Foerdewaith Pantheon
(FEHR-de-wayth)
The pantheon of the Kingdoms of Foere can be encountered primarily on the continent of Lados, though there are regions that do not subscribe to this pantheon, notably the Forest Kingdoms, the Holy See of Therezia, and the city of Alexandria.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domain: Law, Life
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: A crowned lion's head or mask
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Comparable To: None, Archeillus is unique to the Foerdewaith pantheon, and a uniquely human god.
Archeillus once stood below only Thyr himself in the pantheon of the Kingdoms of Foere. Though the first overking, Macobert, claimed familial descent from the sea god Quell, it was by virtue of the laws and customs of Archeillus that he claimed rightful rule over all the kingdoms and their client states. Despite these once heady heights of influence across the whole of Torar, with the decline of Foere, so too has the worship of Archeillus seen its decline. This has arguably been furthered by the slow increase of support for the foreign deity Mitra as the divine patron of the Foerdewaith sovereignty, a trend whose beginnings can be traced back to the time of the great, great, grandson of Macobert, Osbert II, some seven centuries ago. Still an important god of the Foerdewaith, his religion is now often seen as old-fashioned or outdated, though he remains revered among many of the old noble families, especially in the more backwater areas. This devotion often even includes noble families that are not of Foerdewaith descent or rulers of lands outside Foere’s sphere of influence. This is in large part because veneration of Archeillus is traditionally seen as a support of the current ruling class and serves to justify maintenance of the status quo of power among adherents. As a result of this common understanding, despite the fact that Archeillus is inherently a god of law and good, his religion is used by many a less-benign tyrant as means to consolidate and hold power with a veneer of legitimacy. The established church of Archeillus officially finds this practice repellant but also finds it prudent to not try and identify those who should or should not rule because of the inherent risk of opposing a true believer who has merely been mischaracterized by his subjects or, even worse, finding themselves forced to choose sides and ending up on the losing end of a political power struggle. With its loss in influence over the last few centuries and the inevitable reduction in the number of followers, the clergy of Archeillus has learned to step carefully and walk a fine line between clearly upholding the morality and rule of just law represented by Archeillus and stepping cautiously to avoid upsetting the apple cart of local politics that could result in them being completely removed from the halls of power and spheres of influence altogether. Many priests of Archeillus take comfort in the oft-quoted axiom, “he that rules does so but by the will of Archeillus,” allowing responsibility for the issue of rightful rulership to fall squarely upon the shoulders of the god himself. They trust that Archeillus’s wisdom will sort out the details rather than muddying the waters by the machinations and inevitable disasters wrought by imperfect mortals, which is perhaps what the god has intended all along.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domain: Knowledge, Travel
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: A flawless diamond
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Comparable To: Charun in the Seven Cities region of Elaysm.
Belon appears to his worshippers as an elderly man wearing flowing white robes and carrying a walking staff. Belon is the embodiment of things learned upon the road, be they magical or mundane knowledge. Priests of Belon often serve as guides, educating themselves in local customs in order to afford better traveling conditions for those in their care. As such, Belon is patron of both journeys and knowledge, exemplified in the wisdom that can be gained by being well traveled. An emphasis on common sense ensures that he finds adherents among the stolid common folk of the world rather than only the scholars and learned. Belon’s earliest influence in Lados seems to have been in and around the city of Westden where he enjoyed some popularity as a god of travel among a burgeoning city of merchants and travelers. Over time, however, his worship waned in favor of other gods that hold mercantilism and commerce among their areas of interest, deities such as Sefagreth and Tykee. Recently, however, the church of Belon has been on the rise again as interest in him as a god of arcane knowledge who can perhaps provide secrets of ancient magic. Less a travelers’ god, it is now more in vogue for wizards who consider themselves to be sophisticated and well-traveled to venerate the White Wanderer. This upsurge has been noticed by the clergy of the traditional god of magic Jamboor, and discussions about what to do among that god’s scholars have been going on for years now as more and more practitioners of the arcane arts turn to Belon as their patron.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domain: Life, Nature
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: A millstone
Favored Weapon: Flail
Comparable To: Kishar in the Atlantean pantheon; Sif in the Northlands pantheon; Holda in the elven pantheon; known by the same name but different titles in the Seven Cities region of Elaysm; Benten in the Emerald Empire; Lenore in the High Houses.
Ceres has protected home and hearth since the earliest recorded histories. She is seen as a motherly figure who protects her followers and their communities through gentle guidance and nurturing. It is also she who the common folk turn to in prayer to avoid famine from a bad harvest or natural calamities. Though not really a goddess of crops and weather like the god Telophus, her holy writings and liturgy do universally speak of a bountiful harvest to fill the bellies of the community and the needy. More concerned with the benign use of the harvest from the standpoint of community well-being and stability rather than being seen as a matron of plant growth in general, Ceres is one of the few deities whose worship involves active benevolence in the form of feeding and sheltering the needy. She is revered by many who are not truly her worshippers (hence her title of “Revered Mother”) because she is seen as the divine caretaker and overseer of healthy births, though she shares this role with the goddess Freya. So even those who venerate other gods or are even diametrically opposed to her through alignment or creed are not above uttering short prayer in her name at the birth of their own offspring. In her hands lies the well-being of the next generation, which all humans recognize and generally respect. That her followers are not crusaders or violent radicals seeking to bring judgment in her name makes this veneration by others more palatable. For all of these qualities and that of providing succor to the sick, Ceres is often seen as the glue that holds families and communities together. The few hospices that exist for the indigent or those unable to afford the services of a personal physician are almost always established by her worshippers. Despite her recognized benevolence, Ceres is seen as somewhat rustic, and has been in decline in some urban centers. She retains her popularity and influence in the countryside among the simple folk, however. The halfling matron goddess Hester serves as her handmaiden, and many rural halflings revere Ceres as well as a result.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domain: Forge, Knowledge
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: Three interlocked cogwheels
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Comparable To: Volund in the Endhavian pantheon; Ebisu in the Emerald Empire; Kyo in the High Houses.
