The Profane Gods
The Profane Gods are the deities who strayed from the ideals of the Founding and embraced the destructive chaos of the Primordials or grew selfish of their own creations. The Profane Gods rarely work together, since they see each other as threats to their own plots and goals. This very weakness allowed the Dawn Deities to defeat and banish them, ending the Scourging.
Profane Gods
| Deity | Alignment | Province | Suggested Domains | Common Symbol |
| Asmodeus | LE | Lord of the Nine Hells | Trickery, War | Crown of spiked onyx and curved horns |
| Bane | LE | Conquest, tyranny | Forge, Order, War | Flail of chains, each ending in shackles |
| Gruumsh | CE | Slaughter, Warfare | Death, Tempest, War | Single, unblinking eye that bleeds |
| Lolth | CE | Deceit, spiders | Kowledge, Trickery | Jeweled spider |
| Rymrgand | NE | Entropy, famine | Death, Order | Golden bone scythe |
| Tharizdun | CE | Darkness, destruction | Death, Trickery | Crooked, secen-pointed star made of chains |
| Tiamat | LE | Dragon god of evil | Order, Trickery, War | Taloned dragon claw |
| Torog | NE | Enslavement, torture | Death, Trickery | Three pale arms clawing from a dark void |
| Vecna | NE | Necromancy, secrets | Arcana, Death, Grave, Knowledge | Dessicated hand with an eye in the palm |
| Zehir | CE | Assasins, poison, snakes | Nature, Trickery | Coiled serpent |
Mythology & Lore
The Founding
The gods who brought life to Ardyn are called Creators. When the Primordials came to retake the world during The Founding, the gods disagreed on their course of action. Those who would later become the Dawn Deities wished to fight back against these forces. The Profane Gods preferred instead to let the world fall into chaos so they could start again elsewhere and left their creations behind. The Dawn Deities gifted the people of the world with arcane magic so they could protect themselves without the direct aid of the gods. With this gift, the people of Ardyn not only destroyed the Primordials but banished the Profane Gods to other planes that would serve as their prisons The Magus Era
The prevalence of arcane magic gave rise to The Magus Era, during which the people of Ardyn became arrogant and challenged the gods. Inspired by the ascension of The Raven Queen, Archmage Vecruth Na'Qirr, seeking power, released the Profane Gods from their prisons. However, the long imprisonment had twisted the deities who had once built the world, and they now sought to corrupt and destroy it. They betrayed Na'Qirr, enthralling him, and built the dark city of Dagbreek from which they could wage war on Ardyn. They began with a brutal attack on Aon, which survived, albeit with heavy casualties, thanks to the intervention of the Dawn and Neutral Deities. However, the damage was much more far-reaching; seeing the destruction in Aon, the people of Ardyn began building weapons and magical items that could kill gods and went to war. The Scourging and the Penance
The Scourging was a war between the Profane Gods and the other deities of Ardyn, and many of their mortal creations perished in battle. The world they had once created together was permanently scarred, and only a third of the population survived. The Profane Gods were banished again to their realms, but the Dawn and Neutral Deities chose to leave as well, believing their involvement in Aon had been a precipitating factor. They implemented the Divine Gate, which prevented all of the Creators, Dawn, Neutral and Profane alike, from physically entering the Material Plane. This event would later be known as The Penance. Vecna
Archmage Vecruth was a mortal archmage who became a lich during The Magus Era. He was instrumental in releasing the Profane Gods from their planar prisons and summoned the Warpstar from the alien reaches of the Far-Realm in an attempt to destroy the Gods. He managed to escape after his failure and for centuries, he gathered followers and power, causing him to ascend to the minor deity status. Vecruth tried to fully ascend to godhood and claim Ardyn as his divine domain but was defeated by Empress Celesta. After many years, he reformed, taking the name Vecna, the Undying King.
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