Deity

The **deities** of the pantheon of Exandria are extremely powerful beings who arrived to this world and helped creating life in it, eventually splitting into two groups: the Prime Deities (who are generally seen as good- or neutral-aligned and for the most part battled the Primordials and aided in the Founding, granting magic to mortals) and the Betrayer Gods (who are generally evil-aligned and for the most part embraced the chaotic destruction of the Primordials, battling the Prime Deities in the Calamity); there were also less important deities supporting the main deities of the pantheon. Following the Divergence, in which the gods abandoned Exandria lest they endanger it with their own conflicts, multiple lesser powers rose up in the vacuum left by the withdrawal of the true deities, offering power to mortals and gathering worshipers.

Despite their mutual hostility, the main gods of the Exandrian pantheon have declared armistices (if only temporarily) to deal with common threats, such as the flying city of Aeor during the Calamity, or the potential release of Predathos after the apogee solstice of 843 PD.

## **Prime Deities**

* Avandra, the Changebringer
* Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon
* Corellon, the Arch Heart
* Erathis, the Lawbearer
* Ioun, the Knowing Mentor
* Kord, the Stormlord
* Melora, the Wildmother
* Moradin, the Allhammer
* Pelor, the Dawnfather
* The Raven Queen, Matron of Death,
* Sarenrae/Raei, the Everlight
* Sehanine, the Moonweaver

## **Betrayer Gods**

* Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells
* Bane, the Strife Emperor
* Gruumsh, the Ruiner
* Lolth, the Spider Queen
* Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion
* Tiamat, the Scaled Tyrant
* Torog, the Crawling King
* Vecna, the Whispered One
* Zehir, the Cloaked Serpent

## **Other gods**

There are also some minor gods with presence and worship in Exandria:

* Hoarmorath, a god of the sahuagin
* Laduguer, a god of the duergar
* Luthic, a cave goddess (possibly)
* The Luxon, the First Radiance, deity of the Kryn Dynasty, also worshiped as the "Beacon of Unknown Light" in Reaching Bluff
* Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath, who is also a god of necromancy at the service of the Betrayer Gods, sometimes called a Betrayer God himself
* Surtr, a god of the fire giants
* An unnamed frog god whose temple in the swamp near Stillben was occupied by sahuagin worshipers of Hoarmorath

In the Brokenveil Marsh there is a menhir that spellcasters use as a focus for certain rituals and incantations. It originally acted as a monument to a dark, primordial god, but it unknown which deity would that be, or if they are still worshiped.

It is known that other deities exist beyond the world of Exandria and the Material Plane.

## **Destroyed deities**

There are certain gods that once inhabited Exandria, but that disappeared for different reasons and no longer exist:

* Ethedok, the Endless Shadow, the god of darkness and winter. They vanished at some point between the Founding and the Schism, devoured by the entity known as Predathos. The surviving gods banded together with the Primordial Titans to imprison Predathos within a shard of Exandria itself, thus creating the red moon Ruidus in that era. Only a few ancient texts in Vasselheim, recovered by Baryn Vestisho and other two members of the Grim Verity, still record this god's existence.
* Vordo, the Fateshaper, the god of fate and order. Vordo was devoured by Predathos subsequent to the destruction of Ethedok, and has been mostly forgotten, just like them.
* The Raven Queen's predecessor, the previous god of death. The mortal woman who became the Matron of Ravens created a ritual by which she became the new goddess of death, destroying this god and sundering his name from reality, although people are still aware he existed at some point.
* Crysa-Thul, the Stillborn God, a stillborn fetal deity who had a cult in Stilben until Vox Machina fought it and destroyed it.

Members of an ancient cult are said to live on the two islands of Fevergulf Lake, still mourning the loss of a forgotten god to this day. It is unknown if said god (if it really existed) was one of the aforementioned deities or a different one.

## **Lesser idols**

Several other lesser idols are still known in the ninth century PD, some of them worshipped like gods, either freely or against social restrictions (like those of the Dwendalian Empire, where only certain cults are legal):

* Arms of the Betrayers
* Arioch, Duke of Chaos
* Ceratos of Many Minds
* Desirat, the Twilight Phoenix
* Galdric, the Moonlit Wolf
* Graz'tchar, the Decadent End
* The Hag Mother
* Khedive Xundi, Lord of Silver Silt
* Naviask
* The Observer
* Quajath, the Undermaw
* Sahyaadon, the Keeper of the Savage Heart
* The Sightless
* The Traveler
* Uk'otoa, the Leviathan Lord
* Vesh, the Bloody Siren
* Xalicas
* The Demithore Eidolons, by the followers of the Loam and the Leaf
* Unseen spirit of the Erdeloch (if real, possibly an aquatic entity like an elemental or a water nymph), to which the superstitious people of Odessloe leave offerings at the shores of the lake to continue receiving blessings

These lesser idols include several immortal beings of near-divine power (such as demigods) residing among the planes, as well as particularly powerful individuals who reside on Exandria itself, whether they are creations of the gods, other entities that can grant magic, or even mortals who have gained nearly divine abilities, being able to grant magical powers to others.

