Deities
The Deities are a group of nine godly beings who exist in the supernatural realm known as The Beyond. Though they cannot directly enter the physical realm of Mundus, they are able to exert their divine power through their kith followers.
Kith often worship more than one god, but naturally place most importance on those that are closest to their way of life. It is common for people to honor a god out of respect or fear, so that they do not draw their ire. Others act piously in hopes that they will be rewarded with a better life in their next incarnation. Such pious followers are often rewarded with divine powers from their patron.
The gods each have their own domains in The Beyond. These domains are an extension of each god's divine person, and their size waxes and wanes as the gods compete for power and worshippers on Mundus.
Portfolio (5E): Law, Order, Protection, War, Wisdom
Manifestations: Guthnoc is depicted as a great, broad-shouldered man with a stony, vigilant expression. He wears long robes, giving him a mountainous appearance, and he carries a book or a tablet of laws in his gauntleted hands.
Role: Guthnoc is the patron of law and order, and of civilized warfare. Soldiers pray to him for protection, and rulers often employ priests of The Hierarch as advisors. He frowns upon social upheaval and abuse of power alike.
Worship: Guthnoc is pleased by a lawful and orderly society, and by strict adherence to traditional hierarchy. His followers uphold these values, and strive to punish criminals accordingly. The common people pray to him for protection, and make open vows at his temples to maintain orderly society. If not perfect to the book, rulers tend to at least show a basic level of respect and adherence to Steel-Heart's dogma, so that they do not draw the wrath of the god and his militant priesthood.
Portfolio (5E): Harvest, Life, Music, Peace, Wealth
Manifestations: Riaghail is most often depicted as taking the form of a golden hound, old and plump from the the fruits of a simple, comfortable life.
Role: Riaghail is the patron of peace and plenty. He is most favored by peasants, who bring gifts to his altars in hopes of peaceful times and good harvest. He is a popular and benign god. Good-willed competition (even wrestling or boxing) pleases The Shepherd, but he frowns upon those that bring ill will and violence to his favored places.
Worship: Holding feasts, dancing and revelry of all kinds are common ways to worship Riaghail. Tavern keepers and brewers make sure to leave a brimming bowl of ale to his idol, to keep the god happy and to invite good fortune to their establishment. His followers cast shame on those who greedily amass wealth and do not share it with their community.
Portfolio (5E): Arcana, Beauty, Dreams, Magic, Moon, Twilight
Manifestations: Onora is said to take the form of a grandmotherly woman, serene and calming in her demeanor. Despite her elderly nature, she is often described as very beautiful. Her smile is said to drive away the terrors of the dark, and to bring comfort to those most mistreated.
Role: Onora is the patron of the twilight, a liminal time where magic is strongest and people seek comfort from the labors of the day and the dangers of the night. Courtesans, storytellers and practitioners of magic are among her favorite followers, and it is common practice to train and study magic in the twilight hours.
Worship: The followers of Onora honor their goddess by bringing comfort to those who need it. Her temples often double as places of rest and relaxation, where her followers tend to weary travelers in exchange for gifts and coin. Mothers especially pray to her, to keep their children safe in the night and free of nightmares. It is common practice for practitioners of magic to keep dream journals, for The Evening Star is said to bring concealed gifts of magic through dreams.
Portfolio (5E): Death, Fate, Grave, Order, Sky
Manifestations: Argadain is commonly depicted as a great vulture with brilliant white plumage, carrying the souls of the dead to his realm, where they wait to be reincarnated.
Role: Argadain is the god of death, who carries the souls of departed kith into The Beyond. He abhors the undead, the existence of which violates the natural cycle of reincarnation. His realm is home to the souls that await to continue their place in The Path, which may take as long as several years. During that time, Argadain judges the soul of each kith, based on how they lived their lives and chooses their next life accordingly.
Worship: Worshippers of The Soul Keeper take care of cemeteries, crypts and other places of remembrance. They make sure the proper rites are followed when a person is buried. Birds are the favoured of Argadain, and are considered to be his messengers, who bring him news of a person's passing. His devotees fight the followers of Argadain's hated enemy, Bleddyn, and hunt the abhorred undead.
Portfolio (5E): Fire, Forge, Light, Passion, Sun
Manifestations: Gowyr is depicted as a twiggy old man with a bushy white beard, wearing naught but a loincloth on his body. His eyes burn with glee and fervor as he creates the most wondrous of crafts, moulding solid metal with his bare hands like a potter shapes clay.
