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| varyar05-19-07, 08:31 PM | SHIARA The Dark Huntress, Lady Blackbow Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A black longbow and silver arrow Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Hunting, tracking, rangers of the South Worshipers: Druids, rangers, goblinoid and giant hunters Cleric Alignments: CG, NG, CN Domains: Animal, Good, Knowledge, Planet, Travel Favored Weapon: "The Blackbow" (longbow) Shiara (shee-ar-uh), more often known as Lady Blackbow, is the implacable patron of rangers of the South. She appears in the guise of a lithe young huntress with long dark hair and a bow crafted out of ebony. She is carefree in nature except when confronted with the violence of Malar's followers; against them, her passion turns to fiery hate, an attitude most of her follows share. Like her northern counterpart Gwaeron Windstrom, Shiara is emulated more often than truly venerated. The church of the Dark Huntress is still small, even by the modest standards of nature deities, and essentially an arm of the church of Mielikki. Shiara's following is organized into hunting circles which serve the purpose of temples as needed, but mainly exist to pass information between Shiara's ranger and occasional druid followers. There are currently six circles - two each in Amn and Tethyr, one in Baldur's Gate and one located in the foothills of the Adamir mountains west of the Lake of Steam. Shiara's doctrine is essentially the same as Mielikki's, although perhaps with a more proactive emphasis - hunting monsters and goblins is valued more than protecting ordinary folk from their depradations. Clerics, druids and rangers of Shiara pray for their spells at dusk, the hour when goblins are most likely to stir and cause mischief and misery. Aside from the holy days shared with Mielikki, Shiara's followers recognize Blackbow Eve. This holiday, held on the 11th of Ches, commemorates of Shiara's greatest victory: the slaying of an avatar of Malar in the depths of the Wealdath. On Blackbow Eve, each worshipper is obliged to hunt and defeat a follower of Malar (or, if none is at large nearby, some other foe of the natural order) with nothing but their bow and eight arrows. Nearly all clerics and druids of Shiara multiclass as rangers. History/Relationships: Shiara is a relatively young deity. She ascended in the early 1200s DR under the tutelate of Mielikki. In life, Shiara was an Amnian ranger and peerless huntress of the goblinoids of the Smallteeth mountains and Wealdath Forest. She slew no fewer than seven giant chieftains and foiled many of their schemes to ravage the peaceful folk of Amn and Tethyr, and reserved a special loathing for the followers of Malar. Her dedication and skill drew Mielikki's eye and she was raised to the rank of demigoddess after her epic battle against the avatar of Malar. Since then, her church has spread through Tethyr and Amn, and even as far as Baldur's Gate and the Lake of Steam. Shiara's followers have a close relationship (in spirit, if not distance) with Gwaeron Windstrom's devotees; Shiara herself considers Gwaeron a far-too-stern older brother. She works well with similar deities in the elven and halfling pantheons, especially Solonor Thelandira and Arvoreen. Dogma: The first duty of the faithful is the hunt. Only by bringing the endless battle to the servants of Malar, and the goblins and their kin, can the good races be kept safe. Do not fear the wild, or what it holds, but draw on it for strength. Strive for union with the forest, and never waver in your defense of it, and those who make their homes within. Never tolerate the cruel, especially those who hunt for sport or malice. *** I've had this floating around my HD, next to the Lost Seldarine and Lost Gods of Magic, for almost a year now. Whaddaya think, sirs? |
| Zandilar05-19-07, 09:19 PM | Heya, She's interesting... But as much as I like the idea... Including her means there are too many Ranger deities... Mielikki would be cutting her nose off to spite her face by elevating her - 'cause lets face it, if Shiara didn't exist, her followers would most likely belong to Mielikki. Mielikki would only weaken herself. Perhaps Shiara is just an aspect of Mielikki who is worshipped in the south? The other thing I think you've forgotten is that deities of the same level of power can't have the same elements in their portfolio - Gwaeron Windstrom is the god of tracking/trackers - therefore Shiara cannot have tracking in her portfolio. There are plenty of other deities who could serve for Rangers of the south, including Nobanion. If I was going to include her, I'd have to kill off Gwaeron. |
| varyar05-19-07, 09:22 PM | Curses! :D The main reasoning behind Shiara was if Gwaeron was Ranger God of the North, there should be one for the South, too. That's really as far as my thinking went, I admit. :o I like the idea of her being an aspect of Mielikki, but then I'd have to scrap the history bit. Hm. Maybe I'll make her an ancient deity who was absorbed into Mielikki long ago. |
| varyar05-20-07, 02:34 PM | Okay, revision time! Shiara (shee-ar-uh), more often known as Lady Blackbow, was the implacable patron of rangers of the South. She appeared in the guise of a lithe young huntress with long dark hair and a bow crafted out of ebony. Shiara was carefree in nature except when confronted with the violence of Malar's followers; against them, her passion turns to fiery hate, an attitude most of her follows share. In her day, Shiara was emulated more often than truly venerated, part of the reason for her eventual fall. The church of the Dark Huntress was always small, even by the modest standards of nature deities. It was organized into hunting circles which served the purpose of temples as needed, but mainly existed to pass information between Shiara's ranger and occasional druid followers. Scholars have identified six circles - two each in what is currently Amn and Tethyr, one near Baldur's Gate, and one located in the foothills of the Adamir mountains west of the Lake of Steam. Shiara's doctrine was essentially the same as Mielikki's, although perhaps with a more proactive emphasis - hunting monsters and goblins is valued more than simply defending ordinary folk from their depradations. Clerics, druids and rangers of Shiara prayed for their spells at dusk, the hour when goblins are most likely to stir and cause mischief and misery. Aside from the holy days shared with Silvanus, Shiara's overlord and father figure, Shiara's followers recognized Blackbow Eve. This holiday, held on the 11th of Ches, commemorated of Shiara's greatest victory: the slaying of an avatar of Malar in the depths of the Wealdath. On Blackbow Eve, each worshipper was obliged to hunt and defeat a follower of Malar (or, if none is at large nearby, some other foe of the natural order) with nothing but their bow and eight arrows. Nearly all clerics and druids of Shiara multiclassed as rangers. History/Relationships: Shiara was a relatively young deity. She ascended in the early -800s DR under the tutelate of Silvanus. In life, Shiara was an Amnian ranger and peerless huntress of the goblinoids and giants of the Smallteeth mountains and Wealdath Forest. She slew no fewer than seven giant chieftains and foiled many of their schemes to ravage the peaceful folk of Amn and Tethyr, and reserved a special loathing for the followers of Malar. Her dedication and skill in fighting the brutish foes of the natural order drew Silvanus' eye and she was raised to the rank of demigoddess after her epic battle against the avatar of Malar. After her ascension, Shiara's church spread throughout Tethyr and Amn, and even as far as Baldur's Gate and the Lake of Steam. Shiara's followers had a close relationship with most of the nature and good hunter gods of the day, especially Nobanion, Solonor Thelandira and Arvoreen. Her relationship with her sister (in spirit, if not in blood, although some claimed both were daughters of Silvanus) Mielikki was cordial, although their respective followers tended to be rivals. Not long before the fall of Netheril, Shiara and Malar's age-old conflict intensified, rising to a peak thanks to the general turmoil of the time. Both deities manifested in the Wealdeth and after a titanic battle that laid waste to huge portions of the forest, Shiara's avatar was slain by her ancient enemy. While she recovered in the House of Nature, Malar's avatar and his most powerful followers hunted down her clergy and rangers. In less than a month, nearly her entire church had been massacred. Shiara's few surviving followers fled to the four winds to escape the continuing purge, and over the next century or so, Shiara's church dwindled away to a handful of worshippers. The remnants were dispersed after the fall of Netheril, and Shiara faded away. What remnants of her divine energy survived were absorbed by Mielikki, who was sometimes known as Shiara in the South for another century or two before even the memory of Lady Blackbow vanished. |
| Faraer05-20-07, 02:45 PM | The main reasoning behind Shiara was if Gwaeron was Ranger God of the North, there should be one for the South, too.Gwaeron is a ranger god of the north, somewhat as Shaundakul is. 'serves Mielikki as the master of tracking and interpreting woodland signs, and is worshipped by rangers in the North', i.e. in addition to Mielikki. But there could be a southern equivalent. |
| GothicDan05-20-07, 03:20 PM | Especially since she's only a demi-deity. I'm all for dozens of local demigods we haven't heard of yet. |
| XHereticX05-20-07, 03:22 PM | It would be interesting if you made her an EVIL ranger deity. |
| varyar05-20-07, 03:32 PM | Especially since she's only a demi-deity. I'm all for dozens of local demigods we haven't heard of yet. Exactly! The Realms is a big place, after all. It would be interesting if you made her an EVIL ranger deity. Oh, that's not a bad idea. Hm. But I'm too attached to Shiara as a good person name. I'll toss together an evil ranger god later on. :) |
| GothicDan05-20-07, 03:46 PM | Perhaps in some way related to Malar. Either a servant, an ally, a rival, an old enemy... And perhaps Gwaeron? Maybe tie in a bit of an assassination theme... I am foreseeing some nasty creatures tied to him/her. Venomous ones. Stalking ones. Perhaps even a long-forgotten mate of Malar... Also, perhaps related to Talona and/or Bhaal (the assassination bit). The Lady Stalker, The Tenebrous Widow... |
| XHereticX05-20-07, 03:49 PM | Perhaps in some way related to Malar. Either a servant, an ally, a rival, an old enemy... And perhaps Gwaeron? Maybe tie in a bit of an assassination theme... I am foreseeing some nasty creatures tied to him/her. Venomous ones. Stalking ones. Perhaps even a long-forgotten mate of Malar... Also, perhaps related to Talona and/or Bhaal (the assassination bit). The Lady Stalker, The Tenebrous Widow... Sounding a little too much like Lolth for comfort now, but hey, it works. |
| varyar05-20-07, 03:52 PM | Perhaps in some way related to Malar. Either a servant, an ally, a rival, an old enemy... And perhaps Gwaeron? Maybe tie in a bit of an assassination theme... I am foreseeing some nasty creatures tied to him/her. Venomous ones. Stalking ones. Perhaps even a long-forgotten mate of Malar... Also, perhaps related to Talona and/or Bhaal (the assassination bit). The Lady Stalker, The Tenebrous Widow... Oh, I like that, the mate of Malar. Someone suitably horrifying and evil, but pretty. (My brain is wrong, wrong, wrong, because I'm not only gonna name evil ranger goddess Glau, I picture her as looking like Summer Glau. Who, you have to admit, is a fairly fey looking young woman.) Sounding a little too much like Lolth for comfort now, but hey, it works. Maybe scorpions and/ior snakes instead of spiders. |
| GothicDan05-20-07, 03:53 PM | Well, Malar already largely fills the role of 'evil stalking ranger' type. So I was trying to think of an alternate spin. You could remove the spider motiff and insert some other form of archetypal 'evil,' stalking animal that might work as an assassin/stalker. Or you could go down the route of a patron of racism/hatred/revenge (the Favored Enemy bit), perhaps a mortal risen by Shar to try to counter or seduce Hoar? EDIT: We've already got plenty of snakes... But scorpions! Oohh... Sounds NE. I imagine that she'd be more prevelant in the South... Perhaps an old, hated enemy of Shiara. And if you're going for beautiful evil... Kristin Kreuk might work.. |
| XHereticX05-20-07, 03:58 PM | But Malar is too beastial to fill in many of the more subtle roles of the evil ranger, I imagine this new evil ranger demipower to be a more insidious, sneaky, and calculating type. Don't make her represented with any animal at all, maybe you could base her off some poisonous plant in southern faerun? Or maybe she could have ties with undead... |
| GothicDan05-20-07, 04:02 PM | I really like the idea of her as "The Lady Scorpion" or the like. Beautiful, dark and alluring, and utterly deadly. A cold, precise killer that has an enigmatic relationship with Shar, a fierce competitive streak with Talona, who hates Lolth and considers her methods dirty and obvious... A twisted relation with the bestial Malar... And perhaps is working under cover to try to sway Hoar... She could have been a rival, and perhaps enemy, of Bhaal. And I could see interesting relations with both Sharess and Mask, too... Somehow, this deity is really coming alive in my mind. Probably because I google image searched Kristin Kreuk, and I think her appearance really fit the theme, so it's all like woah! in my brain now. The evil plant thing is sort of already covered by Moander. And Undead? I just don't see that much for a Ranger. |
| XHereticX05-20-07, 04:05 PM | I really like the idea of her as "The Lady Scorpion" or the like. Beautiful, dark and alluring, and utterly deadly. A cold, precise killer that has an enigmatic relationship with Shar, a fierce competitive streak with Talona, who hates Lolth and considers her methods dirty and obvious... A twisted relation with the bestial Malar... And perhaps is working under cover to try to sway Hoar... She could have been a rival, and perhaps enemy, of Bhaal. The evil plant thing is sort of already covered by Moander. Lady Scorpion huh? I have always seen the Scorpion as more of a symbol of strength and masculinity. Then again, I was a big fan of The Scorpion King. I was thinking more of an anti-nature deity. One that stands for everything most nature deities abhor. Undead, corruption of nature, insidiousness disrupting the balance. Like the Deities of Fury, abiet with a more sinister flare. |
| GothicDan05-20-07, 04:10 PM | I think that the Lady Scorpion would fit very well into a subsection of the deities of fury. The idea of an Undeath related one just doesn't fit with them - and besides, Talos already sponsored Velsharoon, so another Deity of Fury + Undead thing would be a little redundant. I do like the idea of a more feminine evil plant deity, though. Perhaps a Cactus goddess... But plants aren't very Ranger'y. Though, more on the Cactus idea... A LE deity of endurance, cacti, ambition, reward.. Perhaps related to Set and/or Loviatar.. Going off the idea of cacti holding vital water, but being prickly and deadly and severe... Growing in even the harshest of environments. |
| XHereticX05-20-07, 04:11 PM | I was thinking about her as a dark deity rather than a deity of fury. But, that would work too. |
| GothicDan05-20-07, 04:18 PM | There's very, very little linking the Dark Deities to Rangers, though... The closest would be Bhaal, I guess... But he was more rogue/assassins. While that would be a part of the Lady Scorpion (the one I'm imagining, at least), that would only be as a service to her aspect as the supreme stalker-hunter... The right kind of mate for Malar. Heh. A NE Vulture god of decay, scavengers, apathy, wasting, and starvation would also be cool... Probably once a servant of ancient Jergal in the desert lands. ... I'm a HUGE fan of desert settings, mind you. *Steals some of this stuff for what he's working on.* |
| varyar05-20-07, 05:21 PM | Man, I go out to dinner and ideas explode all over the place. :D Heh. A NE Vulture god of decay, scavengers, apathy, wasting, and starvation would also be cool... Probably once a servant of ancient Jergal in the desert lands. Oh, I like that notion. :) If you don't mind, Gothic Dan, here's my take on the Lady Scorpion: GLAU The Huntress in Darkness, Lady Scorpion Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A black scorpion Home Plane: Fury's Heart Alignment: Neutral Evil Portfolio: Scorpions, hunting Worshipers: Hunters, rangers, druids, scorpionfolk Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, NE Domains: Animal, Darkness, Evil, Strength Favored Weapon: "Blacktalon" (whip) The sinister, aloof deity named Glau is patroness of scorpions, scorpionfolk and a handful of especially cold-blooded evil rangers and druids. From her realm in Fury's Heart, the Lady Scorpion dispatches her minions to hunt down and murder all those who cross her path, and the paths of her worshippers. Glau the huntress is relentless, cold and methodical, making her quite popular in certain circles. Her primary worshippers are the scorpionfolk of Maztica (who know her as Nantzintli Coloti, Mother Scorpion) and their kin in Anauroch and elsewhere. She is also revered by some humans dwelling throughout the South and Anauroch (where her cult is outlawed by most of the Bedine tribes). The church of Glau is a primal one, with very little in the way of formal scripture or liturgy. Followers of Glau honor the Huntress in Darkness every night as the sun sets and the time to hunt begins, while those who worship her as Lady Scorpion offer their prayers at the stroke of midnight and any time they use their poison to claim a meal or a rival. History/Relationships: In days gone by, it was said Glau had a rivalry with Bhaal, one that ended only at the insistence of Malar. Malar, according to the tales, is either Glau's father or her lover (some legends say it's both); her mother is sometimes named as Shar but more often some powerful fiend of Carceri. It is true that Glau has an odd, sometimes subservient and sometimes adversarial relationship with both Shar and Malar, depending on the moods of the three evil deities. Glau is bitter rivals with Talona and a sworn foe of Lolth, who she considers clumsy and heavy-handed in her malice. She has a strange sort of friendship with Mask and even Sharess, another Faerūnian deity said to have trysts with Glau. It is known both sometimes visit Glau's lair, the Caverns of the Blacktalon. Most good deities despise Glau, and she is especially hated by Torm, Mielikki and Eilistraee (who thwarted a long-ago scheme by Glau to worm her way into the hearts of renegade drow). Dogma: In this world, you are either the hunter or the hunted. Strength and savvy are the heart and mind of the true hunter. Be wise and vigilant when stalking the weak, for they may take you by surprise. A true hunter strikes only at the right moment, or else risks it all. Never let others carry your burdens or fight your battles. Bury your passion on the hunt, exult in your victory. Whaddaya think, sirs? |
| XHereticX05-20-07, 05:25 PM | Man, I go out to dinner and ideas explode all over the place. :D Oh, I like that notion. :) If you don't mind, Gothic Dan, here's my take on the Lady Scorpion: GLAU The Huntress in Darkness, Lady Scorpion Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A black scorpion Home Plane: Fury's Heart Alignment: Neutral Evil Portfolio: Scorpions, hunting Worshipers: Hunters, rangers, druids, scorpionfolk Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, NE Domains: Animal, Darkness, Evil, Strength Favored Weapon: "Blacktalon" (whip) The sinister, aloof deity named Glau is patroness of scorpions, scorpionfolk and a handful of especially cold-blooded evil rangers and druids. From her realm in Fury's Heart, the Lady Scorpion dispatches her minions to hunt down and murder all those who cross her path, and the paths of her worshippers. Glau the huntress is relentless, cold and methodical, making her quite popular in certain circles. Her primary worshippers are the scorpionfolk of Maztica (who know her as Nantzintli Coloti, Mother Scorpion) and their kin in Anauroch and elsewhere. She is also revered by some humans dwelling throughout the South and Anauroch (where her cult is outlawed by most of the Bedine tribes). The church of Glau is a primal one, with very little in the way of formal scripture or liturgy. Followers of Glau honor the Huntress in Darkness every night as the sun sets and the time to hunt begins, while those who worship her as Lady Scorpion offer their prayers at the stroke of midnight and any time they use their poison to claim a meal or a rival. History/Relationships: In days gone by, it was said Glau had a rivalry with Bhaal, one that ended only at the insistence of Malar. Malar, according to the tales, is either Glau's father or her lover (some legends say it's both); her mother is sometimes named as Shar but more often some powerful fiend of Carceri. It is true that Glau has an odd, sometimes subservient and sometimes adversarial relationship with both Shar and Malar, depending on the moods of the three evil deities. Glau is bitter rivals with Talona and a sworn foe of Lolth, who she considers clumsy and heavy-handed in her malice. She has a strange sort of friendship with Mask and even Sharess, another Faerūnian deity said to have trysts with Glau. It is known both sometimes visit Glau's lair, the Caverns of the Blacktalon. Most good deities despise Glau, and she is especially hated by Torm, Mielikki and Eilistraee (who thwarted a long-ago scheme by Glau to worm her way into the hearts of renegade drow). Dogma to follow. Whaddaya think, sirs? Excellente, though I still don't find the scorpion a very fitting animal, its quite good and a perfect antithesis for shiara. |
| The Ubbergeek05-20-07, 06:23 PM | I am so stealing this if I ever make a 'indian ocean' campaign! |
| varyar05-20-07, 07:48 PM | Excellente, though I still don't find the scorpion a very fitting animal, its quite good and a perfect antithesis for shiara. Thanks! I am so stealing this if I ever make a 'indian ocean' campaign! Cool :) I'm glad you liked it. |
| Zandilar05-20-07, 08:04 PM | Heya, Couple of things... @Dan - the evil plant goddess put me in mind of Poison Ivy, for some reason. Maybe it's just because I've been reading/watching DC comics/cartoons lately. ;) @varyar - she works far better as an aspect of Meilikki. I always err on the side of giving old gods new aspects rather than incorporating new gods into the Realms. The Realms has a huge number of gods, enough to cover just about any combination you can think of - and that's without also being able to gain spells from demons, devils, and dead gods. That isn't to say that I wouldn't lift a goddess like Shiara or Glau into another setting, since I think they're both interesting deities (and their Realms connections wouldn't be that difficult to change). This is just my opinion, please feel free to do whatever you'd like with your Realms. ;) @everyone else - Malar fits just fine for evil Rangers - he is, after all, the ultimate hunter, and what is a ranger but a fancy jumped up hunter? |