Examples of these patrons are the following:

### **Archfey**

*Main article: Archfey*
The mighty rulers of different courts and/or domains of the Fey Realm. Immortal and immutable, they can manifest god-like abilities and influence their places of power to adapt to their desires.

### **Archdevils**

*Main article: Archdevil*
The highest-ranking devils in the Nine Hells, and the ones who rule each of its layers, all of them answering (at least in theory) to the highest among them, Asmodeus, who rules the Ninth Layer. Regardless of their origins (corrupted souls, fallen angels, or fiends that have risen through the ranks), all of them have unique appearances and incredible powers that reflect their evil.

### **Demon lords**

*Main article: Demon*
The chaotic rulers of the multiple layers and domains of the Abyss, so powerful that only through summoning rituals are they able to cross the Divine Gate. The most outstanding of them (although below deities of the same plane as Lolth or Tharizdun) are called Demon Princes.

### **Celestials**

*Main article: Celestial*
The inhabitants of non-evil planes, like the offspring of the gods or their servants, such as the angels. They often oppose and actively fight evil-aligned creatures, and the most powerful and proactive of them can offer their assistance to mortals and are capable of granting them magic.

### **Mortal champions**

*Main article: Champion*
Certain mortals, whether through magical rituals, divine blessings, great deeds, or the active worship of others, are exalted to the point of becoming empowered beings of greater longevity and magic, able to share their power with those who serve them.

## **Avatars**

The avatar of a deity is a corporeal manifestation of that god and their powers, and it enacts their will. Gods can create an avatar out of their own power and in their own image (like Vecna did in Exandria shortly after ascending), but sometimes (particularly for those beyond the Divine Gate) servants and divine champions must become avatars of the deities they serve. Examples of this are the Moonweaver sending a planetar to Rumblecusp and speaking through it, in what could be interpreted as the angelic being acting as an avatar; and Yasha Nydoorin being named the Stormlord's avatar as the champion of said god.

Kima of Vord, a paladin of Bahamut, received some of her fighting implements directly from an avatar of the Platinum Dragon, but it is unknown what type of avatar it was, nor if said encounter took place on the Material Plane.

## **Becoming a deity**

While a deity's position tends to remain stable throughout the ages, there have been instances in Exandria's history where different entities have risen to godhood, creating their own position in the pantheon or dethroning another divinity in the process, each case through various methods.

### **Natural ascension**

Certain entities, if powerful enough, can become deities in their own right, especially when they have worshipers and a divine realm that empowers them.

According to Asmodeus, that was the case for him, as he came to Exandria as an angel, a celestial of light, and upon falling and becoming Lord of the Nine Hells became a god and archdevil.

### **Worshipped like a god**

While certain individuals with magical potential can be strengthened through the worship and loyalty of others (this being the case for some mortal champions), when this worship is dedicated to a more powerful entity, the nature of their power changes and begins to grow, also establishing a deeper connection between said being and the people who worship them.

The best example of this is Artagan of the Morncrown. An archfey with no allegiances and great power on his own, when he traveled to the Material Plane after a long exile imposed by Corellon he met a young tiefling, Genevieve Lavorre, with whom he struck up a friendship due to their similar nature; in her childlike innocence the girl saw Artagan as a god, and through that worship she eventually became his cleric. The archfey discovered that through the unconditional faith of the young girl (now called Jester) and others like her, he was becoming empowered, so he started a cult under an alias, *The Traveler*, granting magic and boons to those that followed his philosophy. However, while Artagan's "godly" power grew to an extent unexpected (even to himself) it is unknown if he could have ever achieved full godhood, as he himself curbed his cult, overwhelmed by the number of voices of worshipers that contacted him, being very difficult for him to answer them all. At Traveler Con his true identity was revealed (with some twists) and while he retained the ability to bestow magic on others, from then on he mainly focused on his first devotee, Jester.

### **Divine usurpation**

A god's position in the pantheon can be challenged by another entity, and if that being manages to gain dominance, it destroys its predecessor. The Lord of the Hells hinted that it was possible for immortal beings to go through this process, and was extremely surprised to discover that a mortal had managed to do so. Although the process allows the usurper to become a deity in their own right, it does not guarantee that they can claim their predecessor's entire portfolio, and other deities can benefit from the unclaimed aspects of the destroyed deity's domain.

