralags are the Fates, the Snow Queen, the Renewer, and the Queen of the World. Lesser Braethralags include Law, Michief, Druids, and the Windsea God.
== The Allfather ==
Father of gods (hence the name), patron of foresight, wisdom, and knowledge. The Allfather is popular among those who put great effort into study—bards and sages in particular.
=== Not More Than One Step ===
The Allfather had very specific advice for Nordlonders. It goes something like, "A man in the country must not go more than one step from his weapons; one can never be sure when a spear will be needed by a warrior." This standard has lead to all Nordlonders to carry some level of weaponry—in fact, it's considered rather odd to not have a weapon.
=== Festivals ===
==== Day of the World Tree ====
The Day of the World Tree is celebrated in April, where different families mingle and share in dinner, along with bringing a bag of nuts in honor of the Great Squirrel. The day ends with music, storytelling, and a whole lot of dancing. Plenty of married couples can attest that they met on the Day of the World Tree, otherwise being separate through labor or personal hobby. Some even get married on the Day itself, although they may be too intoxicated to recall. It's best to consult an equally-hungover cleric.
==== The Allfather's Hunt ====
A grand hunt held in the dead-cold of a Nordlond December. Prospective hunters and aspiring warriors test their mettle by stalking through the forest to slay goat, boar and bear, armed only with spears. Visitors will see the gleam of the nightly bonfires from miles away, and should make haste to reach them—while the locals will be psyched-up for the hunt and hungrier than usual, their presence will be a welcome sight compared to any undead or faerie incursion, which are particularly common during the Hunt. After all, it's the longest night of the year.
== The Death Goddess ==
She rules over the underworld, ensuring the souls of Nordlonders meet their proper afterlife. She is the patron of old age. She meets everyone, eventually.
The Goddess of Graves is saddened by the restless dead, and her clerics and holy warriors sometimes specialize in making sure the undead are returned to the earth. This often isn't as simple as a battle however, as the wandering undead of Nordlond are often furious about something in particular, and must have some injustice righted before passing on...
=== Close Mortals ===
One of the Cairn Lady's favorite mortals—Bjalfi the Gentle—was lost during the tragic loss of Elskaðr. Perhaps if he is found and put to rest, the town will be less restless as well.The Citadel at Nordvorn, p.101
== The Fates ==
Popular, but not centralized, shrines to the Fates can be found just about everywhere.
== The Law God ==
Patron of justice, fair play, and self-sacrifice. Clerics and Holy Warriors of the Law God must be honest, fair, and even-handed, and their strictness of discipline is key in their task as notaries, officials, and judges for judicial duels. If your PCs are buying land, attending a wedding, or witnessing a duel, they're likely to meet an acolyte of the Law God.
== The Lady of Life / The Renewer ==
The Lady of Life, going by many titles, is the goddess of renewal, healing, youth, and springtime. Her followers are often healers of type, often found salving wounds and curing ailments at healing temples.
=== Druidism ===
Druidism is not dedicated to a singular entity, but is effectively a Braethralag of its own. It is represented among trevinur (tree-friends), nature spirits, and even a few divine beings who pay respects to the cycle of nature, Lady of Life (aka the Renewer) in particular.
== The Mischievous One ==
Lord of trickery and patron of change, and the king of revels. Trickery is seldom seen as a virtue, but cunning and good humor are, and the god of mischief is given some level of reverence at any joyful gathering.
=== Close Mortals ===
Sadly one of the bigger names of the God of Mischief was lost in Elskaðr—Holmlaug, a dwarvish priestess of of the Reveling God, whom was particularly popular. Asbjorn himself was fond of her and her ribaldry. If the Landvaettr has retained any of her clowny nature, it's certainly a horror-inspiring imitation.
== The Queen of the World ==
Goddess of magic itself, beauty, love, and transcendence. She loves all that is valorous, and rewards the bold with a glorious afterlife. She is the wife of the Allfather, and although many of her temples are linked physically and spiritually with his (representing their bond together), she has her own towers, studies and shrines for those who seem to prefer her.
Her temple in Nordvorn is a bit of a love-letter to the Queen—a gorgeous and fantastical structure built to contain (and retain) collected works from mages long past. It's seemingly impossible to scry upon anyone or anything within its walls, which is why it's often used as a meeting-place for important, no-demons-faeries-or-dragons-allowed meetings. The Citadel at Nordvorn, p.26
=== The Honored Dead ===
As the Queen is a great fan of those who fought and died for noble cause, any player character who dies may be honored somewhere in the Queen's temple, a quiet candle burning by their name. 
=== Close Mortals ===
Ingeltore Sigehelmdottir is the current High Priestess of the Queen of the World. She is one of the blessed few who have felt the soft fur of the Queen of the World's chariot-pulling battle-cats.Fanon, but the cats are mentioned in Citadel, p.28
=== Holidays ===
The Queen of the World's main holiday is Friðardegi, or Peace Day, a solemn occasion where lost companions are honored and the thegns retire from service.
== The Snow Queen ==
Goddess of winter, a stony and unyielding force that cannot be controlled, only understood and respected. The Snow Queen is a patron of vengeance served cold, and bards often portray her as an icy counterpart to the Law God. It is hard to get her favor other than pure, hard work—or a pure dedication to settling a score.
The Snow Queen is also the patron of the Winter Games of Nordlond, particularly skiing. Some say the Snow Queen herself appears to those who have reached a new pinnacle in sports, if only to judge them herself. Some say she's pulled skiiers out of the snow, if only to see their mettle tested again. She'd rather not relinquish any hero to Death if there's yet more to be done.
== The Thunderer ==
Possibly the most personally congenial gods of all the Nordlonders, appearing in many folk-tales and stories all across Nordlond. The Thunder God often appears as very robustly-built red-haired warrior who spends most of his time either fighting Big Bads or celebrating his time fighting Big Bads. He enjoys partying as much as the Mischievous One, although the two seldom get along, and personally observes the valorous behavior that the Queen insists upon. When the wind turns sour and the skies are alight, the Thunderer shakes the earth with his battles in the sky.
== The Lord of Warding ==
A deity themed seemingly on military defense and coordination, the Lord of Warding is the patron of barracks, fortresses, and the many fort-towns along Audreyn's Wall. It is stated—quite proudly—that the warriors of the Warding God are immune to the supernatural predations of demonkind. Fortunately, this is mostly true. Two of the most powerful military positions of Nordlond are the High Protector (a cleric) and High Watchman (a holy warrior), who maintain garrisons along Audreyn's Wall.The Citadel at Nordvorn, p.25
=== Sacred Items ===
The battle-horn is a sacred item to the Lord of Warding, known universally as a warning or call for help, and misusing one is a grave violation of trust.
== The Windsea God ==
He who pulls the winds and stirs the seas, and patron of all those who make the sea their home and/or livelihood. Close followers of this Lord of Wind and Sea tend to be skilled navigators and trustworthy merchants, although there's always a haggle, sure as there's bad weather. 
The Windsea God is also patron of death on the water. While Death may claim all in due time, the Lord of the Sea brings many of them to her.
== References and Notes ==
* Hall of Judgment, p.5-6
Category:Religion