| varyar05-20-07, 09:05 PM | And another one. I'm on some kinda roll today... MUURENA Lady Starbrow, the Bright Seamstress Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A blue lightning bolt Home Plane: Dweomerheart Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Evocation, evokers, energy Worshipers: Evokers, battle-mages, artists (theoretically) Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Creation, Destruction, Force (SC), Spell Favored Weapon: Spear Muurena is the young and energetic goddess of evocation magic, that aspect of the weave that deals with both creation and (to a lesser extent) destruction. She is a vibrant deity, taking joy in shaping the raw essence of magic and using it to create new and beautiful things. She is still a minor goddess, known only to sages and practicioners of the Art along the Sword Coast. The church of Muurena is an exceedingly humble affair. She has three small shrines in Candlekeep, Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep, each attended by a few priests and magic-using worshippers. They preach the joys of evocation magic and its many uses. Her followers demonstrate the glorious gift (as they call evocation) to the people, both in battle against foul creatures (especially those in service to the foes of Muurena and Mystra) and in dweomers that create breath-takingly beautiful magical effects. So far, there have been few converts to Muurena's church, and all of them have been wizards or sorcerers. The most prominent is the whimsical wizardess Imoen of Candlekeep (CG female Tethyrian rogue 4/wizard 6/arcane trickster 10), who was a companion of Muurena in her mortal days. Muurena's handful of followers pray for their spells when the bright light of dawn breaks the horizon, an earthly echo of the glorious gift. (The church of Muurena has more than a tinge of solar iconography in it.) The church recognizes two holidays. The first is Eleint 17, the Day of the Glorious Ascension, when Muurena was taken up into Dweomerheart and raised to her divine status. The other is the spring equinox, the birth time of the cycle of the year in many cultures and a period of great creative energy. Those who devoutly observe these two holidays often find their spells taking on new forms (spells so blessed function as normal, but their visual effect is enhanced, usually becoming brighter and more colorful). History/Relationships: Muurena only recently rose to the rank of deity, being recognized as a demigoddess in the Year of the Tankard (1370 DR). In her mortal life, she was an archmage born and raised in Candlekeep. Some say she is one of the Bhaalspawn, a story hotly dismissed by many within her church. Muurena herself does not speak of it. Regardless of her bloodline, Muurena was a powerful and faithful servant of Mystra and Azuth, but it was the latter who 'sponsored' her apotheosis (perhaps as a gambit to balance Velsharoon and Shar's growing influence among Faerūnian spellcasters). Since her ascension, Muurena has remained a loyal follower of Mystra and Azuth, become a cordial ally of Savras and a contemptuous rival of Velsharoon (who returns the emnity, although they have not yet come to blows and probably won't owing to their mutual service to Mystra). She is also on good terms with Lathander, who shares her joy of in the act of creation, and Gond for much the same reason. Among her closet divine allies are Sune, as patroness of art, and Finder Wyvrenspur who is a fellow young god and also one who delights in creation (it is said they constantly bicker about which is purest art, magic or song). Shar regards Muurena with contempt, but pays little attention to her, while Talos is beginning to hate what is in many ways his opposite (if far weaker) number. A tiny sect within Muurena's already tiny church holds that Lady Starbrow is in fact the reincarnation of an ancient and extremely obscure Netherese demigoddess of evocation named Sitosha. Dogma: The greatest glory of magic is creation. Making something from nothing but will and the Weave is to serve the will of Lady Starbrow and tap into the divine itself. It is not enough to use the Art, one must make it an art. Turning the destructive powers of magic against the destructive creatures of the world. Take your gift and use it to make something glorious. |
| Zandilar05-21-07, 01:44 AM | Heya, And another one. I'm on some kinda roll today... MUURENA <snip!> :clap: :cheer: :w00t: Nice conversion of a BG2 <CHARNAME> incarnation to Deity. ;) I loved the touch of adding Imoen to the description. Couple of comments, though... Sune might take an interest in Muurena, as art is her domain - and you mentioned "artists (theoretically)" in her (Muurena's) Worshippers section. She might also have some kind of relationship with Finder Wyvernspur. Evocation is very much about destruction, though - so I'm a little iffy about her aspect as a creation type deity... Perhaps you could add Conjuration to her? |
| GothicDan05-21-07, 08:05 AM | Varyar... You rock. <3 |
| varyar05-21-07, 09:40 AM | Heya, :clap: :cheer: :w00t: Nice conversion of a BG2 <CHARNAME> incarnation to Deity. ;) I loved the touch of adding Imoen to the description. You can't leave Imoen out of these things. :D (The ironic thing is, Muurena isn't one of my BG2 PCs. I usually played paladins, and they'll get their demigod due today (hopefully) with the Lathander kids. But I've always liked the idea of gods of magic for all 8 schools, so I started with another Firefly cast reference and went crazy.) (Also, belated credit to the person on the 3.5E stats for BGII threads who wrote up Imoen as an arcane trickster. I completely stole that class breakdown from him/her.) Couple of comments, though... Sune might take an interest in Muurena, as art is her domain - and you mentioned "artists (theoretically)" in her (Muurena's) Worshippers section. She might also have some kind of relationship with Finder Wyvernspur. Oh, good ideas. I'll edit them in. Evocation is very much about destruction, though - so I'm a little iffy about her aspect as a creation type deity... Perhaps you could add Conjuration to her? Well, the use of evocation generally blows things up, but the actual spells are the creation and shaping of energy. I should be clearer about that. I was thinking Muurena's priests and arcane followers have a pile of 0- and 1-level spells that make pretty lights, kaleidoscopic globes of energy, etc. without doing much in the way of game effects. OTOH, folding Conjuration and Illusion (why not, Leira's been dead for years) into her portfolio might better capture Muurena's style. What do you all think? Varyar... You rock. <3 Yes. Yes I do. :D Thanks! I still wanna see your desert death/cactus god, you know. |
| GothicDan05-21-07, 02:10 PM | They were two different gods! Perhaps they'd have been ancient Imaskari gods. One could have been subservient to Jergal (I really like the idea of Jergal having been part of the Imaskari pantheon), and the cactus/endurance goddess, I thinkk, would have been full-fledged on her own, probably a Lesser or Intermediate deity... That being said, Cyric holds Illusions now. :/ |
| varyar05-21-07, 02:23 PM | They were two different gods! Perhaps they'd have been ancient Imaskari gods. One could have been subservient to Jergal (I really like the idea of Jergal having been part of the Imaskari pantheon), and the cactus/endurance goddess, I thinkk, would have been full-fledged on her own, probably a Lesser or Intermediate deity... Write 'em up! Please? :) That being said, Cyric holds Illusions now. :/ Cyric's a jerk. But good point. Hrmf. Well, Conjuration is still free. I have the inkling of an idea for a different deity for that... but first up, the Lathanderkin. /me wanders off to finish them. |
| GothicDan05-21-07, 02:26 PM | Wait! You can hold the same pantheon as another god, provided you aren't above demigod status! I forgot about that. :) And hm... A little project on the Imaskari Pantheon could be fun. I'd say they worshipped Shar, Chauntea, Selune, Mystra (the big universal 4), and perhaps Jergal and Amauntor... I'd really want to differentiate it from the Netherese Pantheon without straying fro0m canon. Almost certainly two more magic deities: one of portal magic, summoning, cosmology... And one of artifice and magical item creation. The first could also become the deity of doors, travel, horizons, journeys... |
| varyar05-21-07, 03:01 PM | Wait! You can hold the same pantheon as another god, provided you aren't above demigod status! I forgot about that. :) You're right! Shiny. :) And hm... A little project on the Imaskari Pantheon could be fun. I'd say they worshipped Shar, Chauntea, Selune, Mystra (the big universal 4), and perhaps Jergal and Amauntor... I'd really want to differentiate it from the Netherese Pantheon without straying fro0m canon. Dooo iiiit. You need a war god, too, and maybe another nature god or two? Almost certainly two more magic deities: one of portal magic, summoning, cosmology... And one of artifice and magical item creation. The first could also become the deity of doors, travel, horizons, journeys... I like it. And now... ANAR Greenshield, Master Highsun, Lord of Spring Dawning Faerūnian Demigod Symbol: A green hill with a yellow sun above it Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Dawn, spring Worshipers: Farmers, druids, paladins*, rangers Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG Domains: Earth, Good, Renewal Favored Weapon: "Emerald Dawn" (quarterstaff) * - Anar, like Sune, is an exception to the alignment rules for paladins. They may freely take him as their patron. Anar, most often known as Master Highsun either as a sign of respect or a sign of affection, is the oldest of Lathander's three children. He is said to be the son of Lathander and Lliira, and his free spirit is definitely akin to Lliira's. Anar has been given lordship over much of his father's portfolio, and is now the patron of both the dawn and spring (the dawn of the year, in the teachings of Anar's fledgling church). Master Highsun strives to fill all Faerūn with the bright, hopeful spirit of dawn that pervades his own realm. This realm, known as Birchhallow, is a pleasant cluster of green hills, each covered with shimmering birch trees and topped with a small watchtower, in the House of Nature. The church of Anar is still a small affair and essentially a sect within the larger church of Lathander. The main centers of Anar worship are in Baldur's Gate and Suzail, where an independent temple of Anar is under construction. The faith of Anar is one of hope and optimism, founded in the fact that even the darkest night is followed by a bright dawn. Anar's priests spread words of hope and encouragement, especially among the downtrodden, and a few undertake dangerous missions into lands of tyranny and evil. Alongside the church proper sits the Order of the Emerald Dawn, a small and valiant group of paladins affiliated with Anar's church. The Emerald Dawn is active through the Dalelands and western Moonsea area, seeking out undead and fiend cults. Unsurprisingly, clerics of Anar pray for their spells at the first light of dawn. The church has quite a few holy days and festivals for such a young faith. Their primary holy day is the spring equinox, while increasingly somber rituals are conducted at the summer solstice, autumnal equinox and winter solstice, and celebrations honoring the handful of martyrs of the church are held in the cities and regions where the martyrs hailed from. History/Relationships: Anar and his two sisters are heralds of the Deliverance. Lathander, long worried by the growing power of evil in the Realms, has quite literally joined with the goddesses Chauntea, Lliira and Selūne to combat this trend. The result is the birth of three new gods of light and good, all infused with a small amount of divine power from both their parents. Anar, as the son of Lathander and Lliira, is a bright and joyful deity, but one who seeks to burn away any trace of evil. He serves at the side of Lathander, and is present at the Morninglord's realm as often as his own. Anar is also on good terms with his mother and often visits her to refresh his spirit after some setback or dilemma faces him or his church. Most of the good deities of Faerūn have accepted Anar with open arms, although a few are wary another Dawn Cataclysm may be in the making. Torm and Anar are boon companions, and their followers often work together against especially powerful and vile foes. Shar despises Anar, as do Bane, Cyric, Malar and Mask, but it is Loviatar who has a special hatred for the Lord of Spring Dawning. Blood is inevitably shed when her followers encounter his. Dogma: Ceaselessly strive to bring hope to the world. Strike against darkness whenever you can, but remember that lifting up the hearts of good men and women is the truest victory. Embrace every sunrise and take heart from the hope it gives to the world. Learn from your failures and defeats, and turn that wisdom into new victories. *** One down, two to go... (Melin aka Lady Eveningtide and Tallane aka Lady Sunfire) |
| GothicDan05-21-07, 03:33 PM | I kind of super like Lathander and all solar deities... <3 And I like the idea of the joining with the goddesses of good.. It's very mythological. .... Now, for Imaskar's pantheon, I was thinking that I'd have some deities in it from the Netherese pantheon, as said, but they could differ significantly in power and portfolio at points. So, here's what I was looking at so far. Any deities with portfolios not listed are just the way they are presented in the Faerunian pantheon (not the Netherese one). This is typically how I end up cobbling together pantheons for my own use. Just making lists to begin with. Mystra (CN - Greater - Female) Shar (NE - Greater - Female) Chauntea (NG - Greater - Female) Selune (CG - Greater - Female) Jergal (LE - Greater - Male): Death, the dead, the dying, inevitability, fate, endings, apathy. Amaunator (LN - Intermediate - Male): Contracts, time, order, justice, law, hierarchy. Lordonna (LN - Lesser - Female): Cacti, endurance, punishment, interrogation, martyrdom, loyalty, duty, reprisal, pain, agony, suffering. Kothor (LE - Greater - Male): Fire, the sun, the desert, tyranny, domination, ambition, conquest. Jora (NG - Lesser - Female): Rivers, streams, river floods, food, sustenance, harvest. Hala (NG - Intermediate - Female): Childbirth, fertility, children, wives, pregnancy. Ila Re (CN - Greater - Female): Clouds, sky, rain, weather, luck, passion, caprice, emotion, beauty, love. Oron (CN - Intermediate - Male): Storms, desert storms, whirlwinds, tornados, lightning, thunder, war, conflict, strife. Urakha (CE - Greater - Female): Plague, disease, poison, venomous creatures, accidents, curses, hexes, ugliness, hatred. N'Kasr (NE - Demigod - Male): Vultures, scavengers, starvation, patience, doom, scavenging, decay, rot. Jihyrith (NG - Demigod - Male): Hope, dawn, beginnings. Hurana (CN - Lesser - Female): Portals, portal magic, summonings, horizons, journeys, travel, exploration. Iwakipet (TN - Intermediate - Female): Coin, wealth, prosperity, business, exchanges, bankers, moneylenders, trade, merchants. Ora Enish (TN - Demigod - Male): Sand, dunes, quicksand. Tala-Rahn (NE - Demigod - Female): Scorpions, assassins, assassination, murder. Mazik (CE - Demigod - Male): Thievery, stealing, burglary, stealth, shadows, trickery, intrigue. Taran (NG - Lesser - Female): Crafts, artistry, fine arts, weaving, pottery. Mhorgrome (LN - Lesser - Male): Blacksmiths, metallurgy, metal, mining, engineering, building, construction. Kira Lin (CG - Intermediate - Female): Hope, joy, pleasure, celebration, comedy, lightheartedness, happiness, hedonism. Ordin Tal (LG - Greater - Male): Glory, protection, vigilance, honor, truth, honesty, vigilance. Syntha (CE - Greater - Female): Lies, illusions, pandemonium, chaos, nightmares, terror, insanity, discord, jealousy, revenge. .... I didn't really stick to the 'Demigods' thing, but eh. ;) I threw in some references to members of the modern Faerunian pantheon in terms of portfolio-name. I wonder who can pick them out. A lot, however, have no actual connections as such. |
| varyar05-21-07, 03:43 PM | I kind of super like Lathander and all solar deities... <3 And I like the idea of the joining with the goddesses of good.. It's very mythological. Thanks! More to come in a little while. Ila Re (CN - Greater - Female): Clouds, sky, rain, weather, luck, passion, caprice, emotion, beauty, love. I like the link between love and fortune, and clouds and rain. Hurana (CN - Lesser - Female): Portals, portal magic, summonings, horizons, journeys, travel, exploration. This one I really wanna see get a full write-up. :) .... I didn't really stick to the 'Demigods' thing, but eh. ;[/quote] S'okay. I changed the thread title again anyway. :D I threw in some references to members of the modern Faerunian pantheon in terms of portfolio-name. I wonder who can pick them out. A lot, however, have no actual connections as such. I picked up on three. Iwakipet = Waukeen, Mazik = Mask and Kira Lin = Lliira. This is great stuff, GD. More details! More! :D |
| GothicDan05-21-07, 03:50 PM | I like the link between love and fortune, and clouds and rain. Yeah. I was thinking a sort of Inanna/Istar feel, with the Love and War. Only I made her a little more benign, and shoved 'War' off to who I had in mind as her consort, Oron. This one I really wanna see get a full write-up. I'm thinking about linking her somehow to Shaundakul. And maybe making her alignment more TN instead of CN. I'm thinking she could actually be Shaundakul's mother. Perhaps she was consumed by Aoskar, and willed her remaining divine essence into what would become Shaundakul. Of course, I don't have my various FR tomes handy, so I wouldn't want to play with that too much without consulting lore. S'okay. I changed the thread title again anyway. Hawt! I picked up on three. Iwakipet = Waukeen, Mazik = Mask and Kira Lin = Lliira. Guess I didn't make them hard enough! Though there's sort of one more. Mazik = Mask was supposed to be an easy one. This is great stuff, GD. More details! More! I've never been good with the formal deity write up blocks, for some reason. I think it's the ADHD. My 'creation' tends to consist of grabbing random pieces of paper and scribbling down bursts of inspiration, and hoping to put the papers some place where they don't get lost... |
| varyar05-21-07, 04:38 PM | Yeah. I was thinking a sort of Inanna/Istar feel, with the Love and War. Only I made her a little more benign, and shoved 'War' off to who I had in mind as her consort, Oron. Cool. What other relationships do you have pictured for the pantheon? I'm thinking about linking her somehow to Shaundakul. And maybe making her alignment more TN instead of CN. I'm thinking she could actually be Shaundakul's mother. Perhaps she was consumed by Aoskar, and willed her remaining divine essence into what would become Shaundakul. That's a nice tragic touch there. Of course, I don't have my various FR tomes handy, so I wouldn't want to play with that too much without consulting lore. ::nod:: Guess I didn't make them hard enough! Though there's sort of one more. Mazik = Mask was supposed to be an easy one. :) I'll let wiser posters try to guess the other one. I've never been good with the formal deity write up blocks, for some reason. I think it's the ADHD. My 'creation' tends to consist of grabbing random pieces of paper and scribbling down bursts of inspiration, and hoping to put the papers some place where they don't get lost... Fair enough. I could never do one of the longer Faiths and Pantheons style write-ups myself. Especially the stats. Oh, the stats... But anything else you come up with for the Imaskari pantheon, please post. :) And now, another Lathander child: MELIN Duskstroke, the Lady Eveningtide Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A disc, half yellow and half black Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Dusk, peaceful transition, the sanctity of life Worshipers: Healers, shadowdancers, white necromancers Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG Domains: Good, Healing, Purification Favored Weapon: "The Duskstroke" (two-bladed sword) Melin, the 'youngest' of the three Heralds of the Deliverance, is a serene guardian of the balance between day and night. She most commonly appears in the form of a pale, dark-clad beauty with dark hair and bright, wise eyes. From her domain in Eveningtide Hall, a tranquil and somewhat somber fortress cathedral, in the House of Nature, Melin presides over the hour of dusk and times of transition. She is held to be the daughter of Lathander and Selūne; if true, Melin has almost fully inherited her mother's ways. Melin has shown herself to be a calm, reserved deity who calculates carefully before taking any actions. Rashness is not in her. Instead, Melin is a goddess of deliberation and serenity, and beloved (by those who know of her) for her shepherding grace in times of decision and change. Like her siblings, Melin has a small church. Hers, though, is a branch of the church of Selūne instead of Lathander. The main shrine of Eveningtide is in Waterdeep, while others may be found in Silverymoon, Shadowdale and a few other towns in the Western Heartlands. All are graceful constructions of grey and black marble, with stained glass windows that cast delicate, multi-colored shadows, and their interiors echo with whispers and murmurs. The followers of Melin often work as or alongside local healers, easing the passing of the dying and also helping those suffering diseases or going through pregnancy (all are viewed as facets of life's unending transition). More militant followers of Melin often travel the countryside as adventurers, and a few embrace the path of the shadowdance in service of the greater good. The clerics of Melin pray for their spells at dusk, which is also when their services (solemn affairs of chant and long moments of silent prayer) are held. The winter solstice is their high holiday, while eclipses are also revered as special times (a detailed catalogue of every eclipse in the next century forms part of the holy book found in every shrine of Melin). History/Relationships: Melin's origins match those of her siblings. According to the high priest of Melin, Lathander and Selūne have given their goddess a special part to play in the Deliverance to come. This sense of mystery has attracted a few followers to Melin's church, and also intrigued (and worried) more than a few gods of the Faerūnian pantheon. Melin has revealed a great admiration for Kelemvor and his attitudes towards dying and death. Eldath, too, is a kindred spirit to the contemplative Melin. More boisterous gods, both good and evil, have little to do with Melin. One of Melin's great goals is said to be the reconciliation of her mother and Shar, a task most scholars believe is almost absurd in its impossibility. More likely to succeed are Melin's battles with Velsharoon and other patrons of the undead. Her followers are sworn foes of the Cult of the Dragon, both for their evil and for their abominable perversion of death. Dogma: Don't fear change. Embrace transition and transformation in your life and the lives of others. There can be no learning or advancement without change, and those who deny change deny themselves. The undead are the ultimate perversions and examplars of stagnation. Comfort those who cannot overcome the grief caused by loss, and console them with the fact that all loss is really an advance in someone else's journey. |
