The Shepherd

The Deity of Life & Death

This deity is both a healer and the Shepherd of souls between life and death. They are a dual natured, transitive deity, neutrally-stanced but almost always kind and gentle in their dealings. They are believed to have a great deal of compassion for the trials and misery of the living, and though a death god, they are not in any way cruel or judgmental. They are a deity of healing and mercy and relief. Most variations of this deity are opposed to The Warlock, the antithesis of their cause. They do not permit undeath or loopholes in the divine laws that regulate the cycle of life and death. Things like revivification and reincarnation of the already passed occur only with this deity's permission and only if they don't interfere with more important world events yet to come.

Helora of the Common Pantheon

Portfolio: Mercy, Life, Birth, Healing, the Grave, Caretakers
Domains: Life, Grave, Light
Alignment: LN
Alias/es: Mother of Mercy, Heliah (western pronunciation)
Symbol: White Lily, Shepherd's Crook
Helora is the goddess of healing and the caretaking of others. She is a goddess of light and mercy and she exists to sooth pain and end misery. She is also the goddess of birth and midwives as well as medicine and physicians. She is considered the goddess of second chances, as she often has the final say on whether someone can claw their way from the precipice of death- but in some cases she is believed to put people out of their misery if continuing to live is the worse choice. She is also the patron of the diseased, disfigured, and chronically or mentally ill. She is said to be motherly and kindhearted if not slightly chastising in temperament. She is also a goddess of the afterlife and is said to shepherd the newly dead to wherever they will end up, just as she shepherds new life into the world. There are also some controversial cults who raise her banner and offer their services in assisted suicide if the pain of living is too much but one finds themselves a coward. They claim to offer a painless death under the watchful gaze of Helora. No official clerics or clergy, for obvious reasons, have legitimized these sects of the religion who worship the death portion of her dual nature. Often her worshipers do run funeral services and offer counsel to those who grieve. In the many myths that speak of the cosmic war against the evil goddess of undeath, Helora is consistently placed in the forefront along with Danha and Ilazran. Helora is a lawful deity, naturally opposed to the unnatural and those who attempt to cheat or pervert death. In places like Belstrad she is considered to be leading the charge against undeath and the forces of the shadowfell. She is a goddess of light who burns away the darkness and despair of the agents of Vanar and purifies the land in the name of the living.

Sinarah of the Elvish Pantheon

Portfolio: Death, Fate, Change, Destroying Undeath, Grief
Domains: Grave, Order, Twilight
Alignment: N
Alias: Soul's Reaper
Symbol: White Mastiff, Moon & Shepherds Crook
Sinarah’s origins are swimming in controversy and mystery among elf-kind, but this deity has been around at least for as long as elves have been in the prime material plain. When elves crossed into the material plain, they were suddenly beset by mortality- a requirement for living in this plane. Sinarah felt a special kindship and sympathy for the elves and their struggle with their waning immortality so they gifted them with unnaturally long lifespans compared to other mortals. Another gift was that elves could have access to memories from previous lives. This worked to smooth that painful transition and they are by nature still a transitive deity of change and hope. Their exact relationship with Ceralae and Danha are explained by many conflicting myths- in some they work with and beneath them as an underling and in others they are considered a slightly rebellious figure, taking matters into their own hands whether or not it goes against fate and destiny. Many elves consider Sinarah to be genderless or gender-fluid as they have appeared to worshipers with many faces. In most statues or paintings their face is either androgenous or split in half, both male and female. They are a deity of the dusk and dawn, the peace and certainty one can find even in mounting darkness, the pains that linger even when one moves towards better things- the silver linings. They are known above all else for their compassion and mercy- especially for those in great pain or terrible misery. They bring relief of many kinds and are a goddess of natural and peaceful death. Sinarah is naturally opposed to Vanar, goddess of undeath, and their champions often wage war against one another. Champions of Sinarah are instructed to free the undead from their horrible, miserable, unnatural state; an act of mercy- not malevolence. Though depictions of Sinarah vary widely, they are known to be heralded by their loyal dogs- glowing white spectral mastiffs. According to myth, shadow mastiffs were formerly Sinarah's faithful hounds that were taken and corrupted by Vanar and turned against them.

