Skidafolk Pantheon

the Gods

Most people in and around Alnwich worship the entire pantheon as a whole, and make appropriate offerings during the many holidays and festivals – sometimes to specific deities, sometimes to all of them. The history of the gods is too long and intricate to tell here, but such stories are the regular subjects songs, evening tales, and poetry. The people believe the gods are very real and very physically present. One does not brush off chance meetings with strangers or signs of things to come. Moreover, the pantheon consists of far more deities than just the main thirteen. Some of these may be local spirits that choose to intervene in mortal affairs, personifications of concepts, or even just animal spirits and elementals. Because there are so many deities, people don’t just believe in their physicality, they expect to encounter them.

Morality

The gods generally favor people who are good to each other – Sense of Duty (Community or Coreligionists) [-10] –, true to their word – Truthfulness –, and altruistic – Charitable or Selfless. They also favor those who are devout in their sacrifices and prayers – Disciplines of Faith (Mysticism, Ritual Sacrifices, or Ritualism) or Trademark (Small Sacrifices) [-5].

Divine Servitors

Divine servitors tend to serve individual deities. These may have nearly any divine elements as specified under each individual divinity.

Shrines

Shrines are rarely dedicated to the pantheon as a whole. Instead, entire temples are built, within which are shrines to each major deity – and sometimes minor ones, as well – such that each has a place and none are truly favored. The main hall of the temple is round, with each deity’s shrine on its perimeter and an oculus open to the sky above the center of the hall. There, a small oak tree grows to represent the entire pantheon, with the leaves the gods and the branches their destinies. In this way, worshippers are reminded that just as the gods are all individuals yet intertwined by fate, so too are people. The rooms and chambers beyond the main hall often vary between temples, but an antechamber for preparation and quiet prayer is common. It is also common to build the temple on raised ground or construct a mound specifically to raise it. The surrounding grounds may be decorated with gardens or be left plain and wild, depending on the area’s favored deities.

Priests of the Pantheon

Ordained priests should take Clerical Investment, and possibly even double it. Other common specialties include academic pursuits for studious priests, Diplomacy for resolving disputes among congregants, shamanism for prophets and channelers of the gods, and Propaganda and Public Speaking for those seeking to spread the influence of the gods. Priests capable of reliably performing miracles should take one or more levels of Divine Favor and possibly Power Investiture.

Holy Warriors of the Pantheon

Holy warriors who merely seek to defend the faith should be built as any warrior, possibly with Iron Will, but those who are also priests should take Clerical Investment, those who hunt unholy monsters should take a sutiable Higher Purpose , those who root out heretics and cultists should consider Interrogation for gathering information.

Divine Favor

The pantheon regularly hears prayers for protection and prophecy. It will grant similar learned prayers, but also provides for agents of divine wrath who can smite foes and cast out corruption, as well. Allies marked with an asterisk (*) either summons a new divine servitor every time or summons a specific one each time. The player must decide when he initially buys the ability. Abilities Allies (Divine Servitors*), with Summonable; Animal Empathy; Blessed; Channeling, with Specialized, Divine Servitors; Common Sense; Damage Resistance, with Limited, Corruption (-60% Danger Sense; Detect, for Corruption, Purity, or Supernatural Beings; Empathy; Healing, with Faith Healing; Intuition; Mind Shield; Oracle; Regeneration, with Maximum Duration; Resistant to Corrupt Supernatural Powers, but not Immunity; Spirit Empathy; Terror (Awe and True Faith, with Turning. Attacks are also possible. Heavenly smiting is either a Burning or Corrosion Attack, often with Follow-Up (Any Weapon), Malediction, Melee Attack, or Sense-Based. Afflictions that bless or curse fit, too. These must have one or more of Advantage, Disadvantage, Negated Advantage, or Negated Disadvantage. They must also have No Signature and one of Malediction, Melee Attack, or Sense-Based. Suggested traits to afflict include but are not limited to Cursed, Luck, Serendipity, Super Luck, and Unluckiness.