Dre’uain appears as a clubfooted gnome with strong but fine-fingered hands. His flame-red hair and beard always appear singed from his labors over the forge. He has a long nose and piercingly curious eyes and wears a soot-covered apron. Hammer Mittelschmerz claims to have learned all he knows of crafting and invention from Dre’uain. Considered by many to be one of the oldest deities, Dre’uain embodies the creative mind and its ability to fashion objects and devices. Dre’uain is honored by creators, inventors, smiths, architects, and other craftsfolk of all races. His connection to earthquakes, volcanoes, and other seismic events seem to be a holdover from his earliest days as a mighty giant and earth deity. In that capacity early myths say that he battled the primordial earth spirit Kronus for supremacy. The result of the battle was the crippling of Dre’uain and the reduction to his current stature as well as his loss of mastery over the earth, turning instead to mastery of its resources in invention and crafting. Kronus faired perhaps worse, losing his mastery over the earth in exchange for knowledge of its deepest secrets instead but at the cost of having his psyche split into two competing halves and being cast into the Ginnungagap. Since then Dre’uain has succeeded in one of the most difficult tasks in all the multiverse; he was a gnome god who ascended to a position of respect and major worship among humans, with many adherents among other smallfolk as well. Among humans, Dre’uain not only receives veneration among inventors, craftsmen, and smiths, but his propensity for hard work and virtue of honest labors has endeared him to all manner of manual laborers. The presence of Dre’uain’s own clubbed foot as a model, and the tendency of some of his followers to unionize has created a following of maimed workers among his followers. This has likewise contributed to a growing number of wounded veteran soldiers among those who follow him, turning away from their former soldier gods in their disability and looking instead to Dre’uain to sustain them. An unexpected side effect of this is that an ever-growing number of beggars — crippled and healthy alike — are beginning to flock to faith. This latest development has created a great deal of discomfort and growing resentment among his clergy because many of these beggars are seen as individuals who eschew hard work in favor of the charity of others, which flies in the face of the very tenants of Dre’uain. Despite many temples openly preaching against the sin of sloth to discourage this or any affiliation with those they see as ne’er-do-wells, any number of almshouses and soup kitchens continue to pop up in Dre’uian’s name, though not formally associated with actual members of the clergy. The church hierarchy has yet to come up with a good solution to this situation and are divided as to whether a solution is even necessary. Dre’uain’s temples always contain an altar composed of large metal gears intended to represent the eternal mechanisms of the cosmos, which Dre’uain is said to understand and perhaps even serve as caretaker over. True members of Dre’uain’s clergy can be identified by their ability to disassemble the interlocking cogs of Dre’uain’s holy symbols or connect them back together. This secret, known as the “Blessing of Dre’uain”, is given to them directly from the god. Others who attempt to do so must make a successful DC 45 Intelligence check.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domain: Life, War
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: Falcon
Favored Weapon: Spear
Comparable To: Ishtar in the Atlantean pantheon; Lada in the Endhavian pantheon; Baldur among the Northlanders' pantheon; Lachesis in the High Houses.
Freya is a lesser goddess of love and fertility. Freya is also the leader of a great band of women warriors — known as amazons. Freya represents fertility in all its forms. In the Southlands, Freya represents the cycle of death and rebirth. She is a goddess of the coming harvest, as well as of sexuality and procreation. Her beast is the falcon, though she is fond of the winter wolf and the hind. She appears most frequently to her worshipers as a beautiful human woman dressed in robes and a cloak of winter wolf fur, though she occasionally appears as a hunter in leather armor with spear and bow or as a warrior in shining mail with a glowing sword. She can take the form of a falcon — or any other bird — at will, as well as that of a huge winter wolf. Freya is a transplant to the Foerdewaith pantheon from the original elves of the region, who have a goddess of the wilds named Freyja. Despite this foreign origin, Freya is one of the single-most popular deities worshipped by the peoples of the Borderlands. As a goddess of the harvest, there is natural friction between her followers and those of Telophus, though this rarely comes to open conflict. She and Ceres likewise share dominion over midwives and the birthing process, though Freya approaches it more from the procreation aspect and Ceres from the aspect of a healthy family and community. As such, there is little conflict between the followers of these faiths, and small villages tend to lean towards one or the other as a whole rather than having shrines of both in the same community. Though not an inherently violent faith, Freya despises any kind of arachnid, and her battles against the Endhavian goddess Rava are legendary. Her followers also frequently conflict with those of the arachnid deity called The Spider, though that deity is too bestial and unsophisticated to truly carry a grudge against the goddess.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Arcana, Grave
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: An eclipsed sun
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Comparable To: Nergal in the Atlantean pantheon; Anubis in Elaysm's Scorched Lands.
Jamboor is a god of death, but only in the regard that death is a part of life and should be revered as such. It is not unusual for the clerics of Jamboor to multi-class with one or more arcane classes. Kings and noblemen consider it a true feather in their cap to have a priest of Jamboor as an advisor. Jamboor is an ancient god of Foerdewaith who has clung to his influence tenaciously since the earliest of days. This mysterious deity is seen as a benign or malignant entity depending on the standpoint of the viewer. To some folk, a god of death must be evil and, therefore, to be feared, while to others he merely maintains the proper order of things in the cycle of life and death. And still to others he is simply a god of magic and arcane knowledge which can be the faith of benevolent local wizard or a power-mad necromancer. Regardless, all rulers and leaders value his faith because his priests are known to possess a great many secrets and are willing to offer wise counsel to any ruler without regard to political or religious affiliation. Many local superstitions find their roots in the practices of the followers of Jamboor, and entire sects of his priesthood are tasked with sussing out the secrets of existence through listening to the whispers of the dead. The dates and times for the High Holy Days of the continent of Lados are determined and published each year by the priests of Jamboor and are recognized by those of all faiths. While the Wheels of Inquiry used by his followers to determine local omens and auguries can be found in almost any community for use by any who know the secrets of their interpretation. Despite his long and ongoing influence, Jamboor’s age-old mastery of those who study the magical arts is now being challenged as the traveler deity Belon the Wise gains more and more followers among arcane practitioners. This situation has caused no small amount of consternation among the normally staid Jamboorites not only because of the encroachment upon their traditional sphere of influence but even more so because they did not foresee its coming.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Nature, Tempest
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: A fish riding upon three wavy lines.
Favored Weapon: Javelin
Comparable To: Tiamat in the Atlantean pantheon; Jormungandr in the Northlands; Seggotan among the Dragon Kingdoms of Elaysm.
Kamien is the embodiment of springs, streams, and rivers, appearing as a woman with skin like silvery rippling water — earning her name as the Sparkling Maiden — or as a great silvery scaled fish — usually called Old Widemouth for resembling a massive bass. Bargemen and fishermen who ply her waterways toss coins into streams, fountains, and brooks to ensure safe passage and plentiful catches. Kamien is one of the earliest Foerdewaith deities, even predating that civilization, representing the springs and streams that provided plentiful water sources that allowed early humanoid settlements to be established and thrive. As such she became a community deity and was seen as protector of the town well, spring, or other water source required for their continued survival. As societies advanced and maintenance of water sources and the ability to find them became more sophisticated and reliable, her role as the protector of the community transformed somewhat into that of protector of travel and trade upon the waters of her streams and rivers. It is this aspect that is most frequently seen in her worship today, though settlements that greatly rely upon yearly flooding or preservation from such floods still revere her in the older incarnations through semi-annual flood festivals and the yearly Rising ceremony at midsummer to beseech her to keep the waters flowing throughout the dry season. Already considered an ancient deity among humans, Kamien’s reach extends even farther back into the mists of time beyond even human civilization. In her earliest incarnation she is considered to be the mother of the nymphs and sprites and is a member of the Court of the Fey as a protector of fertility. Knowledge of this aspect is largely lost among human cultures today, though some prostitutes (usually in riverside communities) venerate the Sparkling Maiden for her seductive qualities, probably related to her relation to fey such as nymphs and nereids that are known for their beauty and allure. Her ancient background is further recalled vaguely in old wives’ tales about the dangers of visiting the local spring or well at night because the Water Lady might come and steal the foolish visitor. That this could be a reference to Kamien and the sometimes predatory fey among her followers is a possibility, though it could just as easily be nothing more than a parental admonition to children to avoid drownings and other water accidents while unsupervised.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Light, Life
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: A golden sunburst surrounded by the leaves and thorns of a myrrh tree.
