Twain

Luck, The Prankster, The Gambler, The Death of Kings (a.k.a. Otmar, Rigbard, Bonavento, Otis, Ríkdauðr)

Twain is an unpredictable god who may bestow his favor freely one minute, then withdraw it at a crucial moment. Those who remain devout, however, often claim that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Twain enjoys gambling, games of chance, and pranks. His followers are known to be gamblers, card sharks, and are often prone to nights of debauchery. Twain teaches his followers to accept life's ups and downs, to take advantage of good luck and to take set-backs in stride. "Enjoy the chaos. Ignore the strife" is a common maxim among his clergy, though not an "official" teaching. Twain also encourages his followers to maintain a sense of humor about themselves and life and to commit pranks and jokes on those who do not. Twain is often depicted as having a connection to Blithe. Some stories depict them as married, others as lovers, some as much more chaotic and complicated relationships.
Twain is especially popular amongst nomadic peoples. Pietranico also places Twain high among their deities. Many members of other races also offer token prayers to Twain when they embark on a risky venture. Rogues and bards are among the most common classes to worship Twain.

In the Central Pantheon - Otmar

Otmar is the god of fortune, luck, and riddles. However, unlike his Imperial counterpart, Otmar is believed to be far less random. He is less an embodiment of luck and more the one who controls it. Those who appease him will find things will "just go their way", while those who upset him will find things play out much differently. Otmar is said to love puzzles and riddles. He often orchestrates such things as tests for his faithful or to those who pray for his boons.

In the Western Pantheon - Rigbard

Rigbard is the ancestor-god of drama and luck. He is believed to be a sort of balancing factor between the ancestor-gods and forces who seek to elevate mortal souls and those that wish to sabotage their efforts at ascension. Rigbard does not care whether any mortal succeeds or fails on their quest, so long as it is suitably dramatic. He is attributed with creating the scenarios where truly great heroes can emerge and he seeks to ensure that their trials are challenging and dramatic, but not impossible. He is almost universally regarded with frustration if not outright hatred by the other ancestor-gods due to his tendency, but his reputation among mortals is much more varied.

In the Southern Pantheon - Bonavento

Bonavento is the god of Luck, Chaos, and Humor. While many of the other Southern Deities advocate for a stable, cautious, and careful lifestyle (to varying degrees), Bonavento is a dynamic, unpredictable force of change. Bonavento exists to disrupt the status quo, to push mortals into taking big risks which may pay off phenomenally or come crashing down around them, whatever Bonavento finds more funny at the time. Bonavento is also characterized by his near-complete disregard for prayers and offerings. He cares nothing for mortals' attempts at influencing his actions. Few temples exist to Bonavento and even the most devout of his followers seldom bother to entreat him for anything. The only time Bonavento may be influenced to do something he wasn't already going to do is if a mortal can offer him a course of action that is both one he had not thought of and one he finds more entertaining than anything he had come up with himself; a difficult task. Bonavento actively vexes the other Southern Deities at every opportunity through seemingly random acts of chance. If Bonavento himself has any larger goals or objectives, none can discern them.
As with many of his incarnations, whether or not Bonavento is a benevolent or antagonistic deity in regards to mortals is largely subjective.

In the Eastern Pantheon - Otis

Otis is the god of chaos, luck, and unpredictability. He is the outside force that disrupts plans, grants unlooked for boons and results in every unforseen outcome and event. He himself is prone to mood swings, flights of fancy, and indulgence of random whims. As with many of his counterparts he is heavily associated with gambling, though not as an explicit part of his portfolio. In his role as one half of Grigorios, the deity of the future, of the unknown, fate, and of balance, he embodies the idea of those aspects of the future which are unknowable and cannot be controlled.

