Religion is a topic in Ashandri that often raises debates. Two dragon gods are responsible for the apocalypse of Virthys. But they couldn't have done it without the religious wars that led to the creation of the dimensional tear in the sky. Religious zealots are usually met not just with rejection, but outright aggression. Even regular believers often don't talk much about their spiritual views for fear of the reactions.
Still, not everyone rejects the gods, some even actively seek the feeling of safety and power that their beliefs give them. Some pantheons and individual deities also didn't have any influence in the apocalypse. The worst that can be said about them is that they failed to protect the world.
There are also those who construct their own narrative, turning their chosen gods into saviours. These followers of the gods consider their deities to be the powers that created Ashandri, using Marisha Veilbreaker merely as a vessel. Since few people really know anything about the powers of Braythe, it's hard to prove them wrong.
In Virthys, most gods were either racial deities or ruled over a certain part of the old world. Rumours are they themselves had higher powers that kept them from crossing too far into "foreign territories". If that is true, these powers do not seem to have any influence in Braythe: Every deity with followers on a world-island can consider the entire world as their sphere of influence. With so many followers lost, even many racial gods seek new believers beyond their former boundaries. Still, their focus usually remains with their old flock.
Playing a servant of the gods
In many campaign settings, playing a cleric or paladin might be limited to the gods of your character's race or society. In Ashandri, there are no such limits, and with many gods actively seeking new followers, they welcome many faithful that don't exactly fit their old flock of believers.
That said, players should discuss with their gamemaster what fits into the campaign, and if there is anything the GM doesn't allow. Also, as a player, be cautious about characters intent on proselytizing others. Due to the ambivalent feelings towards gods in Ashandri, this could lead to additional challenges and dangers for you and your group.
To choose divine domains for a cleric, the gods of Ashandri allow a lot of creative freedom. As long as a domain fits roughly to the deity's portfolio, and the gamemaster accepts it, pick the one that matches best to how you imagine your character.
Racial gods
The Divine Circle is the pantheon of Human gods. They were mostly worshipped in the continent of Rhavun on Virthys, but also had followers on all other continents of the world. The pantheon was ruled by the four elemental gods, but the creator goddess Venesha died fighting Zathruax during the apocalypse. Gadrishval has taken over her portfolio and is now a god of two elements.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Venesha |
Once the supreme goddess of the divine pantheon of Human gods, Venesha was killed and consumed by Zathruax. Her portfolio was taken over by Gadrishval, but some people still believe the goddess might come back. Clerics and other servants of the goddess still praying to her gain their powers from Gadrishval, something the new supreme deity clearly stated to his own followers. Venesha was depicted as a beautiful, almost ethereal woman with flowing blonde hair that reached down to her ankles. According to the myths, she created the world from the waves of the Eternal Ocean, which is why she was most often portrayed standing on a shore or even in the middle of the sea. |
Creation, Humans, Water, Ocean |
Three parallel waves |
True Neutral |
Gadrishval |
The Lord of the Wind had two forms: One was a joyous sixteen year old boy with blue hair and marble skin, the other an old man with black hair and bronze skin. Gadrishval was not only the god of air, but of weather in general, and as such had a great impact on humanity's everyday lives. Since the Age of Spirits, Gadrishval is also revered as the moon god by humans. How and why this became an aspect of his divine portfolio is lost to time.
After Venesha's death, the other gods of the pantheon chose him as their new leader, and he took over her entire portfolio, making him an extremely powerful and influential god in Ashandri. |
Air, Wind, Weather, Moon, Creation, Humans, Water, Ocean |
A gust of wind, a drop of water and a lightning bolt arranged in a circle |
Chaotic Neutral |
Shebra |
While Venesha is said to have created all the other gods of her pantheon, Shebra is the exception: The goddess of fire is Venesha's sister, and considered to be the divine incarnation of the sun. She helped her sibling goddess shape the world after its creation. She is portrayed as a woman of about fifty years, her hair a single bright flame, her body clad in a thick layer of ash instead of clothes. She stands not only for fire itself, but also for everything that fire can do. After Venesha died, Shebra fell in love with Gadrishval for preserving what her sister stood for, but the new supreme god doesn't reciprocate the feelings. |
Fire, Sun, Summer, Ash, Forging, Birth and rebirth |
A single flame |
Chaotic Neutral |
Tanaka |
The Earth god Tanaka is depicted as a human man in his mid-twenties, weighing hundreds of pounds. He is both fat and muscular, and often portrayed wearing only short pantaloons and rings with gemstones. He is strongly opposed to the fickle Shebra, and considers change only a good thing when it is truly necessary and big enough to be noticed. |
Earth, Stability, Gemstones, Jewelry |
A small rock with a gemstone protruding from the top |
Lawful Neutral |
Argan |
In the past ages of Virthys, before the Age of Spirits, humans had a hard time surviving in a deadly world. To help them in their everyday struggles, Venesha created Argan, the Great Protector. He is depicted as a hollow full plate armor with fiery eyes, wielding a sword double his own size. According to the myths, Argan taught the first knights, some of whom became the first paladins later on. |
Protection, Law, Goodness |
A sword engulfed in a holy flame |
Lawful Good |
Trymor |
