Olympian Pantheon

The gods of Olympus make themselves known with the gentle lap of waves against the shores and the crash of the thunder among the cloud-enshrouded peaks. The thick boar-infested woods and the sere, olive-covered hillsides hold evidence of their passing. Every aspect of nature echoes with their presence, and they've made a place for themselves inside the human heart, too.

The primary pantheon worshiped in central Caldonia is the Olympian Pantheon. Said to have originated in the sunken kingdom of Alphatia, the Olympian Pantheon was the primary pantheon of the Coryani Republic. Feeling like the Khepneferan gods had deserted them, the followers of Gaius Arvanorus adopted this new pantheon and brought it with them to their new lands. The people they encountered (the Mureens and the Gendeau) worshiped versions of the same pantheon, possibly suggesting that they too had ties to sunken Alphatia.
Clerics of the Olympian Pantheon focus on serving the entire pantheon. Clerics choose one of the gods as their "Patron", but to serve one god above the others tempts divine wrath. Clerics are given access to one of their patron's domains and also proficiency in their patron's favored weapon (if they are not already proficient with it).

The Faithful

The church of the Olympian Pantheon is known as Mons Voce, or Voice of the Mountain. Those who channel the divine might of Olympus tend to be clerics and paladins, though a few followers of the Olympian gods of nature (such as Artemis, Dionysus, or Pan) are druids.

The Afterlife

The Faithful believe that after death, a person's soul is judged. Most souls go to Hades, God of the Underworld. Hades' realm is said to consist of the Elysium Fields, where the dead who have lived a good life rest forever in a peaceful land. Those who souls were found wanting could be consigned to the depths of Tarterus as either a temporary penance for less-grievous sins, or for eternity for the damned.
The souls of great heroes and paragons of virtue could also be called up to live with the gods on Mount Olympus, and the greatest of these might have the chance to earn demigodhood, as Heracles did in the ancient myths.

Relations with Other Faiths

Having dwelt in close proximity for years, the Olympian Pantheon and the Nordic Pantheon tend to have a friendly rivalry, where followers of similar gods compete to see whose better. Olympians tend to view the Lord of Light with confusion, why just focus on Apollo when there are so many more concerns in the world. They see many overlaps with the Old Faith, and often treat followers of the Old Ways as distant cousins.

Gods of the Pantheon

The members of the Pantheon are described briefly below.

The Greater Olympians

• Zeus, god of the sky, ruler of the gods

• Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty

• Apollo, god of light, music, and healing

• Ares, god of war and strife

• Artemis, goddess of hunting and childbirth

• Athena, goddess of wisdom and civilization

• Demeter, goddess of agriculture

• Dionysus, god of mirth and wine

• Hades, god of the underworld

• Hephaestus, god of smithing and craft

• Hera, goddess of marriage and intrigue

• Hermes, god of trickery, travel and commerce

• Hestia, goddess of home and family

• Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes

Lesser Powers

• Hecate, goddess of magic and the moon

• Hercules, god of strength and adventure

• Nike, goddess of victory

• Pan, god of the wild

• Tyche, goddess of good fortune

Zeus

God of the Sky, Ruler of the Gods
Zeus is king of the pantheon and head of the extended family that makes up the Olympians. He is not the wise, just ruler, but the dominating conqueror. He enjoys the rewards of rule, and many myths exist of him seducing beautiful females or, in some cases, males.
Zeus's domains are Tempest and War, and his favored weapon is the lightning bolt, represented by spears and javelins.

Hera

Queen of Heaven, God of Marriage, Law, and Custom
Hera is a difficult figure to understand, God of marriage and customs, Hera seeks to maintain order. She is the enforcer of contracts and laws, written and unwritten. However, her husband Zeus frequently breaks the bonds of their marriage and other customs (and forbids her to interfere), so the Queen of Heaven often resorts to trickery and deceit to punish wrongdoers, including her husband or more likely, those he seduced.
Hera's domains are Knowledge and Trickery. Her favored weapon is the scepter, which is represented by a light mace.

Aphrodite

God of Love and Beauty
The most beautiful of all the gods, Aphrodite rules over love and lust. She cares not for the bonds of marriage, race or gender. Love conquers all. Aphrodite is depicted in all races and genders in equal measure, and many elves that follow the pantheon turn to her as a patron.
Aphrodite's domains are Life and Light. Her favored weapon is a sea shell, which is represented by a dagger.

Apollo

God of the Sun, Music, and Healing
Apollo is the god of light. He is considered one of the most benevolent of the gods, and bestowed the gifts of healing and music to the world. He is the patron of bards and the god of rejuvenation. Just as the sun rises each morning, each day brings a new opportunity to live.
Apollo's domains are Life and Light. His favored weapon is the sunbeam, which is represented by a longbow or a spear.

Ares

God of War and Conflict
Ares is the god of war. He lives for conflict and even in those rare moments of peacetime engages in contests and games to prove his superiority. Those who choose Ares as a patron can often be found on the battlefield, if not leading the battle. Ares is sometimes depicted as dwarven, and dwarf followers of the pantheon sometimes choose Ares as a patron. He is also unique among the pantheon as being depicted as Rageborn (half-orc). He alone recruits and appeals to Rageborn and their orcish cousins.
Ares' domain is War. His favored weapon is the Battleaxe.