In the Northern Pantheon - Ríkdauðr

Ríkdauðr is a trickster god of chaos and luck. He is found of playing pranks and disrupting carefully laid plans. He is not as random and directionless as many of his other incarnations are. He deliberately introduces chaos and disorder into structures and frequently pranks and vexes the other Northern Deities. While not an outright antagonistic figure toward them, he is often viewed as a nuisance and a irritant. However, what he is most known for, especially in Kokouspaikka, is the upheaval of the status quo, especially in regards to rulers. Ríkdauðr's name loosely translates to "Death of Kings" as he is believed to take personal offense to any ruler who enforces stability to heavily for too long. This most often is associated with tyrants, but even benign rulers who grow complacent may find themselves the targets of his ire. Unfortunately, the means by which he disrupts the rule may harm the citizenry as much as anything else, a detail that Ríkdauðr is largely indifferent toward. Unlike many of his other incarnations whose status as antagonistic or benevalent is largely subjective, Ríkdauðr is pretty firmly treated as a neutral, or at least an unreliable, figure. Ríkdauðr is generally helpful to mortals, especially those not in positions of power and to prefer pranking rulers and his peers, but he is not concerned about others who suffer from his pranks. In many tales he is fond of appearing to mortals as an offensive, dirty, drunken (or all three) old man who pushes the limits of polite conduct. Those who fail to show him proper respect and courtesy, despite his behavior will find themselves the victims of his amusement, while those who remain polite may find themselves granted a boon.

In the Wandering Pantheon

TBD

Divine Domains

In the Imperial Pantheon

Luck, Humor, Pranks, Fortune, Gambling, Games

In the Central Pantheon

Luck, Fortune, Riddles

In the Western Pantheon

Drama, Luck

In the Southern Pantheon

Luck, Chaos, Humor, Pranks, Basically fucking around with the other gods

In the Eastern Pantheon

Luck, Chaos, Unpredictability

In the Northern Pantheon

Luck, Chaos, Change, Tricks

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Twain's symbol is a pair of dice. Whenever a three dimensional depiction of his symbol is called for, real dice are used. They are sometimes loaded, depending on the maker's interpretation of Twain.

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

In the Imperial Pantheon

Twain appears as a variable humanoid creature. Usually a Human, but other times a Gnome or a Halfling. He wears tight clothing decorated in black and white checkered patterns. His face is a theater mask. Out of the entire Imperial Pantheon, Twain is said to take the most interest in mortals and is most frequently claimed to walk among them. While doing so, his appearance changes to something more natural and is often claimed to be a sharp-featured humanoid with black hair, though other descriptions exist.

In the Central Pantheon

Otmar is a short, rotund humanoid with gaudy, pretentious clothing. Sometimes this takes the form of fine silks, other times as furs and leathers adorned with gems and precious metals. Otmar's head is that of a fox.

In the Western Pantheon

Rigbard is a tall, thin Orc with long, braided red hair and beard. He carries a large horn with him, carved with an ever-shifting set of runes. His skin is pale and he wears a simple woolen kilt.

In the Southern Pantheon

Bonavento is a lanky, fidgety humanoid with gaudy, ostentatious clothing reminiscent of a jester or clown. He wears a metal mask over his face. This is often a copper mask, but may be made of silver, gold, or bronze.

In the Eastern Pantheon

Otis is a youthful Akki whose scales, eyes, and hair change color randomly. He typically wears an elaborate robe indicative of a heirophant or a person of office, but the robe is the wrong size, he wears it incorrectly, and sloppily, both signs that he does not truly hold such a level of dignity. His horns are curved toward each other near the end, vaguely reminiscent of a pair of question marks.

In the Northern Pantheon

Ríkdauðr is fond of appearing before both mortals and his fellow deities in various forms ranging from animals, to monsters, to mortals, to other deities. A particularly common disguise is that of a gangly old man with a scraggly beard, a long, hooked nose and a shaggy fur cloak, often with a gnarled staff and a bottle of alcohol. His true form is believed to be similar, but younger. That of a tall, lanky Ogre or Troll with a short cropped beard and long, wild hair which is typically either black or red. His nose is often depicted as being larger than average, but not to the degree of his old man guise. Ríkdauðr wears a bear-pelt vest or cape of black or white over simple, loose-fitting clothes. He carries a strong, but gnarled, staff which is often depicted with various tips from a large knob to bones or crystals. He is almost perpetually smiling and his eyes, either dark brown or black, twinkle with mirth.

Divine Classification

God

Religions

• Central Pantheon
• Eastern Pantheon
• Imperial Pantheon
• Northern Pantheon
• Southern Pantheon
• The Aran Pantheon
• Wandering Pantheon
• Western Pantheon