Gods

## What are the Gods?

Creatures far more powerful than even Heroes exist in the Western Realms, some so omnipresent and potent so that they are worshipped as Gods by many. How these beings come to be, whether through accumulated faith, number of worshippers or as a logical outcome of the processes of existence, is uncertain but they are very real and very involved in the Realms. Their dedicated clergy do derive significant benefits from devotion to their Deity, with less fervent followers perhaps at times receiving some mior blessing from them. These beings are not, however, the same as the Wizards, who are much more fundamental "reality elementals", and Gods lie beneath them in the grand scheme of things as products of creation rather than original creators themselves.

To devote yourself to a God, you first *"dedicate"* yourself and may may then *"pray"* to them. Clerics and Necromancers will nearly always be heard and answered, but for others whether or not they're heard is...at the whim of the Gods! Dedicated or not, anyone may pray to any God at any time and it is not wise to pray to those who generally oppose yours if you are Dedicated. For a follower of a Good God to pray to an Evil one would be to invite retribution, to pray to their arch-enemy would be near suicidal!

**Note:** The choice of God is of utmost importance for Clerics and Necromancers as it will have a significant impact on their Miracles or Rituals. It is possible to rededicate oneself to a different Deity, but this will earn the ire of the one abandoned and you will not be able to re-dedicate to that Deity for some time; a week if switching to an allied God, a fortnight to a non-opposed one, a month for an opposing Deity, and 3 months if you foolishly switched to your Gods personal enemy!

The Gods are detailed below along with the effects of successful prayer, which lasts 30 minutes. Note that Clerics, Necromancers, those carrying a relevant Symbol and those with alignments close to or vastly different from their God will have other factors affecting their prayers...

## Auria: Love of Life

Auria has blessed the Realms with her benevolent love and caring for as long as anyone can remember. Favoured of healers, children and parents she brings life, light and hope to the suffering, joy to the devout and wipes away sickness or disease. She was one of only two Gods to survive the Night of Endless Tears, when war with the darker Deities spelt doom for her cherished friends. Whilst it is not in Auria's nature to hate, the God Nephastus has her eternal enmity not just for his utterly opposed essence, but for directly striking down her beloved friend Themis.

Clerics of Auria are healers and lifebringers. They resort to violence only when they must and rarely turn away the suffering, even a foe if there is a chance of their redemption. Lay followers are often teachers, doctors and other people in positions of care with responsibility for others.

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## Brangwen: Courage in Combat

Brangwen is the laughing Warrior Queen, her red hair flying in the wind as she drives back the Darkness, the staunch shield against those who would snuff out life and love from the world. Brangwen sees battle as the ultimate test of Good vs. Evil, spurning subtle schemes in favour of a forthright and fair fight. She is a natural ally of Jeroth, but feels he fails to find the joy in combat, and despises Sorban as he embodies everything that Brangwen condemns. For her the fight is the whole point, whilst he cares only for his own victory.

Clerics of Brangwen are honest, direct experts in arms who love life and live for the excitement of battle. They are neither bloodthirsty nor cruel and often spare those they defeat as the joy is the contest, not its ending. Brangwen loves mead and her laity includes many Dwarves, barkeeps, guards and all who enjoy standing between Darkness and the Light.

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## Brigit: Fire of Freedom

File:Brigit.jpg
**Alignment:** Neutral
**Sphere:** Fire, Poetry & Passion
**Enemy:** None

This Goddess of is a force of nature, representing the impulsive spark of creative fire that burns in everyone's heart. As quick to as to anger, she is the passion that drives people to great highs & dark lows. As the well of creativity, she also is much beloved of artists, poets & musicians. Many a struggling soul has found their muse & created a masterpiece after a prayer to Brigit. it is also rumoured that at times Brigit will visit her most gifted followers in person, men & women alike, in her role as the Goddess of Passion.

Like most of the Neutral Gods she has no real enemies & though she abhors the world Nephastus is trying to create & finds Jeroth quest for purity bizarre, equally she recognises the passion that drives both Gods & so feels some affinity to their drive, if not their goals.

Followers of Brigit are bright flames in a dark night, drawing others to them with their infectious energy, honest humour & love of living. But one should not mistake their nature - the fire that provides warmth & light can just as easy burn & so it is with Her disciples. Druids, Rangers, Satyrs & Nymphs often find a kindred spirit in Brigit as in many ways she represents the irrepressible life force that they hold so dear. There are rumours she is the nebulous "Earth Goddess" held dear by many Fighters, though this is unconfirmed...