| GothicDan05-21-07, 04:52 PM | Cool. What other relationships do you have pictured for the pantheon? I was going for a heady pantheon in its prime. Sort of a very Middle Eastern/Egyptian feel to it. Also, rather than having the mini-pantheons like in the primary Faerunian pantheon (Deities of Fury, etc.), I was going to really try to make it a 'tight' pantheon - lots of familial ties and such. Lots of mothers and daughters and lovers and brothers... Originally, I was going to go with the idea I used for my own desert culture, a tripirate sun deity that represented Dawn, Noon, and Dusk all at once... But that wouldn't seem to fit FR canon or theme much. In that culture, he was once one of the Greater Gods of an older polytheistic pantheon, who drove out and subsumed the rest, making the land largely monotheistic (sort of - he's tripirate, after all). So I figured I'd stick with a more standard FR pantheon feel. I'm thinking that Kothor would eventually have ended up being driven out by Kossuth, and Amaunator would have subsumed part of his portfolios to become the deity he was known as amongst the Netherese. That's a nice tragic touch there. I very much like religious transformation, to help promote a dynamic pantheon that shifts through the years along with the culture of its people, while keeping certain archetypes. :) Fair enough. I could never do one of the longer Faiths and Pantheons style write-ups myself. Especially the stats. Oh, the stats... But anything else you come up with for the Imaskari pantheon, please post. I will! I'll probably do some research once I get easier access to my books, first. I imagine Lost Empires of Faerun would be a good place to start... And maybe the PDF of a Grand History of the Realms. Now, comments on Melin... Really love her 'white necromancers' portfolio. I imagine you're going for a more 2E necromancy feel, since it's almost impossible to be a white necromancer in purely 3E theme (since Positive Energy is handled by Conjuration for some reason...). It would be cool to put something like 'sanctity of life' in her portfolios. I was always interested in the idea of (if I ever used the ToT), bumping Kelemvor down to a demi-deity with this as a portfolio, who was solely focused on battling undeath, subservient to Lathander. But your deity is far more interesting, and serves a similar role. Though, for some reason, I get a LG feel off of her. She seems to be more about the orderly transition of one stage (of the day, or of life) to another, making sure things go smoothly... Perhaps NG with Lawful tendencies. And make sure to keep the 'Don't fear change' part of her dogma, even if you might end up agreeing with my thoughts on that. People need to be reminded that Lawfulness is not the same as Stasis. |
| varyar05-21-07, 08:49 PM | I was going for a heady pantheon in its prime. Sort of a very Middle Eastern/Egyptian feel to it. Also, rather than having the mini-pantheons like in the primary Faerunian pantheon (Deities of Fury, etc.), I was going to really try to make it a 'tight' pantheon - lots of familial ties and such. Lots of mothers and daughters and lovers and brothers... I like it. It's more like some of the real world pantheons. So I figured I'd stick with a more standard FR pantheon feel. I'm thinking that Kothor would eventually have ended up being driven out by Kossuth, and Amaunator would have subsumed part of his portfolios to become the deity he was known as amongst the Netherese. That makes sense to me. Tracking the evolution and consolidation of the sun/dawn/dusk/etc. gods of the Realms would be a neat project, too. I will! I'll probably do some research once I get easier access to my books, first. I imagine Lost Empires of Faerun would be a good place to start... And maybe the PDF of a Grand History of the Realms. Most definitely. (Side note - I can't wait for the print version of GHotR) Now, comments on Melin... Really love her 'white necromancers' portfolio. I imagine you're going for a more 2E necromancy feel, since it's almost impossible to be a white necromancer in purely 3E theme (since Positive Energy is handled by Conjuration for some reason...). Yeah. The change is baffling to me, so it's definitely a 2E definition. It would be cool to put something like 'sanctity of life' in her portfolios. I agree, and so it is done! I was always interested in the idea of (if I ever used the ToT), bumping Kelemvor down to a demi-deity with this as a portfolio, who was solely focused on battling undeath, subservient to Lathander. But your deity is far more interesting, and serves a similar role. Thanks. Though, for some reason, I get a LG feel off of her. She seems to be more about the orderly transition of one stage (of the day, or of life) to another, making sure things go smoothly... Perhaps NG with Lawful tendencies. Hm. Good point. The write-up does emphasize LG/NG more than strictly NG, doesn't it? NG (with lawful tendencies) she is. And make sure to keep the 'Don't fear change' part of her dogma, even if you might end up agreeing with my thoughts on that. People need to be reminded that Lawfulness is not the same as Stasis. Absolutely. Laws can and must change (there's that transition again). And now for the last... TALLANE Lady Sunfire, the Golden Avenger Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A golden sun with eight rays Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Light, summer, the sun Worshipers: Elemental archons (fire), hunters of the undead, paladins Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Domains: Good, Light, Nobility, Sun Favored Weapon: "Sunfury" (long sword) Tallane is the bright light of the heavens, the living embodiment of the warmth and strength of the sun. Born of the pairing of Chauntea and Lathander, her coming to Faerūn was heralded by a mystical doubling of the sun in the hour she first appeared to the assembled clergy of Lathander. Tallane presides over the summer and the sun alike, the one being so closely tied to the other. Like her ancient forefather Amaunator, Tallane is a stern deity, but her severity is tempered by mercy and love. In many ways, Tallane resembles Torm, although her notions of the common good and true justice are more primal in nature and less bound up in codes of honor and chivalry. From the golden ziggurat at the heart of the Summerlands, her realm of eternal summer and blissful warmth in the House of Nature, Tallane guides her clergy and followers, a righteous army that seeks to bring the light of goodness to every corner of the Realms. She is most like her father in temperment of the Children of Lathander. When Tallane appears in Faerūn, it is as a warrior-woman clad in golden plate armor, her skin bronze and her hair as bright as the sun. The church of Tallane is a church militant. It has a clear hierarchy where the common priests (known as Sunservants) both minister to the faithful and serve as the footsoldiers of Tallane's mortal army. Above them, Sunswords and Sunlords stand guard over larger areas, and the Radiant Sunlord in Baldur's Gate presides over the entire church. Tallane is the first solar deity of the Realms since the days of Netheril, and ties between her church and Amaunator's remaining worshippers range from cordial but wary acceptance by the Sunmasters within Lathander's church to dismissive among the Bedines of Anauroch, who do not recognize this upstart demigoddess as the successor to At'ar. Clerics of Tallane pray for their spells at noon, when the guiding light of the sun is at its peak. Their one holy day is the summer solstice, which is marked by the clergy and faithful coming together for prayers, chants, and processions that begin at sunrise, reach their peak at highsun, and trail into quiet prayer as the sun finally sets. While Tallane's sister Melin and her followers revere eclipses, they are viewed as reminders of the continuing presence of evil (but not evil in themselves) by Tallane's worshippers. History/Relationships: Born of Chauntea and Lathander, Tallane has been given the role of Lathander's strong sword in Faerūn, protector of the people of the Realms and also the land itself. This great duty is a tall order for a young demigoddess, and followers of more established good faiths are a bit bemused at the entire thing, although generally welcoming a new and noble ally. Since emerging as a deity, Tallane has moved to strengthen and spread her faith on Faerūn, and hers is the most independent of the churches of the three children of Lathander. Tallane and Torm are quite close, and some sages think their relationship may be more than just friendly. Mielikki, too, is an ally of Tallane, as is the dour but righteous Hoar and Nobanion. Tallane's special foes are Bane, Gargauth, Velsharoon, Malar and, above all, Shar. She also has a grudge against Auril, the cause of which is unknown. Some believe the two both romantically pursued the same god, unlikely as it seems. Whatever the case, Auril and Tallane despise each other with a passion. Kossuth is said to be angered that Tallane has taken away a few of his elemental archons, but has yet to take any action or advise his followers to do so. Dogma: As sure as the sun shines down from above, goodness radiates from the heart. Let yourself be guided by both lights, outer and inner. Society must be built on law, and law must be built on justice. Seek out evil and destroy it. Darkness within and without offends and mocks the light of the sun. Take care not to let yourself be blinded by the light of righteousness. ** And since I forgot to include it earlier: Anar's avatar generally takes the form of a handsome young man with dark eyes and reddish-blonde hair clad in green-tinted plate armor. |
| Lord_Steve05-21-07, 09:00 PM | MELIN Duskstroke, the Lady Eveningtide Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A disc, half yellow and half black Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Dusk, peaceful transition, the sanctity of life Worshipers: Healers, shadowdancers, white necromancers Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG Domains: Good, Healing, Purification Favored Weapon: "The Duskstroke" (two-bladed sword) White necromancers??????? |
| varyar05-21-07, 09:04 PM | White necromancers??????? uhhuh... magical healing? |
| The Ubbergeek05-21-07, 10:36 PM | necromancy don't HAVE to be evil, you know... |
| varyar05-22-07, 01:41 PM | And another... ALINE Maiden of Waters, the River Queen Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A blue S in a green circle Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Rivers, lakes, waterfalls Worshipers: Druids, fishers, nymphs, river travellers Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Nature, Travel, Water Favored Weapon: "The Silver Weir" (net) Aline, Maiden of the Waters, is guardian of the rivers and lakes (her blood, in a mystical sense) of the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands. Although a generally serene and caring deity, she can unleash anger just as fierce as any raging flood. Aline teaches that rivers are the lifeblood of the world, and they must be honored and tended. Those who poison rivers are foes of the natural order and their efforts must be stopped (a few militant followers of Aline even regard the building of dams, bridges and windmills as an offense). After a long decline, Aline has regained some of her ancient power and her sphere of influence is growing. Some scholars believe that Aline is either an aspect or daughter of the ancient fey goddess Verenestra. Others opine that Aline was born out of the primal waters of Faerūn, which is the stance of the River Queen's church. Aline often appears in Faerūn, rising up out of the rivers as a golden-haired nymph of especially striking beauty and aiding her followers by ending ravaging floods or the like. Aline's clerics pray for their spells every morning, at a time of their choosing between dawn and highsun. Her church is a simple one, short on grand ceremonies and elaborate catechisms. The primary ritual of the faith is a ceremonial dousing of believers with holy water taken from the nearest river (or preferably waterfall). This takes place after the spring thaw every year, honoring both the birth of Aline in the distant past and the rebirth of her thousand children (as Aline calls the rivers of Faerūn) after the slumber of winter. The only other holy day is the anniversary of the Cleansing (see below); on that day all of Aline's clergy and followers who are able make a pilgrimage to Boareskyr Bridge and take part in a day long celebrate that often culminates in the appearance of Aline's avatar or else some of her powerful celestial nymph handmaids. History/Relationships: Aline is an ancient deity, one known to have been worshipped as long ago as the Golden Age of Netheril. Her faith has waxed and waned over the years, but it entered a long, relentless decline shortly after the fall of Myth Drannor. By the the year 1300 DR, Aline's church numbered a dozen or so priests scattered from the Sword Coast to the Inner Sea. The Maidenstones that once marked her dominion over all the rivers of Faerūn were reduced to a handful of old stone plinths, their meaning long forgotten, concealed in ancient forests and the crumbling ruins of long-abandoned settlements along the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands. The Time of Troubles revived Aline from this fading death, however. She appeared in the Winding Water just above the Forest of Wyrms. and remained there for the duration of the Godswar. Years later, Aline reappeared and gathered together her clergy and followers to witness the Cleansing. This great miracle removed the taint of Bhaal's death from the waters below Boareskyr Bridge as a sign of Aline's strength and love. Since then, her church has undergone a remarkable revival. Thousands of river sailors all across northwestern Faerūn once again honor her, and new Maidenstones have been raised in many river ports between the Sword Coast and Anauroch. Naturally enough, Aline's ties with the other Faerūnian water gods are of great importance. While Aline and Umberlee regard each other with contempt, they are not active foes and each recognizes the value of the other. Istishia is honored by Aline, and her followers, as the primal source of the rivers and waters of Faerūn. Auril, on the other hand, is a bitter foe of Aline, who fears the Frostmaiden's power to reduce her thousand children to frozen slumber for much of the year. Aline's main allies are Eldath and Silvanus, while she has an ancient and mostly-forgotten rivalry with Sune (in ancient ages, long before the fall of Netheril, Aline was worshipped as a goddess of beauty in much of northwestern Faerūn). Dogma: Rivers are the lifeblood of Faerūn. Let no one do harm to them. As rivers flow freely, let your spirit make its way without binding laws or codes. Pour forth your generosity to those in need. Never do unneccesary harm to any child of the river, and always offer thanks to Aline when taking sustenance from the water. Offer a prayer of thanks to Aline every time you cross over or travel down a river, sail upon a lake, or come aross a waterfall. |
| Lord_Steve05-22-07, 03:33 PM | Pity I dont have a scanner, I've drawn pictures of every single Demigod/goddess that was shown here....oh well. |
| varyar05-22-07, 03:55 PM | Pity I dont have a scanner, I've drawn pictures of every single Demigod/goddess that was shown here....oh well. Oh, sure. Tease me like that. :D In my mind, these are fairly good actor representations of Aline (http://star.walagata.com/w/varyar/Sophia_Myles_8.jpg), Muurena (http://star.walagata.com/w/varyar/Morena_Baccarin_6.jpg), Glau (http://star.walagata.com/w/varyar/2072960.jpg), and Melin (http://star.walagata.com/w/varyar/Katie_Melua_56.jpg). I couldn't find suitable pictures of Anar and Tallane, sadly. |
| Burningspear05-22-07, 04:27 PM | this whole post to me reeks of unneeded creativity and adding more crappy godlings to an already huge list of original and intriguing gods :pbbbtt: :yuck: :rant: :banghead: :hides: :gah: :OMG! :smirk: |
| GothicDan05-22-07, 04:39 PM | Way to make constructive criticism, Burning. Some of us like realistic pantheons rather than artificial constructs to make the comprehension of pantheons easier and faster. I'll comment more later on Varyar's newest addition. :) |
| Burningspear05-22-07, 04:45 PM | Some of us like realistic pantheons rather than artificial constructs to make the comprehension of pantheons easier and faster. Some of u seem to have one oppinion, i seem to differ. An already huge list of original and intriguing gods, meaning, in my eyes they r NOT artificial constructs... Faster comprehension? what in heavens name has comprehension to do with the already existing list of gods?, is it so that your "intelligence" or "mind" has problems in reading and understanding the current list of gods?, it is not meant to devalue your person, but just to try to understand what makes it more incomprehensible to you???!!!!, i really do not get that, the gods are not constructs of cardboard (apart from Kelemvor and Cyric) depth... |
| varyar05-22-07, 05:05 PM | this whole post to me reeks of unneeded creativity and adding more crappy godlings to an already huge list of original and intriguing gods :pbbbtt: :yuck: :rant: :banghead: :hides: :gah: :OMG! :smirk: Wow. I done been put in my place. Wait, no I haven't. Also, I got a strange thrill that you spent so much time here in a thread you don't like. I usually just skip past them. To each his own, I suppose. :D |
| Burningspear05-22-07, 05:14 PM | Wow. I done been put in my place. Wait, no I haven't. Also, I got a strange thrill that you spent so much time here in a thread you don't like. I skimmed through it, and gave my opinion, just like some ppl seem to give u good credits, i tend to also give the credits for thinking it is not useful and sometimes bad (not just you, but towards any post.). and i did not "put you in your place", nor did i intend to. |
| varyar05-22-07, 05:19 PM | I skimmed through it, and gave my opinion, just like some ppl seem to give u good credits, i tend to also give the credits for thinking it is not useful and sometimes bad (not just you, but towards any post.). Why? Why bother? If you had some comment on a specific part of the post - why someone's alignment is off or why that portfolio doesn't fit that god - then that'd be good. But a drive-by "Blech! This is stupid!" post doesn't help anybody. and i did not "put you in your place", nor did i intend to. Right. That said, why not just move on now that you've said what you've had to say? Please and thank you? |
| Burningspear05-22-07, 05:47 PM | Why? Why bother? If you had some comment on a specific part of the post - why someone's alignment is off or why that portfolio doesn't fit that god - then that'd be good. But a drive-by "Blech! This is stupid!" post doesn't help anybody. So when one does a "Ahw, its great" contribution to the post, its alright not to specify or even detail, just the compliments in general are enough to allow it, but when its done with "Nah, this is crap", it has to be specifically motivated as to why and how, that a bit hypocritical, is it not? IMO it would be more useful to create per example some high powered servants of certain gods in stead of creating new or mix-matched gods that have no "reality basis" (apart from in your campaign/ mind it seems) in Faeruhn. |
| varyar05-22-07, 05:51 PM | So when one does a "Ahw, its great" contribution to the post, its alright not to specify or even detail, just the compliments in general are enough to allow it, but when its done with "Nah, this is crap", it has to be specifically motivated as to why and how, that a bit hypocritical, is it not? Oh, for... You honestly don't see the difference between a general "Hey, cool!" comment and "Wow, this is stupid and pointless!" ? IMO it would be more useful to create per example some high powered servants of certain gods in stead of creating new or mix-matched gods that have no "reality basis" (apart from in your campaign/ mind it seems) in Faeruhn. That's not a bad idea. Why don't you start it up? I'd be interested to see what you came up with. |
| The Ubbergeek05-22-07, 06:23 PM | I must say I agree to him to a point - the Realms have a big number of gods, so no new ones should be added unless they add something or cover uncovered points or any other strong reason, really. |
| varyar05-22-07, 06:56 PM | I must say I agree to him to a point - the Realms have a big number of gods, so no new ones should be added unless they add something or cover uncovered points or any other strong reason, really. I like making them. That's strong enough reason for me. :) Although I have been taking care not to overlap any existing deities. |
| admdavid05-22-07, 07:40 PM | I have enjoyed reading the descriptions. I do think it's cool to come up with new and interesting additions to the pantheon. My current group is running thru an adventure that will eventually lead us all to a divine rank of 0 and the process of ascension to godhood. These help stir the creative juices. :) |
| Zandilar05-22-07, 09:14 PM | Heya, I like making them. That's strong enough reason for me. :) Although I have been taking care not to overlap any existing deities. Yep. That's all the reason you need. :) Besides, Burningspear, I did mention my reservations about adding new gods to Faerun, given the already massive pantheon... Still, I'm happy to praise good work where I see it. :) varyar - I really love Aline. She is definitely one of the few I might actually really concider adding - since no other god covers quite what she does! |