As Argan helped humans to grow strong, Trymor's role was to keep sinners from destabilizing society. The Executioner, as he is also known, is depicted as a pale white man with a black executioner's mask on his head, wielding a sharp, bloody axe. His role also made him perfect as a judge of the dead, and sinners fear standing trial in Trymor's Court. |
Death, Punishment, Executioners |
A bloody axe |
Lawful Neutral |
Lilyana |
According to the myths, Lilyana is the only deity created by both Venesha and Shebra. She is filled with the curiosity to explore the world Venesha created, and is commonly depicted as a young female sage in green gowns. She has brown, braided hair and deep brown eyes. |
Curiosity, Knowledge, Exploration |
A scroll with writing in green ink |
Chaotic Good |
Vidris |
When Venesha was finished creating the world and the other gods, she laid down to rest for a day. As she was sleeping, a single dream escaped her, and turned into a new god all on its own. Vidris is the god of many shapes, but usually depicted as a young man of about twenty years, with violet hair and stars in his eyes. He was the only god of this pantheon on Virthys widely revered not only by humans, but also by many shapeshifting races. Witnesses said they saw Vidris fighting the dragon god Zathruax after killing Venesha, and wounding him deeply. The fight ended suddenly, as Zathruax struck him hard, and Vidris disappeared. It is strongly debated whether he died, or escaped, but the prayers of his faithful are still answered. |
Dreams, Trickery, Shapeshifting |
An orb filled with stars |
Chaotic Neutral (with a tendency to Good) |
Ralic |
As humanity fought for its place in the world, Venesha realized the poor mortals needed more resources. So she created Ralic, to guide them into taking what they needed. The god of greed and thievery has two forms, a male and a female one, but both are hard to discern: Ralic is depicted wearing a black cloak with a hood, the face barely visible, a golden dagger in his hand. Sages still debate whether Ralic actually has two genders, or one is simply a disguise. |
Greed, Thieves, Disguises |
A golden dagger |
Chaotic Evil |
Phalar |
Similar to Ralic, Phalar was created to empower humans. He is shown as a black-skinned man in a leather armor, with a black book in his right hand, and known to whisper secrets to humans in need. Some mythical stories tell he embodied the desire for power so much he tried to overthrow Venesha several times, and a few people even believe he had a hand in the creator goddess' death. |
Secrets, Magic, Power |
A black book |
Lawful Evil |
Brishnar |
As the Age of Spirits dawned in Virthys, and humans finally began to conquer the world for themselves, they often turned on each other. To solve this problem, Venesha created Brishnar, the only deity of her pantheon to be created in this age. Brishnar is portrayed as a wise witch living deep in the forest, weaving the strings of fate to connect humans with each other. She has black hair, black eyes and pale skin, and often wears a black pointed hat. It's said that she could turn any object into a flying vehicle, and is often shown travelling on carpets or brooms. |
Fate, Empathy, Connectedness, Nature, Good Magic |
A flying broom |
Neutral Good |
The Sacred Family is a pantheon of Halflings and Gnomes led by a married divine couple: Kenrik the Architect is the creator god of the gnomes, and Valia Inglenook the creator goddess of halflings. They rule over a shared pantheon of gods.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Kenrik the Architect |
The creator god of the gnomes is depicted as a handsome male Gnome with brown, almost red hair and a trimmed beard, standing in front of a table on which he draws his plans of creation. The gnomish sacred texts describe him as the creator of the moon, as well as the gnomes as a race. |
Gnomes, Architecture, Creation, Moon |
A divider on a piece of paper |
Neutral Good |
Valia Inglenook |
The creator goddess of halflings is usually shown as a blonde Halfling woman of about thirty or fourty years, wearing an apron. Her defender aspect - focussed on defending home and family - is depicted with a short sword and wearing a leather armor. In both forms, she wears a silver ring with a gem, which is considered an embodiment of luck. Valia is also considered to be the creator goddess of the sun. |
Halflings, Home, Family, Defense, Luck, Sun |
A fire iron crossed with a short sword |
Neutral Good |
Magnus the Unseen |
Public statues and paintings always show Magnus as a black-haired gnome in a cloak with a white mask on his face. Temple areas accessible by priests and clerics only sometimes have portrayals of his face, too. In those, he is shown as extraordinarily handsome, with a smug smile and sapphire eyes (literal gems, not just the colour). Besides being the god of thieves and physical wealth, Magnus is also the deity of secrets. His faithful believe he knows dark secrets about all the other gods, using them as leverage whenever needed. The priests and clerics try to follow his example, always trying to learn secrets about enemies and allies alike. |
Treasure, Wealth, Thieves, Secrets |
A white mask |
Chaotic Neutral |
Breishan Thickhands |
Breishan is a hermaphrodite halfling of strong built, with fiery red hair and a tiny goat beard. The burly deity is always depicted with some kind of tool in its hand, often a shovel, a hammer or a plow. Scriptures about the god constantly switch between the male and female version when talking about the god(dess). |
Manual labor, Crafting, Farming |
Two thick hands, one holding a crafting tool, the other a farming tool |
Lawful Good |
Mindral Wintercloak |
The youthful gnome goddess is shown as a 14 year old girl in a white leather armor and white furry cloak. Despite her young appearance, she has a serious expression, and a deep wisdom in her eyes. As a goddess of death, she embraces the concept not only as part of the cycle of life, but also as a sometimes necessary thing to accomplish important goals. Mindral is known to have a few assassins and others in the profession of murder as her followers, although she despises murder for the joy of the deed. There are stories about the goddess making deals with other powers to protect the pantheon or her own followers, and she seems not to be above killing innocents. The other gods, with the exception of Vraki, strongly disagree with these kinds of deals, but Mindral is too independent to let anyone interfere with her decisions. |
