Baklunish Pantheon

**Symbol:** A golden spindle with three strands.

**Domains:** Celerity, Destiny, Fate, Knowledge, Law, Oracle

**Favored Weapon:** Net, Bolas

Istus is the chief deity of the Baklunish pantheon, and is aloof to both her fellow gods and the mortal races. She focuses solely on the fate of the multiverse.

She is a triple aspect deity, taking the forms of a crone, a noble dame, and a cold maiden, but always carries a golden spindle, with which she spins the strands of the future into the thread of the present, which is woven into the web of fate. Istus' worshippers believe that the future is foreordained, and that individuals should accept their fate.

### Al'Hatha

*Greater LG God of Suns, Oaths and Truth*

**Symbol:** A Baklunish man's face crowned with a sun

**Domains:** Fire, Glory, Good, Law, Sun

**Favored Weapon:** Scimitar

Al'Hatha is known as the Shining Father, who rides the sun across the skies by day in his golden chariot Light-of-Truth, ensuring oaths sworn in his name are upheld. He is stern, but loving, and just and merciful, and he pines after Istus, lamenting her aloofness. Generally, he is envisioned as a perfect Baklunish man with a large blue-black beard and piercing eyes. His skin shimmers like gold, and he wears only a loincloth of silver decorated with lapis lazuli, and a radiant solar crown. His worship, beyond his clergy, has been somewhat reduced to mere lip service as Al'Akbar has subsumed so much of his purview, but he is still considered to be the patron and idol of Baklunish culture.

### Duhl Parath

*Greater NE God of Deceit, Corruption and Poison*

**Symbol:** An ox head, half-skeletal

**Domains:** Corruption, Death, Decay, Evil, Pestilence, Trickery

**Favored Weapon:** Scimitar

Duhl Parath is, primarily, an opponent of Al'Hatha and his teachings. Whereas Al'Hatha teaches truth in all things, Duhl Parath teaches that any tactic is justified in the conduct of war, especially deception of the enemy. Al'Hatha teaches that the community is paramount, and Duhl Parath teaches that one must ensure their own success. His palace in Gehenna has attracted a court of disaffected efreeti, dao, and fiends, and become a snake-pit of politics, with all within scheming and back-biting in pursuit of of favor. Duhl Parath may appear in any form, any sex or gender, any age, but in his true form, he is envisioned as a pale, young Baklunish man with black hair and no beard, who wears silken black and silver garb.

### Mat'ur

*Greater CN Goddess of Rain, Compassion and Sleep*

**Symbol:** A flat palmed hand holding a palm frond and a frog

**Domains:** Chaos, Protection, Water, Weather

**Favored Weapon:** None (Mat'ur uses no weapons)

Mat'ur is regarded as the most gentle of Baklunish deities, and is the mother of Geshtai. She most often appears as a matronly woman wearing a light green thobe (a type of long dress with winged sleeves) with yellow embroidery, wearing jewelry of exclusively amber, which is sometimes referred to as "Mat'ur's Tears" for when she wept over the body of Geshtai, moving the other gods to restore her to life and turning her tears to all the amber in the world.

Mat'ur is never armed, instead preferring to use her magic to put hostile forces to sleep. Her demure and gentle nature causes other gods to be somewhat disdainful of her, but she is on good terms with her daughter Geshtai, as well as Malthebaal and Waadi. Her temples are places of rest open to all, with soft tinkling fountains and ample cushions, as well as attached sleeping houses for the homeless and traveling, and her clergy work to show compassion and give alms to those in need.

## Lesser Gods

### Al'Ydor

*Lesser CN Goddess of War, Wine and Lust*

**Symbol:** A cup with a dagger forming the stem

**Domains:** Chaos, Destruction, Feast, Pleasure, Strength, War

**Favored Weapon:** Short sword

Al'Ydor is a sensuous goddess of lust and all the pleasures of life. Even those who do not hold her as patron do her honor. She can appear in many forms, but prefers those of a beautiful dancer with raven-black hair, a fierce amazon-like woman in shining black armor, and a coal-black dragonne. Whatever her form, she is brash and loud, full of joy and bawdiness. All the Baklunish gods are on good terms with her, save for Al'Hatha, who she sees as too stolid. She maintains a home on Limbo, a great pleasure-house, but often wanders the material plane in search of the diversions of flesh. Her clerics are great lovers of drink, who can drink much more than others of their kind before feeling the effects of intoxication. Services to to Al'Ydor are usually orgies of every known form of debauchery.