| varyar05-22-07, 10:12 PM | I have enjoyed reading the descriptions. I do think it's cool to come up with new and interesting additions to the pantheon. My current group is running thru an adventure that will eventually lead us all to a divine rank of 0 and the process of ascension to godhood. These help stir the creative juices. :) Cool. I've always wanted to play in a game like that. I'm glad you like 'em. varyar - I really love Aline. She is definitely one of the few I might actually really concider adding - since no other god covers quite what she does! Thankee. :) She's one of my favorites, too. And now... BAZIN The Blademaster Faerūnian Demigod Symbol: A blue blade held by a black gauntlet Home Plane: Warrior's Rest Alignment: Neutral Portfolio: Battle, dueling, weapons Worshipers: Duelists, fighters, warriors Cleric Alignments: CN, LN, N Domains: Celerity (SC), Courage (SC), War Favored Weapon: "Bauhyr" (two-bladed sword) Bazin is the lord of bladecraft. While other deities such as Tempus, the Red Knight and Garagos concern themselves with battle and war, the Blademaster is solely interested in the art of the duel, one warrior pitted against another. Causes do not concern him in the slightest, just the moment when one weapons clash in an honest challenge. Those who take up weapons often say a prayer to Bazin before entering combat... although those engaging in true battles are wise to add one to Tempus or the like. Bazin's attention wanders from those frays involving more than a handful of combatants, dismissing them as dull and no true test of a warrior's skill. After all, when you have an ally at your side, can you truly be said to have won? Clerics of Bazin preach a creed of improvement through battle. There are temples of Bazin, but they are small affairs and more concerned with honing the body than the soul. Most often, priests of Bazin wander the countryside, seeking out battle anywhere they can - knightly tourneys, tavern brawls, monster lairs, and even attacking a random traveller who looks capable of defending himself (fortunately for all concerned, Bazin seems to guide his priests away from assaulting the weak and innocent). They tend not to form any lasting ties except with those who have proven their own worth in battle. Bazin's followers look down on most spellcasters and regard damage-inflicting spells as a sure sign of weakness (for this reason, they refrain from using some of their own domain spells). Bazin's priests pray for spells in the morning when they rise and ponder what battles await them in the day to come. The church has few ceremonies, among them Baptism of Blades where each priest celebrates the anniversary of his first serious, one-on-one battle and the Battle Divine, a yearly rough-and-tumble where all the priests of Bazin in a region gather together for a day of testing their mettle. The winner is crowned with glory from above (usually a divine power that lasts until the next Battle Divine). Some battlemasters of Bazin believe the Battles Divine are preparation for a great war yet to come, but most Faerūnians regard it as another chance for the battlemasters to stab each other in the name of their god. History/Relationships: Bazin is an old deity, a remnant of the Talfir pantheon of long ago who has been reborn countless times. His present incarnation dates back around a thousand years, when a nameless warrior of the Border Kingdoms proved himself such a peerless swordsman that he was able to defeat the Bazin of the time and take his place. In his time, Bazin has earned the emnity of nearly every other deity in the Realms, and is generally regarded as a single-minded pest. Tempus and other good militant deities tolerate Bazin, but his only true friend is Tethrin Veraldé, the elven patron of bladesingers. Dogma: Battle is the truest test of the self. Never retreat from honest battle, never challenge the weak and never rely on anything except your own strong arm and a true weapon. Go forth and test your skill. Do battle every day; if you can't, train yourself as hard as you can. |
| Amon Hok05-24-07, 03:00 PM | I love these deities and if u don't mind i will steal them from you :-) ...... Great work....... You must be a writer in real life there so realistic to me.... Great Job!! |
| GothWulf05-24-07, 10:27 PM | The first could also become the deity of doors, travel, horizons, journeys... Who somehow dissapeared and ended up ruling this place call "The City of Doors" *chuckles evily* |
| The Ubbergeek05-25-07, 12:53 AM | Who somehow dissapeared and ended up ruling this place call "The City of Doors" *chuckles evily* Serious problem - NO deity can enter Sigil. Ever, period. The Lady flailed alive Asokar, remember.... And Vecna really, really was lucky - he found a 'dark', a loophole. |
| GothWulf05-25-07, 01:08 AM | I like it. It's more like some of the real world pantheons. That makes sense to me. Tracking the evolution and consolidation of the sun/dawn/dusk/etc. gods of the Realms would be a neat project, too. Most definitely. (Side note - I can't wait for the print version of GHotR) Yeah. The change is baffling to me, so it's definitely a 2E definition. I agree, and so it is done! Thanks. Hm. Good point. The write-up does emphasize LG/NG more than strictly NG, doesn't it? NG (with lawful tendencies) she is. Absolutely. Laws can and must change (there's that transition again). And now for the last... TALLANE <snip> ** And since I forgot to include it earlier: Anar's avatar generally takes the form of a handsome young man with dark eyes and reddish-blonde hair clad in green-tinted plate armor. Just an idea, but have you thought about instead of giving each of them a realm, the three share one realm with three distinct regions, progressing from dawn to dusk as you travel through the realm, and then using the names of the realms that you have as their "capital cities" or whatever you want to call it? Wulfe |
| PharaunMizzrym05-25-07, 01:12 AM | Tell me more about this loophole Vecna found.:incog: |
| GothWulf05-25-07, 01:16 AM | Serious problem - NO deity can enter Sigil. Ever, period. The Lady flailed alive Asokar, remember.... And Vecna really, really was lucky - he found a 'dark', a loophole. That was the point...she dissapeared and became the Lady of Pain, ruling Sigil. *sighs at a joke fallen flat* Wulfe |
| The Ubbergeek05-25-07, 01:30 AM | That was the point...she dissapeared and became the Lady of Pain, ruling Sigil. *sighs at a joke fallen flat* Wulfe D'OH! I just remarked it. ^^; *Airhead* My apologies. And for Vecna, hum.... I think it was because of the exact timing of Apotheosis/Ascension and all. Something to do with that he was not a god - when he entered. |
| varyar05-25-07, 09:56 AM | Just an idea, but have you thought about instead of giving each of them a realm, the three share one realm with three distinct regions, progressing from dawn to dusk as you travel through the realm, and then using the names of the realms that you have as their "capital cities" or whatever you want to call it? Oh, I like that. ::yoink:: I'll put together and post their revised realm later on. |
| GothWulf05-25-07, 09:58 AM | Oh, I like that. ::yoink:: I'll put together and post their revised realm later on. Always happy to help...even if it is Lathander Im helping...though he can bring his son along to that hot tub party that was posted on another thread.... *snickers* Wulfe |
| varyar05-25-07, 12:05 PM | I love these deities and if u don't mind i will steal them from you :-) ...... Great work....... You must be a writer in real life there so realistic to me.... Great Job!! /me bows. Thanks and feel free to use. :) |
| varyar05-26-07, 06:38 PM | And another goddess of magic... RIA The True Dweomershield, Lady Glimmergown Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A pair of black circles, one inside the other Home Plane: Dweomerheart Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Abjuration, abjurers, protection from outsiders Worshipers: Abjurers, fiend-hunters, wizard-slayers Cleric Alignments: CG, NG, N Domains: Abjuration, Protection, Rune, Spell Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff This ancient goddess, revered by more than a few practicioners of the Art, is the patroness of abjuration magic. Ria watches over all those who draw upon the Weave to protect themselves and others, especially against evil outsiders. For this reason, she is most worshipped by non-magic users of all the secondary deities of magic (Azuth, Savras, and so forth) in the Realms. Despite that claim to glory, Ria is still mainly worshipped only in Halruaa, Nimbral and the extraplanar city of Selunarra (a place where she is honored more than actively worshipped). Ria's most common avatar is the form she had as a mortal woman, that of a young woman with flowing red hair, arcane robes to match, and a mystic gleam in her eyes. Ria's church is ancient and very hierarchical in nature. Local temples (found in all the cities and towns of Halrua and Nimbral) fall under the jurisdiction of the Prelate of their region, who themselves answer to the Dweomerlord of their nation. The two Dweomerlords are subordinates of the Dweomershield, the head of the entire church. Selunarra's hierarchy is entirely seperate as a matter of neccesity, but identical in structure except for lacking a Dweomershield. Adventuring priests, of whom there are more than a few, are still considered a part of the hierarchy; their freedom to wander and serve Ria's goals is only for a set period of time, after which they take up temple duties. The main duty of adventuring priests is to seek out and end threats to the Weave and the good name of arcane spellcasters, but above all to counter the incursions of fiends, phaerimm, and the like. Ria's church and following includes many multiclass cleric/wizards, arcane devotees and mystic theurges. Like other old, structured faiths, Ria's has its fair share of prayers, festivals, holidays and observances. Priests of Ria pray for their spells at sunset, the symbolic (and often literal) hour of the entrance of evil and darkness into the world. Among the many, many holy days of the church, Wiril Eve is among the most important in Nimbral. It celebrates the 1178 DR triumph of a circle of Ria worshippers over Tarilkk, a powerful fiend lord who had subverted many high-ranking nobles and wizards of the island realm. Ria's Halruaan followers mark Wiril Eve, but hold Glimmerfest (a joyful feast held on the Winter Solstice, one where the triumphs of the past year are honored). Both churches, as well as the one in Selunarra, mark Shield Rise, a holy week that marks the final trials and apotheosis of Ria), as the principal time of the church calendar. Ria often manifests before the altar of the Dweomershield during this time, sometimes even in avatar form. History/Relationships: Ria was a Netherese arcanist of great power, said by some to be a near-peer of Karsus and Iolaum. For her tireless battles against the phaerimm and countless others who sought to harm the Weave and Mystrl himself, the god of magic lifted Ria up among the divine (much as Mystra later would with Azuth). Ria's church was small, but well-liked by the common folk and lesser wizards of Netheril; for this reason, she is the only one of the Eight Gods of Magic besides the foresightful Savras to survive the fall of Netheril. Like Amaunator, Ria was abandoned by most of the survivors of Netheril. A few, those who would found Halruaa and later Nimbral, kept the faith, though, and Ria's name is still honored by many who practice the Art. Ria's relationship with the other gods of magic varies significantly depending on the deity. She regards Mystra as a promising young upstart, even as she acknowledges Mystra's clear supremacy in rank and duty; Ria feels much the same way about Muurena, minus the acknowledgement of the other goddess' supremacy. Azuth and Ria are on cordial terms, as would be expected given their similar backgrounds, but neither has any special fondness for the other. Ria has distrusted Savras since the fall of Netheril, an event she believes he should have (or perhaps did) foreseen, while she holds Velsharoon as a thing of complete contempt and utterly unworthy of his divine authority. Of the other gods, Ria is most fond of Torm, who shares her fury towards fiends and other outsiders, and Lady Glimmergown is often seen as a rival with the Red Knight for Torm's affections (although the truth is that their relationship is one of siblings, not lovers). Shar, a reckless and dangerous usurper of Mystra's proper authority, and the demonic Gargauth are Ria's greatest foes. Dogma: Magic is the greatest gift of the gods to mankind, and it must be used honorably. Spellcrafters best serve Ria and Mystra by protecting Faerun from those who would abuse and misuse the Weave. Turn your powers and wisdom towards defending the common folk, lest you repeat the sins of Netheril. Always be on guard for signs of intrusion from beyond, and act swiftly to put an end to it. Always protect others from the abuses of evil spellcasters and beings from outside Faerun. ABJURATION DOMAIN Granted Power: You gain a +1 bonus on all Charisma checks to either turn or rebuke undead or banish outsiders. 1. Shield of Faith 2. Resist Energy 3. Dispel Magic 4. Spell Immunity 5. Atonement 6. Banishment 7. Repulsion 8. Dimensional Lock 9. Undeath's Eternal Foe *** Whaddaya think, sirs? |
| The Ubbergeek05-26-07, 08:05 PM | Sounds nice. How about, as me, GothDan and others have talked of, some very local (demi? quasi?)god-ruler of some place? Kind of ą la Conan. COuld that be pulled off? |
| Zandilar05-26-07, 08:42 PM | Heya, For her tireless battles against the phaerimm and countless others who sought to harm the Weave and Mystrl himself, the god of magic lifted Ria up among the divine (much as Mystra later would with Azuth). I know this is very finicky, but Mystryl was a she not a he. All of the incarnations of the Weave have been female... Only fitting since she's the daughter of Selune and Shar. ;) How about have her served by Incantatrixes, since their purpose is to fight evil outsiders? Other than that, I am still concerned about deities diluting themselves by raising up deities that are essentially "sub-fragments" of themselves - thereby taking away worship they might otherwise have had themselves. If that makes sense? The way I see it, if you keep going, soon Mystra will have shot herself in the foot as far as worshippers are concerned. I don't think Azuth would be too impressed either, since his "worship base" would be effected too. |
| GothicDan05-26-07, 08:44 PM | Zandilar, oddly enough, that's one of the ways that Mystra has to distribute her power, according to that one answer from Ed.. Magic is becoming more and more prevalent in Faerun - I could see her having to distribute more of her own power. |
| The Ubbergeek05-26-07, 08:56 PM | Is it canon that Mystra and Azuth have subgods for all the schools of magic - aka, are they talked of laconicaly but never stated outside of Savrash (spelling?) and the necromancy one? Just curious (I like the concept, even if it's a bit cliché and add more gods to an already impressive rooster). |
| GothicDan05-26-07, 09:01 PM | It's not canon or even specifically inferred outside of those already stated. |
| Zandilar05-26-07, 10:14 PM | Heya, Zandilar, oddly enough, that's one of the ways that Mystra has to distribute her power, according to that one answer from Ed.. Magic is becoming more and more prevalent in Faerun - I could see her having to distribute more of her own power. Has to? I thought the idea that she had to "lessen her power" by "distributing it out through her Chosen et al" was just a theory? I'll have to go hunting down what Ed's said on this matter, I guess. In any event, there has to be a "break even" point - beyond which Mystra is only hurting herself. She'll be hurting Azuth long before she reaches her own "break even" point too. As for Magic becoming more and more prevalent? What makes you say that? I'm rather curious as to how you came by that conclusion. :) |
| GothicDan05-26-07, 10:17 PM | Has to? I thought the idea that she had to "lessen her power" by "distributing it out through her Chosen et al" was just a theory? I'll have to go hunting down what Ed's said on this matter, I guess. It is mostly a theory, but if you look at his reply in the "Problem with the Chosen?" thread, where I posted Ed's answer about "What if the Weave were destroyed?" he talks about Mystra's DvR being lower than Chauntea due to the presence of Chosen, Azuth, and the like. In any event, there has to be a "break even" point - beyond which Mystra is only hurting herself. She'll be hurting Azuth long before she reaches her own "break even" point too. As for Magic becoming more and more prevalent? What makes you say that? I'm rather curious as to how you came by that conclusion. Thay's magic Enclaves, Shade, the return of the Elves and the growing use of Elven High Magic, the planting of the Tree(s?) of Souls... :) |
| varyar05-27-07, 03:21 AM | Sounds nice. How about, as me, GothDan and others have talked of, some very local (demi? quasi?)god-ruler of some place? Kind of ą la Conan. COuld that be pulled off? Certainly, and I'm considering it for Sossal in fact. I know this is very finicky, but Mystryl was a she not a he. All of the incarnations of the Weave have been female... Only fitting since she's the daughter of Selune and Shar. ;) Son of a crap! Why have I always thought Mystryl was male? How about have her served by Incantatrixes, since their purpose is to fight evil outsiders? Approved! Other than that, I am still concerned about deities diluting themselves by raising up deities that are essentially "sub-fragments" of themselves - thereby taking away worship they might otherwise have had themselves. If that makes sense? The way I see it, if you keep going, soon Mystra will have shot herself in the foot as far as worshippers are concerned. I don't think Azuth would be too impressed either, since his "worship base" would be effected too. Perhaps, but he's still allowed Savras and Velsharoon to ascend (or return, in Savras' case), both of whom take away from his worship base. |
| GothicDan05-27-07, 04:03 AM | Certainly, and I'm considering it for Sossal in fact. I envision Auril as sort of a Neutral patron mother for Sossal.... I'm thinking that a sort of strong, no-nonsense, does-dirty-things-when-necessary son of Auril could be cool, as a patron defender and possibly founder of the nation... We really know so little about it. Either that, or the Daughter of Auril, a Neutral sort of Ice-Druid type woman who represents knowing how to deal with the winter and its hardships. Admittedly, I've looked pretty in depth into Inuit, Lapp, and Scandinavian cultures/religions for working them into my own arctic culture (melding it with Etruscan death-worshippers; Night and Winter serve as Death's harbingers and wives... Inuits + Vikings + Swedish Native Americans + Etruscans = ?!)... And there's just so many cool arctic deity possibilities. |
| Zandilar05-27-07, 04:53 AM | Heya, Son of a crap! Why have I always thought Mystryl was male? I don't know, to be honest. Every place I've read about Mystryl has said she was female. :) Approved! I like incantatrixes. :) Perhaps, but he's still allowed Savras and Velsharoon to ascend (or return, in Savras' case), both of whom take away from his worship base. Even so, I'm sure there's a "break even" point at which Azuth would end up losing DvR... Since he's not all that powerful to begin with, Savras and Velsharoon probably represent that point already. On the other hand, there's no reason why your extra magic demideities couldn't just be "Saints" or slightly more powerful proxies... maybe named Solars from his (or Mystra's) faith... Any worship towards them, is a prayer towards their patron. |
| varyar05-27-07, 07:02 PM | I envision Auril as sort of a Neutral patron mother for Sossal.... I'm thinking that a sort of strong, no-nonsense, does-dirty-things-when-necessary son of Auril could be cool, as a patron defender and possibly founder of the nation... Approved! Either that, or the Daughter of Auril, a Neutral sort of Ice-Druid type woman who represents knowing how to deal with the winter and its hardships. You could even have both. Twins, both the children of Auril. One is the founder of the ruling line, the other is the patroness of the quasi-druidic carvers of Sossal. Admittedly, I've looked pretty in depth into Inuit, Lapp, and Scandinavian cultures/religions for working them into my own arctic culture (melding it with Etruscan death-worshippers; Night and Winter serve as Death's harbingers and wives... Inuits + Vikings + Swedish Native Americans + Etruscans = ?!)... And there's just so many cool arctic deity possibilities. Yes, yes there are. :) You could tie into Finnish mythology, too, especially since it has a canon presence in the Realms already. I don't know, to be honest. Every place I've read about Mystryl has said she was female. :) Chalk it up to my own craziness, then. :) Even so, I'm sure there's a "break even" point at which Azuth would end up losing DvR... Since he's not all that powerful to begin with, Savras and Velsharoon probably represent that point already. On the other hand, there's no reason why your extra magic demideities couldn't just be "Saints" or slightly more powerful proxies... maybe named Solars from his (or Mystra's) faith... Any worship towards them, is a prayer towards their patron. I like this idea quite a bit. I'll fiddle with it. Maybe the ones I've created so far can be hero deities, while the remaining magic godlings will be solars (or somesuch - what else does Mystra have in the way of servitors?). (Although a dangerous, best-ignored part of my brain wants me to take all these gods and make them the pantheon of an original setting. Clearly my brain hates me...) |
| GothicDan05-27-07, 07:07 PM | You could even have both. Twins, both the children of Auril. One is the founder of the ruling line, the other is the patroness of the quasi-druidic carvers of Sossal. I like that idea. The Ice Twins. The Frozen Two. Yes, yes there are. You could tie into Finnish mythology, too, especially since it has a canon presence in the Realms already. Well, it was for my home world.. But thanks for reminding me! I had 'Finnish' on my list of possible real world inspirations, but so far haven't done enough research into it. I should buy the national Epic (can't remember the name atm). (Although a dangerous, best-ignored part of my brain wants me to take all these gods and make them the pantheon of an original setting. Clearly my brain hates me...) Dooo eeeet. The setting I'm slowly working on may or may not end up being the basis for a High Fantasy/sword and sorcery Epic I'm working on. |
| varyar05-27-07, 07:14 PM | I like that idea. The Ice Twins. The Frozen Two. Brain... working... Well, it was for my home world.. But thanks for reminding me! I had 'Finnish' on my list of possible real world inspirations, but so far haven't done enough research into it. I should buy the national Epic (can't remember the name atm). The Kalevala. I haven't read it, either, much to the shame of my half-Finnish soul. Dooo eeeet. Rrrgle. I want to. But I have two mostly-finished RPGs that really ought to come first. The setting I'm slowly working on may or may not end up being the basis for a High Fantasy/sword and sorcery Epic I'm working on. Approved! :) |
| GothicDan05-27-07, 07:29 PM | The Kalevala. I haven't read it, either, much to the shame of my half-Finnish soul. Yes! I hear there's lots of magic in it. I've read a few Epics (Illiad, Odyssey, 'abridged' Mahabharata, the Poetic and Prose Eddas, snippets of Gilgamesh and rudimentary knowledge of the Volsunga Saga), but I really want to read the Kalevala. Wait, I guess Dante's Inferno counts as an Epic (or part of one).. I have to read Purgatory and Paradise, still. Epics are super great research for writing material for any campaign setting, I think, especially the religious bits. Rrrgle. I want to. But I have two mostly-finished RPGs that really ought to come first. Do those, too! |
| PharaunMizzrym05-27-07, 07:34 PM | The power of Azuth is partly based on his worship but also partially based on the number of practicing wizards. He represents wizards as a whole, whereas the demideities only hold fragments of wizardry which they specialize in. Then Mystra has power over all kinds of magic. Cyric also has illusion, so he can potentially count himself among hte specialized deities of magic. |