Winter, Death, Rebirth |
A white cloak |
Lawful Neutral |
Azzizz Fireflake |
Azzizz is the only true child of Kenrik and Valia, half gnome, half halfling. He is depicted as a young adult, with the slim build of a gnome, but the round and healthy face of a halfling. His hair is white on his left side and black on the other. |
Unity, Peace, Friendship and Love |
A white and a black flame chasing each other in a circle |
Chaotic Good |
Gruvalt the Deep |
The only black-skinned deity in the pantheon, Gruvalt is a halfling deity all about mountains and mines. As such, he is depicted as a mine worker with a pickaxe, his grey hair and face dirty from his work. |
Mountains, Mining, Earth, Exploration |
A glowing pickaxe |
Lawful Good |
Vraki Manerider |
Vraki is Kenrik's younger brother, with the same brown hair, but pitch black eyes. He is bald and beardless, and usually shown riding an obsidian nightmare steed. Despite being the only evil deity in the pantheon, he is loyal to Kenrik. The other deities of the pantheon keep their distance from him, though - with the exception of Mindral, who sometimes even takes him along for some of her murder missions. |
Evil, Greed, Punishment |
A black horse |
Lawful Evil |
The Great Court was once, eons ago, a pantheon of fairy gods only, but now includes elven gods, too. One day,
The Source gave birth to a son, Valeos, who became the creator of
Elves. It was this race that gave the supreme goddess of the Court the title
The Grandmother, which is considered an honorary title showing the love the elves have for her. The other elven gods followed in the next centuries, with the only major change in the pantheon being the death of Areia.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
The Source |
The Source, also often called The Grandmother, is portrayed as a glowing ball of light. The Grandmother is usally depicted in the center with the other gods of the Pantheon surrounding her. She is believed to be the source of all Fey and Elven creatures on Virthys (and now, Ashandri). It's widely known that the orb shape is not her true form, only how she has shown herself to mortals in the past. |
All fairy creatures, Creation, Magic, Joy |
A glowing orb |
Chaotic Good |
Mira |
Mira is a pixie goddess, rumoured to have been a normal pixie in the fey realms once. Through trickery and curiosity, she acquired godhood, turning her hair and wings silver and her eyes into golden glowing orbs. |
Trickery, Curiosity, Pixies |
Two golden eyes |
Chaotic Good |
Mesidra |
The Dryad Queen, as she is also called, is the goddess of forests, and depicted either as a magical tree, or as an etheral dryad within a tree. She is said to be so beautiful that seeing her can kill a mortal. |
Forests, Dryads, Nature |
A tree with a thousand branches |
Neutral Good |
Caran |
The Fairy King is an amazingly handsome male fairy. He could be mistaken for an Elf, were it not for his black feathery wings and his rainbow coloured skin. He always carries a bow with him, and it's said that his arrows can either kill or make two hearts fall in love. |
Hunting, Beauty, Art, Love |
A rainbow coloured bow |
Neutral Good |
Valeos |
The oldest son of The Grandmother, Valeos is the creator of elves. He doesn't have a backside, and instead two distinct forms that are merged in the middle. His light side is that of a smiling, fatherly Elf. His dark side is pale with black eyes. |
Elves, Wisdom, Freedom, Darkness, Death, Balance |
A sphere with one white and one dark half |
Chaotic Good / Lawful Evil |
Raveina |
The daughter of Valeos and Mesidra is an elven woman with branches and leaves instead of hair. She is commonly depicted wearing a gown of leaves and a circlet of flowers. |
Light, Life, Peace |
A circlet of flowers |
Neutral Good |
Thuziel |
The younger brother of Valeos was depicted as an elven man in Virthys. But during the apocalypse, he almost died battling Zathruax. This seems to have changed him, and he now appears as a skull-faced elf with claw scars (sometimes even shown as open, bleeding wounds) all over his body. |
Loyalty, Battle, Forging of Weapons |
A bleeding long sword |
Lawful Neutral |
Maracur |
Maracur is said to have brought himself into existence. He is portrayed as a magical spark (with various visual interpretations), but sometimes also as a shadowy hand with claws. The Source is opposed to him, but somehow doesn't seem to get rid of him since eons. |
Evil magic, Destruction, Dominance |
A magic spark |
Neutral Evil |
Areia |
The demi-goddess Areia was the daughter of Raveina and an unknown mortal elf. Although she died four hundred years ago, some still believe her spirit to be part of the land that is now called The Spirit Fields. She is depicted as a beautiful young woman with pitch black hair and striking green eyes. |
Friendship, Empathy, Nature |
Two ropes intertwined with a knot in the middle, out of which a hand emerges to reach up. |
Chaotic Good |
The Ironhall Dwarves is, obviously, the pantheon of dwarves, led by the siblings Draemog and Samra. They are mostly benign, were it not for Mildra, the goddess of joy who sometimes goes a bit too far in having fun, and Kkruuvarr, the evil elemental deity.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Draemog Ironsmile |
The twins Draemog and Samra are the supreme gods of the Dwarven pantheon. While many consider them equal, it is said the Draemog is a little bit older than Samra, and some of the more patriarchal communities of dwarves consider that reason enough to consider Draemog the "true" supreme god. Draemog is depicted as a burly hill Dwarf with black hair and a serious face, resting on his divine warhammer Soulbreaker. Draemog is worshipped as the creator of all male dwarves. In his aspect as a god of death, instead of Soulbreaker, he is portrayed with a scale in his hands, a piece of ore on the left side, and a gleaming soul-rock on the right.