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Comparable To: Mithra in the Altantean pantheon; Khors in the Endhavian pantheon; Valeresh in the elven pantheon; Aten in Elaysm's Scorched Lands.
Mitra has become one of the most commonly worshipped gods in Lados. Part of Mitra’s appeal is his emphasis on humility among his worshippers while at the same time championing justice and rule of law. Thus while the powers-that-be worship Mitra to uphold their rightful rule and the laws of the land, he is appealing to the common folk for his insistence on the principles of mercy and fairness among the high and low alike. Another god that probably found its way into Lados through the crusading knights of the Foerdewaith, Mitra’s true rise to prominence in the land undoubtedly stems from a single incident some 700 years ago when he allegedly appeared to the Foerdewaith overking, Osbert II, before the pivotal battle of Oescreheit Downs promising victory for the beleaguered Foerdewaith against the vastly superior numbers of the Heldring horde. When the Heldring were defeated and their threat finally broken once and for all, many took Mitra’s appearance to mean that he favored the rightful rule of the Foerdewaith overkings and adopted him as the patron of Macobert’s dynasty. The shift as a result of this changing attitude was gradual and took place only in small incremental steps, but its progress has been inexorable. Gods that have felt the greatest decline as a result of Mitra’s rise are the sun goddess Solanus (to such an extent that many folk of Lados have begun to refer to the sun as Mitra rather than as Sol or Solanus as has been traditionally done), Muir as a Lawful war goddess, and Thyr in his role of Lawgiver and god of justice. At point in time, virtually every judge and court in Lados looked to Thyr as its patron, but now Mitra predominates in that role by a narrow margin, and his influence in the areas of the sun and healing ensures that his adherents’ growth continues even as Thyr’s declines.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Light, War
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: Upraised sword.
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Comparable To: Perun in the Endhavian pantheon; Thor in the Northlanders' pantheon; Khespotan among the Dragon Kingdoms of Elaysm; Bishamon in the Emerald Empire.
Muir is the twin sister of Thyr and one of the fabled Three Gods of old. While he represents law and peace, she represents the martial valor necessary to make that peace a reality. As such, she is the goddess of paladins and the principle martial deity of the Heldring. She is often depicted as a dark-tressed dwarven maiden warrior in shining mail with an upraised (often bloodstained) sword. She is noble and single-minded of purpose. The tenets of her worship include honor, truth, and courage. A great order of Atlantean paladins known as the Justicars were sworn to her service but are believed to have died off at the time of the Battle of Tsar and the fall of Carcosa ages ago. Like her brother-deity Thyr, Muir has lost some of the predominance that she once enjoyed in Lados. Her High Altar was moved to the vicinity of Westden after the fall of Carcosa and has since fallen into decline there as well. However, like Thyr she has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity among the now-devout Heldring of the Hellsreach Badlands, where she is known as Eostre. The Heldring hledwalda presses for relocation of the High Altar of Muir to her domain, but the goddess has yet to make a pronouncement on the matter so for now it remains in its diminished state in the city of Westden. Muir expects self-sacrifice, humility, and charity as well as unswerving loyalty, and her worshipers must be lawful good. Her standards are extreme and she quickly turns her back on any who fail to live up to them. Those who maintain her standards, however, may strive to become Justicars, an order of paladins imbued with even greater holiness if the means to reviving that order can be discovered somewhere in the ruins of lost Carcosa. Her symbol is a blood-red uplifted sword on a white background, symbolizing her endless fight against evil, and the falcon is a sacred animal to her for its noble bearing and relentless pursuit of its prey. She is the tireless foe of all evil creatures, and undead, demons, and devils in particular are her sworn enemy.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Nature, Trickery
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: A crescent moon.
Favored Weapon: Sickle.
Comparable To: Set in the Atlantean pantheon; Sarastra in the elves' pantheon; Hecate in Elaysm's Seven Cities region; Onnotangu/Hitomi/Obsidian Dragon in the Emerald Empire; Yue in the High Houses.
An ancient and oft-forgotten goddess, Narrah has looked down upon the face of the lands as the greater moon known as the Pale Sister, since the beginning of the world. Worshipped by star-gazers, lycanthropes, and lovers alike, the Lady of the Moon is neither good nor evil, light nor dark. She represents neutrality is its most natural form. She is the moonlight in the dark, the push and pull of the tides, and the navigation point when one is lost. Actively worshipped by druids who remember the ancient traditions of the Old Way, she imparts the secrets of the universe under the cover of night. Though most folk refer to her only as the Pale Sister or, perhaps, Luna and think of her only as the larger and brighter of the two moons rather than as an actual goddess. Alongside her twin moon, Sybil the Dark Sister, Narrah has hovered over the world since the beginning. Her earliest followers were the fey and primitive humanoids, and since that time she has warred with the smaller moon for the dominance of the night.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Travel, Trickery
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: Compass rose.
Favored Weapon: Rapier.
Comparable To: Rava in the Endhavian pantheon; Daikoku in the Emerald Empire.
Sefagreth is a handsome deity popular among aristocrats, diplomats, tradesmen and courtiers. The founder of cities and the father of trade, Sefagreth is a deity whose primary concern is the creation and maintenance of wealth and good relations between cities. Sefagreth is therefore considered a neutral party who aids in the disputes among the gods, and counts diplomats as his followers. He disdains combat, preferring to use argument and rhetoric, and allow others to do the fighting.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Life, Light
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: An open palm inscribed with a blazing sun.
Favored Weapon: Mace.
Comparable To: Asura in the Atlantean pantheon; Baal in the Dragon Kingdoms of Elaysm; Amaterasu/Yakamo/Jade Dragon in the Emerald Empire.
Solanus is the benevolent goddess of the sun, Sol as it has traditionally been named in Lados. Her priests have often served as field medics in armies and once comprised an entire legion. They have also commonly been the local healers in villages and small towns. Some hospitals were established in Solanus’s name in certain imperial centers (namely Remenos and Curgantium), but the practice never caught on in more remote settings where sufficient funds from the imperial coffers were frequently unavailable. As a result, her rural clergy remained principally scattered as individual practitioners while her central high church maintained a rigid hierarchy that often looked with disdain upon the rural church as disorganized or even bumpkins. Perhaps the church’s greatest claim to notoriety over the centuries, however, has been the propensity for members of her rural clergy to join adventuring bands. At one time in the empire’s history, it is likely that as many as 8 out of 10 adventuring parties, mercenary companies, or freelance knights was accompanied by a cleric of Solanus, bringing great acceptance and goodwill among the common folk far beyond what could have been managed by the central offices of the church tucked away in the great cities of the empire. Many of the older bardic hero tales composed in the classical style of those times include a warrior of Thyr, a wizard of Jamboor, a paladin of Muir, and a cleric of Solanus as heroic archetypes. (They also typically include a scoundrel character devoted to Narrah, though this is less likely to be acknowledged in polite company.) In recent centuries the church of Solanus has seen a steady, and in some cases precipitous, decline. This can be directly attributed to the equally steady rise in the encroaching faith of Mitra after being embraced by the Foerdewaith overkings several centuries ago. In general her worship becomes more common the farther west one travels across Lados, as the faith of Mitra has not yet spread that far. Solanus is one of the three matron/patron deities of the great duchy of Kirsvald and still enjoys a great degree of popularity and worship there. Her High Altar remains in the city of Silverus at the venerable Hospital of St. Jethra the Martyred which still maintains 1,220 beds and accepts the sick and infirm from all over Lados who make their way to its doors.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Nature, Seasons
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: Raining clouds partially obscuring a radiant sun.
