the Compact

If the gods still walked the world, warring among themselves and crushing mortals who annoyed them, it would be a very scary

time to be alive.

Thankfully, the Compact prevents this. This is agreement between the gods that keeps the world from exploding

into religious warfare.

While religious scholars assume the gods have written it down, no mortal has ever seen the text—they know

the basics from inference. Here are the fundamentals:

• The gods can’t go down to the world and influence major events as themselves. Taking over kingdoms, fighting wars themselves, and wiping out enemies on the Material Plane are all prohibited.

• The gods may go to the Material Plane in their earthly forms, simple avatars that look like people, and they may set into motion cryptic events. They may offer advice, give small gifts, and give aid to their favored that will not have world-altering effects (it is acceptable to save the life of your favorite cleric)

• If some majority of the gods agree (it is unknown whether this requires all the gods to agree, some overwhelming number, or a simple majority), they may directly influence people and events, overriding the first rule.

• The primary way the gods influence the world is through their agents. All godly agents receive similar boons from their gods—so Morwyn’s servants’ divine spells are just as good as Zheenkeef ’s—and through these agents the gods’ wills are enacted. The agents receive their spells through the celestial servants of the gods.

• Celestials may descend and aid mortals in times of need. When angels and other members of the Celestial Host must spend time on the Material Plane, they occupy the palace of air, which is invisible to mortals.

• Mortals may live how they please, though should any mortal dare threaten a god’s person, the recipient is allowed to take whatever vengeance they like. If mortals threaten all the gods, the gods may respond with a coordinated plan, which they can act upon directly or through Raguel, the archangel of divine retribution.

• All the deeds of mortals, good or evil, are recorded by the guardian angels of Elysium and the daemons of Gehenna.

• When mortals die, they are judged by Maal. Those who are good (or not terribly bad) stay in Maal’s kingdom awaiting rebirth as another member of the five mortal races. Those who are very good reside forever in Maal’s kingdom, in one of the four great halls. The particularly favored ascend to the mountain of Heaven, to serve the god they revered in life (or all the gods, in the case of paladins and clerics of the Great Church). Those who performed especially evil deeds are cast down to Hell, Gehenna, or the Abyss for the pleasure of the devils, daemons, and demons there.

• Devils, daemons, and demons are permitted to tempt mortals.

• Each Lord of Heaven is individually strengthened by the deeds of mortals done in their service and all prayers spoken in their respective names. All the gods are strengthened by acts of good. Therefore, it is to the advantage of the gods to promote goodness, but it is even more to their advantage to promote their own faith