It's said that the sun itself is the fire of his divine forge. Because of that, Draemog is also considered to be the god of the sun by some dwarves. |
Male dwarves, Fatherhood, Forging and Smithery (Weapons, armor, tools and other practical things), Justice, Death, Sun |
A warhammer |
Lawful Good |
Samra Ironsmile |
Samra looks like the female version of Draemog, just as strong in build, wearing long black hair that reaches to her shoulders. She is commonly depicted with a smile and a spark in her eyes. After creating all female dwarves, Samra, according to the myths, invited Draemog to play a bit more with the powers of creation. Together they created dwarves that were neither male or female, or somewhere in between the two. As creations of both supreme gods, these dwarves are considered sacred in their communities. In her life aspect, mirroring Draemog, she is portrayed with a cradle in her hand. |
Female dwarves, Motherhood, Forging and Smithery (Finesmithing, objects of art and beauty), Freedom, Life |
A forge with a rainbow-colored fire |
Chaotic Good |
Hyuldor the Wanderer |
It is said the Hyuldor was the first god to join the pantheon of the divine twins. He once was a demigod wandering the planes, but gained full godhood when becoming part of the pantheon. He is shown as an extremely muscular Dwarf with white hair, carrying a whip in his left and an axe in his right. As a tamer of monsters, he is often depicted with powerful creatures serving him. According to the myths, he does not dominate them - he befriends them. Because he can even make monsters his friends, he is also the god of friendship, something one wouldn't necessarily expect from such a deity. Those monsters who can't be befriended, though, have to be slain, there's no debate about it. |
Exploration, Battle, Barbarians, Monsters, Friendship |
A whip and an axe |
Neutral good |
Shamisha |
Shamisha was once a simple stalagmite in the halls of the Ironsmile twins. But millennia ago, a demon lord invaded the Iron Halls, intent on killing the two deities. They fought for days, and while the demon was slain, he managed to wound both gods deeply. The blood touched the stalagmite, and miraculously turned it into a beautiful dwarven goddess. Thankful for the awakening, she tended to the wounds of the twins and brought them back to health. Shamisha is depicted as a grey-skinned dwarf with dark grey hair and silvery eyes. She later became Draemogs wife. |
Earth and stone, Caves, Healing, Love |
A stalagmite |
Lawful Good |
Therron Yelloweyes |
Therron is an exceptionally thin and fragile dwarven boy with gleaming yellow eyes. The myths say that Shamisha found him lost in the tunnels one day, and brought him back to the Iron Halls to nurture him. While he never grew strong, he instead focussed on his mind, turning into a divine genius. He is always depicted with some sort of book or scroll in his hands. |
Hardship, Personal Growth, Intelligence, Inspiration |
A book with two yellow eyes on the cover |
Chaotic Good |
Bardrun Ironson |
Bardrun is the lovechild of Draemog and Shamisha, depicted as a strong, handsome man with grey hair. He can take on two other forms, though: A beautiful black-haired dwarven woman, and a stalagmite. He is sometimes depicted in only one of his forms, and sometimes in all three at once. He later fell in love with Hyuldor, and in his female form, gave birth to their twin children. In his stalagmite form, he is considered a hidden guard and protector of the dwarven realms. As the "changing god", he is revered as the deity of change as part of life (not as chaos). |
Change, Guarding, Protection |
Three grey spheres overlapping |
Lawful Neutral |
Mildra |
Mildra is the older daughter of Bardrun and Hyuldor. She is an exceptional beauty with silver hair, and a slightly overweight and curvy body. Her entire existence is devoted to enjoying life in all its forms, from sensual pleasure to art. |
Joy, Pleasure, Food and drink, Literature, Art (unless forged, as that is the domain of Samra) |
A beer-filled mug in front of a harp |
Chaotic Neutral |
Kondra |
Kondra is the sensitive younger sister of Mildra, looking very similar to her, but with black hair and a beautiful slender body. She is said to be so empathetic that she can see a person's entire nature with a single glance. Because of her wisdom and sensitivity, the other gods often consult her and bring her along in diplomatic situations. As she is so sensitive to her surroundings, she also feels the flow of magic. Portrays of Kondra often show her in a white (sometimes grey) armor, with a spellbook and a wand in her hands. |
Empathy, Magic |
A wand made of stone |
Neutral Good |
Kkruuvarr |
This deity is a true exception in this pantheon: It is not a dwarf, but an earth elemental. According to the myths, as Draemog was forging a new weapon, he smashed his hammer on a piece of ore - not knowing it was really a sleeping elemental creature. The poor being cracked into two parts, and only with his divine magic, Draemog kept it alive. Kkruuvarr was filled with pain in one part, and with anger in the other. To make amends for his mistake, Draemog gave the elemental a part of his own divine essence. The split god now has a realm of pain in the plane of madness, and a twin realm in the plane of demons. Satisfied with the gift, Kkruuvarr forgave Draemog, and now serves the pantheon to take care of sinners and others who need to be punished. |
Pain, Anger, Hate, Punishment |
A rocky sphere split in half |
Chaotic Evil |
The Old are the seven deities of the Shadowblood Elves, merged into a single body, usually shown as a chaotic mess of limbs, faces and religious symbols. Servants of The Old were the only ones who still felt a connection to their gods when Ashandri was transported to Braythe, pushing their beliefs that the race and their gods are superior to all others. They have no friendly relations with any other gods, although they do mingle with the Great Court of the Elves: Valeos wants to bring the Shadowblood Elves "back into the fold", making him a direct rival of The Old, and Maracur is an occasional ally to the Shadowblood deities.
