Xenoves

God of Craft and Secrets

Domains: Forge, Knowledge
Weapons: Maul, Sling; Acid, Fire
Symbol: An amphora bearing the image of a standing maul, a papyrus scroll emerging from the vase's mouth; the constellation Bulette
Dominion: The Underworld, Earth, Magma, Minerals, Wealth, Math, Geometry, Precision, Craft, Architecture, History, Memories, Secrets, Smiths, Masons, Moneylenders
Xenoves is the god of craft, math, architecture, and the earth below. He is as calm and implacable as the mountains, with a fury as explosive and powerful as a volcano when roused to his terrible wrath. He acts mostly in secret, moving and influencing events from the Underworld and within the very bedrock of the world, but his activities are sometimes given away by tremors in the earth, while those acts too dramatic to be hidden are often marked by great upheavals in the land. He works hard and long to achieve his goals and shape the world, and he has little respect for those who will not do the same.
Xenoves is also the god of history, memory and secrets. All things eventually pass into his domain. Bodies, relics, whole cities - all eventually end up buried beneath the surface of the earth, and everything that they were and all the knowledge they hold thus becomes part of the earth, and thence part of the earth god's dominion. The secrets he holds thus grow continuously over time, along with the weight of history. But while he is happy to share some of his knowledge with other gods and even with mortals, and in fact insists that people strive to remember the past and those who went before them and upon whose shoulders their own achievements are built, he ever aims to gather and keep the juiciest and most compromising secrets to himself. These he amasses as future tools and weapons for when the time is right, be that in the near horizon or many centuries hence - it matters little to Xenoves, whose patience is legendary.
He promotes the advancement of knowledge and understanding, though less for the benefit of mortals per se but because new discoveries in turn expand his own endless collection of lore and truths. He disperses riches into the world via the minerals of the earth, to further the development of societies which in turn can produce new secrets. He teaches craft to further these goals and architecture so that mortals have shelter to protect them so they can pursue these goals, and enliven the world - and eventually his domain when buried - with things that are not merely functional but also look good.

Xenoves's Tenets

Xenoves wills that all understand that they come from dust and that to dust they shall return, that their lives are founded upon the earth and will end within its bosom, for even the birds must alight upon the ground and even the sea must rest within its stony cradle. He also holds patience, precision, and hard work as the most important of values. Be cautious of rushing into things, and consider your angle of approach to a goal, both in the figurative and the literal sense. Be discreet and circumspect; value what you know, watch for opportunities to apply your knowledge to improve your position or the goals of your faction, and do not reveal your secrets except for when doing so can achieve its maximum impact. Take care in what you do so that you do things right the first time, because being best is better than being first, and a thing not worth doing right is not worth doing at all. Know that understanding the past is key to understanding the path of the future.

Xenoves's Relationships

As the self-proclaimed but admittedly unchallenged "Lord of the Earth," Xenoves's closest ties are to other chthonic deities.
Katabis and Persereka are often considered the rulers of the Underworld, but while their demesne is vast and important, in truth they are specifically the rulers of the dead. It is Xenoves who hollows out and reinforces the endless depths in which the divine lovers and judges hold court. They are closely associated with each other, frequently taking each others' side in whatever disputes may arise among the gods.
Paideia's cities allow mortal civilizations and secrets to flourish, and Mytrah's agriculture makes those cities possible. Both are dependent on the bounty of the earth, for quarry-stone and coin-metal in the former case, and for rich and well-fortified soils in the latter case. Xenoves benefits from the advancement of civilization, so is usually happy to oblige, though there are exceptions. Both deities have a congenial relationship with him as a result.
Xenoves considers the deities of the sky and sea to be too changeable and frivolous. He wears this opinion on his sleeve, too, and so has an especially testy relationship with proud Heliana and Thala. The only of these deities to whom he displays respect is Idaedon, whose championing of ideas and invention closely track to Xenoves's own interests and goals. Some of the very greatest works of the gods are those upon which both Xenoves and Idaedon have collaborated.
Xenoves had a dim opinion of his brother Polemares, former God of War and King of the Gods, viewing him as too changeable and inconstant. This same disdain is inherited by Nykos and Embrys, but Stratia receives far greater favor in his eyes. Her patience, focus, and strategic mind that considers the long view all meet with Xenoves's approval, as does her sponsorship of commerce, and he considers her the true and far superior successor to her erstwhile "father." The two deities are said to play long and complex games of strategy with each other over many years.

Worshipping Xenoves

As god of craft and architecture, Xenoves receives prayers from craftsfolk of all types, from architects, and even from warriors hoping a damaged weapon will hold just long enough. As god of secrets and memories, Xenoves receives prayers from those desperate to forget, from those with dangerous secrets to keep hidden, and from those who need to uncover hidden lore to serve their cause or the greater good.

