Populres Pantheon

The Populres Pantheon is essentially an amalgamation of the gods of the dragonkin, orcs, and goblins. Their gods and patrons have been brought together under a single flag worshiped by these beings. Commonly portrayed as evil by the Church of the One Sun and even other pantheons, especially the dwarven pantheon, the truth is a bit more mixed. The term "Populres Pantheon" is actually a misnomer, as it refers to each individual god or deity worshiped by the so-called monstrous races of Emicara. They are widely not even considered part of a unified pantheon, but usually handled separately depending upon the worshiper's race or origin. The exception to this is in the Kingdom of Populres, where the pantheon has been solidified by the ruling demonkin caste, that oversees all others.

Gods of the Populres Pantheon

Deity	Alignment	Suggested Domains	Symbol
Asmodeus, lord of the gods, and god of demonkin	LN	Order, Grave	Gavel
Tiamat, goddess of dragons	NE	War, Death	Five headed dragon
Marduk, god of dragons	NG	Order, Light	Golden dragon
Pattonn, god of war and orcs	CE	War	Saber
Halsee, goddess of the seas	N	Tempest, Nature	Ocean waves
Carnigee, god of industry and smiths	LG	Forge, Light	Anvil
Benedrick, god of tricksters and goblins	CN	Trickery	Goblin in jester cap
Lindberr, god of the skies and storms	N	Tempest, Light, Twilight	Vulture
Tubber, goddess of slaves and the downtrodden	CG	Trickery, Life	Broken chains
Jeffer, god of slavers and rulers	LE	Order, War	Whip
Hornwright, god of mines and the earth	NE	Forge, Nature	Cave entrance
Nix, goddess of farming and agriculture	LN	Life, Nature, Peace	Sickle
Marix, god of urban workers and laborers	LN	Forge, Grave, Life	Hammer
Eleane, goddess of fertility and birth	NG	Life, Peace	Crown
Penteller, god of magic and knowledge	N	Arcana, Knowledge	Tiger
Cristos, god of politicians and intrigue	CE	Trickery, Knowledge, Twilight	Spyglass

Structure

As with anything related to Populres society, the temple structure of the pantheon has a rigid hierarchy and caste system. The demonkin and the clergy of Asmodeus rest firmly atop all of the other gods and their servants, requiring fifty percent of all tithes to be brought to their temple. All of the other gods rest beneath this position and their clergy make do with local or regional temples and leadership. The clerics of Asmodeus, however, sit at the right hand of the kings of Populres, and are highly involved with the intrigues of court. There are multiple levels of leadership in the faith, with the day to day acolytes at the base, and the Herald of Asmodeus at the top. They also control the Inquisition, a covert force that not only eliminates worshipers of other faiths within the borders of Populres, but also undermines or destroys any attempts at slave rebellion or unrest. This grants the Herald substantial political power. Transfer of power among the clergy typically takes place via assassination and occasionally duels, as slaying your immediate superior is often the quickest way for promotion. These deaths are condoned by the faith, as it is assumed that anyone unable to defend themselves against their subordinates does not deserve their position. It is considered uncouth, however to slay a Herald or your immediate superior.

Public Agenda

The public objective of the clergy of the Populres Pantheon is to protect and support the rigid social caste system that keeps the kingdom whole. The frequent invasions of all sorts of foul demons and monsters from the Deadlands requires the people of Populres to struggle together and act as a single unit to preserve order and protect civilization. Only through brutal preservation of the current system can the vile threats of the north be held against and the people of the world protected from grim fates and unending destruction.

Assets

The sect of Asmodeus possesses a considerable amount of resources and wealth for use in the clergy's objectives. The wealth accumulated by mandatory tithes and confiscation of slave assets go a long way to financing their varied units and departments. They maintain military units positioned in small forts along the northern border with the Deadlands, and these forces supplement the kingdom's own warriors against invasion. The more important on a day to day basis, however, is the Inquisition. The Inquisition maintains safe houses and garrisons in nearly every township throughout the Kingdom of Populres. Even in the smallest of villages at least one Inquisitor can usually be found if you look hard enough. These inquisitors employ a vast intelligence network of informants throughout the kingdom, and they are believed to even operate outside of the kingdom's borders, keeping an eye on other nations and possible threats. Therefore, they frequently also receive large "tithes" from the throne of Populres whenever they need further resources to accomplish their goals.

History

The Populres Pantheon was officially founded in 538. The human and dwarf pantheons and gods were deemed too strong for the gods of the monstrous races to manage on their own. The One Sun itself proved to be a capable force able to deal with perhaps even all of these gods combined. Therefore, Asmodeus presented himself to the current King of Populres, and gave him a divine edict, marking him and his people, allowing them to spread the faith further. Asmodeus declared his allied gods, those within the pantheon, who sought to establish a balance and protection for those who did not fit in the ordered realms of the other deities of the world. A new order was forged and the king abdicated his throne and instead dedicated himself to building the infrastructure of the clergy to come. Under his guidance as the first Herald, the faith was organized into its current form and the wayward priests of the various gods in the pantheon were brought to heel under Asmodeus.

Gods that Defend the Fallen

Founding Date

538

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Leader

Rereus Salas

Permeated Organizations

• Populres

Location

Druksgrad

Notable Members

• Rereus Salas

Related Ethnicities

• Populresi