| varyar06-02-07, 05:16 PM | And I'm back in the 21st century. Hot off the presses, I give you... SHONA Dame Dweomer Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: An open hand surrounded by a yellow halo Home Plane: Green Fields Alignment: Chaotic Good Portfolio: Halfling arcane spellcasters and magic Worshipers: Halfling wizards, sorcerers and arcane tricksters Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Halfling, Illusion, Magic, Spell Favored Weapon: "The Bright Strike" (quarterstaff) While the halflings are not known for their arcane tradition, they do have one. Those hin who take up the art of the arcane turn to Shona as their inspiration, sometimes even remembering to pray to her before casting a particularly tricky spell. Shona is often compared to Azuth by religious scholars, a comparison that pains both deities. It would be more apt to describe Shona as an arcane Tymora, as both goddesses are free spirits. Despite her adventurous ways, Shona does take her duties seriously, knowing full well that the halfling peoples will never survive in Faerūn if they don't understand and master the arcane (which is, after all, the very best way to pull one over on the tall folk). Shona doesn't have a church per se. Her few formal followers work with like-minded wizards and sorcerers, developing uniquely hin insights into the arcane and sharing them with their kindred. There are a handful of small shrines to Shona in Luiren and a few major halfling communities elsewhere, but no grand temples or orders of militant clerics. The majority of halflings will whisper a quick prayer to Dame Dweomer when faced with an arcane threat or puzzle, but otherwise she plays very little role in hin society. Those few clerics dedicated to Shona pray for their spells when the first twinkling star appears in the night sky (or else just before going to sleep if it's cloudy out or they're underground or somewhere else the stars aren't visible). Shona either has no real holy days or a plethora of them, devoted to all eight true schools of magic, many smaller ones (elemental magic, 'rogue magic,' Halfling High Magic (which has never actually been seen in action)), specific spells, specific spellcasters, and anything else that a cleric of Shona considers important and worthy of celebrating. History/Relationships: Shona, more often called Dame Dweomer, appeared in the Realms from parts unknown about eight hundred years ago. She was soon declared to be an older sibling of Brandobaris who had finally found where he'd run off to. In centuries past, Shona was little more than a hero deity, but her power has grown lately as more (but still only a few) halflings have taken up the Art. More than a few strongheart hin of Luiren declare Shona's ascendency to be a sign of great things to come for their nation and people as a whole. Shona and Brandobaris may or may not be real siblings, but they're definitely kindred spirits. Brandobaris prefers poking his nose into places it doesn't belong, and so does Shona. She just uses less direct methods to snoop around. Some halfling theologians (if such people even exist) spread the rumor that Shona and Brandobaris (and perhaps Tymora, along for the fun) are planning to steal the portfolio of illusion away from Cyric. The notion of a halfling goddess controlling a major facet of the Art keeps quite a few human and elven wizards awake at night - which might be just what Shona had in mind when she spread the rumor in the first place. Cyric himself is less than pleased with the notion, another benefit as far as Shona is concerned; she despises the Prince of Lies above all other evil deities. Shona has many friends, though, including the entire halfling pantheon, Tymora, and Mystra, as well as several reluctant allies such as Corellon Larethian and Azuth (both are far too serious and high-minded for Shona's tastes). Dogma: Only the halfling mind is truly suited to master the Art. Embrace the arcane and make it your tool for fun and profit. And responsibility. Halflings who have the gift of magic must also use it for the hin as a whole. That's very important. |
| Zandilar06-02-07, 08:22 PM | Heya, And I'm back in the 21st century. Hot off the presses, I give you... SHONA <snip!> Oh bravo! :clap: What a delightful deity! :) One thought: You might want to elaborate on what kind of relationship she has with Mystra (and other deities of magic, such as Corellon). Also, who are her enemies? Is Cyric aware of the rumored plot for the theft of Illusion? Anyway, there isn't anything else I can think of. :) |
| varyar06-03-07, 03:30 AM | Oh bravo! :clap: What a delightful deity! :) /me bows. This one came out of nowhere and was posted about as soon as I finished typing it up - which explains what you notice right here: One thought: You might want to elaborate on what kind of relationship she has with Mystra (and other deities of magic, such as Corellon). Also, who are her enemies? Is Cyric aware of the rumored plot for the theft of Illusion? All of which are questions that should be answered. I have the vague idea she gets along well with Mystra (but probably none of the other magic deities, who are all so serious). Enemies would be the usual suspects (monster deities, Cyric, other crazy-go-nuts evil gods). As for what Cyric knows... hm. It's a public rumor, so he's probably aware, cranky and paranoid (another anticipated reaction that Shona giggles about? maybe). I'm glad you liked her! Next up, maybe a dwarven deity. Hm. |
| Gears_of_Gond06-03-07, 03:42 AM | And hm... A little project on the Imaskari Pantheon could be fun. I'd say they worshipped Shar, Chauntea, Selune, Mystra (the big universal 4), and perhaps Jergal and Amauntor... Almost certainly two more magic deities: one of portal magic, summoning, cosmology... And one of artifice and magical item creation. The first could also become the deity of doors, travel, horizons, journeys... Bear in mind, from LEoF the Imaskari were distrusting of the divine and used their artifice to physically battle the gods of their slaves. Though Horus did kill the Lord Artificer. For a people who spent so much time capturing. torturing and experimenting on clerics, i don't see them putting too much time into prayer. That and they are all dead, save the Deep Imaskari and they may possibly still worship a previous form of Mystra, though not much more than lip-service. Save a few cases, when the worshipers are gone, so are the gods. Gond is spreading across pantheons with many names and forms. He has the lock down on artifice and magical item creation because every god competing for those are actually him. Shaundakul grabbed portals takes care of everything else, and he is just about as old as anything. |
| varyar06-03-07, 01:31 PM | Dwarves, elves, same difference, right? ;) THE AR'GISIAE A people as ancient and glorious as the Tel'Quessir have no shortage of legendary heroes. Among the elves of Evermeet, a special circle of heroes receives particular veneration - the Ar'Gisiae (High Guardians). The Ar'Gisiae are a group of hero deities drawn from the most distant past of Evermeet down to the present era. All of them died defending Evermeet against its foes, and all were raised again by Corellon Larethian to serve as his champions. Some dwell in Evermeet still, others in Arvandor, and others wander the Realms to offer succor to Evermeet elves abroad. They rarely draw arms together, but when Evermeet is threatened, the Ar'Gisiae are there to fight alongside their descendents against whatever imperils them. There are twelve acknowledged Ar'Gisiae, although many truly ancient families claim an ancestor as one of the 'lesser' Guardians (by this reckoning, there are over twelve hundred Guardians, although perhaps one in one hundred of them can claim reputable sightings). The twelve are: Auulua Asaliya, Dalyor Lhoril, Evindal Nelnueve, Ghilanna Falanae, Haryk Mistfall, Jhanandra Starpearl, Nanthee Rhuidhen, Paeris Ellarian, Soora Ashgrove, Taanyth Yasminlae, Taelevar Yasminlae and Zhoron Waelvor. AULUUA ASALIYA The Golden Guardian Faerūnian Hero Goddess Symbol: A golden courtblade Home Plane: Arvandor Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Defense of Evermeet, bladesong Worshipers: The guardians and people of Evermeet Favored Weapon: "Guenhyvarathil" (elven courtblade) One of the eldest of the Ar'Gisiae is Auluua Asaliya, a warrior maiden from the dawn of Evermeet's history. She fell in battle against a family of red dragons, slaying four and saving the young city of Leuthilspar from complete destruction. Since then, the bladesingers of Evermeet have venerated her as their idol and inspiration. Auluua has returned from Arvandor six times to do battle against the foes of Evermeet, sometimes singlehandedly destroying entire legions of foes. She is the epitome of bladesong, a creature of ultimate grace and unstoppable power. Centuries after Auluua's ascension, but still many, many thousands of years ago, a sisterhood was founded to emulate the Golden Guardian. These Sisters of Auluua (or Nysa Auluua) are an order of female bladesingers who dedicate themselves body and soul to the twin duties of bladesong and defense of the realm with a zeal matching any human paladin. When one Sister falls in battle, the rest (there are usually twenty) choose a female elf to replace her. The chosen one is free to turn down the offer, and it has happened several times (usually in cases where an elf maiden wished to keep the freedom to take a spouse or pursue other interests besides a single-minded mastery of bladesong), but usually there is no hesitation. Those who venerate Auluua observe the standard holidays of Evermeet and the Seldarine, but also set aside the Day of Four Fangs (which commerates the great battle where Auluua fell defending Evermeet) as one. Somewhat ironically, the Sisters of Auluua hold the Day of Four Fangs as the one in all the year when they do not take up the blade - to do so would be to compare one's skills to Auluua's, a great insult to the memory of the Golden Guardian. History/Relationships: Auluua's family claimed descent as far back as Tintageer in Faerie, and were certainly present in Evermeet since its very beginning. Those early days of Evermeet were a turbulent time, and many draconic and giant forces tried to destroy the young land. It is said the Seldarine themselves took the field three times in that era, and in the third Founding Battle, Auluua earned her rank as a High Guardian. A clan of red dragons, wrathful over the great changes the Sundering had inflicted on Abeir-Toril, sought to destroy the upstart kingdom of Evermeet. They gathered together many allies, draconic and humanoid alike, and invaded the island refuge. Thousands of elves died, as did dozens of dragons. Two avatars of the Seldarine appeared to do battle with the leader of the draconic horde, an immortal red wyrm of nearly divine power, but that great battle took place in the south of the island. In the north, an army of sun elves stood alone to defend Leuthilspar from six red dragons, all siblings and all very powerful. Even the wielders of the Art fell before flame and fury, but before the elves were broken, Auluua raced to the heart of the battle and, armed with nothing but a single courtblade, challenged the youngest dragon to a Feint of Honor. She prevailed, and then challenged the next oldest... and so on, with each duel buying time for the elves to recover and regroup. The fifth dragon, a savage and canny brute who's name is lost to history, finally defeated Auluua after a battle that lasted nearly an hour. Impressed by the courage of the young elf girl, the dragon did not destroy or mutilate her body. Instead he withdrew to find another battle to fight, as did his last remaining sibling. The night, as Auluua was borne back to her family fortress on the far side of Leuthilspar, Corellon's avatar appeared. He restored Auluua's spirit to her body and then ushered her back to Arvandor in the flesh. Since then, Auluua has dwelt mainly in the celestial places, reaching ever higher summits of skill with bladesong and using her gifts to defend Evermeet when the need arises. *** Whaddaya think, sirs? Have any hero deities been published officially in 3.x? I'm not sure about my improvised summary block up there. |
| Zandilar06-03-07, 07:17 PM | Heya, I've never been a fan of people being chaste/celibate in order to "singlemindedly pursue a single purpose". It just doesn't work in my mind... Especially not for elves, who as a general rule aren't so fussed about these things. Sex is just another part of life to them, and as beings of great focus, they are hardly likely to be distracted by such things if they don't want to be (they can spend years in single minded pursuit of a task - but that doesn't mean they eshew every other comfort or pleasure to do so... elves are fairly hedonistic, if I'm not mistaken). This isn't meant to be a critique of your work, varyar. Just something that's always bothered me. |
| varyar06-03-07, 07:19 PM | Heya, I've never been a fan of people being chaste/celibate in order to "singlemindedly pursue a single purpose". It just doesn't work in my mind... Especially not for elves, who as a general rule aren't so fussed about these things. Sex is just another part of life to them, and as beings of great focus, they are hardly likely to be distracted by such things if they don't want to be (they can spend years in single minded pursuit of a task - but that doesn't mean they eshew every other comfort or pleasure to do so... elves are fairly hedonistic, if I'm not mistaken). This isn't meant to be a critique of your work, varyar. Just something that's always bothered me. ::shrug:: Doesn't bother me in the least. And in this case, it's not celibacy that conflicts with the Sisters' calling, it's all the commitments that go with marriage. Either you go all out and become essentially a weapon in service of Evermeet or you don't. It's all good to the elves, just two different sets of commitments. |
| MerrikCale06-03-07, 10:07 PM | I like the Auluua. Nice work |
| Zandilar06-04-07, 02:34 AM | Heya, And in this case, it's not celibacy that conflicts with the Sisters' calling, it's all the commitments that go with marriage. Either you go all out and become essentially a weapon in service of Evermeet or you don't. It's all good to the elves, just two different sets of commitments. I guess it depends on which definition of celibacy you're going by. (Celibacy implies refraining from both matrimony and sex, by the way, not just matrimony.) I'm still confused as to why marriage would impinge on a commitment to the defense of Evermeet. |
| varyar06-04-07, 03:09 AM | I like the Auluua. Nice work Thanks! I guess it depends on which definition of celibacy you're going by. (Celibacy implies refraining from both matrimony and sex, by the way, not just matrimony.) Huh. I've always seen it used to mean 'no sex', but apparently I was misinformed (not being snarky, Merriam-Webster.com backs you up). I'm still confused as to why marriage would impinge on a commitment to the defense of Evermeet. A total commitment to becoming a pure, living expression of bladesong. You can't do that and devote much of your life and energy to supporting your spouse, raising a family, learning to juggle, etc. |
| Zandilar06-04-07, 08:58 AM | Heya, A total commitment to becoming a pure, living expression of bladesong. You can't do that and devote much of your life and energy to supporting your spouse, raising a family, learning to juggle, etc. Three thoughts, two not so serious, one more serious (I think I'll leave it to you to guess which are which. ;)). Elves meditate for 4 hours a day, that gives them 20 hours awake. Elves live conciderably longer than 60 years. What about two elves with the same commitment? (To expand on the last - just because people marry doesn't mean they're automatically going to be popping out babies. Besides which, elves have fairly low fertility anyway, given the length of their lives - if they reproduced at the same rate as humans, Faerun would be quickly overrun by them... But I digress... Anyway, I'm sure two elves could marry and make a commitment to each other and to Evermeet without there being a problem or a conflict - with or without children.) |
| The Ubbergeek06-04-07, 04:20 PM | Heya, I guess it depends on which definition of celibacy you're going by. (Celibacy implies refraining from both matrimony and sex, by the way, not just matrimony.) I'm still confused as to why marriage would impinge on a commitment to the defense of Evermeet. Celibacy and Chastity are not the same things.... Nowady, they tend to be united, but it was not always the case... And in a made up world, you can see peoples with one but not the other. Like a priest who foresworn weddings and serious unions, or one who is in a 'spiritual wedding'... |
| faellamos06-06-07, 11:41 AM | there wouldnt be much use for one in game terms but ive always been fascinated by the idea of a god of mathematics, maybe philosophy as well (the two kind of overlap). maybe theyd be worshipped by bards, or engineers (like, the sorta ppl who worship Gond), or maybe if FR introduced an Artificer class like in Eberron. maybe ill write it up... |
| varyar06-06-07, 01:46 PM | there wouldnt be much use for one in game terms but ive always been fascinated by the idea of a god of mathematics, maybe philosophy as well (the two kind of overlap). maybe theyd be worshipped by bards, or engineers (like, the sorta ppl who worship Gond), or maybe if FR introduced an Artificer class like in Eberron. maybe ill write it up... Oh, I like that. Arcane mathematics (Pythagoras meets Mystra!) would be really, really cool. |
| GothicDan06-06-07, 01:56 PM | I see a relation to Murdane coming up. Also, Savras, Oghma, and Deneir. And I'll just note that mathematics + philosophy is pretty much the foundation of physics. :) |
| varyar06-06-07, 06:41 PM | REEZA The People's Princess, Lady Blue Band Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A blue bracelet Home Plane: Faerūn Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Common folk and the oppressed of Zhentil Keep Worshipers: Good people of the Moonsea, victims of tyranny and the Zhentarim Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG Domains: Good, Protection, Retribution Favored Weapons: "Ithilspine" and "Terylspine" (short swords) While Zhentil Keep and its conquests are seen as a land of pure evil by most folk, this is not true. Even in the darkest realms, there are glimmers of light and justice. The young goddess Reeza is one such promise of a brighter future. She exemplifies the secret hopes and struggles of all those who endure the tyranny of the Black Network, and protects those brave enough to fight back against it. She mourns for all the victims of the Black Network, and unleashes righteous fury on those who serve the Zhentarim and their dark masters. When she appears, Reeza takes the form of a beautiful young woman clad either in gleaming blue and white plate armor or else the bland, threadbare garb of a Zhent peasant. As might be expected, Reeza's church is a small, persecuted affair. While the bulk of her worshippers live in Zhentil Keep (and its occupied cities such as Mulmaster and Voonlar), most of her temples and open clergy are in its near neighbors, where they are relatively safe from the constant threat of attack. There were once temples to the People's Princess in Hillsfar and Mulmaster, but they were both destroyed (and the priests executed) in the past few years. The main temple is now in Phlan, with smaller temples and shrines throughout the Moonsea and Dalelands. Followers of Reeza who live in Zhentil Keep and its domains meet in secret, often only once or twice a year, and never in groups larger than a dozen or so. In many ways, the church of Reeza resembles an underground resistance movement (which it is, in many ways) more than a typical church. Her worshippers live in constant fear of discovery, which means certain and painful death, but this has not lead to the faith's extinction much to the disappointment of Bane and his worshippers. Priests of Reeza pray for their spells as they rise to greet the dawn, hoping that this day will see the rule of the Zhentarim overthrown or at least weakened. The church has three major holidays, one to mark the birth of Reeza, one to mark her founding the Blue Band and the last to mark her martyrdom at the hands of the Zhentarim. In free lands, these are celebrated on the same days each year, but the underground church organizes ad hoc and extremely modest ceremonies held at random, but usually within a month of the actual holidays, to avoid Zhentarim inquisitors. History/Relationships: In her mortal life, Reeza was a Zhentilar warrior of fairly high birth. She proved herself in battles against the orcs and trolls of the Moonsea, and achieved a modest rank within the Zhentilar, eventually rising to be a lieutenant of Zhentil Keep's garrison at the Citadel of the Raven. After her time there, and exposure to her counterparts from Hillsfar and the other garrisoning cities, Reeza was ordered back to Zhentil Keep itself. Once there, she swiftly became disillusioned with the corruption and outright evil of the Zhentarim who ruled the city. This discontent turned to hatred, and Reeza began to very carefully and very secretly help slaves and criminals escape the Keep. Soon, she took the next step, outright rebellion. She and a small group of like-minded Zhents founded the Blue Band, a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the Zhentarim and freeing the people of Zhentil Keep. The Blue Band was active for almost ten years before Reeza was betrayed, arrested, tortured and finally executed by the Zhentarim around 1300 DR. But her cult-like popularily among the Blue Band and many common folk of Zhentil Keep (and the quiet support of Ilmater) transformed her death into an ascension. Since then, Reeza has been worshipped by a small but fervent segment of the population of Zhentil Keep and its subjugated cities. Reeza is a fairly introverted deity, more focused on her mortal followers than building alliances with the many deities of the Realms. But among those she does count as allies, the most important gods are her master Ilmater, Helm, Torm and Tyr. She often works with them to upset some Zhentarim plot or Banite scheme, and her church is on good terms with theirs. Reeza is obviously a hated foe of Bane and, to a much lesser degree, Cyric. Both dark gods despise Reeza and what she stands for, and their priests take great pleasure in torturing and killing her worshippers. Dogma: Be strong in the face of repression. Keep a pure heart, even if your lips must be silent in the face of evil. Stand up to tyrants when you can and when you must. Act when honor demands it, but don't forget that waiting for the right time can often do more good than surrendering to your impulses. Never lose hope in the triumph of good over evil and justice over oppression. Despair is defeat. *** Whaddaya think, sirs? I really need to do another evil deity to balance out all the sweetness and light, don't I? |
| Zandilar06-06-07, 08:25 PM | Heya, REEZA <snip> Whaddaya think, sirs? I really need to do another evil deity to balance out all the sweetness and light, don't I? I am sure you know what I'm going to say... But I'll say it any way. She sounds more like a saint of Ilmater than a goddess (her actions do not appear to have been sufficent enough to get her an elevation to godhood). She also looks like she's going to have a short life (in comparison to the usual lifespan of a god) because eventually Zhentil Keep as it is today will not exist (yes, I am sure it will eventually fall, 'tis inevitable) - and her portfolio is too narrow (and too broad, I'm sure some higher gods would take exception to her having "common folk" without it being limited to "the common folk of the Moonsea region" or "the common folk of Zhentil Keep"). Queen Zaranda of Tethyr is known as the People's Monarch - the People's Princess is pretty close to that, plus a "monarchy" is only one or two steps away from a tyranny. That's all I have on it. Otherwise a well thought out character who reminds me of Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion, for some reason or other (one of my favorite paladin characters in any novel). :) Edit: Oh, and she won't live on the Prime. That's just asking for certian elements in Zhentil Keep to go hunt her down and kill her... Plus, I don't think gods have dwelt on the Prime since the Time of Troubles - but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. |
