Gods

*"Against stupidity of man, the gods themselves struggle in vain.*"

The gods do not reveal their names to their followers, as it has always been and will always be. They are instead referred to simply by the race that mainly follows them. All the gods whisper quietly to their children, often to their most devoted and favored followers. The *'open secret'* known to anyone familiar with any of the churches is that, although the gods will go out of their way to taddle on wrongdoers and the blasphemers, it has only ever been used against members of opposing races and churches. Frequently this has lead to racial tensions for places with greater diversity, and so typically the five noble races do not intermingle outside of large population centers.

All gods encompass a great many different things, but are best known for one or two aspects.

### **The remaining Gods -**

#### **Human God:**

The most warlike and passionate of the gods, Human God's wrath when kindled rages and burns all before him. As with any being of great emotion, he is capable of great acts of mercy and benevolence. Most often he is depicted as a middle-aged man with indistinct features in a halo of golden light. Feats of bravery and following your passions are looked upon favorably by the Human God.

#### **Qazam God:**

It is not enough to merely worship the Qazam god, but service in the name of god must be done as ordered by him (AKA, the church). Somewhere between a pilgrimage and conscription, the Qazam god demands his peoples adherence to their Duties for; "Qazam God does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear". However, when not called upon directly, it is in essence their "duty" to enjoy life to the fullest. The best food and drink as can be reasonably mustered, the day of worship is more like a festival than prayer. To this end, often slavery of other races is looked upon favorably as to make their leisure or success in duty all the more assured. To shirk your church given duties is very unfavorable.

**Stormlander God:**

The Stormlander God could be best described as The God of the Hunt. The pursuit is what matters, and one should always strive for greater hunts. The hunt does not have to be for a creature, it can be something less tangible. An ideal, a grand goal, even wealth, but always you should strive for bigger things in whatever you are after. Her peoples are hardy, made to survive and thrive in their harsh homelands. Completions of these hunts are favorable, and idleness is often unfavorable. Abandoning a goal is fine, so long as you strive for something greater.

#### **Drylander God:**

The Drylander God is known as the God of Bones. Though to the other races his goals seem unclear, to his worshippers his goals could not be more clear. His priests dress in semi-shamanistic fashion despite the relatively 'modern' times. Often his followers are asked to do seemingly inconsequential things, to move a book on a shelf ever so slightly, to turn a shell over that they come across, all is within the grand plans of the Drylander God. Despite the havoc wreaked on his peoples domain, his strange and even sometimes bizarre acts or requests seems to be slowly leading to the prosperity of his peoples. Learning and knowledge are favorable pursuits to the Drylander God, and while ignorance is forgivable (You don't know what you don't know), destroying knowledge is a sin.

#### **Orc God:**

The Orc God, the god of Change and Chance. His followers are nomadic in a sense, as they are known to craft great boats with which to sail up and down their rivers, as well as all the coasts they dare to try and reach. Anything new should be explored and investigated. New experiences of any kind are welcome, even hardships. Stagnation and remaining sedentary are unfavorable. They are the only Noble race who abhor slavery, as the loss of the freedom is antithetical to their general beliefs.

### **Deceased** **Gods -**

#### **Dwarf God:**

Dwarf God, once the Mistress of the Mountains and The Hearth, as well as the holder to the keys of the WorldWell, she is said to have been killed by Human God. Her remaining peoples are numerous, hardy, and generally pissed off, who never seem to talk about or acknowledge her death with more than cold stares or grunts. Despite her death, Dwarves seem quite resistant to Taint.

#### **Goblins God:**

Goblin God, the god of Fertility and Nature, she was said to have died at the hands of Drylander God. Since her death, her peoples have quickly started falling to the Taint in the world, those that remain sane are mostly holed up in the few Godless Hives, fight as pirates out of BleakLight, or have been taken as slaves and servants.

#### **Ratmen God:**

Ratmen God, formerly the God of Creation. As little information remains outside of the Orc God lands about Ratmen God, all that is commonly known is that he was killed by Human God. His peoples are scattered to the winds and are a rare sight, you are more likely to encounter a Voider Ratman than a sane one.

#### **Djinn God:**

Djinn God, the God of the Skies was known for her furious storms, leading ironically to the common naming of the God that killed her, Stormlander God. Her peoples are scattered to the winds and are a rare sight, you are more likely to encounter a Voider Djinn than a sane one.

#### **Skinwalkers God:**

Skinwalker God was best known as the god of Death. Not in any dark sense, but merely the final rest, the final destination of all living things. It was known to be his duty to take care of those passing. He was killed in a fight between Goblin God and Orc God early in the Gods War, and his peoples have dramatically fallen towards Taint in the intervening time. His peoples are practically gone.

#### **Onii God:**

Onii God was the God of Beauty, though most information has now been lost or destroyed, it is known that he was the first to die in the Gods War. It is unclear which God killed him. His peoples are still going relatively strong, though their lands are now desolate, his peoples work hard to avoid succumbing to Taint.

#### **(Wood) Elf God:**

Wood Elf God was the God of Trickery and Illusion, she was killed by Qazam God late in the Gods War. Her peoples practices keep them protected from the Taint as a whole, but individuals travelling are known to have fallen.

#### **(Swamp) Elf God:**

The God of Mirth and Festivals, no God partied quite like the now renamed Swamp Elf God. It is unknown who killed Swamp Elf God, though his peoples remain numerous enough to survive, it is not uncommon for them to fall to Taint.

### Minor Gods -

Too numerous to count, they can be thought of more like spirits than actual gods. Rarely will they stray out of their respective homes for no reason, and typically while respected and provisioned for, are not actually worshipped.