Favored Weapon: Sickle or scythe.
Comparable To: Tarhun in the Atlantean pantheon; Freyr & Freyja in the pantheon of the Northlands; Porevit & Yarila in the elvish pantheon; Masaru in the High Houses.
This originally Atlantean god is the embodiment of the uncaring changing seasons. He is prayed to not so much to bring good crops, but to be convinced to hold off the early frost or bring the spring thaw. He requires appeasement and devoted following, being known to test his followers’ faithfulness and resolve when it suits him. Telophus and Freya are natural antagonists to each other between his uncaring detachment and her personal interest in the well-being of her faithful. This translates into occasional confrontations and difficulties between the moribund priesthood of the Lord of Crops and Seasons and the fiery devotees of Freya. Telophus has long been credited with bringing the orderly advance of the seasons for planting, growing, reaping, and storing. Farmers almost universally propitiate this god, though interestingly, as a primarily neutral diety; the bounty of this process is often accredited to Ceres or Freya, whereas Telophus seems simply to be more concerned that the natural processes continue as they should. The lawful aspect of his nature reflects this adherence to the strict natural cycles of day and night, sun and storm, and the endless revolution of the seasons. One result of this detached view of the process is that some strange druidic cults of Telophus have emerged over the centuries that take a distinctly anti-civilization view. Whether this more-malicious interpretation of his faith is bothersome to the deity is unclear, as he has never commented to his priesthood on it in one way or the other.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Law, Life
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: Silver cross.
Favored Weapon: Mace.
Comparable To: Lothian in the Alexandrian pantheon; Horus in the Scorched Lands; Hotei in the Emerald Empire.
Thyr is the god of wise and just rule. He is normally depicted as a wizened king seated on a great throne, holding the Rod of Kingship in one hand and the Chalice of Peace in the other. His principles are justice, order and peace. He represents proper and traditional rule and as such was once worshiped (at least in name) by all human royalty. He is the embodiment of the enlightened human caste system where each person has a fairly determined role in a lawful society intended to create the greatest good for the greatest number. Thyr’s symbol is a silver cross on a white field, symbolizing the upturned cross-haft of his sister’s sword, which he thrust into the earth to end the Godswar at the dawn of the era. Upon seeing the blood of so many gods shed, Thyr foreswore the use of swords and his priests, for this reason, may not use bladed weapons. Many favor reinforced rods, similar to light maces, modeled after Thyr’s own Rod of Kingship. The noble eagle and lion are his sacred creatures. Thyr is also one of the ancient trinity of deities known as the Three Gods that predates the Hyperboreans. The Heldring venerate him as Tyr in much the same aspect as Thyr, though they depict him as one-handed. The modern Heldring have formed an almost-theocratic society devoted to Tyr and Eostre (their name for Muir), and their hledwalda petitions annually for the High Altar of Thyr to be moved from Westden to Firemount, while the empress of the actual-theocracy of Therezia likewise presses for it to be established in the imperial capital of Mhaltra. To date Thyr’s clergy have remained silent on the subject of relocation, though patience wears thin among the royalties of those respective nations. Despite his millennia of success and the establishment of no less than two current monarchies largely based on his faith, Thyr has seen a near-continuous decline across the breadth of Foerdewaith lands, especially since the rise of Mitra. However, his high priest notes that this decline cannot be fully laid at the feet of the upstart Mitra, because it actually precedes his dramatic appearance to Overking Osbert II seven centuries ago. Rather, High Priest Bofred of Westden points out that the first hints of the decline had occurred even before the end of the Atlantean Empire, much less the current decline of the Foerdewaith in recent centuries, pointing to a subtle but pervasive omnipresent diminishment in civilization over this time period. A diminishment that Bofred and others fear may be a harbinger of worse things to come.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Domains: Death, Trickery
Prime Deity: Alizaxis
Symbol: A coin with a five-pointed star on its face.
Favored Weapon: Whip.
Comparable To: Azuran in the pantheon of the Dragon Kingdoms; Baccho in the elven pantheon; Horus in the Scorched Lands of Elaysm; Oneiros in the High Houses.
Lady luck wears many guises. She embodies good fortune and is praised during winning streaks and big wagers. She is also appealed to by losing gamblers in the hope that she will eventually favor them. Other strokes of good fortune such as good harvests, unexpected pregnancies, financial windfalls, and similar events are also sacred to Tykee and her followers. Her temples are usually quite prosperous, as especially lucky gamblers often give part of their winnings to the goddess.
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Law, Knowledge
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: An open scroll.
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff.
Comparable To: Wotan in the Northlands pantheon; Thoth-Hermes in the Scorched Lands of Elaysm; Fukurokujin in the Emerald Empire.
Yenomesh is the aged sage of the gods. He is said to have been the first to gain knowledge of the sacred runes of the Language Eternal which he taught to the gods and elevated them to divinity. Likewise it was he who created the written characters of the language known as Foundation, allowing the concepts of the Language Eternal to be grasped by mortal minds and brought the light of knowledge to the world. He is likewise credited with being the inventor of all written language since it is derived from the characters of Foundation, and his priests are often fluent in writing and speaking many different tongues. For his role in imparting knowledge upon the mortal races, libraries and archives are often dedicated to Yenomesh, and many have at least one small shrine in his honor. Despite the universality of Yenomesh’s contributions to the world in the form of writing, he was not always considered to be a part of the Foerdewaith pantheon. Originally Yenomesh was found only in the ancient religions of the past, then called Saphoy. It was during the Atlantean expansion into Lados some three-and-a-half thousand years ago that the West encountered the monastics of Yenomesh far to the north. They later recognized the value and contributions of the Yenomeshi faith when Atlantean scholarship realized that all known languages were derived from a script that the monastics used to write their own scrolls. As scholars practiced in the arcane arts discovered that this Foundation language also served as the basis for magical writings, western wizards began to show interest in the faith as well. Yenomesh has never had sufficient popularity among magical practitioners that it threatened the faith of Jamboor or later Belon the Wise, but he has also had a small and devoted following of these spellcasters who delve deeply into the mysteries of alternate forms of magical writing.
Archeillus
God of Rightful Rule; Protector of the Nobility
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Good
Domain: Law, Life
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: A crowned lion's head or mask
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Comparable To: None, Archeillus is unique to the Foerdewaith pantheon, and a uniquely human god.