The Old has a couple of divine servants that are known to roam the lands of mortals. In a few rare cases, these nightmarish entities have been known to accepts mortals of other races as warlocks, granting them supernatural powers in exchange for their souls and their servitude.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Ssygoriz |
The supreme god of the Shadowblood Elves. A faceless and genderless figure, with four legs, a torso and a head with long black hair at the top center of The Old's body. The two arms are usually shown as stretched out to the sides, three eyes on each seven-fingered hand. Ssygoriz is convinced that The Old and the Shadowblood Elves are superior beings, and only they can figure out the mysteries of existence. Some of his followers even believe that there is a very specific cosmic puzzle that Ssygoriz wants to solve, but normal mortal minds are beyond understanding it. This alone is reason enough for his faithful to experiment on themselves, trying to become something beyond the limited nature of their mortal shells. |
Mental exploration without limits |
A seven-fingered hand with three eyes on the palm |
Neutral Evil |
Chuqrav |
Seven tentacles protruding from The Old's body, reaching out into the world. Chuqrav clearly stands for domination through strength. But to him, war is not just a means to an end, but something to be celebrated: It is the sacred path towards domination, and even those who fail at least died reaching for spiritual enlightenment. |
War, Domination |
A tentacle wielding any kind of weapon |
Lawful Evil |
Maga'Ri |
A three-headed torso with no arms, the faces depicted with varying genders staring up into the sky. Maga'Ri is called the Unknown by its followers, and according to Shadowblood mythology, even Ssygoriz doesn't truly understand its goals and motivations. The followers of the supreme deity often mistrust the faithful of Maga'Ri, and actively try to keep them in check. |
Curiosity, Magic, Science |
A sphere with glowing stars |
Chaotic Evil |
Shir'Sharuth |
The ant-faced, four-breasted Shir'Sharuth is either depicted naked or with a chain armor covering little more than her breasts. She has black skin and glowing blue eyes. To the goddess of procreation, any kind of reproduction is a good thing - including the horrible breeding experiments some of her followers undertake. Shir'Sharuth is also said to control the growth of the Shir fungus, one of the main sources of nourishment for many Shadowblood communities. |
Procreation, Nourishment |
A black cradle |
Lawful Evil |
Melakkaraz |
Melakkaraz is shown with the shape of an elven upper body protruding from The Old. Instead of flesh, his body consists of fire. The deity not only stands for the elements, but for the forge of creation. Many myths of the Shadowbloods foretell a time where Melakkaraz and Ssygoriz create a world of their own, a world entirely ruled by Shadowblood Elves. With the followers of The Old being the only ones who kept the connection to their gods, some of the elemental deity's followers believe that Braythe is the place where the great foretold future will finally come true. |
The Elements, with fire being the favored one |
A flame in the center, with a drop of water at the left, a whirlwind of air at the right, and a piece of rock at the top |
Chaotic Evil |
Irrishn |
Also called "The Crafter", Irrishn has a humanoid upper body consisting of black, shadowy mist, with seven arms holding a variety of tools. To followers of Irrishn, everything has a function, and should be viewed without any emotion. Whether you sharpen a sword or transmute two beings into one, as long as the result serves a function and works properly, it is a sacred creation. |
Crafting, Creation |
A shadow hand holding any kind of tool (most often a knife, a hammer or a glass beaker) |
Neutral Evil |
Ziguuur |
Depicted as a glowing globe in the center of The Old's body, with countless eyes staring at the viewer, Ziguuur is considered the embodiment of life and death. It is also closest to what the Shadowblood Elves have for a nature god. Ziguuur is said to be the embodiment of heaven, the souls of Shadowblood Elves merging with him after death. The unblessed races, as Ziguuurs followers call everyone else, are also meant to merge with the deity - but merely as nourishment. |
Life, Death, Nature |
A globe with a single eye at the center |
Neutral Evil |
While many dragon gods were known in Virthys, the so-called Dragon Empire had the greatest influence in the world. It's said that before the Age of Spirits, the pantheon was bigger, and rumours tell both Zathruax and Myrzakliaz belonged to it in the past. According to the myths, the Dragon Empire deities not only had their own realms in the afterlife, but also a shared realm, where they ruled over dragonkind together.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Zathruax |
The God of the Apocalypse, as he is known in Ashandri, was more or less forgotten in Virthys for millennia. It was only the dimensional tear in the sky that brought him back to the world. Appearing as a crimson-colored behemoth in the sky, with streaks of gold and copper, he was the first of the forgotten gods to reappear. While the influence of the mad god Narac isn't a secret, it is not common knowledge either, and most people blame Zathruax alone for the end of the world. As Virthys died and Ashandri was reborn, it is unclear what happened to the dragon god. Draconic servants of Eluveron have spoken of visions that Zathruax is not dead, and might even be present in Ashandri, but so far, there are no signs of his reappearance. |
Dragon Dominance, Scheming, Greed |
A crimson dragon claw |
Lawful Evil |
Myrzakliaz |
The mischevious green dragon god was one of the first to follow Zathruax into the world of Virthys, and together with the deity of dragon dominance, he was responsible for the great isolation. As the dimensional tear closed, it was his magic in particular that closed the doors to the afterlife. When the tear was later opened again, and Myrzakliaz was clearly losing against Zathruax, the dragon deity fled into its realm. Many of his former followers hold a grudge against the god, but a few still worship him. To them, Myrzakliaz simply had an ambitious plan, and such plans can fail - and as it did, the dragon god did the smart thing and retreated. In Ashandri, Myrzakliaz seeks new followers not only among dragons, but other races, too. His goal is to spread lies about how he was involved, overwriting the narrative that turned him into a villain. |
Betrayal, Trickery |
A snake-like split tongue |
Chaotic Evil |
Vendrexzol |