Demelza of the Gnomish Pantheon

Portfolio: Life, Time, Beginnings & Endings, Natural Cycles
Domains: Life, Grave, Twilight
Alignment: N
Alias: The Arch-Healer
Symbol: an hourglass
Demelza is a deity of time, a deity of endings and new beginnings which naturally falls into the Shepherd’s portfolio. Like the elves' version of The Shepherd, Demelza is not ascribed a gender. They are a deity of emotional healing, and as such they are the prime gnomish deity of grief and remembrance. A major teaching of theirs is to not to fear the inevitable end of everything- especially life- and to never question the purpose and gift that is life. Theirs is also the promise that any horrible thing a gnome may be going through will reach its end in time. The inescapable flow of time can be both painful and hopeful. Demelza’s followers celebrate life and honor those who are no longer present and as such they preside over gnomish burials and new births. They, like Sinarah of the elves and Helora of the common pantheon, share a dislike of the Warlock, as those who stave off the end of their lives are dishonoring those who meet their end with dignity. Demelza sees those who seek immortality or lichdom, or those who refuse to move on and remain as furious spirits, as petulant children who refuse to go to bed at bedtime. It is the job of their strongest followers to enforce that “bedtime”- by whatever means necessary, but if possible, in a kindly and reasonable fashion, for they are but children who do not understand that it is for their soul’s own good to rest and recharge. Perpetrators of lichdom are also often worshipers of Hisilan, the gnomish deity of ambition who sometimes guides gnomish wizards to seek immortality. Demelza also dislikes Hisilan because they attempted to murder Shemara, gnomish deity of luck, to absorb her portfolio. Demelza preserved Shemara and hunted Hisilan for centuries in an attempt to subdue and punish them; they were unsuccessful and the Betrayer remains at large.

Tashuk of the Orcish Pantheon

Portfolio: Medicine, Mercy, Prophecy
Domains: Life, Grave, Arcana
Alignment: N
Alias: Mother Scorpion
Symbol: Scorpion
Tashuk is the deity of orcish healers, mothers, and diviners. They care for those wounded in battle or those born disfigured or ill. Most orcish tribes have a matriarch who is doubles as the tribe's priestess of Tashuk. This figure teaches and guides those with the talent for it in the art of healing, midwifery and herbology and oversees burials as well as dealing with restless spirits and the undead. Some priestess have the ability to speak with dead ancestors and seek their wisdom. Some are also powerful seers who can portend the future. Though Tashuk is more gentle-natured than most other orcish deities, she is still symbolized by the scorpion for a reason. The sting of death can strike anytime- but it usually does not happen without good reason. Scorpions also, despite their fearsome appearance, are known for being protective mothers, much like Tashuk.

TEMPLES OF THE SHEPHERD

The largest temples to The Shepherd are located in the following places.

• Mianith (capital of Astrithyr)
• Kharo'jhan (capital of Va'Sehir)
• Ilzhara (Va'Sehir)
• Elderlight (capital of the Marasen Empire)
• Helorastrážiť (Krasnava province of Belstrad)
• Geistruhen (Kaspar province of Belstrad)
• Oravnic (Drosivec province of Belstrad)
• Redgarden (Marasen Empire)
• Heliamir (Sunset Mountains)
• Monastery of the Sisters of Mercy (Just outside of Kerzenlicht, Bremska Province of Belstrad)

Worshipers

The Shepherd has a huge number of worshipers worldwide, from the everyday person just trying to survive day to day to the wealthy king who greatly fears death. People who suffer often look to the Shephard and their mercy for relief, be it physical, psychological or emotional. Clerics and Paladins of the shepherd are mainly healers of the living, usually working within a clergy as priests or acolytes, or they are crusaders against the undead seeking to put spirits to rest, destroy liches, and punish warlocks and wizards who dabble in profane, evil forms of necromancy. Some fellows who have a brush with death or who are reborn find themselves in their service- either by choice or command. Of all the gods, the Shepherd is most known for putting a great many of their servants into the world- both celestial and mortal. Sometimes these servants are born as aasimar or natural born sorcerers with the inexplicable ability to heal. Some people who wish to be able to help others make warlock pacts with their celestial agents. Many of them work in cemeteries or funeral parlors as well and as asylums, hospice wards, and sanitoriums. There are some monasteries dedicated to the goals of the Shepherd, including the all-female monk order the Sister of Mercy in Belstrad. There are even circles of druids and rangers who worship them, the natural cycles of life and death being of great importance. Physicians, midwives, herbalists, shamans and so many others whose goal is to treat trauma, injury and disease are also often worshipers of them. There are some folks, like certain bards, phantom-like rogues. and tribes of barbarians, who have a special relationship with the spirits of the dead and they may too find themselves within the service or worship of this powerful deity.
On-Brand Worshipers

• Barbarian: Path of the Ancestral Guardian
• Bard: College of Spirits
• Cleric: Life & Grave Domains
• Druid: Circle of Spores
• Monk: Way of Mercy
• Paladin: Oath of Devotion
• Rogue: Phantom
• Sorcerer: Divine Soul
• Warlock: Raven Queen or Celestial Patron
• Wizard: Abjuration
• Acolyte Background