#### **Ritual of Seeding**

This ritual was created by a mortal woman during the Age of Arcanum. She was consorting with the First God of Death and was his worshiper, but during an apogee solstice she challenged her partner and took his place in the pantheon. By doing so she sundered his name from reality, making the memory of her predecessor more easily lost over the centuries.

Throughout the rest of the Age of Arcanum many arcanists tried to repeat the ascension of the goddess of death, now known as *The Raven Queen* (since she herself had hidden her original name), but none were successful, and the Prime Deities made sure that no other mortal accessed such dangerous knowledge, to avoid a second ascension. Despite their efforts, the lich Vecna managed (by unknown means, shocking the gods themselves) to recover said knowledge, recreating his own Ritual of Seeding successfully, and achieving godhood at last, although interestingly enough, taking his own place in the pantheon instead of usurping that of another deity. It is possible that his ritual was a modified version, and that instead of taking the divinity of another god he compensated for that part of the process with the energy collected by his Ziggurat spheres.

## **Trivia**

* The names of most of the deities of the Exandrian pantheon are trademarked by Wizards of the Coast and Paizo. This means that, while in *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount* and *Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep* they can be used freely (since the books are published with D&D), for official Critical Role content such as *The Legend of Vox Machina*, novels set in Exandria or the sourcebooks published under Darrington Press LLC (like *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*) the epithets of the gods are used to refer to each one of them. During Campaign One and most of Campaign Two Matt Mercer and the rest of the cast used the names of the gods more often (since, as Fan Content, they are free to do so), but during Campaign Three and Exandria Unlimited the epithets are used almost exclusively.
* The Cobalt Soul states that, while smaller and/or younger deities do exist and have cults in Exandria, they are notoriously difficult to track.
	+ By the end of the Age of Arcanum those lesser deities didn't have known presences in Exandria, or if they did, it was extremely reduced and localized.
	+ Some of those deities were involved in the fight between the Prime Deities and the Betrayer Gods.
* Gods can have different names or titles depending on the geographical region of their worshipers. An example of this is the continent of Marquet, in which the Raven Queen is called the Duskmaven and Melora is called Serataani.
* According to the page dedicated to Quian on the Vox Machina Wiki which was created by Matthew Mercer before *Critical Role* began, Delleb was the god of intellect and study in the pre-stream campaign rather than Ioun. If Delleb is still worshiped in Exandria, it is as a lesser god, since in the campaigns and the sourcebooks the Knowing Mistress is depicted as the main deity of knowledge, as well as a member of the Prime Deities.
* The stone giants of Skyanchor Citadel celebrate a tournament called "the Sky Queen's Favor". The identity of this Sky Queen is currently unknown, although she could be a deity or idol of the giant culture, or some ruler (living, historical or mythological).
* According to legend, the primordial titans and the gods met for the first time in the Ascendant Bridge Mountain, the tallest point in Exandria and the first place the deities visited when they reached the planet.
* There is a book, Delando's *Compendium of Pantheon and Hierarchy*, that talks about the different deities worshiped in Exandria, and one of its chapters, "Relation and Communication Between Prime Deities", even goes into detail about families of followers of specific gods and their connections (such as the one shared by the Clay, Dust, and Stone families).
* Outside of Exandria there is a powerful entity only known as "the Lady of Pain", who at some point had a statue in Pandemonium. While the memories of her seem to survive even madness, the nature of this individual is unknown, so it is unclear if she is a goddess.

* At some point before or during the Calamity an entire elven culture tricked by the archfey Artagan ended up worshiping "Mister Demeanor", a whale carcass; this act was punished by Corellon, who banished Artagan to the Fey Realm without a way of returning to Exandria by his own means. Although it isn't confirmed, it is very likely that the Arch Heart also ended the cult to Mister Demeanor.
* When asked about what new gods would they add to the Exandrian pantheon, some members of the cast proposed several ascensions:
	+ Liam O'Brien proposed Devexian as a god of technology and industry.
	+ Ashley Johnson proposed her own character, Fearne Calloway, as a goddess of fun, silliness and theft, with her chaos competing with Artagan's. She also proposed Morrigan the Fatestitcher as some sort of goddess of duality.
	+ Marisha Ray proposed Marion Lavorre as a goddess of sensuality, burlesque, drag queens and cake.
	+ Dani Carr proposed Galdric the Moonlit Wolf as a god of animals.

