Rothlia's Pantheon of Gods.
The pantheon of gods whom most of Rothlia's people worship is made up of thirty three distinct entities. Many of them are known to interact with mortals on occassion, although a notable few choose not to. The gods are responsible for governing the natural laws of Rothlia: Everything from the tides to the laws of life and death itself are under their command.
Structure
Each of Rothlia's thirty three discrete gods and godesses fall under one -or more- of nine broad categories: Death, Endurance, Fate, Knowledge, Life, Passion, Nature, Trickery, and War.
Rather than congregate towards each god separately of one another, the people of Rothlia worship gods or goddesses within specific categories. Now, not every god (or goddess) fits neatly into one category, and so on occasion a god or goddess will be worshipped by the congregations of more than one categorical group. For instance, Dova, god of plants and healing, is worshipped by the followers of both the Nature and Life categories. Some categories are presided over by a large number of gods, while others worship only a few. The category of Nature, for example, falls under a large number of gods' domains while Endurance is the sole responsibility of Kalidar, god of protection and sanctity.
The followers of each category, of course, have names reflecting the might of their god(s) and their holy domains: the congregation of Nature, for example, is called the Following of Flora and Fauna. Within each category, followers generally divide themselves further; individuals often choose to follow only a few or even just one of the deities which fall under their category, although the congregation as a whole does not do so. The following table lists each of the nine categories, the primary organization name associated with each, and the gods which they worship. Occasionally, an individual will choose to worship one or more gods whose domains fall under multiple categories. These individuals are known collectively as the Unclassified.
The followers of each category, of course, have names reflecting the might of their god(s) and their holy domains: the congregation of Nature, for example, is called the Following of Flora and Fauna. Within each category, followers generally divide themselves further; individuals often choose to follow only a few or even just one of the deities which fall under their category, although the congregation as a whole does not do so. The following table lists each of the nine categories, the primary organization name associated with each, and the gods which they worship. Occasionally, an individual will choose to worship one or more gods whose domains fall under multiple categories. These individuals are known collectively as the Unclassified.
Cosmological Views
It is agreed that the gods were the first to walk the surface of Rothlia, long before the first mortal beings were given life. They came from Surapan, the Plane of Gods, to shape the material plane -of which Rothlia is part- to their will.
First, they built Bestimir and Dalkoron, the planes of Order and Chaos. Then, they built the four Elemental Planes: Unairalai, the Plane of Air, Besagua, the Plane of Water, Kotorunin, the Plane of Earth, and Iudrenis, the Plane of Fire. Third, they created Kouralin, the plane of Magic. Finally, they created Denythar, which came to be the Plane of the Dead.
Soon after Kouralin came to be, the goddess Nes was born; the youngest of the gods and the only one who was not born of Surapan.
No one knows for sure how the mortal races came to be, as the gods themselves often give contradictory statements when asked. This, in fact, parallels any questions posed regarding the Gods' own origins: Some gods claim not to remember, others say they were focused elsewhere and did not take note. Most people, god and mortal alike, seem to concur that the mortals' creation was likely a tandem work of Kurello and Dova, although both of the aforementioned gods deny this. A few believe, as mortal Jewish Peoples of Rothlia do, that both gods and mortals were created by a higher power: their Mother Adonai. They believe that She must have created the mortals once she judged the material plane habitable by the work of her First Children.
Tenets of Faith
Each of the gods are responsible for a specific element of natural law, although some hold sway over larger aspectsts than others. For instance, Arithal is goddess of Death and Balance, but Raquilid is god of Afterlife and the Dead. So, while Arithal is responsible for collecting the souls of the deceased, she is not responsible for caring for them once they have been delivered to the afterlife.
Worship
Being that there are so many gods, individuals often choose to dedicate themselves toward just one or a few of the gods rather than the entire pantheon. This dedication can take many forms, from a simple and silent appreciation of that god's work to a lifetime of duty sworn in the name of a god or goddess. Many fall somewhere in between, often choosing to go to religious centers on a regular basis in order to hear the words of their priests, who speak for their category's gods on a day-to-day basis.
Priesthood
Any devout person may choose to become a religious leader of their community, although the exact requirements differ from place to place. Often, they are appointed by their community, or inherit the position from a relative. Sometimes, a particularly devout person will choose to speak up and become a leader that way, by speaking of and for the gods to any who will hear them. Many religious leaders find themselves favoured by the gods they worship.
Granted Divine Powers
The most favoured followers of the gods' followers are granted divine powers, with which they are to spread the influence of their god or goddess. These chosen ones are known as clerics and paladins; most often are devoted to a single god or goddess rather than multiple, although there have been exeptions to this rule in the past.
A cleric or paladin is granted powers which relate first to the category under which their god falls, and second to the specific portion of that category which their god is responsible for. Take Opalin's clerics for example. Opalin is the goddess of sea and storms; she falls under the category of Nature. In determining the spell list for one of her clerics, first take the standard spell list for the category of Nature and then substitute any ill-fitting spells for spells of equal measure which fit more specifically to Opalin's domain: eg, shape water, thunderclap, etc.
Some deities have domains which fall under multiple categories. In those cases, either choose one relevant category to belong to or be considered Unclassified.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Subsidiary Organizations
