Olympian

To those who follow the Olympian faith, man (in most cases this means *human* men) is the base from which all things are measured. Including the gods. Like man, the Olympian deities are noble and proud, but just as much are they scheming and lecherous. They generally take human form but are considered to be the peak of the human form. Unlike the gods of other pantheons, Olympian motivations are often very human and thus often suffer from human flaws. Such gods are not all knowing, omnipotent beings that are beyond understanding, but powerful creatures with very human behavior.

There are two very big distinctions between the Olympian gods and mortals. First of all, though they act with the same emotions of mortal man, as gods they are under no expectation to follow the rules of human behavior. They have the privilege of engaging in conduct that mortals would otherwise be punished for. Thievery, lechery, gluttony, adultery, whatever it might be, sins didn't apply to them.

The second difference is of course power. As embodiments of the powers of nature and mankind, they control literally everything in the eyes of their followers. From wars that are waged between countries, to the sun in the sky, to the very love that binds everyone together. It is by making sacrifices to these powers that mortal followers can gain the favor of the gods and thus excellence in their domains.

Known for their kingdom atop Mount Olympus, the Olympian gods and their relatives are many. However, there are 13 who are considered to be the "main" Olympian deities (technically 12 plus Hades). They are deemed the most important and/or powerful of deities. There are also countless 'lesser' deities, though this designation is mostly due to lack of popularity among followers including both deities of minor scope as well as deities who have fallen out of favor as there are gods who ruled before the Olympians. For the purposes of their worshippers, the distinction is mostly academic. Clerics of any of the Olympian gods are effectively capable of growing to equal levels of power. The lesser gods do have smaller numbers of worshippers however, so their clerics may find they have less support from their temples than the main 12.

Note that the deities listed below are not an exhaustive list, but it does cover the most commonly worshipped deities of the Olympian faith.

## Greater Olympian Gods

Aphrodite (chaotic good) - Goddess of love and healing

Apollo (lawful good) - God of the sun

Ares (chaotic evil) - Destructive god of war

Artemis (neutral good) - Goddess of nature and hunting

Athena (lawful good) - Goddess of war, glory and knowledge

Demeter (neutral good) - Goddess of nature, weather, and community

Dionysus (chaotic neutral) - God of chaos, trickery, wine and parties

Hades (lawful evil) - God of death and lord of the underworld

Hephaestus (lawful good) - God of earth, fire and the forge. Blacksmith of the gods.

Hera (chaotic good) - Goddess of home and marriage

Hermes (chaotic good) - God of luck, travel and trickery. Messenger of the gods.

Poseidon (neutral evil) - God of the oceans

Zeus (lawful neutral) - God of lightning and king of the gods

## Lesser Olympian Gods

Atlas (Chaotic Good) - Air, Earth, Glory, Knowledge, Strength

Coeus (True Neutral) - Air, Community, Darkness, Knowledge, Sun

Crius (Lawful Neutral) - Animal, Law, Nobility, Sun, War

Cronus (Lawful Evil) - Chaos, Evil, Glory, Knowledge, Liberation

Gaea (True Neutral) - Animal, Earth, Healing, Knowledge, Plant

Hecate (Chaotic Evil) - Death, Knowledge, Magic, Rune, Travel

Helios (Lawful Good) - Air, Knowledge, Law, Sun, Travel

Hyperion (Neutral Good) - Air, Community, Glory, Good, Sun

Lapetus (Chaotic Evil) - Destruction, Chaos, Earth, Liberation, Madness

Mnemosyne (True Neutral) - Charm, Earth, Knowledge, Luck, Runes

Oceanus (True Neutral) - Animal, Community, Protection, Travel, Water

Phoebe (True Neutral) - Community, Knowledge, Protection, Runes, Sun

Prometheus (Chaotic Good) - Fire, Knowledge, Liberation, Trickery, Travel

Rhea (Neutral Good) - Animal, Charm, Healing, Plant, Protection

Tethys (Neutral Good) - Charm, Healing, Protection, Water, Weather

Theia (Lawful Good) - Air, Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Sun

Themis (Lawful Good) - Community, Earth, Good, Knowledge, Law

Uranus (Chaotic Evil) - Air, Darkness, Destruction, Protection, Strength