| MarkusTay6306-06-07, 08:33 PM | Anyway, I'm sure two elves could marry and make a commitment to each other and to Evermeet without there being a problem or a conflict - with or without children.)How many kids did Amluiral and Zoar have? ;) |
| Zandilar06-07-07, 04:30 AM | Heya, How many kids did Amluiral and Zoar have? ;) And that's a very good point. I don't think a group dedicated to the protection of Evermeet would universally adopt a vow of celibacy... Certianly not when Amlauril and Zaor were so... umm... fertile. In fact, I think they might be held up as an example for the reverse. |
| varyar06-07-07, 08:12 AM | I am sure you know what I'm going to say... But I'll say it any way. She sounds more like a saint of Ilmater than a goddess (her actions do not appear to have been sufficent enough to get her an elevation to godhood). She also looks like she's going to have a short life (in comparison to the usual lifespan of a god) because eventually Zhentil Keep as it is today will not exist (yes, I am sure it will eventually fall, 'tis inevitable) - and her portfolio is too narrow (and too broad, I'm sure some higher gods would take exception to her having "common folk" without it being limited to "the common folk of the Moonsea region" or "the common folk of Zhentil Keep"). Yeah, but if Zhentil Keep is free, then a) her work here is done and b) she could possibly evolve her portfolio. Good point about "common folk" being too broad, though. Queen Zaranda of Tethyr is known as the People's Monarch - the People's Princess is pretty close to that, plus a "monarchy" is only one or two steps away from a tyranny. Perhaps, but the People's Chosen But Non-Elected Inspiration isn't as catchy. ;) That's all I have on it. Otherwise a well thought out character who reminds me of Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion, for some reason or other (one of my favorite paladin characters in any novel). :) Thankee. :) Edit: Oh, and she won't live on the Prime. That's just asking for certian elements in Zhentil Keep to go hunt her down and kill her... Plus, I don't think gods have dwelt on the Prime since the Time of Troubles - but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I think you're right, actually. :eek: And that's a very good point. I don't think a group dedicated to the protection of Evermeet would universally adopt a vow of celibacy... Certianly not when Amlauril and Zaor were so... umm... fertile. In fact, I think they might be held up as an example for the reverse. They are an odd little group of elves, yes. I suppose I could add something about being free to leave any time they wanted without (much) stigma from the other Sisters. :) |
| varyar06-07-07, 05:31 PM | And a classic comes to life... BOREM The Brown Wrath, Old Man Mud Faerūnian Demigod Symbol: A brown circle Home Plane: Faerūn Alignment: Chaotic evil Portfolio: Anger, Hatred Worshipers: Barbarians, bullies, murderers, petty tyrants Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Strength Favored Weapon: "Noroi" (warhammer) In ancient times, many of the gods of Faerūn had far more primal aspects than their latter-day counterparts. One such primitive deity was Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud, a savage god who dwelt in Rezamark, a vast swamp somewhere in the midst of present-day Sembia. He presided over wrath and hatred, essentially the only emotions he possessed. Borem was the most powerful of seven dark gods, who may have been siblings but were definitely kindred spirits (and bitter enemies). He was a brutish deity prone to rash actions and tantrums directed at anybody who irritated him. Despite this essentially childish nature, Borem was viewed with respect by many humans of the day, who respected his power and emphasized with his simple mindset. Unlike most human gods, Borem never appeared in a human form; instead, his avatar was a gigantic lake of boiling mud. Borem's church was a chaotic affair. The high priest of a given temple was simply the one powerful enough to overpower any rivals, while the grand priest of his faith in Faerūn was often an immensely powerful and paranoid bully. Fortunately for many, Borem's priests spent as much time waging war on each other as they did serving their cruel doctrine. There was little agreement on dogma beyond embracing one's anger and lashing out at the world; the most successful priests of Borem were able to temper their wrath with patience, biding their time before finally unleashing a maelstrom of vengeance that utterly destroyed those who had crossed them. Borem's priests generally prayed for their spells at noon. They had no holidays of note, although some priests invented feasts that honored their own greatness (as a reflection of Borem's, of course). History/Relationships: Borem was one of many deities who emerged from the primal battle between Selūne and Shar. He was worshipped by the primitive humans of the Realms, and even a few outcast humanoids. A handful of ancient tribes honored him in various guises, but they never lasted long before the self-defeating nature of Borem worship consumed them. As humanity became more civilized, it largely abandoned Borem as an ugly reminder of days of savagery, but there was always a few who sought the strength without limits Borem could grant them. These angry souls kept Borem alive as a demigod for countless centuries, despite frequent efforts by nobler faiths to crush him and his followers. Few would be surprised to learn Borem had few divine allies. He grudgingly acknowledged the power of Shar, Malar and Talos, and often cooperated with the other gods of the Lost Seven to carry out some grand plot, but otherwise disdained all the other deities of Faerūn. He may have had few friends, but Borem had many, many foes. Many deities, including nearly every good god of the Realms, actively worked against his brutish schemes, but Gargauth, Murdane, Silvanus, Amaunator and Helm were his chief adversaries. Dogma: Unleash your inner fury whenever it rises up. Restraint is a sign of weakness. Don't let others insult or injure you, and always return such thrice-fold. Deliver death to all who oppose Borem. Do whatever it takes to gain and keep power. Fate: Borem lingered on in the dark fetid depths of Rezamark until three ambitious mortals named Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul sought him out. After an epic battle, the three would-be gods slew him with the aid of the Jathiman Dagger and absorbed his divine essence into themselves. Most of Borem's followers died trying to avenge him, others embraced the new dark gods, while a few fell in with Moander and other sinister deities. Now, only a handful of sages and priests of Bane remember his name. The Lost Seven These seven deities were all cruel and wicked minor powers of the northern Realms. They survived the fall of Netheril, but all were either slain (Borem and perhaps the unknown two) or reduced to servants of Bane (all the others). Very few traces of their churches remain and only the most learned sages know of their existence. With the recent resurgence of Bane, those who still exist may yet return to plague Faerūn with their evil. 1 - Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud 2 - Camnod the Unseen, a sinister god of deceit, illusion and invisibility forced to accept Bane as his master to avoid destruction at the hand of Leira. 3 - Haask, Voice of Hargut, a fiendish quasi-deity descended from an ancient god of treachery (himself slain by Haask) and a marilith. 4 - Maram of the Great Spear, a savage warrior deity active in the North before being defeated by Garagos and Tempus and reduced to servitude to Bane. 5 - Tyranthraxus the Flamed One, a cunning and ambitious deity who forcibly possessed his avatars; his last spirit was slain in Phlan almost a generation ago. 6 - Unknown 7 - Unknown *** I should probably use my brain cells and give the last two of the Lost Seven names and stuff, shouldn't I? And a preview of the ideas swirling around my brain for the next several deities: Murdane. Kipuytto and Herne, because complete failures - I mean, runners-up deserve some props. An as-yet-unamed Proto-Torm from way, way, way back when. Marghuk. Orcish god of magic. Trachtenmai, hero goddess of the dryads of the High Forest. Sossal, hero deity and founder of Sossal. Sossia, sister of Sossal and guardian against winter's wrath. |
| Zandilar06-07-07, 08:33 PM | Heya, Yeah, but if Zhentil Keep is free, then a) her work here is done and b) she could possibly evolve her portfolio. Well, yes, evolution would do it. But the "theme" of Reeza fits too many other deities - including the likes of both Ilmater and Lliira. Hmm... leads to an interesting question - just how well does she get on with Lliira, she being the original deity of freedom 'n all? Good point about "common folk" being too broad, though. Would make her far more powerful than just a demigod. ;) :P Perhaps, but the People's Chosen But Non-Elected Inspiration isn't as catchy. ;) How about, "Chosen of the People"? Kind of a play on Chosen of <insert deity here>? I think you're right, actually. :eek: The other thought that came to mind is that Bane might send an avatar himself if he thought she was an easy enough kill... On the planes she at least has a little bit of protection (Bane won't go to the House of the Triad, but he might go somewhere on the prime). They are an odd little group of elves, yes. I suppose I could add something about being free to leave any time they wanted without (much) stigma from the other Sisters. :) That would work, but only in the case of having and then needing to raise children. I still don't think getting married in and of itself would be incompatiable with the protection of Evermeet (in fact, it gives them even more reason to do so passionately!). |
| varyar06-07-07, 08:43 PM | Well, yes, evolution would do it. But the "theme" of Reeza fits too many other deities - including the likes of both Ilmater and Lliira. True. I may end up making her a hero deity in the finished product, but for now she gets to keep her shiny demi-goddess badge. :) Hmm... leads to an interesting question - just how well does she get on with Lliira, she being the original deity of freedom 'n all? Excellent question. In short - pretty well. See below. How about, "Chosen of the People"? Kind of a play on Chosen of <insert deity here>? ::yoink:: The other thought that came to mind is that Bane might send an avatar himself if he thought she was an easy enough kill... On the planes she at least has a little bit of protection (Bane won't go to the House of the Triad, but he might go somewhere on the prime). True 'nuff. In light of all this, here's a slightly revised version of Reeza: REEZA Chosen of the People, Lady Blue Band Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A blue bracelet Home Plane: House of the Triad Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: The common folk of Zhentil Keep Worshipers: Good people of the Moonsea, victims of the Zhentarim Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG Domains: Good, Protection, Retribution Favored Weapon: "Ithilspine" and "Terylspine" (short swords) While Zhentil Keep and its conquests are seen as a land of pure evil by most folk, this is not true. Even in the darkest realms, there are glimmers of light and justice. The young goddess Reeza is one such promise of a brighter future. She exemplifies the secret hopes and struggles of all those who endure the tyranny of the Black Network, and protects those brave enough to fight back against it. She mourns for all the victims of the Black Network, and unleashes righteous fury on those who serve the Zhentarim and their dark masters. When she appears, Reeza takes the form of a battle-scarred woman clad either in gleaming blue and white plate armor or else the bland, threadbare garb of a Zhent peasant. As might be expected, Reeza's church is a small, persecuted affair. While the bulk of her worshippers live in Zhentil Keep (and its occupied cities such as Mulmaster and Voonlar), most of her temples and open clergy are in its near neighbors, where they are relatively safe from the constant threat of attack. There were once temples to the People's Princess in Hillsfar and Mulmaster, but they were both destroyed (and the priests executed) in the past few years. The main temple is now in Phlan, with smaller temples and shrines throughout the Moonsea and Dalelands. Followers of Reeza who live in Zhentil Keep and its domains meet in secret, often only once or twice a year, and never in groups larger than a dozen or so. In many ways, the church of Reeza resembles an underground resistance movement (which it is, in many ways) more than a typical church. Her worshippers live in constant fear of discovery, which means certain and painful death, but this has not lead to the faith's extinction much to the disappointment of Bane and his worshippers. Priests of Reeza pray for their spells as they rise to greet the dawn, hoping that this day will see the rule of the Zhentarim overthrown or at least weakened. The church has three major holidays, one to mark the birth of Reeza, one to mark her founding the Blue Band and the last to mark her martyrdom at the hands of the Zhentarim. In free lands, these are celebrated on the same days each year, but the underground church organizes ad hoc and extremely modest ceremonies held at random, but usually within a month of the actual holidays, to avoid Zhentarim inquisitors. History/Relationships: In her mortal life, Reeza was a Zhentilar warrior of fairly high birth. She proved herself in battles against the orcs and trolls of the Moonsea, and achieved a modest rank within the Zhentilar, eventually rising to be a lieutenant of Zhentil Keep's garrison at the Citadel of the Raven. After her time there, and exposure to her counterparts from Hillsfar and the other garrisoning cities, Reeza was ordered back to Zhentil Keep itself. Once there, she swiftly became disillusioned with the corruption and outright evil of the Zhentarim who ruled the city. This discontent turned to hatred, and Reeza began to very carefully and very secretly help slaves and criminals escape the Keep. Soon, she took the next step, outright rebellion. She and a small group of like-minded Zhents founded the Blue Band, a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the Zhentarim and freeing the people of Zhentil Keep. The Blue Band was active for almost ten years before Reeza was betrayed, arrested, tortured and finally executed by the Zhentarim around 1300 DR. But her cult-like popularity among the Blue Band and many common folk of Zhentil Keep (and the quiet support of Ilmater) transformed her death into an ascension. Since then, Reeza has been worshipped by a small but fervent segment of the population of Zhentil Keep and its subjugated cities. Reeza is a fairly introverted deity, more focused on her mortal followers than building alliances with the many deities of the Realms. But among those she does count as allies, the most important gods are her master Ilmater, Helm, Torm and Tyr. She often works with them to upset some Zhentarim plot or Banite scheme, and her church is on good terms with theirs. She is also a close friend of Lliira, who embodies many of the ideals Reeza and her followers struggle to achieve. Reeza is obviously a hated foe of Bane and, to a much lesser degree, Cyric. Both dark gods despise Reeza and what she stands for, and their priests take great pleasure in torturing and killing her worshippers. Dogma: Be strong in the face of repression. Keep a pure heart, even if your lips must be silent in the face of evil. Stand up to tyrants when you can and when you must. Act when honor demands it, but don't forget that waiting for the right time can often do more good than surrendering to your impulses. Never lose hope in the triumph of good over evil and justice over oppression. Despair is defeat. That would work, but only in the case of having and then needing to raise children. I still don't think getting married in and of itself would be incompatiable with the protection of Evermeet (in fact, it gives them even more reason to do so passionately!). Oh, very well. ;) Update! /end Unsolved Mysteries Centuries after Auluua's ascension, but still many, many thousands of years ago, a sisterhood was founded to emulate the Golden Guardian. These Sisters of Auluua (or Nysa Auluua) are an order of female bladesingers who dedicate themselves body and soul to the twin duties of bladesong and defense of the realm with a zeal matching any human paladin. When one Sister falls in battle, the rest (there are usually twenty) choose a female elf to replace her. The chosen one is free to turn down the offer, and it has happened several times (usually in cases where an elf maiden wished to keep the freedom to pursue other interests besides a single-minded mastery of bladesong), but usually there is no hesitation. |
| faellamos06-08-07, 02:07 AM | Ok so here's my idea for a new demideity. I was gonna make one from scratch called Parravexus (which i still think is a cool name), but then it occurred to me that it might be an even better idea to borrow from canon material. This is a VERY rough draft which i did in about 10 mins, so comments and criticisms are welcome. SEPHRIS Ascended One, Lord of Enlightenment Faerunian Demigod Home Plane: House of Knowledge Alignment: Lawful Neutral Symbol: An outline of a plain black equilateral triangle (becomes an equilateral trapezoid when rendered into 3D terms, eg a holy symbol) Portfolio: Mathematics, Philosophy, Arcane Metaphysics, Scientific Discovery, Fate (probability). Worshipers: Engineers, Mathematicians, Scholars, Philosophers, Mages (of a scholarly bent) Cleric Alignments: LN, LG, TN Domains: Artifice, Fate, Knowledge, Law, Rune, Spell Favoured Weapon: Infallible Vector (triangular throwing star) Numbers reflect reality. Mathematical theorems exist in some form in every aspect of existence, from the equidistant dimensions of a snail shell to the perfect dimensions of the bricks that make up Oghma's Palace in Concordant. Sephris is a relatively new deity whose goal is to imbue humanity with a greater understanding of this concept, and thus help them to reach their full potential. Sephris' techings are considered a radical new way of thinking, and are misunderstood by most (indeed, the common folk of Faerun have a difficult time grasping just what exactly his portfolio is all about) and thus his worship is small, limited mostly to shrines in or near Oghma's temples and in a few other places of learning. Numbers reflect not only what is, but also what will be (through the application of probability formula), and in this sense he is also a god of fate to an extent. Predictably there are rumours among the Gods that Savras is not at all happy about this, and may try to curtail Sephris' power over fate. Given enough time (and enough space to write it on) the whole of existence could be condensed and expressed into a single mathematic formula. What's more, once this formula is known, it would be a simple matter of arcane application to use this formula to actually reshape reality. This is the goal towards which all of his worshipers work (though few of them are aware of it) and indeed it is Sephris' ultimate goal, similar to how Deneir seeks to unravel the secrets of the Metatext. As a mortal, his theories were considered insane (and indeed, Sephris was borderline crazy) because they could not see the totality of his vision and how perfectly it encapsulated all reality. But some scholars who knew him before- and during- his descent into madness recognised the virtue of what he was trying to do. These people became the first of his worshipers, and he now guides them very carefully as they seek to understand the world around them in a new way, granting inspiration and protecting them from the madness that eventually afflicted him in his journey for understanding. History/Relationships: Sephris Dwendon was a chosen priest of Oghma. He possessed the god-given gift to perceive the underlying mathematic formula upon which physical reality is based; as a result his power was greater than anyone alive ever expected, possessing intimate knowledge of how the universe functioned. His end was not so much a death as it was an ascension; his limited mortal brain could not contain the insights which grew with every scribbled formula he produced, and so he left the mortal world more or less of his own free will, remaining alive only long enough to provide aid and information to a mortal hero whose actions- Sephris foresaw- would be an important variable upon the formula of existence. Sephris achieved insights in his mortal life that surprised even Oghma himself, and when he died, Oghma made him into a god so that he may continue his work (with the added advantage of a godly intellect) and pass his teaching on to others. He is very close allies with Oghma (being his patron) and all the other gods of knowledge. We also has a working relationship with Azuth, and is also allied with Lathander, who sees this radical new way of thinking as something that could greatly benefit mankind. His only particular enemy is Shar, who views the idea of unlocking the secrets of the universe to be the greatest of all blasphemies. Savras is also a rival, as his portfolio could potentially (if it doesn't already) tread upon his own. |
| varyar06-08-07, 08:56 AM | Ok so here's my idea for a new demideity. I was gonna make one from scratch called Parravexus (which i still think is a cool name), but then it occurred to me that it might be an even better idea to borrow from canon material. This is a VERY rough draft which i did in about 10 mins, so comments and criticisms are welcome. I failed my Knowledge check. Where is Sephris from, canonically? Overall, I really like it, especially the concept of using arcane math to reshape the universe. Very, very nice idea. (I had the idea of worshippers of the math god using written equations instead of components when they cast spells, a bit like Buddhist prayer scrolls.) Symbol: An outline of a plain black equilateral triangle (becomes an equilateral trapezoid when rendered into 3D terms, eg a holy symbol) Isn't a trapezoid just a four-sided 2D shape, though? Do you mean a tetrahedron? (Yes, I had to look it up to find out what the fancy name for a d4 is :D) Portfolio: Mathematics, Philosophy, Arcane Metaphysics, Scientific Discovery, Fate (probability). I might take Scientific Discovery off the list. It seems a bit anachronistic for the Realms, which doesn't really do science except maybe in Lantan. Favoured Weapon: “Infallible Vector” (triangular throwing star) I love the name. :D Numbers reflect reality. and so forth. A couple questions/suggestions: * Is there any particular part of the Realms where Sephris' faith is especially strong and/or independent of Oghma's church? * Is there a name for the mathematical Metatext equivalent? * You may want to specify his borderline insanity was more Fred (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Burkle) than Drusilla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drusilla_%28Buffyverse%29) (to use a geeky example). The LN suggests it, but people might think Sephris thought he was the reincarnation of Karsus or something. * Shar as his main enemy is interesting. I might consider phrasing it like this "Shar, who views the idea of anyone except her unlocking the secrets of the universe to be the greatest of all blasphemies." but that's just a thought. :) * Where's the Dogma? :) |