Role: Gowyr is the patron of craftsmen and artists. He is the master of the metalwork, and his altars are a common sight in smithies across the world. He values passion and creativity in work, and his followers consider it bad practice to work in a dour mood.
Worship: Gowyr's faithful honor their god by making beautiful works with their hands. To put passion and heart into one's trade is the greatest form of worship for The Shaper. His followers are expected to stay hopeful in the face of adversity, and to fall into apathy is the greatest tragedy. Gowyr's worshippers spread his warmth and light to the darkest corners of the world.
Portfolio (5E): Chaos, Love, Luck, Tempest, Trickery, Seas
Manifestations: Gwilha is often described as a cheerful woman with piscine qualities, a head of coralline hair and a melodious voice. When The Tidebringer inevitably grows angry, she is said to take on a more monstrous form, sprouting spiny scales and a fearsome distended jaw.
Role: Gwilha is the patron of love, luck and the seas. She is most favored by sailors, who are expected to show their adoration to her, leading to the epithet Sailor's Mistress. She is infamously fickle, and is known to be cruel and destructive if disrespected. She grants calm waters and bounties of the sea to those who show her the proper respect. She is also the lady of trickery and mischief, and she is known to favor rogues and charlatans.
Worship: Gwilha enjoys shows of adoration, and her worshippers are known to shower their lady with praise and professions of love. The seas are her realm, and all who live on their shores know better than to disrespect her, or the waters which they depend on. Many pray to her for aid in their love life, but they know to choose their words well, so that they do not make the lady of the waves jealous.
Portfolio (5E): Darkness, Death, Disease, Tempest, Time
Manifestations: Bleddyn is often depicted as a swirling mass of red, stringlike worms which slowly and unerringly consumes everything in its path.
Role: Bleddyn represents all that decays, erodes and otherwise wears away. Its influence is said to even corrupt the immortal soul. As the master of undeath, Bleddyn is the hated enemy of Argadain, the god of death. Those who employ pain and destruction in their craft are first among its worshippers, but it is not unheard of for commoners to offer it sacrifice to avoid plague and misfortune.
Worship: Bleddyn attracts few enthusiastic followers, but those who wish to wield its destructive gifts are said to spread disease, torture the living and ruin all that is beautiful in an effort to please their master. The Soul Flayer is the master of undeath, and shows great favor to those who pursue the path of necromancy or lichdom. Those who merely wish to avoid wasting away from Bleddyn's "gifts" are known to offer precious objects, animals or even fellow mortals to suffer and decay in their stead.
Portfolio (5E): Arcana, Earth, Knowledge, Lore, Secrets, Underworld
Manifestations: Thurial is never described as having a tangible form. It is instead referred to as a feeling, such as the dread felt when peering into darkness, the anxious thrill of exploring the contents of a forbidden tome, or the delusion of always being observed.
Role: Thurial is the patron of scholars and spies, those who wish to uncover or keep secrets. It is not a very popular deity, but seekers of lost or forbidden knowledge go to great lengths to please The Labyrinth Lord. Those who delve the depths of the earth or explore forgotten dungeons make sure to show respect to Thurial.
Worship: The worshippers of Thurial show their devotion by renouncing their birth name, instead taking on a moniker given to them by their god. They vow to keep their old name a secret by any means necessary. The acts of uncovering and concealing of secrets are both thought to please the god. Thurial's favored places are old dungeons and labyrinthine tunnels, where sinister things lurk just beyond the firelight.
Portfolio (5E): Beasts, Blood, Destruction, Hunt, Nature, Strength
Manifestations: Bruada is depicted in a variety of forms, usually as a predator feared by the people of the region in question. Whatever her form, she is always described as monstrously ravenous, great in size, and with inky black pupils that glisten in firelight.
Role: Bruada is the unforgiving patron of hunters, wild-men and all who are eager to prove themselves against beasts and monsters of the wilderness. She respects strength and animalistic cunning, and werebeasts of all kinds are among her favorites. Settled people are sometimes known to offer her blood sacrifice in hopes of keeping her beasts away, but more often than not this only serves to stoke her anger.
Worship: Those who worship Bruada show their devotion by killing in her name. They shed themselves of reason with the aid of medicinal plants or by means of self-hypnosis, and allow their animalistic side to take over. Bruada values strength, and her followers consider physical training to be a virtue in itself. Only the fittest receive her respect.
Kith often worship more than one god, but naturally place most importance on those that are closest to their way of life. It is common for people to honor a god out of respect or fear, so that they do not draw their ire. Others act piously in hopes that they will be rewarded with a better life in their next incarnation. Such pious followers are often rewarded with divine powers from their patron.