## **Notes**

1. ↑ It is not clear if Luthic has active presence in Exandria. While orogs, a type of orc created by her influence, do live in this world and appear in *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, Luthic is never explicitly mentioned, and the Critical Role sourcebook doesn't specify if the orogs use only the stat block from the *Monster Manual* or also the lore tied to it.
2. ↑ Although his temple was seen in the Elemental Plane of Fire, the fire giants living there have traveled between Exandria and this plane, so the cult to this god probably has presence in this world of the Material Plane.

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The entry for the Arms of the Betrayers says "before the Calamity, eight of the Betrayer Gods" crafted those weapons, implying that at that point there were already more than eight deities on the Betrayer Gods' side. See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 30.
2. ↑ *The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein*, p. 182.
3. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 121.
4. ↑ See "Bloody Flowers" (3x67) from 4:26:11 through 4:27:20.
5. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 20.
6. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 21.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 22.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 23.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 24.
10. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 25.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 26.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 27.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 28.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 29.
15. ↑ See Vox Machina Origins 2.
16. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 113.
17. ↑ See *D&D: Monster Manual*, 5th ed., p. 247.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 32.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 41.
20. ↑ See "Glass and Bone" (1x08) at 55:49.
21. ↑ See "The Temple Showdown" (1x11) at 4:21:40.
22. ↑ See "The Temple Showdown" (1x11) at 11:22.
23. ↑ See "Escape from the Underdark" (1x13) at 23:30.
24. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 56.
25. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 86.
26. ↑ See "Voice of the Tempest" (1x90) at 1:26:11.
27. ↑ See *Vox Machina Origins Series I*, Issue #2.
28. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 255.
29. ↑ See "Bawdy Basement Belligerence" (3x44) at 3:20:56.  "It only feeds on divinity of that strength. There are others beyond this world that it seeks thereafter."
30. ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) from 3:03:05 through 3:05:41.
31. ↑ See "Dark Portents" (3x29) at 2:54:59.
32. ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 3:02:19.
33. ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 3:03:59.
34. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:57:45.
35. ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 0:00:11.
36. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 139.
37. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 35.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 30.
39. ↑ See "Dignity: An Adventure with Stephen Colbert" (Sx67) at 0:03:52.
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 31.
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 40.
42. ↑ See "Call of the Wild" (3x41) at 1:25:44.
43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 33.
44. ↑ See "Faith or Famine" (3x60) at 2:19:24.
45. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 101.
46. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 27.
47. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 39.
48. ↑ See "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) at 2:24:55.
49. ↑ See "Traveler Con" (2x108) from 2:14:21 through 2:21:04.
50. ↑ See "The Neverending Day" (2x125) at 3:36:22.
51. ↑ See "Breaching the Emberhold" (1x06) at 2:35:56.
52. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, pp. 11–12.
53. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 34.
54. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 4:13:44.
55. ↑ See "With Great Power..." (2x94) from 3:56:35 through 3:58:12.
56. ↑ See "With Great Power..." (2x94) from 3:52:58 through 3:59:37.
57. ↑ See "Blessing in Disguise" (2x95) at 38:20.
58. ↑ See "A Walk to Warmer Welcomes" (2x124) at 3:40:09.
59. ↑ See "Hell or High Water" (2x136) at 0:18:48.
60. ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 1:20:43.
61. ↑ See "Duskmeadow" (1x57) at 0:57:56.
62. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 6.
63. ↑ See "Elysium" (1x104) from 49:10 through 49:30.
64. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:57:45.
65. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 17.
66. ↑ See "Elysium" (1x104) from 49:35 through 50:00.
67. ↑ See "Elysium" (1x104) from 49:10 through 49:30.
68. ↑ See "Unfinished Business" (1x100) from 5:37:30 through 5:38:20.
69. ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) from 1:45:55 through 1:48:45.
70. ↑ See "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) from 1:23:25 through 1:24:25.
71. ↑ *The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein*, p. 182.
72. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:57:44.  The mages attempting to achieve divinity didn't try it with lesser gods, only with the main known pantheon.
73. ↑ See "Make It Fashion" (3x12) at 2:33:33.
74. ↑ See "Compulsions" (3x40) at 3:33:45.
75. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 221.
76. ↑ See "Somewhere Out There" (3x59) at 4:02:56.
77. ↑ *The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein*, p. 152.
78. ↑ See "The Search For Bob" (Sx45) at 2:00:22.
79. ↑ See "*4-Sided Dive*: Wrong Distance Relationships" (4SDx13) at 0:38:32.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Screenshot of the prime deities and betrayer gods' symbols, by Cyarna Trim and Conceptopolis from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 2:22. Used with permission.
2. ↑ Artagan and "Mister Demeanor", by Aviv Or and Cris Peter from *The Tales of Exandria: Artagan* #1. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.