The Dragon of Elements, as many call him, was one of the most powerful dragon deities in Virthys before Zathruax returned. According to the dragon myths, it was he who gave the dragons their various breath weapons. He is depicted as a massive ancient dragon consisting of one the four elements, or rarely, a quasi- or paraelement like ash or mud. |
Balance, Diplomacy |
Symbols of the four elements surrounding a dragon shape |
Chaotic Neutral |
Trakk'Nudrath |
The dragon goddess of magic is depicted as a golden dragon that can change her size as she wishes. Stories tell of her being mistaken for a tiny fairy dragon, or growing to the size of a world herself. While she promotes quests for knowledge, this does not include dangerous insights. Rumours say she tried to warn the elven sorceress Shariel, trying to keep her from finding the Mistheart and releasing Narac. Some speculate this might just be a new narrative to improve the dragon god's reputation. Others say such an action would directly oppose everything that Trakk'Nudrath stands for. Trakk'Nudrath's faithful usually stay silent about these rumors. |
Magic, Knowledge |
A golden dragon claw holding a scroll |
Lawful Good |
Eluveron |
The dragon of time is depicted as a massive creature consisting of nothing but infinite darkness, with distant stars shimmering inside. Eluveron always had followers from other races, seeking his wisdom or hints about the possible future. Many (honest and capable) fortune tellers received their powers from him. Curiously, he did not warn anyone about the coming end of the world. This turned some of his former faithful against him, while others argument that the signs were obvious enough, and any further foreboding visions wouldn't have changed a thing. |
Time, Prophecies |
A black dragon head with stars for eyes |
True Neutral |
Mabrathix |
What is yours truly is mine - this pretty much sums up the world view of Mabrathix, divine dragon queen of treasures and selfishness. It is said that her hoard is larger than the entire world of Virthys was. In Ashandri, she aggressively seeks new followers, not caring what race or culture they belong to. They don't even have to agree to her philosophy, as long as they are willing to serve. |
Treasures, Selfishness |
A golden coin with a dragon head |
Neutral Evil |
Regional gods
The Noble Gods, or short the Nobles, are a group of deities that originated in Larysh, the land now known as the Ember Wastelands. As the portal to the Plane of Fire opened up, it not only changed the local culture: New deities introduced themselves to the denizens of Larysh. They were independent, individual entities at the beginning, but over the millennia grew into a pantheon. Still, they considered each other equal, with no supreme god ruling over the others. The many orcs living in Larysh, having a creation mythology that involved no gods at all, mostly rejected the new deities. But over time, some of them became believers, and by now, the Nobles are the closest thing to an Orcish Pantheon on Ashandri. Other races also pray to the Nobles, but mostly as an alternative or addition to their own gods. The deity names always begin with a title, followed by the name.
Main areas of influence: Originally Larysh (now the Ember Wastelands), now also Carivar and the Ocean of Ash
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Sultanah Nabila |
The efreeti goddess was the first fire elemental deity to appear in Larysh. Being the divine mistress of the rather rare good-aligned efreeti, she was a minor goddess in her home plane, and took the chance to gain power by gathering followers among other races. What is particularly interesting about her is that her divine portfolio sounds like it could fit to an evil deity, but she interprets the concept in a positive way: Wealth not as a result of greed, but as a reward and result of personal growth; and strength not to dominate others, but to be able to set clear boundaries. She is commonly depicted sitting on her throne holding her royal insignia. |
Wealth, Strength |
A flaming throne |
Neutral Good |
Prince Navrais |
A fire elemental deity that once - before becoming divine - was captured in the Nine Hells, Navrais treasures freedom above anything else. His philosophy is that existing alone gives you all the right to shape the world around you, as long as you don't dominate others. Forging both your own self and your environment to create something better is the main drive for the faithful of Prince Navrais. As embodiment of fire, he is also revered as a god of the sun. |
Freedom, Elemental Fire, Sun |
A broken chain |
Chaotic Good |
Basilissa Vamadira |
Vamadira is a female devil of the highest rank. She was originally sent to hunt down Navrais, but the Fire Elemental made an offer so good that Vamadira couldn't resist: The elemental prince shared the secret to acquire godhood. So despite being so vastly different, the two entities treat each other with mutual respect, keeping themselves out of the affairs of the other. Vamadira is now a goddess of trade, in the most evil and corrupt way imaginable. Her followers don't just follow her commands, but always haggle about what they receive in return. |
Trade, Infernal Deals |
A scroll with a complex symbol called Vamadira’s handshake: Two hands shaking, turning into greedy shadow versions of themselves, all below the so-called Vamadira Star. |
Lawful Evil |
Tlatoani Jraxvazril |
Jraxvazril is an Azer deity who also carries the title "Master of the Forge". He is considered to be a brilliant mastersmith, not only blessed with divine talent, but also highly creative in his work. As such, he always seeks new materials to experiment with, new techniques and tools, and he fosters this in his followers, too. |
Forging, Mining, Gathering |
A gleaming anvil |
Lawful Neutral |
Maharajni Damini |
The Half-Orc goddess Damini is known to be part of a different pantheon that rules over several worlds, but on Virthys and now Ashandri, she is separated from her usual group of deities. With her appearance in Larysh, many half-orcs felt like they finally had a higher power protecting them, and she quickly gained a small, but solid following. The fact that she is actually a goddess of outsiders naturally helped. She is commonly portrayed wearing a dragonhide armour, and shows a special love to heroes taking on overpowering foes. |
Outsiders, Heroes |
Two crossed long swords above a red dragonhide armour |
True Neutral |
The Wild Swarm is a loose group of deities focused on nature and animals. With the creation of many animal-hybrid races in Ashandri, they quickly gained new followers that searched for guidance and protection. According to mythological books, the Wild Swarm consisted of several other deities before the apocalypse, but only five of them made their existence known in Ashandri.