Artemis

God of Nature, Beasts, and the Hunt
Artemis is god of the wilds and all the beasts and wild creatures. She is also goddess of the hunt. She never hunts for sport, but to feed her worshipers or to restore balance in animal populations. Artemis is mainly depicted as an elf, although there are human depictions as well. Elven followers of the pantheon often choose Artemis as a patron.
Artemis' domain is Nature. Her favored weapon is a bow.

Athena

God of Wisdom, Civilization, Strategy and Defense
The deity of noble combat, prudence, and cities, Athena (ah-thee-nah) appears as a statuesque woman with fetching gray eyes. She usually carries a shield and wears helmet and armor. Athena is warlike, but only in defense of things she believes are worth protecting, such as cities, towns, and planted fields. She opposes the destructive rampages of her half-brother, Ares, whenever and however she can.
Athena's domains are Knowledge and War. Her favored weapon is the longsword (gladius).

Demeter

God of all Growing Things and Agriculture
Deity of agriculture and fertility, Demeter (dee-mee-ter) is an earth god whose very moods are reflected in the life and fertility of the earth. She appears as a motherly woman, draped in robes the color of vegetation. Demeter holds sway over the earth’s yearly cycle of growth and decay. Farmers in particular revere her, offering special prayers and sacrifices to her at planting, throughout the growing season, and at harvest time.
Demeter's domains are Life and Nature. Her favored weapon is the flail.

Dionysus

God of mirth, change, wine and chaos (madness)
Deity of wine, mirth, and madness, Dionysus (dye-oh-nye-sus) appears as a young man carrying an amphora of wine, a lyre, and a thyrsus. Like Demeter, he is an agricultural god with power over fertility of both land and creatures. Stories of Dionysus often include him changing his form or his gender to perform this or that prank. He constantly seeks new experiences and new ideas. His followers seek some of these experiences in the bottom of a flask of wine or other consciousness-altering substances. Like Artemis, he is traditionally depicted as elven, and his mindset of always seeking new experiences appeals to the elven sensibilities. A majority of elves who follow the pantheon choose either Dionysus or Artemis as patrons.
Dionysus' domains are Nature and Trickery. His favored weapon is the Thyrsus, which is represented by a quarterstaff.

Hades

God of Death, the Underworld, and Wealth
Hades (hay-deez), the god of death and wealth, appears as a large, powerfully muscled man with gray skin. He has a bushy black beard and black eyes, and he wears gold jewelry symbolizing his control over wealth. While his brothers Zeus and Poseidon rule the sky and the sea respectively, Hades is the ruler of the underworld and has some control over the earth as well.
Hades domains are Death and Grave. His favored weapon is the scythe.

Hephestus

God of Smithing, Craft, Fire, and Invention
The god of blacksmithing, fire, and crafts, Hephaestus (hef-faystuss), usually appears as a powerfully built dwarf. Among the comely gods of Olympus, only he is considered ugly. It is said that his mother, Hera, tried to cast him out. If so, that must have been in the distant past. Hephaestus is highly honored among the gods as their armorer and smith. Bards’ tales say that volcanoes mark the sites of his forges.
Hephestus' domains are Forge and Knowledge. His favored weapon is the hammer (warhammer).

Hermes

Messenger of the Gods, God of Magic and Thievery
Hermes (her-meez) appears as a handsome youth carrying a white caduceus. He wears a winged helm and sandals. He is perhaps the shrewdest and most cunning of all the Olympian deities; he began his career as a thief before he was a day old by stealing a herd of cattle from Apollo (who retains a distaste for thieves to this day). His greatest escapade was stealing magic itself from the gods and teaching it to mortals. Some sects consider him a God of Knowledge and credit him with many secrets learned from the heavens. Hermes is depicted as either elven or human, often combining the features of both as an Elfmarked.
Hermes' domains are Arcana and Trickery (sometimes Knowledge). His favored weapon is the Caduceus, represented by a quarterstaff.

Hestia

God of the Hearth, and Home, Family and Community
Hestia’s faith is a simple one. She teaches the virtues of home and family life, the sweet rewards of labor, and the blessings of food and rest. She encourages common people to take pleasure in the gifts of life as they come, giving thanks to the gods for every earthly blessing. Hestia's priests are often involved in burials, comforting family members. Hestia is often depicted as dwarven, human or hin; three races with strong familial bonds.
Hestia's domains are Life and Grave. She has no favored weapons, and her priests are often practiced in unarmed combat.

Poseidon

God of the Sea, Storms, and Earthquakes
Poseidon (poh-side-uhn), god of the sea, appears as a large male human with long, flowing black hair and beard. He wears a tunic and carries a trident. Tritons, merfolk, and sea nymphs often accompany him. Sailors and coastal dwellers must be sure not to anger this temperamental deity. Poseidon has been known to flatten coastal cities with tidal waves or earthquakes when they displeased him. Poseidon represents all the bounty and the danger of the sea, bringing forth life (he is said to have created both horses and cattle) and taking it away.
Poseidon's domain is Tempest. His favored weapon is the trident.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Alternative Names

The Olympians