Qebchis

In Nubir, Xenoves is known as Qebchis. He is the legendary mason and mythwright of the Yahre-Nesyt, the great Eternals who oversee the world and its inhabitants. It is Qebchis who distributed the seeds of valuable ores into the earth to grow into veins of valuable minerals, and Qebchis who carefully shaped the chaotic and broken lands left by the giants and titans to have terrain suitable to mortal life. It is Qebchis who built the palaces of the Eternals and the tombs of their most favored servants, and Qebchis who in turn taught the secrets of quarrying, mining, masonry, architecture and craft to mortals. It is also Qebchis who breaks open the vaults of the earth to unleash a torrent of fire and lava to consume the cities of the wicked.

Xenoves's Champions

Suggested Classes: Artificer, Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Warlock, Wizard
Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, Charlatan, Entertainer, Guild Artisan, Noble, Sage
Champions of Xenoves are called to be watchful and reliable. They are often stern figures who stand firm on what they believe and the causes that they stand for, especially so in that Xenoves demands that a cause be considered from multiple angles before one commits to it, so the heedful champion will have already thought through its obvious pros and cons. They are also expected to enrich their communities and factions by their presence and actions, whether literally in helping to attain physical wealth for those with whom they align, or figuratively in contributing the work of their hands and minds to further the culture and ennoble their peers.

Xenoves's Favor

What brought Xenoves's path together with yours? You may roll or choose on the table below for ideas, or develop an idea of your own with the GM.
d6 / Circumstance

1. You were born while your parents sheltered underground, or as a baby were found in a hollow.
2. You follow Xenoves seeking financial success, expecting faithful service to translate directly into monetary rewards.
3. As a young creative, you breathed the intoxicating fumes of a volcano and found mystical inspiration.
4. Your parent or mentor was a master artisan or architect, beloved of the gods, and you also yearn to create something worthy of a god's attention.
5. You juggle the knowledge of countless secrets, never letting any slip save for exactly where it will prove the most useful.
6. Through Xenoves and your understanding of math and logic, you believe you can see and shape the world's sacred geometry.

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score with Xenoves when you expand or shore up their influence in a concrete way, including but not limited to:

• Creating something wondrous or erecting a building in Xenoves's name
• Safeguarding an important secret even at personal cost to yourself
• Changing peoples' minds about a flawed concept by logically dismantling it piece by piece
• Uncovering truths about the past long hidden and buried

Your piety score to Xenoves decreases if you diminish Xenoves's influence in the world, contradict their ideals, or make them look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:

• Creating something shoddy or flawed
• Taking part in wanton and unwarranted destruction
• Being unreliable and loose with secrets
• Displaying disregard for or willful ignorance of the past and those who went before you

As a champion of unusual standing in the world, you receive benefits as your piety score rises. If you are a cleric or paladin of Xenoves, you start with a piety to Xenoves of 3.

Initiate (Piety 3+)

You gain Inspiration when you sway people to your position with logic or you are the primary actor in uncovering something significant, or you perform an act that gains you piety. You also have advantage on rolls to know about Xenoves, his servants, and his works, and you know (the DM warns you) before you commit to an act that would displease Xenoves.

Devotee (Piety 10+)

As a devotee of Xenoves's mysteries, you have a connection with the physical world and the forge. You learn either the mending cantrip or the bonfire cantrip (choose one), and learn either the catapult spell or the unseen servant spell (choose one). Choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to be your casting modifier for these spells. You can use the cantrip at will, and the spell a number of times per day equal to your casting modifier. If you are a spellcaster, treat the cantrip and spell as bonus spells known of your class that are always prepared.

Votary (Piety 20+)

Xenoves's blessing allows you to call upon the deepest reaches of knowledge you've filed away, and even some you have no way of actually knowing. When the GM tells you that you don't know something about history or something that is a part of the physical world - ie, your passive Arcana, History, Nature or Religion isn't high enough to know or identify it, or you don't have a relevant tool proficiency - you may choose to actively roll the relevant ability check with a +5 bonus to see if you actually do know it after all. You can also use this when you know something about an object or topic, but you don't know enough to cover the specific thing you wanted to know. This doesn't apply to things like magical theory, how the Astra functions, the traits of a lampad from the Underworld, or the like, only creatures, objects, places and history relevant to the "real" world of mortals. You may use this ability a number of times per day up to the higher of your Strength or Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), and regain all uses after a long rest.

Disciple (Piety 40+)

Xenoves bestows upon you the secret of Xenoves's Craft. When you craft things or build structures, you do so in half the time. When you use a spell or magical ability to create or transmute something that is not a creature, including as granted to you through use of a magic item, you can create or transmute up to twice as much of that thing, or "two things" instead of "one thing."

Champion (Piety 60+)

Xenoves's surpassing favor extends your knowledge to impossible things. You may use your Votary ability with respect to any sort of knowledge, not just things of the world. Moreover, if your check fails, while you still can't try again for this piece of lore, you do not expend a use of the ability.
Additionally, increase your Strength or Intelligence score by 2, and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.