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## CAITLIN: Whispering Warden

File:Caitlin.jpg
**Alignment:** Good
**Sphere:** Protection
**Enemy:** Tyaa

Goddess of Protection & Endurance, Caitlin is a quiet but powerful Goddess whose hand gently tips many a fight from behind the scenes. Unlike her Goodly peers in the Divine Pantheon, Caitlin takes a  subtle role in combat, tipping the scales by improving her allies in ways that are often hard to see. She exemplifies preparation & careful planning, something that often puts her at odds with the rather headstrong Brangwen.

Auria is much beloved of Caitlin, as she admires her dedication to the protection of the sick & helpless. Indeed it was Caitlin who shielded both Jeroth & Auria during the Night of Endless tears & prevented a total victory by the forces of Darkness. Jeroth & Caitlin are uneasy allies, however, partly because Protection was once Jeroths sphere which he abandoned in favour of something more direct. Thus Jeroth feels Caitlin is too passive, while Caitlin mourns Jeroths new vengeful nature.

Caitlins Clergy are as quiet & respectful as their Goddess. They often enact change from behind the scenes & are excellent diplomats &  organisers. They understand that sometimes one must don ones armour & fight for what is right, but equally  that a fight avoided through negotiation is better than a fight won through force of arms.

Caitlin is the natural enemy of Tyaa, the Goddess of Hurt, Pain & Torture. While Caitlin works hard to avoid conflict & injury, Tyaa enjoys pain for its own sake & loves nothing more than to bring suffering to the innocent. Both work more through their followers than directly & their maneuvers form a backdrop to much of what goes on in the world.

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## JEROTH: Justice and Judgement

File:Jeroth.jpg
**Alignment:** Good
**Spheres:** Faith, Justice & Purity
**Enemy:** Sethis

Jeroth stands for Justice, holding the Faith & the defence of the innocent. He can be kindly to his followers, but is quick to move to righteous fury when faced by those who needlesly harm others. He despises all Undead &, alongside Brangwen, leads the Good Gods in their fight against the forces of Evil.

Jeroth was originally a God of Protection, & only with the combined strength of his indomitable defence combined with Auria's healing did the two of them survive the Night of Endless Tears. These events scarred him deeply, both physically & mentally, thus the once kindly protector of the weak now bears a more vengeful aspect along with a burning hatred of Evil. Sethis (the Goddess of Lies, Mischief & Deceit), whose treachery nearly destroyed all of Jeroths allies, has his eternal emnity.

Clerics of Jeroth are pro-active hunters of Evil, with a special mission to wipe out creatures of Undeath. They are protective & caring, but swift to anger & the ideals of purity to which they devote themselves can at times seem intolerant. Nonetheless they are fundamentally motivated by doing what is right...protecting the weak & helpless!

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## KARAK: Skill and Stone

File:Karak.jpg
**Alignment:** Neutral
**Sphere:** Craftsmanship
**Enemy:** None

Karak is the Smith of the **Gods**, the master forger who raised up the Mountains, carved out the deep caves at their roots, built the dwellings of the Gods in the Heavens & brought form from chaos to build the world. Karak represents stability, permanence & order, not justice in the way Jeroth seeks, but simply that things know their place & adhere to them. He is by no means a kindly God, caring little for the rights or wrongs of the world, but despite this does share an unlikely affinity with Brigit, & will often share his secrets with mortals. In this regard he is the patron of all craftsmen, smiths & builders, especially those who craft weapons & armour. He is also much admired by the Dwarves & Gnomes who are very much creatures of the Earth themselves & whose skills at forging are legendary. In addition Fighters who favour heavy armour are often drawn to Karak, seeking the protection of his craftsmen in battle.

As mentioned one would expect Karak & Brigit to be opposite ends of a spectrum, but in fact there is some strange bond between them. Certainly Karak finds Brigit flighty & Brigit finds Karak dour, but on some level they both share a desire to watch mortals improve themselves. Karak has little time for the Good or Evil **Gods**, whom he finds too fixated on trying to change the world to meet their own philosophies rather than maintaining the status quo.

Karak's followers tend to be slow to anger & equally slow to forgive or forget. They seem to share their His views about maintaining the status quo & react violently against any who would try to change things too dramatically. They hold little love for the wilds though, & would happily see forests razed & temples of good, honest stone raised to Him instead. In this a careful observer will notice a contradiction between their desire to maintain the existing & their desire to raise up new monuments, albeit monuments that are permanent. Each follower of Karak has their own response to this apparent paradox.

