Norentha
Norentha is the personification of destruction, and she cares not what her followers use her power for. She is as happy if they destroy a work of art as she is if they use her power as a weapon. She cares not for the application nor the form of destruction, only that her followers destroy, and continue to do so.
When she appears to the mortals, she often appears as an indistinct humanoid shaped void. Anything that touches this form is unmade, nothing of it remains. Other times she will look like a ball of darkness, with rays of darkness radiating outward, blinding even those who can see in darkness, hinting at a small fraction of her power.
Often, after a manifestation of Norentha, there is some destruction left behind, the size of which implies the significance of her visit. The destruction usually leaves some sort of pattern. Priests and clerics of Norentha have found that knowledge lies hidden in these patterns. This knowledge always leads to greater power.
Norentha is also one of the two most powerful gods in this world. Norentha is not simply a powerful goddess, she is one of the first two, a primal force with an intellect. The other, Athneron, is her opposite; creation incarnate. The two of them have been at odds since the beginning of the world as their powers are diametrically opposed.
Norentha's Influence
The voids of the world are a show of Norentha's influence, as She carved most of them from existence. Many myths and stories tell of how this goddess carved chunks from the world, leaving no trace or residue. Many seeking the power of destruction pray to the god, from wizards making new spells to those bent on revenge, to edgy teenagers. Finding a true devout of this god is rare. The truly devout of Norentha might be few, but they are powerful. These are people with a deep craving fordestruction, about seeing the things they hate unravel. These are not everyday anarchists or dissidents, these are the deeply devoted, the greatest destroyers in the realm. Norentha isn't done working to undo all that Athneron has done, and is constantly destroying pieces of his creation. Larger projects require more power, planning, and focus, however, so these projects can take a long time to come to fruition. Some of these plans involve destroying landmasses, or the extinction of a species. Her destruction is perpetual, and continues to change the world.Norentha's Goals
Norentha isn't particularly secret about her goals. She cares only for the act of destruction, and will go to nearly any lengths to see it happen. While it is obvious what she wants to do, her means and methods are usually shrouded in darkness, even after a piece of destruction is complete. She leaves her destruction to be discovered, not often making a large deal of showing it off. She rarely finishes destroying something with fanfare. When she does, it is usually something that is popular amongst most of the population. These are events where her destruction is able to save thousands or more lives. It is possible this Overgod has some secret goals beyond the destruction of matter; if this is true, it would be very dangerous to get in her way, given how well she protects them.Divine Relationships
Few of the other gods are worth Norentha's attention, and only Athneron has earned the full strength of her enmity. The two have fought each other over the years, but neither have yet gone to war. While they aren't fighting yet, they are preparing to. Norentha is disappointed she could not sway Jakular, Halfar, or Quetminook to her side, she does not begrudge them their loyalty. She is still happy to accept any of their races that come to her. She is also saddened that she could not recruit the 7th god. When she demanded he take a side, he disappeared. the 7th god is the only god to anger her besides Athneron. The three gods that defected to her side are trusted more now than they were in the past. They quickly changed their allegiance, and while Norentha worried that Shaold, Cheznerix, and Nekrutan would go back to Athneron to begin with, they quickly earned her trust. Norentha enjoys toying with lesser gods. She will occasionally turn a few against Athneron to cause him some petty problem. She doesn't do this often, as she sees it as ultimately pointless other than as a method to remind Athneron he has an enemy.Worshipping Norentha
Norentha doesn't have a month named in her honor, and is one of the few important gods who doesn't. She does, however, have important dates. On the winter solstice, many of her followers will gather at the darkest point in the night, and carve out a pattern with some hidden meaning. In the morning, children will try to decipher the meaning, and use it to find a hidden trove of candies. Some groups only allow children to take a certain number of candies, while others state that the first child to find the trove gets it all. Sometimes patterns will be set up for adults as well, but these are much more difficult to solve.Aspects of Norentha
The gods often represent more than one facet. The gods' facets are defined by their worshippers, so that the gods suit the needs of the people. No aspect is ever gone, however, and any facet that was created in the past still lurks somewhere in the god's personality, waiting for when it is needed again, or perhaps plotting a situation that might make it relevant once more. Norentha is one of two exceptions to the rule of aspects. She has only one, and it seems her divine being is immutable. Despite many attempts over the years by various clergy members of Norentha to grant her more aspects, they have failed every time. Perhaps it is because she is an Overgod, or maybe there is some other reason.Aspect of Destruction
The Aspect of Destruction is Norentha's sole aspect. This Aspect is interested in destroying and adding to the void, condemning souls to it, carving out hidden places, and destroying land. It is willing to do whatever is necessary to accomplish its goals. No cost is too high to continue her path of destruction.Divine Domains
Destruction
Holidays
Winter Solstace
Divine Classification
Overgod
Religions
Church/Cult
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
She/Her
Related Myths
Norentha's Champions
Alignment: Any Alignment, but tend to be EvilSuggested Classes: Barbarian, Cleric, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Suggested Cleric Domains: Destruction
Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, Charlatan, Criminal
The champions of Norentha are all destroyers of some kind. Some are anarchists, while others are wizards or politicians. Any who destroy are welcome into the ranks of Norentha's followers; and while some choose to follow another god, many fall into the ranks of the Overgod. Norentha's Favor Norentha's followers disassemble and destroy, often sharing in their goddess' love for working behind the scenes. How did you initially attract the god's attention? The Norentha's Favor table offers a few suggestions.
| d6 | Circumstance |
|---|---|
| 1 | The building you were born in was rapidly aged as you were born. |
| 2 | You ruined a famous work |
| 3 | You were born under 3 New Moons |
| 4 | You witnessed an act of Norentha's destruction, and it was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen |
| 5 | You refused help to a follower of Athneron |
| 6 | You have no idea why Norentha showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish she hadn't |
Norentha teaches her followers the path of destruction, and all of the stops along that journey. As a follower of Norentha, consider rolling on the Norentha's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background. Norentha's Ideals
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any) |
| 2 | Destruction. The art of destroying something completely is not a power to be taken lightly. (Neutral) |
| 3 | Power. With the power granted to me by Norentha, no one can stop me. (Evil) |
| 4 | Knowledge. Hunting down and understanding the patterns left by Norentha leads to power that can be used to save lives. (Good) |
| 5 | Anarchy. This power will allow me to tear down the laws oppressing people. (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Order. This power will allow me to enforce the laws protecting people. (Lawful) |
- Destroying something important
- Disrupting the plans of Norentha
- Discovering some unknown destruction
- Assisting the lesser gods that serve her.
- Creating something
- Aiding Athneron's plans
- Making a large deal of something Norentha wanted to be subtle
Piety 3+ Norentha Trait
You can cast Inflict Wounds with this trait a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Norentha’s Votary Piety 10+ Norentha Trait
You can cast Shadow Blade with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Norentha’s Disciple Piety 25+ Norentha Trait
As an action, you can cause a bit of focused destruction. You channel Norentha's power and cause one of the following effects:
- Force a creature to make a saving throw against your spell save DC. IF they fail, they take 1d6 necrotic damage.
- Carve a surface to leave a pattern or message. The pattern or message can be no larger than 1 square foot.
- Carve a dagger out of a surrounding surface. These are ordinary daggers.
You can increase your Dexterity or Charisma score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.
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