Telos
(a.k.a. Lord of the Seas, The Tempest)
Of all the gods he is viewed as the most territorial and greedy. He views everything in the waters as his property and will fight to keep it. He is also the most temperamental of the gods. One day he will bless you with a bountiful catch from the sea or good winds, the next he will smash your ship on the rocks or leave you strandad.
His followers and worshippers tend to live in the moment, and because of this there are very little ceremonies and rituals to Telos. Sailors who follow Telos are very ‘superstitious’, like marking those who angered Telos with a black spot, or, in a more extreme case, if your ship is dead in the water with no wind a sacrifice needs to be payed to the god of the depths.
He is not in opposition to any other god. If they need him on his side, they need only to pay the right price.
Divine Domains
Tempest, Nature
Holy Books & Codes
There is an account of Telos’ adventures before accepting his responsibility as a god. In this tome, he sailed every sea in existence and harnessed the power of the storm. He fought ancient gods of old and brought great monsters to heel. This book is known as 'Tempestus Scion'
Octopus
An octopus is a favored creature of Telos. many sailors will treat any encountered with respect, as long as it doesnt try to kill them. It is supposed to be good luck to encounter a friendly one, and sailors are told to give them gifts.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The Trident
The Trident is Telos' weaon and tool. The god used this weapon to subdue and defeat both the Nautilus and the Elder. Many ships will carve motifs of this tool into their ships, while paladins of telos favor this weapon
The Storm
A symbol of Telos wrath and tumultous nature. Paladins and clerics will paint storms on their shields to show devotion and will strike with the same force as the raging strom.
The Pearl
Among the followers of Telos, pearls are considered extremly precious. They are viewed as a gift from the god of the depths so are used in many of the vestmants or prayers. High ranking preists of Telos will usualy wear multiple stands of pearls on their person.
Tenets of Faith
The Toll
The toll is a rarely used ritual for ships stuck at sea. It is viewed by society as a taboo or a down right criminal ritual. When a ship has become stranded at sea or a sailor marooned on an island, they can preform the sacrifical rite in the hopes to appease the ocean god. They must sacrifice somthing or even someone that has offended Telos, making sure it sinks to the deepest parts of the waters they can. If done correctly, and Telos is appeased, then good winds and fortune follow.
The Black Spot
A brand placed on sailors who have angered Telos, it looks like a festering wound in the palm of a sailor's hand. Other sailors are taught to steer clear of those who bare it or risk bringing ruin on their ship and crew. Any one carrying the Spot usually stays far away from the ocean once branded.
The Elder
Ancient god that dwelt in the sea, imprisoned and bested by Telos during the younger god's aventures. Many sailors still fear and tell varied storeis of this god's return or even what this thing actually was, all are frightful tales. Most Kuo-toa are viewed as servants of this old god and treated with hostility.
The Pirate Lord
Many stories are told of the adventures of Telos, with some of the most popular being his sime serving with The Pirate Lord. His name has long been lost to history and none even know where he orginally hailed from, or even if it was a 'he'. The Pirate Lord represents the wild nature of the god of the seas blessing. Telos granted him the gift to sail the seas forever, some say this was more of a curse than blessing.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Telos, like his sister Jophion, is a shapeshifter god. However he is often pictured as some gargantuan sea creature, usually an eel, sea horse, or octopus.
Special abilities
His ability to sift form means he can disguise himself as many creatures, but prefers humanoids or sea creatures
Nice! I like the inclusion of rituals, and the mysterious elder god!