| varyar06-08-07, 09:12 AM | On a side note, time for some begging. I decided to turn the entries in this thread into a netbook, complete with expanded write-ups, Initiate feats and spells for each god, some art, etc. I was wondering if anybody was willing/interested in helping out on the crunch side of things. Especially the deity and avatar stats. Oy, the stats... Shoot me a PM if you're curious. |
| faellamos06-08-07, 11:28 AM | I failed my Knowledge check. Where is Sephris from, canonically? Twilight Falling, Book 1 of the Erevis Cale Trilogy. He's the chosen of Oghma, basically a prophet who gives Erevis important information, sends him on his way and dies soon after. Isn't a trapezoid just a four-sided 2D shape, though? Do you mean a tetrahedron? (Yes, I had to look it up to find out what the fancy name for a d4 is :D) Yep, you got me. Tetrahedron. I'll write that in to an update. I might take Scientific Discovery off the list. It seems a bit anachronistic for the Realms, which doesn't really do science except maybe in Lantan. Hm, think i agree with you on that one. "Science" doesn't really fit with the rest of his portfolio does it? TBH i was just listing his portfolios in my head and wrote that one down more or less without really thinking about it. * Is there any particular part of the Realms where Sephris' faith is especially strong and/or independent of Oghma's church? His church is only widely known in Sembia, particularly Stormweather, where Sephris lived as a mortal. His house on Temple Street (or whatever its called) was turned into his first church. * Is there a name for the mathematical Metatext equivalent? Hmm. It's more of a concept or an idea, more a goal towards total understanding of the universe than an actual text per se... I think of it more as a progressive series of insights, almost like a leveling up system, and say level 40 is the final level at which you achieve ultimate understanding of the universe, to answer your question i'd probably call that level "The Final Insight" or "Last Revelation" or something. I'll think about it. And that would be the goal that all of Sephris' clergy are working towards. * You may want to specify his borderline insanity was more Fred (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Burkle) than Drusilla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drusilla_%28Buffyverse%29) (to use a geeky example). The LN suggests it, but people might think Sephris thought he was the reincarnation of Karsus or something. Lol, it's funny cause i totally get the reference (on a side-note, lllyria is the coolest sci-fi villain/anti-hero ever! Someone should do a write-up for her, since she's more or less a deity! ...hmm, that might be interesting, she'd make a great interloper deity). And the funny thing is, that's exactly how Sephris is portrayed in Twilight Falling, he has mathematical formula scribbled across every wall of his house just like Fred; he's more of a crazy super-nerd than just plain crazy. * Shar as his main enemy is interesting. I might consider phrasing it like this "Shar, who views the idea of anyone except her unlocking the secrets of the universe to be the greatest of all blasphemies." but that's just a thought. :) I'll think about it when i do the final draft. * Where's the Dogma? :) couldn't be bothered TBH. Well, actually i thought about it, but i couldn't really think how i'd write it. Suggestions in relation to dogma would be appreciated. |
| varyar06-08-07, 11:45 AM | TRACHTENMAI The Forest Queen, Greentresses Faerūnian Hero Goddess Symbol: A birch tree on top of a white crescent moon Home Plane: Faerie Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Dryads, the High Forest Worshipers: Fey folk of the High Forest Favored Weapon: "Birchbite" (dagger) In forgotten ages, the fey folk ruled over huge stretches of Faerūn. Little remains of their ancient realms now, and most people of Faerūn are unaware of their past glories and even their present existence. But here and there in the wilds of the Realms, traces of the fey remain. The High Forest is the heart of the largest remnant of the fey dominions. There are many treants there, and even a few small villages of pixies and sprites, but also a large number of dryads, descendents of the first settlers of the High Forest tens of thousands of years ago. Their guardian and goddess is Trachtenmai, mostly forgotten but still fiercely devoted to her dryad followers. She rarely appears in Faerūn, but when she does, it is in the form of a giant dryad matriarch with emerald green hair. Trachtenmai's following consists of the dryads of the High Forest. They pay homage to her at their whim, generally in thanks after she protects them from some threat. A handful of dryad druids actively worship Trachtenmai, but she has no formal church. History/Relationships: Trachtenmai was queen of the dryads long, long ago, before the first elf ever set foot on Faerūn. The beloved monarch of the forest maidens protected them against a powerful draconic invasion and was elevated to a divine rank by the gods of the Seelie Court in recognition of her deeds. She watched over the dryads of the High Forest and the rest of Faerūn for countless centuries, but as the ages passed and the fey folk waned, Trachtenmai's power faded. By the time of the Godswar, Trachtenmai was worshipped only by a handful of dryads hiding deep in the High Forest. Over the past few years, as change has swept that great woodland, Trachtenmai has taken a more active role in affairs and many believe she may once again claim the green crown of the dryads. Trachtenmai and Malar are ancient enemies; one of her greatest glories was the long-ago slaying of an avatar of the Beastlord, a feat Malar has neither forgotten nor forgiven. Trachtenmai is also a foe of Auril, who delights in unleashing bitter cold that crushes the heart of dryads. In contrast, Trachtenmai is close friends with the Seldarine (especially Rillifane Rallathil), the Seelie Court and the good nature deities of the Realms. She also has a strong bond with the river goddess Aline, a cousin in spirit if not flesh (students of the fey folk aren't sure on their exact relationship). ANCIENT TRACHTENMAI In days long gone by, before the First Flowering of the elves, Trachtenmai was a proper goddess. If you run a campaign set in that era, use the following: The Forest Queen, Greentresses Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A birch tree on top of a white crescent moon Home Plane: Faerūn Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Dryads, forests Worshipers: Dryads Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Good, Plant, Protection Favored Weapon: "Birchbite" (dagger) |
| varyar06-08-07, 01:15 PM | Twilight Falling, Book 1 of the Erevis Cale Trilogy. He's the chosen of Oghma, basically a prophet who gives Erevis important information, sends him on his way and dies soon after. Cool. I'll try and check it out one of these days. His church is only widely known in Sembia, particularly Stormweather, where Sephris lived as a mortal. That makes sense. His house on Temple Street (or whatever its called) was turned into his first church. Nice. Hmm. It's more of a concept or an idea, more a goal towards total understanding of the universe than an actual text per se... I think of it more as a progressive series of insights, almost like a leveling up system, and say level 40 is the final level at which you achieve ultimate understanding of the universe, to answer your question i'd probably call that level "The Final Insight" or "Last Revelation" or something. I'll think about it. And that would be the goal that all of Sephris' clergy are working towards. I like it. Gives them a nice almost conspiratorial edge. Lol, it's funny cause i totally get the reference (on a side-note, lllyria is the coolest sci-fi villain/anti-hero ever! Someone should do a write-up for her, since she's more or less a deity! ...hmm, that might be interesting, she'd make a great interloper deity). Great, now you've got my mind going. :D And the funny thing is, that's exactly how Sephris is portrayed in Twilight Falling, he has mathematical formula scribbled across every wall of his house just like Fred; he's more of a crazy super-nerd than just plain crazy. Cool, that's what I figured. couldn't be bothered TBH. Well, actually i thought about it, but i couldn't really think how i'd write it. Suggestions in relation to dogma would be appreciated. Hrm. Math as the underpinning of the universe and key to ultimate understanding, etc. etc. plus maybe something about good and evil being parts of a cosmic equation? I dunno. |
| GothicDan06-08-07, 01:26 PM | Sephris is MEEEE! ;) |
| varyar06-08-07, 04:02 PM | MARGHUK The Cunning, the Caster, the Fiery Fingers Orc Demigod Symbol: Three licks of flame, red, orange and yellow, atop an orc skull Home Plane: Nishrek Alignment: Chaotic evil Portfolio: Orc magic, orcs, power Worshipers: Orcs, adepts, sorcerers Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE Domains: Chaos, Evil, Magic, Orc, Spell Favored Weapon: "Redstaff" (quarterstaff) Marghuk is the scrawny and cunning child of Gruumsh and Luthic. He survives the ire of his fellow deities by mastering the arcane arts, in his own brutish way, and teaches his few followers that power can come from a spell as well as a sword. He is by no means a sagely god, instead mastering the arcane through sheer, stubborn will. Those who follow his path gain Marghuk's favor, although he abandons any who upset the orcish way of life (and thus invite the wrath of Gruumsh and Bahgtru upon him). Marghuk delights in finding new and miserable applications of magic, and knows many strange, unwholesome spells few others can even imagine. The church of Marghuk is small and closely tied to that of Luthic, a fact that often showers Marghuk worshippers with scorn from other males. Priests of Marghuk are often driven out of the tribe if they can't prove their worth, which drives most of them into mastering simple, brute-force spells of use in battle. His clerics are unquestionably loyal to the chieftain and often some of his strongest supporters - but they will readily abandon a chief who fails to fend off ambitious rivals. Priests of Marghuk rarely spend long hours researching new spells and methods, instead perfecting the most useful spells by constant repetition, often using slaves and prisoners as targets. Fully half of Marghuk's priests are found in the emergent kingdom of Obould Many-Arrows. Clerics and adepts of Marghuk pray for their spells when the moon rises, recognizing the Eye in the Sky as a powerful mystic omen (even as they despise the goddess it represents). Their holy days are the turning times of the year (the solstices and equinoxes), when all the priests of Marghuk in a tribe come together to demonstrate their prowess in flashy and destructive displays of arcane might. A few clerics multiclass as sorcerers or barbarians. History/Relationships: Marghuk was born shortly after the arrival of the orcs on Faerūn. He was a feeble child, at least by orc standards, and survived only because of his mastery of the arcane, a very useful skill against the arcane empires of the elves and other foes of the orcs. He played a part in the successes of many orc hordes, but was also seen as a convenient scape-goat for the constant failures of hordes to totally destroy their foes. Only when the Orcgate Wars erupted and orcish magic was key to preventing the Mulhorandi wizards from exterminating the defeated orcs did Marghuk gain a faint measure of respect from his fellow gods and mortal orcs. Marghuk is utterly subservient to Gruumsh and Luthic, obeying their every word and whim. He despises Bahgtru as representing the true weaknesses of orcs, the attitudes that will keep them from ever gaining control of the Realm, and distrusts the sly, ambitious Ilneval. He has little time for either Shargaas and Yurtrus, viewing them as little better than the weak gods of the goblins and dwarves. Among Marghuk's many foes, the elven and human gods of magic are his greatest. Azuth in particular hates Marghuk as the epitome of the misuse of magic. Dogma: There is more than one path to power. Any idiot can pick up a sword, but only a clever orc can master the arcane. Know your place in the tribe, but never pass up an opportunity to show your strength. Subtle magics and complex dweomers are for the decadent. The best spell is the one that kills the most enemies. |
| Alediran06-08-07, 04:04 PM | RHISTEL Lord of Faerūn's history, Wanderer of Roads Elven Quasideity Symbol: An open book with a map of Faerūn as cover Home Plane: Arvandor Alignment: Neutral Good Portfolio: Elven Adventurers, History of Faerūn, Unity of Races Worshipers: Elven adventurers exploring the story of The People or in diplomatic missions. Favored Weapon: "Sagestaff" (quarterstaff) Rhistel is the elven quasideity of The People's most sacred secrets. He is the discoverer of ancient, forgotten places and. His library, located in Corellon's tower is the most complete regarding the story of Faerūn and his descendants continue to help him maintaining it without knowing. His interest lies not only in The People but also their relations with other races. Rhistel's curch is yet to be raised, most of his followers are elves who belive in unity with other races or who protect ancient secrets. Clerics pray to Rhistel after their first moment with a sentient being from any race or in the sight of an ancient place. History/Relationships: Rhistel was once known as Rhistel Tir'ent, a former Durothil wizard born in Evermeet. Son of Rolim Durothil and Ava Moonflower, he formed House Tir'ent after two centuries wandering the lands of Faerūn. His original purpose was to keep an eye open to the dangers of the outside world, but this self-apointed task became only a part of his family life and soon they became well known historians, this respect and that earned from those who Rhistel helped created a powerfull force that suffused the first Tir'ent in the moment he passed to Arvandor. He now watches over his descendants to keep them doing the family's job. His most important allies are Corellon Larethian and Labelas Enoreth, mainly serving the Lord of Continnum as scribe of events past. He counts among his enemies those gods who try to steal the secrets of The People and those who constantly try to keep the different good races appart. Dogma: Never hide from the world, by doing it you become blind to the hidden threats. Seek unity with other races and learn from them, for their spirits will complement yours and make you whole, keep the lessons of Myth Drannor near your hearth, it taught us the greatest time of the united people. |
| varyar06-08-07, 10:02 PM | RHISTEL I really like this one. Elves would definitely have a patron hero deity of history. *** SAMALA The Trueblade, High Shield Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A silver and blue shield with a white star on it Home Plane: Celestia Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Duty, loyalty, paladins, protection Worshipers: Paladins, good warriors, guardians, leaders Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Domains: Good, Healing, Law, Nobility, Protection Favored Weapon: "Cariara" (long sword) In ages long past, the elves and dragons dominated Faerūn, but there were also human realms here and there. Samala the Trueblade was the noble protector of one such realm. She was the goddess of honor, selflessness and courage, patron of paladins, and guardian of the royal line and the common folk alike. Samala represented the highest ideals of the kingdom and the great potential of humanity, ceaselessly striving to uphold them both. In addition to her noble manner, Samala was also a peerless warrior, the match for almost any foe. In many ways, Samala was an ancient foremother of Torm the True (indeed, his oldest temples often contain images of Samala and other kindred deities). Samala's clerics and paladins were both integral parts of her church, which was more of a knightly order than anything else. Her worshippers bound themselves to the service of both goddess and land with mystic oaths, often visibly displayed as colorful tattoos. They stood guard against both external threats such as dragons and goblinoids and internal menaces such as cults and corrupt rulers. Her temples, found in every town and city of the realm, were strongholds and refuges in time of crisis as well as places of worship. Her priests often multiclassed as paladins and divine champions; indeed, it was the rare priest who didn't do so. Clerics of Samala prayed for their spells at highsun, when light's great promise reached its peak and banished all darkness. Their holidays matched the natural turns of the years (solstices and equinoxes, midwinter and midsummer, and so forth), combining celebrations of the natural order with remembrances of virtue and bravery. They also presided over various stages in the progress of life - birth, coming of age, marriage, parenthood, and death. History/Relationships: Samala rose to divinity over 20,000 years ago. She was a noble warrior in the ancient kingdom of Corriana (a prosperous human realm in the lower vale of the Delimbiyr River) who fought many great battles against fiendish foes and humanoid armies. After long, valorous service to Corriana, Samala finally perished in battle. Soon thereafter, the archon lords of Celestia returned her to Faerūn with a fragment of divine power. For more than a thousand years thereafter, Samala protected her kingdom from enemies within and without. She was a close friend of the martial powers of the Seldarine and Seelie Court, and also with her counterparts in the other emergent human kingdoms of Faerūn. Ancient scripture says Samala had a long relationship with Jona, a young guardinal paragon and master of canines. Samala had many foes, mostly petty gods of malice and misery, but her greatest enemies were interloping fiends who sought to corrupt the young human realms and rule as god-kings. Dogma: Duty is its own reward. Obey your superiors and protect your followers. Strike swiftly against evil wherever you find it. Be vigilant against the seductive lies of devils and demons, and counter their deceits with truth and the blade. Fate: After long and honorable guardianship of Corriana, Samala was bound by the slow, subtle corruption of her homeland. The once-noble rulers of Corriana fell into darkness over the course of several centuries, a threat Samala could only delay, not defeat. Finally, she discovered that the cause of the decay was the demon prince Pazrael. She raised a great army to combat the fiend, but that too was a trap. Her army was destroyed by a legion of demons, and Samala herself was killed after a titanic battle against Pazrael. Even in defeat, though, Samala triumphed; her sacrifice roused the Seldarine to action, and Corellon Larethian himself drove Pazrael out of Faerūn with such anger that the demon did not return for five thousand years. Samala's name was long remembered by her surviving people and is still honored by the Seldarine and Seelie Court. THE ELDER OUTER PLANES Long ago, the planar branches of the Great Tree were far different in form and number. In the days of the Time of Dragons and First Flowering, the outer planes were as follows: The Abyss, an endless succession of unfettered, selfish evil worlds, all home to countless tanar'ri. Arvandor, a land of woods and crystal palaces where the Seldarine reside, having wrested the realm from the giants of Jotunheim. Barrens of Blood, a hideous wasteland contested by the tanar'ri and baatezu. Battle Eaves, a plane of constant twilight and infinite woodland fringes where warrior spirits clash in endless battles. Celestia, a serene and heavenly mountain where the archons, powerful spirits of pure good, dwell in peace. Deep Caverns, an endless network of twisted caverns home to even more twisted creatures. Dragon Eyrie, the infinite mountain where the many gods of the dragons reside. Dweomerheart, a realm where magic reaches its ultimate potential under the guardianship of nine wise gods. (Mystryl and eight lesser powers for the eight schools of magic) Faerie, the forest home of the fairy folk and the many gods of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Fated Depths, the foul depths of the fiendish planes, where the batrachi deities dwell. Fury's Heart, the dark, malicious reflection of Wyldland, home to savage beast gods. Gates of the Moon, the tranquil, moonlit realm of Selūne and her servant deities and spirits. High Hills, a forested realm where the gods of the humans dwell in many tribal pantheons. Jotunheim, the bleak, mountainous homeland of the giants and their gods, fierce foes of the elves. Keep of the Eternal Sun, the bright, golden domain of the god of the dawn. Nine Hells, the iron stronghold of the baatezu and their tyrannical masters. Offalmound, a realm of rot and corruption, home to the most hideous and evil creatures in existence. Plains of Shadow, a dark, tenebrous realm where Shar and her minion deities lurk. Scaly Halls, the marshy realm, closely linked to Dragon Eyrie, where the sarrukh and their mysterious gods make their home. Silver Clouds, an infinite sky where the aearee gods and their many winged servants make their home. Wyldland, a primal wilderness home to dozens of nature gods and spirits. |
| Zandilar06-09-07, 11:05 AM | Heya, SAMALA It's 1am, so forgive me if I'm not too coherant or I've misread something... But it's not real clear, but my reading is she's deceased (extinct, shuffled off her immortal coil, gone the way of the dodo, dead, an ex-deity... etc etc). If she is, or even if she isn't and I've misread things, you might want to make it clearer... |
| varyar06-09-07, 11:20 AM | Heya, It's 1am, so forgive me if I'm not too coherant or I've misread something... But it's not real clear, but my reading is she's deceased (extinct, shuffled off her immortal coil, gone the way of the dodo, dead, an ex-deity... etc etc). If she is, or even if she isn't and I've misread things, you might want to make it clearer... I think this one is a case of sleepiness, Zand. ;) She raised a great army to combat the fiend, but that too was a trap. Her army was destroyed by a legion of demons, and Samala herself was killed after a titanic battle against Pazrael. Granted, it's buried in the middle of the paragraph, which my English teachers from way back when would probably shake their heads at. Anyhoo, she's most definitely dead. (It'll be clearer in the final product, which is helpfully divided into Chapter One - Living Gods and Chapter Two - Dead Gods. :D) |