### Geshtai

*Lesser CG Goddess of Waters and Fertility*

**Symbol:** A waterspout

**Domains:** Chaos, Good, Water, Thirst

**Favored Weapon:** Shortspear

Geshtai is often depicted as a young Baklunish woman standing in a pool of water holding a clay jug. She is a tranquil goddess, worshipped by nomads, travelers and farmers, who treats all others with care and patience, but has a distaste for fiery gods and those of disease and poison. Her worshippers protect pools and waterways, seeking to safeguard them from being claimed by one person or group, as well as those who destroy or despoil them, and search parched lands to help those lost in them by guiding them to safety and water.

### Hasnat

*Lesser NG Goddess of Poetry, Music and Song*

**Symbol:** Four interlocked rings

**Domains:** Creation, Dream, Good, Magic, Pleasure

**Favored Weapon:** Longbow

Hasnat is the bard of the gods and creator of music and poetry, said to be able to still a storm with her lilting voice. She appears as a lovely Baklunish woman with dark eyes and hears, wearing the clothes of a courtier. She prefers to avoid combat, but if pressed, will summon devas to her aid. It is said that when all seems lost, those adrift in the steppes or deserts will stumble upon her tent to be revived with food and drink and lifted with music that restores their spirits and allows them to complete their journeys. She is on good terms with all the Baklunish gods, except for Nasri and Kadar, resenting their destructive aspects, but Nasri does not return this enmity and has tried to reconcile on multiple occasions.

### Kadar

*Lesser CE Goddess of Fire, Destruction and Greed*

**Symbol:** An oil lamp in the shape of Kadar's head.

**Domains:** Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Greed

**Favored Weapon:** Whip

Kadar is the first daughter of Duhl Parath, born by Hasnat. Many Baklunish consider her a force of destruction, but her followers stress the positive and life-bringing aspects of fire. Kadar is envisioned as a beautiful Baklunish woman with hair of fire, wearing diaphanous, soft-as-silk cloth-of-brass garments. She is on good terms with her father, and he sister Ya'Huth, but her mother sees her as a disappointment, and Kadar forever seeks her favor, but will never change her ways for it. Her clerics teach that as the goddess, all people should seek to be of most service to themselves, and live as their true selves.

### Mouqol

*Lesser N God of Commerce and Trade*

**Symbol:** A set of scales and weights

**Domains:** Commerce, Knowledge, Pact, Travel, Trickery

**Favored Weapon:** Dagger and Light Crossbow

Mouqol is also known as the Merchant, and is envisioned as a Baklunish merchant, laden with the goods he brings to market. Many Baklunish cities have their markets set up around either a temple or shrine to Mouqol, as he is little-regarded, but popular. Mouqol is perhaps best known for traveling the realms of Djini-kind and his skill at bargaining even with them, and has a particular gift for discerning the true desire of his customers and finding an delivering the rarest treasures to those destined to own them. His market temples collect fees levied on the traders who use the markets, and then use the money collected for the various costs associated with the market, with any remainder going towards charitable efforts. Clerics of Mouqol often work to protect markets, both from threats within and without, and as appraisers of goods.

### Suwat

*Lesser NE Goddess of Mountains, Stone and Metal*

**Symbol:** A rectangular slab of mineral make with a stylized face.

**Domains:** Artifice, Cavern, Craft, Death, Earth, Evil, Metal, Repose, Wealth

**Favored Weapon:** Pickaxe and Hammer

Suwat is goddess of earth and all within it, and miners and smiths of all alignment pay her homage. She is friend to all who dwell within mountain, cave and hill, regardless of their nature. Suwat is a tall woman made of stone and gem who wears no clothing and wields a pickaxe and forge hammer. She stands apart from the other Baklunish gods, preferring to keep herself to herself, and look out for her own concerns, and experience all that happens below ground. As keeper of all below the ground, she is also, after a fashion, the Baklunish deity of the grave.

### Waadi and Malthebaal

*Lesser CG Goddess of the Moon (Celune), Snakes, and the Wind and Sky*

*Lesser LN God of the Moon (Luna), Time, and the Calendar*

**Symbol, Waadi:** A lunar disc surrounded by a snake consuming its own tail

**Symbol, Malthebaal:** Malthebaal's face in profile

**Domains, Waadi:** Air, Chaos, Moon, Scalykind, Sky

**Domains, Malthebaal:** Darkness, Law, Moon, Time

**Favored Weapon:** Shortbow (Waadi), Longspear (Malthebaal)

The loving siblings Waadi and Malthebaal are gods of the two moons of Oerth, but could not be more different. Malthebaal is an austere god who dwells in a great white marble palace perpetually bathed in moonlight, where no color exists, all bathed in shades of grey and silver, where is attended by modrons. Waadi dwells in a small castle on the Elemental Plane of Air, served by djinni from whom she demands little. Waadi appears as a beautiful dark-eyed woman of indeterminate age, Malthebaal as an elderly Baklunish man with a long white beard. Waadi is capricious, while Malthebaal, as a god of the measurement of time, is preternaturally punctual.