Archeillus once stood below only Thyr himself in the pantheon of the Kingdoms of Foere. Though the first overking, Macobert, claimed familial descent from the sea god Quell, it was by virtue of the laws and customs of Archeillus that he claimed rightful rule over all the kingdoms and their client states. Despite these once heady heights of influence across the whole of Torar, with the decline of Foere, so too has the worship of Archeillus seen its decline. This has arguably been furthered by the slow increase of support for the foreign deity Mitra as the divine patron of the Foerdewaith sovereignty, a trend whose beginnings can be traced back to the time of the great, great, grandson of Macobert, Osbert II, some seven centuries ago. Still an important god of the Foerdewaith, his religion is now often seen as old-fashioned or outdated, though he remains revered among many of the old noble families, especially in the more backwater areas. This devotion often even includes noble families that are not of Foerdewaith descent or rulers of lands outside Foere’s sphere of influence. This is in large part because veneration of Archeillus is traditionally seen as a support of the current ruling class and serves to justify maintenance of the status quo of power among adherents. As a result of this common understanding, despite the fact that Archeillus is inherently a god of law and good, his religion is used by many a less-benign tyrant as means to consolidate and hold power with a veneer of legitimacy. The established church of Archeillus officially finds this practice repellant but also finds it prudent to not try and identify those who should or should not rule because of the inherent risk of opposing a true believer who has merely been mischaracterized by his subjects or, even worse, finding themselves forced to choose sides and ending up on the losing end of a political power struggle. With its loss in influence over the last few centuries and the inevitable reduction in the number of followers, the clergy of Archeillus has learned to step carefully and walk a fine line between clearly upholding the morality and rule of just law represented by Archeillus and stepping cautiously to avoid upsetting the apple cart of local politics that could result in them being completely removed from the halls of power and spheres of influence altogether. Many priests of Archeillus take comfort in the oft-quoted axiom, “he that rules does so but by the will of Archeillus,” allowing responsibility for the issue of rightful rulership to fall squarely upon the shoulders of the god himself. They trust that Archeillus’s wisdom will sort out the details rather than muddying the waters by the machinations and inevitable disasters wrought by imperfect mortals, which is perhaps what the god has intended all along.
Belon the Wise
God of Travel; Wanderer in White
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral Good
Domain: Knowledge, Travel
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: A flawless diamond
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Comparable To: Charun in the Seven Cities region of Elaysm.
Belon appears to his worshippers as an elderly man wearing flowing white robes and carrying a walking staff. Belon is the embodiment of things learned upon the road, be they magical or mundane knowledge. Priests of Belon often serve as guides, educating themselves in local customs in order to afford better traveling conditions for those in their care. As such, Belon is patron of both journeys and knowledge, exemplified in the wisdom that can be gained by being well traveled. An emphasis on common sense ensures that he finds adherents among the stolid common folk of the world rather than only the scholars and learned. Belon’s earliest influence in Lados seems to have been in and around the city of Westden where he enjoyed some popularity as a god of travel among a burgeoning city of merchants and travelers. Over time, however, his worship waned in favor of other gods that hold mercantilism and commerce among their areas of interest, deities such as Sefagreth and Tykee. Recently, however, the church of Belon has been on the rise again as interest in him as a god of arcane knowledge who can perhaps provide secrets of ancient magic. Less a travelers’ god, it is now more in vogue for wizards who consider themselves to be sophisticated and well-traveled to venerate the White Wanderer. This upsurge has been noticed by the clergy of the traditional god of magic Jamboor, and discussions about what to do among that god’s scholars have been going on for years now as more and more practitioners of the arcane arts turn to Belon as their patron.
Ceres
The Revered Mother; Goddess of the Home and Midwives; Goddess of Healing, Mercy, and Patience; Goddess of the Millstone
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Good
Domain: Life, Nature
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: A millstone
Favored Weapon: Flail
Comparable To: Kishar in the Atlantean pantheon; Sif in the Northlands pantheon; Holda in the elven pantheon; known by the same name but different titles in the Seven Cities region of Elaysm; Benten in the Emerald Empire; Lenore in the High Houses.
Ceres has protected home and hearth since the earliest recorded histories. She is seen as a motherly figure who protects her followers and their communities through gentle guidance and nurturing. It is also she who the common folk turn to in prayer to avoid famine from a bad harvest or natural calamities. Though not really a goddess of crops and weather like the god Telophus, her holy writings and liturgy do universally speak of a bountiful harvest to fill the bellies of the community and the needy. More concerned with the benign use of the harvest from the standpoint of community well-being and stability rather than being seen as a matron of plant growth in general, Ceres is one of the few deities whose worship involves active benevolence in the form of feeding and sheltering the needy. She is revered by many who are not truly her worshippers (hence her title of “Revered Mother”) because she is seen as the divine caretaker and overseer of healthy births, though she shares this role with the goddess Freya. So even those who venerate other gods or are even diametrically opposed to her through alignment or creed are not above uttering short prayer in her name at the birth of their own offspring. In her hands lies the well-being of the next generation, which all humans recognize and generally respect. That her followers are not crusaders or violent radicals seeking to bring judgment in her name makes this veneration by others more palatable. For all of these qualities and that of providing succor to the sick, Ceres is often seen as the glue that holds families and communities together. The few hospices that exist for the indigent or those unable to afford the services of a personal physician are almost always established by her worshippers. Despite her recognized benevolence, Ceres is seen as somewhat rustic, and has been in decline in some urban centers. She retains her popularity and influence in the countryside among the simple folk, however. The halfling matron goddess Hester serves as her handmaiden, and many rural halflings revere Ceres as well as a result.
Dre'uain the Lame
God of Crafts and Smiths; God of Industry and Hard Work
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Neutral
Domain: Forge, Knowledge
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: Three interlocked cogwheels
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Comparable To: Volund in the Endhavian pantheon; Ebisu in the Emerald Empire; Kyo in the High Houses.
Dre’uain appears as a clubfooted gnome with strong but fine-fingered hands. His flame-red hair and beard always appear singed from his labors over the forge. He has a long nose and piercingly curious eyes and wears a soot-covered apron. Hammer Mittelschmerz claims to have learned all he knows of crafting and invention from Dre’uain. Considered by many to be one of the oldest deities, Dre’uain embodies the creative mind and its ability to fashion objects and devices. Dre’uain is honored by creators, inventors, smiths, architects, and other craftsfolk of all races. His connection to earthquakes, volcanoes, and other seismic events seem to be a holdover from his earliest days as a mighty giant and earth deity. In that capacity early myths say that he battled the primordial earth spirit Kronus for supremacy. The result of the battle was the crippling of Dre’uain and the reduction to his current stature as well as his loss of mastery over the earth, turning instead to mastery of its resources in invention and crafting. Kronus faired perhaps worse, losing his mastery over the earth in exchange for knowledge of its deepest secrets instead but at the cost of having his psyche split into two competing halves and being cast into the Ginnungagap. Since then Dre’uain has succeeded in one of the most difficult tasks in all the multiverse; he was a gnome god who ascended to a position of respect and major worship among humans, with many adherents among other smallfolk as well. Among humans, Dre’uain not only receives veneration among inventors, craftsmen, and smiths, but his propensity for hard work and virtue of honest labors has endeared him to all manner of manual laborers. The presence of Dre’uain’s own clubbed foot as a model, and the tendency of some of his followers to unionize has created a following of maimed workers among his followers. This has likewise contributed to a growing number of wounded veteran soldiers among those who follow him, turning away from their former soldier gods in their disability and looking instead to Dre’uain to sustain them. An unexpected side effect of this is that an ever-growing number of beggars — crippled and healthy alike — are beginning to flock to faith. This latest development has created a great deal of discomfort and growing resentment among his clergy because many of these beggars are seen as individuals who eschew hard work in favor of the charity of others, which flies in the face of the very tenants of Dre’uain. Despite many temples openly preaching against the sin of sloth to discourage this or any affiliation with those they see as ne’er-do-wells, any number of almshouses and soup kitchens continue to pop up in Dre’uian’s name, though not formally associated with actual members of the clergy. The church hierarchy has yet to come up with a good solution to this situation and are divided as to whether a solution is even necessary. Dre’uain’s temples always contain an altar composed of large metal gears intended to represent the eternal mechanisms of the cosmos, which Dre’uain is said to understand and perhaps even serve as caretaker over. True members of Dre’uain’s clergy can be identified by their ability to disassemble the interlocking cogs of Dre’uain’s holy symbols or connect them back together. This secret, known as the “Blessing of Dre’uain”, is given to them directly from the god. Others who attempt to do so must make a successful DC 45 Intelligence check.