The gods each have their own domains in The Beyond. These domains are an extension of each god's divine person, and their size waxes and wanes as the gods compete for power and worshippers on Mundus.
List of Deities
Guthnoc
Title(s): The Hierarch. Steel-Heart. The Steadfast Lord.Portfolio (5E): Law, Order, Protection, War, Wisdom
Manifestations: Guthnoc is depicted as a great, broad-shouldered man with a stony, vigilant expression. He wears long robes, giving him a mountainous appearance, and he carries a book or a tablet of laws in his gauntleted hands.
Role: Guthnoc is the patron of law and order, and of civilized warfare. Soldiers pray to him for protection, and rulers often employ priests of The Hierarch as advisors. He frowns upon social upheaval and abuse of power alike.
Worship: Guthnoc is pleased by a lawful and orderly society, and by strict adherence to traditional hierarchy. His followers uphold these values, and strive to punish criminals accordingly. The common people pray to him for protection, and make open vows at his temples to maintain orderly society. If not perfect to the book, rulers tend to at least show a basic level of respect and adherence to Steel-Heart's dogma, so that they do not draw the wrath of the god and his militant priesthood.
Riaghail
Title(s): The Shepherd. The Good Hound.Portfolio (5E): Harvest, Life, Music, Peace, Wealth
Manifestations: Riaghail is most often depicted as taking the form of a golden hound, old and plump from the the fruits of a simple, comfortable life.
Role: Riaghail is the patron of peace and plenty. He is most favored by peasants, who bring gifts to his altars in hopes of peaceful times and good harvest. He is a popular and benign god. Good-willed competition (even wrestling or boxing) pleases The Shepherd, but he frowns upon those that bring ill will and violence to his favored places.
Worship: Holding feasts, dancing and revelry of all kinds are common ways to worship Riaghail. Tavern keepers and brewers make sure to leave a brimming bowl of ale to his idol, to keep the god happy and to invite good fortune to their establishment. His followers cast shame on those who greedily amass wealth and do not share it with their community.
Onora
Title(s): The Evening Star. The Dreamwarden.Portfolio (5E): Arcana, Beauty, Dreams, Magic, Moon, Twilight
Manifestations: Onora is said to take the form of a grandmotherly woman, serene and calming in her demeanor. Despite her elderly nature, she is often described as very beautiful. Her smile is said to drive away the terrors of the dark, and to bring comfort to those most mistreated.
Role: Onora is the patron of the twilight, a liminal time where magic is strongest and people seek comfort from the labors of the day and the dangers of the night. Courtesans, storytellers and practitioners of magic are among her favorite followers, and it is common practice to train and study magic in the twilight hours.
Worship: The followers of Onora honor their goddess by bringing comfort to those who need it. Her temples often double as places of rest and relaxation, where her followers tend to weary travelers in exchange for gifts and coin. Mothers especially pray to her, to keep their children safe in the night and free of nightmares. It is common practice for practitioners of magic to keep dream journals, for The Evening Star is said to bring concealed gifts of magic through dreams.
Argadain
Title(s): The Soul Keeper. The Fated Death. Vulture Lord.Portfolio (5E): Death, Fate, Grave, Order, Sky
Manifestations: Argadain is commonly depicted as a great vulture with brilliant white plumage, carrying the souls of the dead to his realm, where they wait to be reincarnated.
Role: Argadain is the god of death, who carries the souls of departed kith into The Beyond. He abhors the undead, the existence of which violates the natural cycle of reincarnation. His realm is home to the souls that await to continue their place in The Path, which may take as long as several years. During that time, Argadain judges the soul of each kith, based on how they lived their lives and chooses their next life accordingly.
Worship: Worshippers of The Soul Keeper take care of cemeteries, crypts and other places of remembrance. They make sure the proper rites are followed when a person is buried. Birds are the favoured of Argadain, and are considered to be his messengers, who bring him news of a person's passing. His devotees fight the followers of Argadain's hated enemy, Bleddyn, and hunt the abhorred undead.
Gowyr
Title(s): Old Fire-heart. Old Man of the Forge. The Shaper.Portfolio (5E): Fire, Forge, Light, Passion, Sun
Manifestations: Gowyr is depicted as a twiggy old man with a bushy white beard, wearing naught but a loincloth on his body. His eyes burn with glee and fervor as he creates the most wondrous of crafts, moulding solid metal with his bare hands like a potter shapes clay.
Role: Gowyr is the patron of craftsmen and artists. He is the master of the metalwork, and his altars are a common sight in smithies across the world. He values passion and creativity in work, and his followers consider it bad practice to work in a dour mood.
