Cayden Cailean

The Accidental God

Alignment: Chaotic-Good
Realm: Hero’s Heart (Elysium)
Temples: inns, taverns, and orphanages
Worshippers: adventurers, bartenders, orphans, rebels
Sacred Animal: hound
Sacred Colors: silver and tan
Once a mortal human, Cayden Cailean is now one the few deities known as the Ascended. In his mortal years, Cayden was a sellsword of no small fame, known for his boisterous manner, skill with a blade, and fearless resolve. During a particularly rowdy night of drinking, a series of escalating dares led the wandering mercenary to attempt the Test of the Starstone. He emerged from the Starstone Cathedral 3 days later, laughing, a fully realized god. Divine responsibility did little to change Cayden’s attitude from what it was in his mortal life. He continues to crave adventure, drink, and pleasurable company while abhorring bullies, tyrants, and cowards.
Cayden has no formal churches or structured clergy, but simple shrines to him appear in almost every tavern and roadside inn. Many of his priests own such businesses and offer healing to patrons, some of whom may have been injured during a drunken brawl. While Cayden’s faith is a charitable one, Caydenites still seek payment for such services—at the very least, the injured party is expected to purchase a round of drinks for the house. Only in places where worshippers of the Accidental God are in direct opposition to the local powers, such as where a rebellion is forming under a tyrant’s nose, is his church out of the public eye. Caydenites can bring themselves to be quiet in the face of oppression only for so long, however, and once a rebellion reaches full bloom, the god’s silver tankard is often proudly displayed across every bar.
As a mortal, Cayden often found himself at odds with the work he was hired to perform and abandoned jobs that went against his conscience. This gave him a reputation for being unreliable among his more unscrupulous employers, but it garnered significant respect from clients with stronger morals. Legends tell of him taking contracts to free entire crews of slaves, undoing the operations of predatory business owners, and other rebellious deeds for the good of the common folk. His worshippers often involve themselves in similar matters: safeguarding the freedom and prosperity of working-class people, overthrowing tyrants, and helping the oppressed relocate to freer lands. His champions, in particular, embed themselves in nations with harsh laws and stir up rebellions—often from the back room of a tavern.
Members of Cayden’s faith also maintain many orphanages in urban areas, arranging them to receive funding from local pubs and other Cayden-friendly establishments. Not much is known about Cayden’s childhood as a mortal, but given his patronage of such houses, many have inferred that he spent at least some time in an orphanage when he was young. While the children in such orphanages are not expressly raised in the faith, most adopt the god’s teachings when they grow old enough to leave. These individuals often take the surname Cailean to honor him, adding to the number of gregarious rebels in the world. 
While the consumption of alcohol is central to most of Cayden’s worship, drinking to excess and dependency on drink are seen as misuse of the Accidental God’s gifts. Clergy who develop such an addiction are encouraged by their community to take a large role in the faith’s other works, such as maintaining orphanages or supporting rebel efforts, and those who recover often work to assist others with their own recovery from alcoholism. Though being the god of alcohol is a popular aspect of Cayden Cailean, members of his faith often find personal freedom and rejection of tyranny just as appealing as a strong drink, and it is not uncommon for teetotalers to number among Cayden’s followers. 
Cayden is not particular about who worships him, so long as they abide by the simple expectations of freedom, bravery, and enjoying a good drink. As such, he has followers from almost all ancestries. A good number of his worshippers are half-orcs, who find the casual tenets and welcoming nature of the faith to be a good fit for those who have been ostracized from more stringent communities. His followers are typically good natured, boisterous, and optimistic. Life simply holds too much to take in for anyone to spend it gloomy. Many adventurers find Cayden’s tenets to be a natural fit, taking jobs when they can and bucking cruelty wherever they find it.

Divine Domains

Ale, Bravery, Freedom and Wine