Freya
Goddess of Love and Fertility; Freyja
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral Good
Domain: Life, War
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: Falcon
Favored Weapon: Spear
Comparable To: Ishtar in the Atlantean pantheon; Lada in the Endhavian pantheon; Baldur among the Northlanders' pantheon; Lachesis in the High Houses.
Freya is a lesser goddess of love and fertility. Freya is also the leader of a great band of women warriors — known as amazons. Freya represents fertility in all its forms. In the Southlands, Freya represents the cycle of death and rebirth. She is a goddess of the coming harvest, as well as of sexuality and procreation. Her beast is the falcon, though she is fond of the winter wolf and the hind. She appears most frequently to her worshipers as a beautiful human woman dressed in robes and a cloak of winter wolf fur, though she occasionally appears as a hunter in leather armor with spear and bow or as a warrior in shining mail with a glowing sword. She can take the form of a falcon — or any other bird — at will, as well as that of a huge winter wolf. Freya is a transplant to the Foerdewaith pantheon from the original elves of the region, who have a goddess of the wilds named Freyja. Despite this foreign origin, Freya is one of the single-most popular deities worshipped by the peoples of the Borderlands. As a goddess of the harvest, there is natural friction between her followers and those of Telophus, though this rarely comes to open conflict. She and Ceres likewise share dominion over midwives and the birthing process, though Freya approaches it more from the procreation aspect and Ceres from the aspect of a healthy family and community. As such, there is little conflict between the followers of these faiths, and small villages tend to lean towards one or the other as a whole rather than having shrines of both in the same community. Though not an inherently violent faith, Freya despises any kind of arachnid, and her battles against the Endhavian goddess Rava are legendary. Her followers also frequently conflict with those of the arachnid deity called The Spider, though that deity is too bestial and unsophisticated to truly carry a grudge against the goddess.
Jamboor
God of Knowledge, Magic, and Death; He Who Hears the Secrets of the Dead
Status: Lesser (intermediate) GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Arcana, Grave
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: An eclipsed sun
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Comparable To: Nergal in the Atlantean pantheon; Anubis in Elaysm's Scorched Lands.
Jamboor is a god of death, but only in the regard that death is a part of life and should be revered as such. It is not unusual for the clerics of Jamboor to multi-class with one or more arcane classes. Kings and noblemen consider it a true feather in their cap to have a priest of Jamboor as an advisor. Jamboor is an ancient god of Foerdewaith who has clung to his influence tenaciously since the earliest of days. This mysterious deity is seen as a benign or malignant entity depending on the standpoint of the viewer. To some folk, a god of death must be evil and, therefore, to be feared, while to others he merely maintains the proper order of things in the cycle of life and death. And still to others he is simply a god of magic and arcane knowledge which can be the faith of benevolent local wizard or a power-mad necromancer. Regardless, all rulers and leaders value his faith because his priests are known to possess a great many secrets and are willing to offer wise counsel to any ruler without regard to political or religious affiliation. Many local superstitions find their roots in the practices of the followers of Jamboor, and entire sects of his priesthood are tasked with sussing out the secrets of existence through listening to the whispers of the dead. The dates and times for the High Holy Days of the continent of Lados are determined and published each year by the priests of Jamboor and are recognized by those of all faiths. While the Wheels of Inquiry used by his followers to determine local omens and auguries can be found in almost any community for use by any who know the secrets of their interpretation. Despite his long and ongoing influence, Jamboor’s age-old mastery of those who study the magical arts is now being challenged as the traveler deity Belon the Wise gains more and more followers among arcane practitioners. This situation has caused no small amount of consternation among the normally staid Jamboorites not only because of the encroachment upon their traditional sphere of influence but even more so because they did not foresee its coming.
Kamien
Goddess of Rivers, Streams, and Springs; The Sparkling Maiden; Old Widemouth; The Water Lady
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Nature, Tempest
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: A fish riding upon three wavy lines.
Favored Weapon: Javelin
Comparable To: Tiamat in the Atlantean pantheon; Jormungandr in the Northlands; Seggotan among the Dragon Kingdoms of Elaysm.
Kamien is the embodiment of springs, streams, and rivers, appearing as a woman with skin like silvery rippling water — earning her name as the Sparkling Maiden — or as a great silvery scaled fish — usually called Old Widemouth for resembling a massive bass. Bargemen and fishermen who ply her waterways toss coins into streams, fountains, and brooks to ensure safe passage and plentiful catches. Kamien is one of the earliest Foerdewaith deities, even predating that civilization, representing the springs and streams that provided plentiful water sources that allowed early humanoid settlements to be established and thrive. As such she became a community deity and was seen as protector of the town well, spring, or other water source required for their continued survival. As societies advanced and maintenance of water sources and the ability to find them became more sophisticated and reliable, her role as the protector of the community transformed somewhat into that of protector of travel and trade upon the waters of her streams and rivers. It is this aspect that is most frequently seen in her worship today, though settlements that greatly rely upon yearly flooding or preservation from such floods still revere her in the older incarnations through semi-annual flood festivals and the yearly Rising ceremony at midsummer to beseech her to keep the waters flowing throughout the dry season. Already considered an ancient deity among humans, Kamien’s reach extends even farther back into the mists of time beyond even human civilization. In her earliest incarnation she is considered to be the mother of the nymphs and sprites and is a member of the Court of the Fey as a protector of fertility. Knowledge of this aspect is largely lost among human cultures today, though some prostitutes (usually in riverside communities) venerate the Sparkling Maiden for her seductive qualities, probably related to her relation to fey such as nymphs and nereids that are known for their beauty and allure. Her ancient background is further recalled vaguely in old wives’ tales about the dangers of visiting the local spring or well at night because the Water Lady might come and steal the foolish visitor. That this could be a reference to Kamien and the sometimes predatory fey among her followers is a possibility, though it could just as easily be nothing more than a parental admonition to children to avoid drownings and other water accidents while unsupervised.
Mitra
God of Law, Justice, and the Sun; Sun Father; The Truth-Speaker
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Light, Life
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: A golden sunburst surrounded by the leaves and thorns of a myrrh tree.
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Comparable To: Mithra in the Altantean pantheon; Khors in the Endhavian pantheon; Valeresh in the elven pantheon; Aten in Elaysm's Scorched Lands.