Main areas of influence: Originally all wild areas of Virthys, now The Bleeding Jungles, Shamrua and the Ocean Heart, as well as - to a lesser extent - The Spirit Fields
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Migrish |
The octopus-god is worshipped by many sentient sea creatures, but especially those that are mainly solitary. He is both a hunter and a protector - unless it's the natural order that is threatening you. |
Survival, Ocean, Hunting, Disguise, Protection |
A stylized octopus |
True Neutral |
Keikari |
Another god of the sea, Keikari is a god of whales and sharks. He promotes bonds beyond racial boundaries, and welcomes followers from other species. Many humanoid inhabitants of the Ocean Heart pray to Keikari, and a couple of the swimming settlements have their own whale friends willing to serve as means of transport. |
Whales, sharks, interspecies friendships |
A whale and a shark swimming alongside each other |
Neutral Good |
Vrathriki |
Most humanoids consider this deity and her followers a scourge: Vrathriki is the goddess of mosquitos and other blood-sucking creatures. The southern regions of Shamrua are infamous for the fist-sized, sentient mosquito beasts that can easily kill a human. As so many deities, Vrathriki looked out for new followers in Ashandri, and made an interesting choice: She is now also a protector of vampires. |
Mosquitos, Vampires |
A drop of blood |
Chaotic Evil |
Sibaris |
The Huntress, as many simply call her, is the goddess of wild cats. She is famous for "awakening" particularly promising individuals, that means, granting them the gift of sentience. Because of her, it is entirely possible to meet an intelligent jaguar cleric in the Bleeding Jungles. She also takes a great interest in the new hybrid races, but only in individuals that have cat-like personality characteristics. |
Wild cats, Awakened Cats |
Claw marks of a wild cat |
Chaotic Neutral |
Ar'Phu |
The One-Horned god is the deity of rhinoceroses. Sages speculate that, before the apocalypse of Virthys, he was more like a nature spirit, but something happened that turned him into a god in Ashandri. As a deity, his worshippers are hybrid rhinoceros races, but he still considers himself a protector of the animal species. |
Rhinoceroses and hybrid-rhinoceros races |
A single horn |
Chaotic Good |
The Dark Two are tragic powers bound by a shared fate. According to their mythos, they were born as twins to a divine mother that died in childbirth. Their godly father blamed them for her death, and left them to die, too. Not being fed, and receiving no love or affection, the twins survived on willpower alone. Driven by this instinct for survival, all they could think of was nourishing themselves. But the belief of the few mortals that even knew about them was not enough, so they began hunting the other gods of their father's pantheon. And they turned out to be superior hunters: Within a century, they killed the entire pantheon, consuming their divine essences. This also made them infamous among mortals, of course, and they finally reached a status where their hunger was appeased. Then, Virthys was destroyed - and for the Dark Two, this was like being thrown back into their horrible past. Driven by hunger and feeling too little love and affection, the two deities are once again overpowered by their dark sides. While the regions where they were worshipped were destroyed, a few of their followers - no more than a dozen - survived and now live in the Forgotten Lands. Here, the gods' hunger and instinct for survival matches people's daily life, and slowly the dark gods are getting attention again.
Curiously, there is a version of the myth where the twins are a single entity. Whether these stories get it wrong, or something actually split up the former singular deity, is unknown today.
Main areas of influence: Originally worshipped on the continent of Hazriem, now The Forgotten Lands
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Caphra |
Appearing as a young human girl of maybe six years, unwashed and wearing tattered, once-white clothes, Caphra is a playful entity. The problem is, she considers everyone and everything to be her toys, and is entirely indifferent to the suffering of mortals. Only if they scream and beg, she might consider stopping - but usually, she doesn't. |
Playing, Toys, Indifference |
A dirty rag doll |
Chaotic Neutral (with a tendency to evil) |
Emra |
Emra is depicted as a human boy of about six years, wearing an oversized leather armor and holding a wooden sword. He views himself as a protector, but he is incapable of discerning between a real and a perceived danger. He is quick to anger, and has a tendency to be extremely violent. Emra doesn't even stop at torture, and while he doesn't enjoy it, it serves as a release for his own pain. The same is true for his followers. |
Protection, Violence, Torture |
A wooden sword |
Chaotic Evil (with a tendency to neutrality) |
Other deities
As many regions, even entire continents of Virthys could not be saved, many gods that only had followers on this world died during the apocalypse. (Some say they went into a divine slumber - but that's a topic for the sages and philosophers.)