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## MAWN: Distant Learning

File:Mawn.jpg
**Alignment:** Neutral
**Sphere:** Knowledge
**Enemy:** None

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## NEPHASTUS: Death and Disease

File:Nephastus.jpg
**Alignment:** Evil
**Sphere:** Death
**Enemy:** Auria

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## RHIANNON: Wyrd Waves

File:Rhiannon.jpg
**Alignment:** Neutral
**Sphere:** Fate
**Enemy:** None

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## SETHIS: Laughing Liar

File:Sethis.jpg
**Alignment:** Evil
**Sphere:** Deception
**Enemy:** Jeroth

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## SORBAN: Savage Screams

File:Sorban.jpg
**Alignment:** Evil
**Sphere:** Carnage
**Enemy:** Brangwen

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## TIERYN: The Cosmic Clock

File:Tieryn.jpg
**Alignment:** Neutral
**Sphere:** Time
**Enemy:** None

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## Tyaa: Terror and Torture

There are two aspects to the Dark Mistress of the Night. Firstly terror, creeping dread and the slow descent into madness, secondly the direct infliction of pain, suffering and torture. The agonies of her victims are endless and their minds often give out before their bodies, at which point they are fed to her eternally ravenous pack of wolves. If Caitlin is the warmth that draws people together then Tyaa is the cold they flee, and as Sethis breaks the bonds between Caitlins charges, Tyaa picks them off when they're alone...

Followers of Tyaa are cruel, wicked and without mercy. The death of an enemy is not enough, that death must be slow, agonising and preferably witnessed by future victims to spread the fear on which she thrives. Sadistic Necromancers find great affinity with her, and she in turn helps to improve their more horrific curses.

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## **What other Gods are there?**

Many other Deities exist or existed in the Realms. Whether defeated and replaced in the case of some Good Gods or exalted by exotic cultures, there are many beings whose followers range from isolated cults to entire Races! Some say that these others are merely aspects of their own Gods in forms more recognisable to foreigners, others that the pantheons are vast, varied and in perpetual war over who will rule over all Mortals. All that is certain is that their followers are devout, dedicated and driven...

**Arioch**: Raven God of the Nadir

**Asresus**: Falcon God of the Nadir, depicted by followers of Arioch as inferior, without compassion or honour.

**Bane**: God of Spite, according to a Half-Orc Bandit...

**Eskil**: One the Good God of War, he was either portrayed arrayed in silver platemail and carrying his trusty hammer 'Dohandir', or in torn leather and wielding a worn, spiked mace. All images implied carefully controlled violence, the calm at the centre of the storm. He demanded his followers showed no fear in slaying those who deserved harsh judgement. Eskil met his end during the Night of Endless Tears.

**Gytha**: The Amazonian Goddess of War, oft depicted with long, flowing hair with bones woven within, wielding both spear and bow with a disdainful smirk. Possibly an aspect of Brangwen.

**Iileyna**: Goddess worshipped by the Sea Elves of the Andurin many millenia ago. Possibly an aspect of Rhiannon.

**Lloth**: Demon Queen of the Drow, Lloth is cruelty and malice incarnate. Known to actively oppose other pantheons, her true nature is uncertain but she is ancient, powerful and malignant indeed! Possibly an aspect or servant of Tyaa.

**Lythia**: The Good Goddess of Faith, slain during the Night of Endless Tears, her large, expressive green eyes always seemed hard and determined. White-robed and wielding a shining mace, she was beautiful but chaste, wild-haired and passionate yet always controlled.

**Ogkma**: The God of Death according to some. Possibly an dacet of Nephastus, a previous incumbent of that position or a current rival. Generally shown as a tall, wiry man poised to strike at any who seem weak, he is known to still have worshippers and temples scattered across the Realms.

**Rehann**: A deity worshipped by a small order of Clerics and Monks in Aldersford

**Suthis Cha**: The Lizardmen of the swamps make sacrifices to this being, a 4-armed Lizardman shown brandishing a large sword and skull. Possibly an aspect of Sorban.

**Themis**: The Good Goddess of Calm was killed by Nephastus during the Night of Endless Tears. Often shown in simple robes with arms outstretched and palms facing the Heavens, she possessed a voice like liquid honey and sent angels to watch over her beloved flock.

**Vaal**: Wolf God of the Nadir

**Vaelith**: The Good God of Justice, oft depicted with a pair of golden scales in one hand and sword in the other, was killed during the Night of Endless Tears. Slick, jet-black hair fell to his shoulders and he was shown to favour simple chainmail over his intimidating physique. His eyes flickered with blue and silver sparks, seeing into the souls of those stood before him.

**Vaprak the Destroyer**: An entity worshipped by many Trolls, who delights in sadism, sacrifice, and suffering.