Worship: Gowyr's faithful honor their god by making beautiful works with their hands. To put passion and heart into one's trade is the greatest form of worship for The Shaper. His followers are expected to stay hopeful in the face of adversity, and to fall into apathy is the greatest tragedy. Gowyr's worshippers spread his warmth and light to the darkest corners of the world.
Gwilha
Title(s): The Mercurial. Sailor's Mistress. The Tidebringer.Portfolio (5E): Chaos, Love, Luck, Tempest, Trickery, Seas
Manifestations: Gwilha is often described as a cheerful woman with piscine qualities, a head of coralline hair and a melodious voice. When The Tidebringer inevitably grows angry, she is said to take on a more monstrous form, sprouting spiny scales and a fearsome distended jaw.
Role: Gwilha is the patron of love, luck and the seas. She is most favored by sailors, who are expected to show their adoration to her, leading to the epithet Sailor's Mistress. She is infamously fickle, and is known to be cruel and destructive if disrespected. She grants calm waters and bounties of the sea to those who show her the proper respect. She is also the lady of trickery and mischief, and she is known to favor rogues and charlatans.
Worship: Gwilha enjoys shows of adoration, and her worshippers are known to shower their lady with praise and professions of love. The seas are her realm, and all who live on their shores know better than to disrespect her, or the waters which they depend on. Many pray to her for aid in their love life, but they know to choose their words well, so that they do not make the lady of the waves jealous.
Bleddyn
Title(s): Lord of Decay. The Soul Flayer. The One Who Denies Death.Portfolio (5E): Darkness, Death, Disease, Tempest, Time
Manifestations: Bleddyn is often depicted as a swirling mass of red, stringlike worms which slowly and unerringly consumes everything in its path.
Role: Bleddyn represents all that decays, erodes and otherwise wears away. Its influence is said to even corrupt the immortal soul. As the master of undeath, Bleddyn is the hated enemy of Argadain, the god of death. Those who employ pain and destruction in their craft are first among its worshippers, but it is not unheard of for commoners to offer it sacrifice to avoid plague and misfortune.
Worship: Bleddyn attracts few enthusiastic followers, but those who wish to wield its destructive gifts are said to spread disease, torture the living and ruin all that is beautiful in an effort to please their master. The Soul Flayer is the master of undeath, and shows great favor to those who pursue the path of necromancy or lichdom. Those who merely wish to avoid wasting away from Bleddyn's "gifts" are known to offer precious objects, animals or even fellow mortals to suffer and decay in their stead.
Thurial
Title(s): The Labyrinth Lord. The Keeper of Secrets.Portfolio (5E): Arcana, Earth, Knowledge, Lore, Secrets, Underworld
Manifestations: Thurial is never described as having a tangible form. It is instead referred to as a feeling, such as the dread felt when peering into darkness, the anxious thrill of exploring the contents of a forbidden tome, or the delusion of always being observed.
Role: Thurial is the patron of scholars and spies, those who wish to uncover or keep secrets. It is not a very popular deity, but seekers of lost or forbidden knowledge go to great lengths to please The Labyrinth Lord. Those who delve the depths of the earth or explore forgotten dungeons make sure to show respect to Thurial.
Worship: The worshippers of Thurial show their devotion by renouncing their birth name, instead taking on a moniker given to them by their god. They vow to keep their old name a secret by any means necessary. The acts of uncovering and concealing of secrets are both thought to please the god. Thurial's favored places are old dungeons and labyrinthine tunnels, where sinister things lurk just beyond the firelight.
Bruada
Title(s): The First Monster. The Beastmother.Portfolio (5E): Beasts, Blood, Destruction, Hunt, Nature, Strength
Manifestations: Bruada is depicted in a variety of forms, usually as a predator feared by the people of the region in question. Whatever her form, she is always described as monstrously ravenous, great in size, and with inky black pupils that glisten in firelight.
Role: Bruada is the unforgiving patron of hunters, wild-men and all who are eager to prove themselves against beasts and monsters of the wilderness. She respects strength and animalistic cunning, and werebeasts of all kinds are among her favorites. Settled people are sometimes known to offer her blood sacrifice in hopes of keeping her beasts away, but more often than not this only serves to stoke her anger.
Worship: Those who worship Bruada show their devotion by killing in her name. They shed themselves of reason with the aid of medicinal plants or by means of self-hypnosis, and allow their animalistic side to take over. Bruada values strength, and her followers consider physical training to be a virtue in itself. Only the fittest receive her respect.
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