But a few faithful have been travelling far from home - and happened to be in one of the regions from which Marisha Veilbreaker created Ashandri. Their gods survived, barely. With only a handful of followers left - in some cases only a single individual -, they are desperate to gain new believers. These divine powers are commonly referred to as the
Dying Gods or the
Lost Gods.
These are not the only deities without a pantheon, though. A few such unique entities existed on Virthys even before the Apocalypse, mysterious beings that have since made their presence known again on the new world of Ashandri.
The following list is not necessarily complete, and it is entirely possible for gods that have been believed dead to reappear in Ashandri - as long as they have a single follower left in the world.
Deity |
Description |
Portfolio |
Symbol |
Alignment |
Narac |
It was this ancient god of madness that played an essential role in the apocalypse. Narac, captured in the Mistheart and accidentally released by the elven sorceress Shariel, merged with Zathruax and drove the dragon god insane. Without him, the end of the world might never have happened. Both Zathruax' and Narac's fates are unknown, but the god of madness does have the occasional insane follower, and some of them do receive divine powers like clerics or other servants of the gods. |
Insanity |
A perfect circle where the line stops just before the circle closes. |
Chaotic Evil |
The Man of Sorrows |
This enigmatic being wandered the world of Virthys long before the Age of Spirits. Some scholars still speculate whether he actually is a god; this power has almost no temples or other places of worship, and he doesn't seem to care about gaining followers. Yet, there are reports of planar travelers who have journeyed to his divine realm, and a few people claimed to be his clerics. The common belief is that he is a demi-god, but even the other deities don't seem to know more (or they don't tell mortals about it). What is known about him is that he doesn't have a fixed form, appearing as any kind of race. His face, clothes and entire appearance changes every time he is seen. The only constant is that he carries a black bell with his symbol engraved in it. Curiously, if anyone engraves the same symbol in another black bell, that item instantly dissolves. The Man of Sorrows always appears as an omen of disaster or great sins. In the weeks before the apocalypse, sightings of the Man of Sorrows were common all over the world. The ringing of his bell usually brings bad dreams or visions in the following night, showing people their darkest sins and secrets. |
Sorrow, Sin, Dark Omens |
A black bell with a complex ornament engraved into it |
Unknown |
Nadrical |
The Great Ocean Snake Nadrical was the supreme god of a pantheon of snakes and related species, worshipped on the islands of Veranthia. Except for Nadrical, the entire pantheon was wiped out during the apocalypse. Nadrical has a few hundred followers left in Shamrua and the Ocean Heart. Travellers in these regions sometimes receive helpful visions from her to turn them into faithful or at least spread the word about her existence. |
Snakes, Wisdom, Poison |
A snake winding around a chalice filled with poison |
True Neutral |
Bruthon the Divider |
Bruthon is a demigod, son of a now-dead goddess of lies and a powerful devil. When the war erupted on Virthys, he was delighted about the conflict and destruction, not yet understanding it would kill his mother and her entire pantheon. Bruthon appears as a green-skinned Tiefling with long, blade-like white horns, wearing pompous clothes and jewelry. |
Lies, Betrayal, Conflict |
A white rapier shaped like one of his horns |
Lawful Evil |
Gava'Aris |
It is unclear who or what this entity was before the apocalypse. Apparently, the god lost its memory when the world died. Reappearing in Ashandri when the world-island reconnected to the afterlife, Gava'Aris is trying to figure out its own past and identity. At the same time, it tries to find new followers among anyone who fights for compassion and justice (the latter guided by compassion). The deity is depicted as a whirling cloud of colorful energies.
Some of his faithful also associate Gava'Aris with the moon. While this seems to be a minor aspect of his divinity, there are religious groups entirely focused on this aspect of his being.
|
Compassion, Justice, Moon |
A colorful cloud of energy |
Neutral Good |
Kree'Landro |
The god of insects and arachnoids was revered in Sizanri, a kingdom of forests and jungles that bordered on the land now known as the Bleeding Jungles. While most of his followers died during the apocalypse, a few dozen survived in the neighboring land. Kree'Landro tries everything to spread his faith again, encouraging his followers to both convert other members of fitting species or create new believers by reproducing. |
Insects, Arachnoids |
A termite mound covered in webs |
True Neutral |
Oura |
A four-armed woman with red skin, and hair that consists of dark mist, Oura was feared by many inhabitants of Virthys as a bringer of bad luck. There are many stories of the goddess disguised as a soothsayer and showing omens of a bad fate, although most of these tales are probably made up. Still, Oura was known to appear before mortals occasionally, or send them dreams. Most people didn't consider this a helpful warning: Instead, the goddess was said to bring the very fate she showed to the unfortunate ones who received her messages. Most people only worshipped her so she spared them from such a fate. Oura has first made her presence in Ashandri known in the city of Hag's Rest, and it's here where she has the most followers. |
Bad luck |
A deck of cards, with each card showing a different symbol of death |
Neutral Evil |
What an amazing array of gods, such creativity. Very nicely written.
Thank you so much!