Mitra has become one of the most commonly worshipped gods in Lados. Part of Mitra’s appeal is his emphasis on humility among his worshippers while at the same time championing justice and rule of law. Thus while the powers-that-be worship Mitra to uphold their rightful rule and the laws of the land, he is appealing to the common folk for his insistence on the principles of mercy and fairness among the high and low alike. Another god that probably found its way into Lados through the crusading knights of the Foerdewaith, Mitra’s true rise to prominence in the land undoubtedly stems from a single incident some 700 years ago when he allegedly appeared to the Foerdewaith overking, Osbert II, before the pivotal battle of Oescreheit Downs promising victory for the beleaguered Foerdewaith against the vastly superior numbers of the Heldring horde. When the Heldring were defeated and their threat finally broken once and for all, many took Mitra’s appearance to mean that he favored the rightful rule of the Foerdewaith overkings and adopted him as the patron of Macobert’s dynasty. The shift as a result of this changing attitude was gradual and took place only in small incremental steps, but its progress has been inexorable. Gods that have felt the greatest decline as a result of Mitra’s rise are the sun goddess Solanus (to such an extent that many folk of Lados have begun to refer to the sun as Mitra rather than as Sol or Solanus as has been traditionally done), Muir as a Lawful war goddess, and Thyr in his role of Lawgiver and god of justice. At point in time, virtually every judge and court in Lados looked to Thyr as its patron, but now Mitra predominates in that role by a narrow margin, and his influence in the areas of the sun and healing ensures that his adherents’ growth continues even as Thyr’s declines.
Muir
Goddess of Virtue and Paladins; Eostre
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Light, War
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: Upraised sword.
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Comparable To: Perun in the Endhavian pantheon; Thor in the Northlanders' pantheon; Khespotan among the Dragon Kingdoms of Elaysm; Bishamon in the Emerald Empire.
Muir is the twin sister of Thyr and one of the fabled Three Gods of old. While he represents law and peace, she represents the martial valor necessary to make that peace a reality. As such, she is the goddess of paladins and the principle martial deity of the Heldring. She is often depicted as a dark-tressed dwarven maiden warrior in shining mail with an upraised (often bloodstained) sword. She is noble and single-minded of purpose. The tenets of her worship include honor, truth, and courage. A great order of Atlantean paladins known as the Justicars were sworn to her service but are believed to have died off at the time of the Battle of Tsar and the fall of Carcosa ages ago. Like her brother-deity Thyr, Muir has lost some of the predominance that she once enjoyed in Lados. Her High Altar was moved to the vicinity of Westden after the fall of Carcosa and has since fallen into decline there as well. However, like Thyr she has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity among the now-devout Heldring of the Hellsreach Badlands, where she is known as Eostre. The Heldring hledwalda presses for relocation of the High Altar of Muir to her domain, but the goddess has yet to make a pronouncement on the matter so for now it remains in its diminished state in the city of Westden. Muir expects self-sacrifice, humility, and charity as well as unswerving loyalty, and her worshipers must be lawful good. Her standards are extreme and she quickly turns her back on any who fail to live up to them. Those who maintain her standards, however, may strive to become Justicars, an order of paladins imbued with even greater holiness if the means to reviving that order can be discovered somewhere in the ruins of lost Carcosa. Her symbol is a blood-red uplifted sword on a white background, symbolizing her endless fight against evil, and the falcon is a sacred animal to her for its noble bearing and relentless pursuit of its prey. She is the tireless foe of all evil creatures, and undead, demons, and devils in particular are her sworn enemy.
Narrah
The Lady of the Moon; The Pale Sister; Luna
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Nature, Trickery
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: A crescent moon.
Favored Weapon: Sickle.
Comparable To: Set in the Atlantean pantheon; Sarastra in the elves' pantheon; Hecate in Elaysm's Seven Cities region; Onnotangu/Hitomi/Obsidian Dragon in the Emerald Empire; Yue in the High Houses.
An ancient and oft-forgotten goddess, Narrah has looked down upon the face of the lands as the greater moon known as the Pale Sister, since the beginning of the world. Worshipped by star-gazers, lycanthropes, and lovers alike, the Lady of the Moon is neither good nor evil, light nor dark. She represents neutrality is its most natural form. She is the moonlight in the dark, the push and pull of the tides, and the navigation point when one is lost. Actively worshipped by druids who remember the ancient traditions of the Old Way, she imparts the secrets of the universe under the cover of night. Though most folk refer to her only as the Pale Sister or, perhaps, Luna and think of her only as the larger and brighter of the two moons rather than as an actual goddess. Alongside her twin moon, Sybil the Dark Sister, Narrah has hovered over the world since the beginning. Her earliest followers were the fey and primitive humanoids, and since that time she has warred with the smaller moon for the dominance of the night.
Sefagreth
God of Commerce, Trade, and Cities; The Divine Moneylender
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Travel, Trickery
Prime Deity: Thera
Symbol: Compass rose.
Favored Weapon: Rapier.
Comparable To: Rava in the Endhavian pantheon; Daikoku in the Emerald Empire.
Sefagreth is a handsome deity popular among aristocrats, diplomats, tradesmen and courtiers. The founder of cities and the father of trade, Sefagreth is a deity whose primary concern is the creation and maintenance of wealth and good relations between cities. Sefagreth is therefore considered a neutral party who aids in the disputes among the gods, and counts diplomats as his followers. He disdains combat, preferring to use argument and rhetoric, and allow others to do the fighting.
Solanus
Goddess of the Sun and Healing
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Life, Light
Prime Deity: Fatima
Symbol: An open palm inscribed with a blazing sun.
Favored Weapon: Mace.
Comparable To: Asura in the Atlantean pantheon; Baal in the Dragon Kingdoms of Elaysm; Amaterasu/Yakamo/Jade Dragon in the Emerald Empire.
Solanus is the benevolent goddess of the sun, Sol as it has traditionally been named in Lados. Her priests have often served as field medics in armies and once comprised an entire legion. They have also commonly been the local healers in villages and small towns. Some hospitals were established in Solanus’s name in certain imperial centers (namely Remenos and Curgantium), but the practice never caught on in more remote settings where sufficient funds from the imperial coffers were frequently unavailable. As a result, her rural clergy remained principally scattered as individual practitioners while her central high church maintained a rigid hierarchy that often looked with disdain upon the rural church as disorganized or even bumpkins. Perhaps the church’s greatest claim to notoriety over the centuries, however, has been the propensity for members of her rural clergy to join adventuring bands. At one time in the empire’s history, it is likely that as many as 8 out of 10 adventuring parties, mercenary companies, or freelance knights was accompanied by a cleric of Solanus, bringing great acceptance and goodwill among the common folk far beyond what could have been managed by the central offices of the church tucked away in the great cities of the empire. Many of the older bardic hero tales composed in the classical style of those times include a warrior of Thyr, a wizard of Jamboor, a paladin of Muir, and a cleric of Solanus as heroic archetypes. (They also typically include a scoundrel character devoted to Narrah, though this is less likely to be acknowledged in polite company.) In recent centuries the church of Solanus has seen a steady, and in some cases precipitous, decline. This can be directly attributed to the equally steady rise in the encroaching faith of Mitra after being embraced by the Foerdewaith overkings several centuries ago. In general her worship becomes more common the farther west one travels across Lados, as the faith of Mitra has not yet spread that far. Solanus is one of the three matron/patron deities of the great duchy of Kirsvald and still enjoys a great degree of popularity and worship there. Her High Altar remains in the city of Silverus at the venerable Hospital of St. Jethra the Martyred which still maintains 1,220 beds and accepts the sick and infirm from all over Lados who make their way to its doors.