### Winarim

*Lesser NG God of Plants and Trees, Animals and Birds*

**Symbol:** Two minarets flanking a wheat stalk, bull, horse, flower and peacocks feather

**Domains:** Animal, Feast, Good, Life, Plant

**Favored Weapon:** Scythe

Winarim is the protector of all wild and growing things, who oversees the sprouting of seeds and rutting of animal in spring, their growth in summer, harvest in fall, and laying fallow in winter. He loves all living things, and as such, he does not begrudge mortals taking what they need to live and thrive from his domain, so long as they do not do so with waste. Winarim appears as an older Baklunish man, with a green beard, and wearing green and brown robes and turban. As lord of all that grows, he steers clear of the politics of the pantheon, but watches Kadar wearily, as he followers so often take, in his opinion, more than is needed.

### Xan Yae

*Lesser N Goddess of Darkness, Stealth, and Mental Power*

**Symbol:** A black lotus blossom

**Domains:** Balance, Celerity, Knowledge, Trickery, War

**Favored Weapon:** Scimitar

Xan Yae is an ascended mortal, sponsored for divinity by Istus. She is a model of dedication and perfection, and a common patron of monks and psionicists who do not serve the Scarlet Brotherhood. Xan Yae is a perfectionist and a harsh teacher whose cult is small and elite, but widely spread, even being found in the Flanaess in hidden places. She can appear as any sex, gender or age, but is always slender and graceful, and carries a pair of scimitars. The clerics of Xan Yae work as agents of harmony and discipline, seeking out radicals and bending them towards balance.

### Ya'Huth

*Lesser LE Goddess of Slavery, Oppression and Injustice*

**Symbol:** A black eagle on an octagonal plaque

**Domains:** Domination, Evil, Inquisition, Law, Pain, Strength

**Favored Weapon:** Warhammer

Daughter of Duhl Parath and Nasri, Ya'Huth is goddess of slavery and oppression, worshipped by slavers for more and better slaves, and by slaves who seek to appease her that they may be spared. Perhaps because slavers can make better offerings, they typically win out, but slaves are shown her favor just often enough that they continue to hope.

Ya'Huth appears as a large, muscular woman with a dark olive complexion who wears leather armor of blue and black. She is often envisioned as riding in a dark chariot pulled by nightmares and driven by a bone devil, but can also take the form of an enormous black eagle. Her half Zahindian descent makes her a figure of suspicion and derision in Baklunish culture, but she represents an important institution within Baklunish culture, and so is seen as necessary to social order.

## Demigods

### Al'Akbar

*LG Demigod of Dignity, Duty, Faithfulness and Guardianship.*

**Symbol:** A cup and eight-pointed star.

**Domains:** Community, Good, Healing, Law, Protection

**Favored Weapon:** Falchion

Al'Akbar was a prophet who led the Baklunish people after the Invoked Devastation, holding the survivors together and helping them continue on. He was called by the gods to restore his people to the path of righteousness and dignity, and he taught the people that true religion must include proper devotion to the gods, protection of the community, and guidance of the faithful, eventually, causing a temple to him to be built, and him allowing his followers to call his own name in their prayers, whereupon he ascended to the pantheon, where he remains as a demigod out of deference.

The faith of Al'Akbar dominates Baklunish culture and holds it to a sense of community and propriety, and his clerics serve administrative, healing, and advisory roles in the culture, but there have been schisms.

### Zuoken

*N Demigod of Physical and Mental Mastery*

**Symbol:** A striking fist

**Domains:** Knowledge, Mind, Strength, War

**Favored Weapon:** Fist

Zuoken is an ascended mortal who serves Xan Yae, who, as a living man, achieved the highest level of edel ("gift of fate," psionics), and da'shon ("falling hail, a form of unarmed combat). While a deity in his own right, he is subservient to Xan Yae, and acts as a sort of assistant teacher to those who follow her path, always ready to step in after a particularly difficult lesson to lend the student aid, and help them understand what they have been taught.