Telophus
Lord of Crops and the Seasons
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Nature, Seasons
Prime Deity: Gaia
Symbol: Raining clouds partially obscuring a radiant sun.
Favored Weapon: Sickle or scythe.
Comparable To: Tarhun in the Atlantean pantheon; Freyr & Freyja in the pantheon of the Northlands; Porevit & Yarila in the elvish pantheon; Masaru in the High Houses.
This originally Atlantean god is the embodiment of the uncaring changing seasons. He is prayed to not so much to bring good crops, but to be convinced to hold off the early frost or bring the spring thaw. He requires appeasement and devoted following, being known to test his followers’ faithfulness and resolve when it suits him. Telophus and Freya are natural antagonists to each other between his uncaring detachment and her personal interest in the well-being of her faithful. This translates into occasional confrontations and difficulties between the moribund priesthood of the Lord of Crops and Seasons and the fiery devotees of Freya. Telophus has long been credited with bringing the orderly advance of the seasons for planting, growing, reaping, and storing. Farmers almost universally propitiate this god, though interestingly, as a primarily neutral diety; the bounty of this process is often accredited to Ceres or Freya, whereas Telophus seems simply to be more concerned that the natural processes continue as they should. The lawful aspect of his nature reflects this adherence to the strict natural cycles of day and night, sun and storm, and the endless revolution of the seasons. One result of this detached view of the process is that some strange druidic cults of Telophus have emerged over the centuries that take a distinctly anti-civilization view. Whether this more-malicious interpretation of his faith is bothersome to the deity is unclear, as he has never commented to his priesthood on it in one way or the other.
Thyr
God of Law and Justice; The Lawgiver
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Law, Life
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: Silver cross.
Favored Weapon: Mace.
Comparable To: Lothian in the Alexandrian pantheon; Horus in the Scorched Lands; Hotei in the Emerald Empire.
Thyr is the god of wise and just rule. He is normally depicted as a wizened king seated on a great throne, holding the Rod of Kingship in one hand and the Chalice of Peace in the other. His principles are justice, order and peace. He represents proper and traditional rule and as such was once worshiped (at least in name) by all human royalty. He is the embodiment of the enlightened human caste system where each person has a fairly determined role in a lawful society intended to create the greatest good for the greatest number. Thyr’s symbol is a silver cross on a white field, symbolizing the upturned cross-haft of his sister’s sword, which he thrust into the earth to end the Godswar at the dawn of the era. Upon seeing the blood of so many gods shed, Thyr foreswore the use of swords and his priests, for this reason, may not use bladed weapons. Many favor reinforced rods, similar to light maces, modeled after Thyr’s own Rod of Kingship. The noble eagle and lion are his sacred creatures. Thyr is also one of the ancient trinity of deities known as the Three Gods that predates the Hyperboreans. The Heldring venerate him as Tyr in much the same aspect as Thyr, though they depict him as one-handed. The modern Heldring have formed an almost-theocratic society devoted to Tyr and Eostre (their name for Muir), and their hledwalda petitions annually for the High Altar of Thyr to be moved from Westden to Firemount, while the empress of the actual-theocracy of Therezia likewise presses for it to be established in the imperial capital of Mhaltra. To date Thyr’s clergy have remained silent on the subject of relocation, though patience wears thin among the royalties of those respective nations. Despite his millennia of success and the establishment of no less than two current monarchies largely based on his faith, Thyr has seen a near-continuous decline across the breadth of Foerdewaith lands, especially since the rise of Mitra. However, his high priest notes that this decline cannot be fully laid at the feet of the upstart Mitra, because it actually precedes his dramatic appearance to Overking Osbert II seven centuries ago. Rather, High Priest Bofred of Westden points out that the first hints of the decline had occurred even before the end of the Atlantean Empire, much less the current decline of the Foerdewaith in recent centuries, pointing to a subtle but pervasive omnipresent diminishment in civilization over this time period. A diminishment that Bofred and others fear may be a harbinger of worse things to come.
Tykee
Goddess of Luck and Good Fortune; Lady Luck
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Chaotic Good
Domains: Death, Trickery
Prime Deity: Alizaxis
Symbol: A coin with a five-pointed star on its face.
Favored Weapon: Whip.
Comparable To: Azuran in the pantheon of the Dragon Kingdoms; Baccho in the elven pantheon; Horus in the Scorched Lands of Elaysm; Oneiros in the High Houses.
Lady luck wears many guises. She embodies good fortune and is praised during winning streaks and big wagers. She is also appealed to by losing gamblers in the hope that she will eventually favor them. Other strokes of good fortune such as good harvests, unexpected pregnancies, financial windfalls, and similar events are also sacred to Tykee and her followers. Her temples are usually quite prosperous, as especially lucky gamblers often give part of their winnings to the goddess.
Yenomesh
God of Glyphs and Writing
Status: Lesser GodAlignment: Neutral
Domains: Law, Knowledge
Prime Deity: Oros
Symbol: An open scroll.
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff.
Comparable To: Wotan in the Northlands pantheon; Thoth-Hermes in the Scorched Lands of Elaysm; Fukurokujin in the Emerald Empire.
Yenomesh is the aged sage of the gods. He is said to have been the first to gain knowledge of the sacred runes of the Language Eternal which he taught to the gods and elevated them to divinity. Likewise it was he who created the written characters of the language known as Foundation, allowing the concepts of the Language Eternal to be grasped by mortal minds and brought the light of knowledge to the world. He is likewise credited with being the inventor of all written language since it is derived from the characters of Foundation, and his priests are often fluent in writing and speaking many different tongues. For his role in imparting knowledge upon the mortal races, libraries and archives are often dedicated to Yenomesh, and many have at least one small shrine in his honor. Despite the universality of Yenomesh’s contributions to the world in the form of writing, he was not always considered to be a part of the Foerdewaith pantheon. Originally Yenomesh was found only in the ancient religions of the past, then called Saphoy. It was during the Atlantean expansion into Lados some three-and-a-half thousand years ago that the West encountered the monastics of Yenomesh far to the north. They later recognized the value and contributions of the Yenomeshi faith when Atlantean scholarship realized that all known languages were derived from a script that the monastics used to write their own scrolls. As scholars practiced in the arcane arts discovered that this Foundation language also served as the basis for magical writings, western wizards began to show interest in the faith as well. Yenomesh has never had sufficient popularity among magical practitioners that it threatened the faith of Jamboor or later Belon the Wise, but he has also had a small and devoted following of these spellcasters who delve deeply into the mysteries of alternate forms of magical writing.
Structure
The official hierarchy is that the Three Gods, Muir, Thyr, and Solanus are the ruling body of the pantheon, however in many respects Mitra has supplanted all three in worship, power, and influence. Most of the common folk worship Mitra as the head of the pantheon, or in some cases even do so monotheistically, claiming all other gods are false.
Founding Date
22280 AE
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
The Princeling Pantheon, the New Gods
Parent Organization
Deities
Location
Comments