| varyar06-09-07, 01:53 PM | Another one to pick over... ACARIA The Blue Sanctified Demon Lord Symbol: Two hands held together in prayer, inside a blue circle Home Plane: House of the Triad Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Redemption, sanctified fiends Worshipers: Sanctified fiends, fiend-slayers Favored Weapon: "Iluria" (short sword) Acaria (ack-er-ia) is that rarest of beings - a sanctified demon lord. Once the cruel queen of a layer of the Abyss, she is now a powerful and penitent denizen of Mount Celestia. Acaria strives to counter the plots of her former fiendish brethren, sending her followers to disrupt demonic cults and sometimes herself appearing to battle fiends manifesting in Faerūn. She is not a patient creature, prefering direction action and righteous violence to elaborate conspiracies and contingencies. Her time amongst the archons and angels of Celestia is very gradually tempering this rashness, but Acaria will probably always take joy in putting a sword into the gizzard of a demon. The followers of Acaria are organized into wandering bands who travel the length and breadth of Faerūn in search of fiendish cults and activity. There is a very loose hierarchy, where the leader of a given band will report to the sect's Waterdhavian leader, Wellian Ginlae (NG male Chondathan fighter 11/wizard 3). These Hands of Acaria are zealous and brave, and swiftly gaining a reputation as peerless fiend-slayers; the downside to this is that they are also attracting the attention of many fiends with an eye on Faerūn. The Hands of Acaria observe any holidays of their primary faith. In addition to those, they also tend to honor the Day of Redemption, which celebrates Acaria's sanctification. It is held in Waterdeep on Alturiak 25, and marked by a quiet candlelit ceremony followed by boisterous revels. History/Relationships: For time out of mind, Acaria the Blue ruled Karunchyra, the bleak, ashen wasteland that is the 370th layer of the Abyss. She was a proud, powerful demon lord - too proud and too powerful for the comfort of others of her kind. Over a thousand years ago, a short-lived alliance of demons invaded Karunchyra and drove Acaria into exile. She fled from plane to plane for a century, finally ending up in Faerūn... where she was promptly imprisoned by a circle of elven High Mages and buried deep, deep beneath the forest of Cormanthor. During her long captivity, Acaria began to contemplate the reasons behind her defeats and disconcent... In time, the wards around her new prison gradually wore down and Acaria escaped shortly after the fall of Myth Drannor. She wandered the Dalelands and Moonsea for a time, trying rather listlessly to build up a cult and power base, but was challenged and defeated by a band of adventurers operating out of Cormyr. The adventurers, all followers of Torm, carried their prisoner to the House of the Triad where the archons of Torm managed to bring Acaria out of the darkness. Since her purification, Acaria has been a stalwart and vigorous champion of good. Few things delight her more than defeating the schemes of a demon prince (actually slaying a demon prince is one of the few). Acaria and her Hands are well known throughout the House of the Triad, and she is well-liked by most of the divine denizens thereof. Helm regards Acaria with some suspicion, while Siamorphe largely ignores her (despite Acaria's 'church' being based in Waterdeep). Torm, Tyr and Ilmater respect Acaria for what she represents, as do the archon paragons (especially Raziel, who shares Acaria's zeal). Most of the dark gods of Faerūn regard Acaria as a somewhat dangerous nuisance; it is the demon princes and devil lords such as Orcus, Graz'zt, Malkizid and Eltab who truly despise Acaria, and vice versa. Yeenoghu is Acaria's greatest foe in the Realms, for he was one of the demons who drove her out of Karunchyra. ACARIA THE GODDESS Over time, perhaps assisted by the Deliverance, it is possible Acaria could ascend to become a true deity. If she does, use the following format: Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: Two hands held together in prayer, inside a blue and silver circle Home Plane: House of the Triad Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Redemption, sanctified evil creatures and people Worshipers: The formerly evil, fiend-slayers Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Domains: Celestial (BoED), Good, Time, Wrath (BoED) Favored Weapon: "Iluria" (short sword) |
| varyar06-09-07, 08:38 PM | One more for today: ANGAURALOTHOR The Azure Pasha, the Wandering Fury Draconic Demigod Symbol: A sapphire framed by blue dragon wings Home Plane: Faerūn Alignment: Lawful evil Portfolio: Anauroch, the Alahaj tribe Worshipers: The Alahaji Favored Weapon: A dragon claw (spiked gauntlet) Angauralothor is a god of limited power but endless ambition. He rose to the ranks of the gods using strange, alien epic spells and jealously clings to his divine power while he dreams of ways to increase his dominion. He rules over a large tribe of Bedine nomads known as the Alahaj, who serve him as minions, warriors and spies; the other tribes of the desert give Angauralothor a wide berth. The Azure Pasha's greatest impact is on the Realms is in his massive kidnapping ring, which snatches up thousands of victims every year and teleports them back to a hidden lair somewhere in Anauroch. Those Alahaji who worship Angauralothor are organized into a small but tightly organized church. Each band of the Alahaj tribe has a priest, known as a Sapphire Servant, who reports to the high priest or Cerulean Hierophant (currently Mati ibn Fallal ibn Alahaj, LE Bedine priest 12/divine disciple 5), the direct emissary of Angauralothor. Aside from the priests, all Alahaji are considered servants of Angauralothor and expected to instantly obey the orders of the clergy. Those who resist are soon made examples of. Angauralothor also counts a few young blue dragons as his worshippers, this draconic cadre serves as his enforcers amongst the Alahaji. Clerics of Angauralothor pray for their spells in midafternoon, when the heat of the desert reaches its cruelest intensity. They have few holidays, the chief of which are the Divine Hatching (held on 11 Tarsakh, it is a celebration of Angauralothor's birth day or at least the closest date he can remember to it) and the Blue Rising (13 Eleint and marking Angauralothor's ascent to divinity). Many clerics of Angauralothor multiclass as fighters and dragon disciples. History/Relationships: The Azure Pasha arrived in Anauroch not long after the fall of Anauria. While searching for a suitable lair, Angauralothor discovered the ruins of a Netherese arcanist's tower, one full of portals to strange worlds. Curious, Angauralothor ventured through the portals to see what could be stolen from beyond. After long journeys, the blue dragon discovered a ruined world, one once home to a civilization that was destroyed by a war of unimaginable fury. There, Angauralothor discovered an immensely powerful spell that could turn one into a god by channelling the innate magic energy of that world (essentially its version of the Weave). The only catch is that the ritual, which requires the sacrifice of thousands of victims, must be repeated every year. Upon his return, the god Angauralothor took control of a tribe of Bedine nomads and also prostrated himself before Tiamat so pathetically that the dragon goddess allowed him to serve her under a geas of absolutely loyalty. Angauralothor has been a faithful lieutenant to Tiamat ever since, obeying all her orders while secretly planning a way to break free of her domination. (Unbeknownst to Angauralothor, the faith of the Alahaji would probably sustain him as a demigod even if he failed to conduct the yearly ritual.) Angauralothor is enemies with many of the powers active in Anauroch, especially the arcanists of the City of Shade. The Wandering Fury hates and fears the Shadovar, but recognizes their power is too great to act against and be assured of complete victory. For now, he supports their enemies and plots ways to increase the forces at his own command. Many other powerful dragons of the North hate him, but are too afraid of his ties to Tiamat to move openly; the Cult of the Dragon has no such qualms and offers (through intermediaries) lucrative rewards for information on Angauralothor's lair and defenses. Angauralothor has no friends and, aside from Tiamat and his desert servants, no allies of consequence. Dogma: Dragons are the supreme beings, and Angauralothor is the supreme dragon. Only his power and charity protects the tribe from the treacherous dwellers of the desert. Everything you do should benefit Angauralothor, even in a very small way. Dissent is the greatest sin and obediance is the greatest virtue. *** Whaddaya think, sirs? (Zandilar, you'd be so proud of me. This one I think actually might work better as a hero deity. :)) |
| Zandilar06-09-07, 09:22 PM | Heya, (Zandilar, you'd be so proud of me. This one I think actually might work better as a hero deity. :)) :D Yes, I think he would too. His focus is really narrow. (By the way, Acaria very interesting... She's kind of like a demon with a cult, but she's not a demon (but that's the point, I guess! ;)). I'm also rather interested that you included the controversial spell sanctify the wicked which many people see as quite an evil spell, despite the effect.) |
| varyar06-09-07, 09:26 PM | Heya, :D Yes, I think he would too. His focus is really narrow. Indeed. And so he gets demoted... maybe one day if he's very good he'll conquer all the Bedine tribes and become a real god again. :D (By the way, Acaria very interesting... She's kind of like a demon with a cult, but she's not a demon (but that's the point, I guess! ;)). Indeed :) Somewhere on my HD, I have the beginnings of divine write-ups for the celestial paragons, but I'll leave 'em aside for this. There's already enough good gods, even in the netbook. More evil is called for. I'm also rather interested that you included the controversial spell sanctify the wicked which many people see as quite an evil spell, despite the effect.) Yeah, I might change that. There's definitely some wonky stuff in BoED, but that's probably best saved for another thread in another forum. I'll go back and edit the reason for her conversion into something more meaningful and less creepy. |
| varyar06-10-07, 03:41 PM | And some biting danger for today: LEHARIA The Blood Queen, the Matriarch Faerūnian Hero Goddess Symbol: Black feminine lips with two long fangs Home Plane: Faerūn Alignment: Lawful evil Portfolio: Vampires, blood Worshipers: Vampires, necromancers Favored Weapon: "The Last Kiss" (dagger) Leharia is a sinister and seductive goddess who epitomizes the 'noble' vampire. She cloaks herself in the guise of a bright-eyed ingenue, but Leharia is a vicious, remorseless killer, and encourages her followers (her children, as she insists they be called) act the same. She is also a master of manipulation, and uses means both shameless and subtle to achieve her latest wretched goal. What passes for Leharia's church is a collection of bloodstained altars festering in ancient ruins and secluded manors. Vampires who worship Leharia offer up a portion of the blood of their victims upon the altars, thanking the Blood Queen for gracing them with the twin gifts of undeath and continued victims. Many vampires of Faerūn belong to Leharia's Family Eternal, acknowledging her divinity and rulership over the vampire 'race' in return for Leharia's favor (primarily the favor of not destroying them, as she has done to many independent-minded bloodsuckers). The only holiday that Leharia and her Eternal Family note is the Night of the Last Kiss (the autumnal equinox), a grim celebration of Leharia's 'ascension' from a mortal into a vampire. This day, regarded with fear by many Faerūnians who live in areas plagued by vampires, is one where the Eternal Family gathers as many victims as possible and gorges on their blood in a gruesome spectacle that would disgust even some Malar worshippers. The last victim of the night, always a beautiful young maiden or handsome young lad, is turned into a vampire to perpetuate the Family. History/Relationships: In her mortal life several centuries ago, Leharia was the second daughter of a minor noble family in Saerloon. Sadly, her quick wit and innocent beauty attracted the attention of Alessio Izarlae, a rakish Sembian vampire. He turned her into one of his kind, and later regretted it when Leharia secretly revealed the location of his coffin to the Order of the Aster. After Alessio's destruction, Leharia wandered the Sea of Fallen Stars for several decades, gradually learning the arcane arts (often by seducing and transforming hapless wizards into her playthings). Eventually, she had spawned almost thirty utterly loyal vampire children, who formed the nucleus of a cult. Through unknown means, perhaps the favor of Talos or some other dark god, Leharia evolved from a 'mere' vampire queen into a quasi-deity. Since then, she has continued to spread her unholy blood, always into those who will increase her own power, and is becoming a great threat to the people of the Sword Coast and the North. Leharia has few friends among the gods. Shar seems to find Leharia amusing, not least because she puts a fear of the night into the hearts of Realmsfolk. Velsharoon regards her with suspicion, since their portfolios are so similar, but is held in check by Leharia's mysterious divine patron. Lathander, Torm and other gods of light have no such qualms, and their followers have begun waging a crusade against the Eternal Family. In return, Leharia's spawn take great delight in taking clerics of Lathander and Torm as the final victims on the Night of the Last Kiss, then unleashing the vampiric converts upon their former companions. |
| varyar06-11-07, 09:19 PM | bump and a plea for help. I've been working on the material for the netbook for a coupla weeks now, and it's gotten to the point where not finishing it would be a huge waste of time. The write-ups, the lore, I have no particular trouble with. I even managed to put together a couple new cleric domains and a prestige class. But my head explodes at the idea of doing actual Faiths and Pantheon style god and avatar stats. I could just leave them out, of course. But the obsessive/completist in me thinks there should be some, especially for the quasi-deities. Sooooo... does anybody want to take a stab at the deity and avatar stats for my creations? |
| The Ubbergeek06-12-07, 12:49 PM | Another one to pick over... Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: Two hands held together in prayer, inside a blue and silver circle Home Plane: House of the Triad Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Redemption, sanctified evil creatures and people Worshipers: The formerly evil, fiend-slayers Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Domains: Celestial (BoED), Good, Time, Wrath (BoED) Favored Weapon: "Iluria" (short sword) I like that one. What is her real form and avatar? (meaning; is she good-looking? X3 ) |
| varyar06-12-07, 01:14 PM | I like that one. What is her real form and avatar? (meaning; is she good-looking? X3 ) Hitting on goddesses, huh? :D She looks remarkably like Amy Acker with blue hair... |
| The Ubbergeek06-12-07, 02:06 PM | *Using the wiki* ....Sounds good to moi. X3 |
| varyar06-12-07, 05:25 PM | Twofer Tuesday... KIPUTYTTO The Pain Maiden, the Blight Queen Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A pale, pockmarked hand Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair Alignment: Chaotic evil Portfolio: Disease, poison Worshipers: Druids, healers, those suffering from disease and illness Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Pestilence (SC), Suffering Favored Weapon: "Rutto" (short sword) Also known as Kipu-Tyttö, Kiputytto was a cruel, crazed demigoddess of suffering and disease. Her dark dream was to cover the world in a great plague, killing all life and bringing the peace of the grave to Faerūn. Kiputytto's personality reflected this great goal; she was a zealot and every word and deed of hers was laced with menace and misery. Kiputytto was a twisted old crone whose face was blackened and pockmarked as a result of the ravages of nearly every disease known to exist (and a few unknown to even the wisest sages). She and her nine children, each a different and evil unique demon, were the terror of Faerūn for many centuries. Kiputytto's church was small, chaotic and constantly beset by schisms, conspiracies and heresies. Her priests tended to the fatally ill, shepherding them on the way to the afterlife, but they also took great glee in spreading disease and poison wherever they could. Only the truly desperate and insane followed Kiputytto, but sadly there has never been a shortage of those types in Faerūn. Fear of the Blight Queen often kept local lords from acting against her followers in their lands until it was too late. Clerics of Kiputytto prayed for their spells at dusk (or the Black Hour as they called it). They had monthly holidays called the Celebration of the Last Song, in which those suffering from illness would be brought forth and not healed but gently killed by clerics while novice priests sang them into the afterlife. There were also secret ceremonies, open only to the clergy, where initiates into the church would be subjected to painful, flesh-wracking diseases and then cured, leaving them hideous in appearance and in heart. History/Relationships: Kiputytto was an interloper deity who arrived in the Realms around the same time as her sister Loviatar and distant kinswoman Mielikki. She was known and feared during the rise of Netheril, and the arcanists of that empire often drove her priests out or into hiding (an insult Kiputytto never forgot). She vanquished a few other minor demigods of pestilance and suffering in the northern Realms, and was venerated by a small cult of Netherese outcasts, mainly those who were not blessed with magic or had been ravaged in the crossfire of some mystical duel. Kiputytto's friends were few and far between. Loviatar soon rose to greatness, and had little to do with her weak sister. Talona, the primary goddess of sickness, was a foe from the beginning, as were almost all the gods of good and nature. Even placid Jergal despised Kiputytto for her intrusion on his affairs of death and the afterlife. Her only true allies were her nine children, each of whom specialized in spreading a particular illness. Dogma: Take joy in your misery, for it is a sign that death's cold embrace is soon at hand. Death awaits us all and must not be feared but rather welcomed. The world will only know peace when the last living thing has perished, therefore go forth and do your best to speed the arrival of that glorious day. Fate: Kiputytto and Talona came into conflict almost as soon as the Pain Maiden arrived in the Realms. Their conflict reached a climax after the fall of Netheril. Both goddesses unleashed waves of horrific plagues upon Asram to gain the prayers of the afflicted. The nation that had survived the downfall of Netheril was wiped out by the divine battle. Talona emerged victorious, more or less, and not long afterwards slew the upstart Kiputytto. The Blight Queen's twisted, disease-scarred body drifts in the Astral now, avoided by all who chance to see it. The fate of her nine children is unknown, but it is believed they perished not long after their mother. KAUNIA Silverheart, the Pure Maiden Lesser Faerūnian Goddess Symbol: A silver heart Home Plane: Brightwater Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Beauty, love Worshipers: Lovers, artists Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Lust (SC) Favored Weapon: "Praxis" (quarterstaff) Kaunia was the Netherse goddess of beauty and love, a deity much like Sune. She had a slightly darker edge to her than Sune does, embracing a wild hedonism much more than the serenity of true love. She had many worshippers, especially among the young and those clinging to youth. Kaunia's avatar was a heart-stoppingly beautiful maiden with bronze skin and long dark hair, always clad in revealing robes of black and grey silk. She was most fond of young lovers, often giving them gifts of enduring beauty. The church of Kaunia was a vigorous, chaotic affair. Individual temple priests were allowed to direct the affairs of their temple as they saw fit, and two churches only a dozen miles apart might emphasize radically different aspects of Kaunia's teachings. Regardless of these perpetual small schisms, Kaunia was the goddess ordinary folk turned to when they married and had children. Indeed, ceremonies of marriage and baptism were the primary duties of the priests of Kaunia. Those specially favored by Silverheart were often blessed with manifestations of the goddess (typically the appearance of a strikingly beautiful celestial or the image of a glowing silver heart) at the ceremonies. Aside from such milestones in life, Kaunia was little regarded except as the patroness of love, often the illicit or secret sort. Clerics of Kaunia prayed in the morning after rising and bathing. Their major holy days were Midsummer and Midwinter Nights, both of which were marked by frolicking, feasts and revelry until (or past) dawn. Such celebrations always began as communal affairs and then broke up into more intimate pairings as the night went on. Most of Kaunia's priests were women, and quite a few talented women rose to high ranks in Netherese society through the church. History/Relationships: Kaunia was originally a minor hero goddess of some forgotten tribe of the North before the rise of Netheril. She saw the growth of the arcane kingdom as a change to spread her doctrine of passion throughout Faerūn and soon became a fixture, albeit a minor one, of the Netherese pantheon. But despite rising to the rank of a lesser goddess, Kaunia was never able to spread far beyond the borders of Netheril. Other local goddesses of similar portfolios checked her efforts before themselves falling into the embrace of Sune, a bitter rival of Kaunia. Aside from Sune, Kaunia's main foes were Kiputytto, Talona, Moander and other gods of discord and evil. Beauty and love rarely endure in realms of evil, so Kaunia occassionally put her energy into combating the schemes of such deities. More often, she encouraged other gods of good to do battle against them. Kaunia was said to have had a hundred lovers, but no real friends. Tyche, the goddess of luck both good and ill, was probably the closest thing to an ally Kaunia had, and even she was often at odds with the equally fickle goddess of love. Dogma: Beauty is the greatest truth. Outer beauty is a reflection of one's soul. Tend to it and your inner beauty will blossom. Always follow your heart, no matter where it leads. When in love, remember that it comes from Kaunia. Be faithful to her or she can take both love and beauty away from you. Fate: As Netheril became older and less stable, Kaunia became a more decadent goddess, emphasizing the act of love more than the emotion. She lost most of her worshippers in the dark times after the fall of Netheril, an age when the struggle for mere survival was far more important than idle concepts such as love and beauty. Her last great temple was in the city of Calypto in Asram, and most of her clerics resided there; all of them were slain in the war of plagues between Kiputytto and Talona. What was left of Kaunia's cult was either absorbed by the emerging church of Sune or slaughtered by the followers of Kemeset, a darkly beautiful arch-devil who took Kaunia's form as a mockery of the fallen and was last seen in the ruins of Myth Drannor a century ago. Unlike most fallen gods, however, a glimmer of Kaunia's essence clings to life, bound inside the major artifact known as Love's Mirror. LOVE'S MIRROR This sinister artifact seems pleasant at first glance. It is a large mirror, six feet tall and two across, framed with silver and gold shaped into hearts, flowers and leaves. This charming appearance masks an item of pure evil. When someone gazes into the mirror while the word of power ("Ithurgoloth") is spoken, either by the looker or another, the glass becomes a portal and instantly draws the one gazing into a small demiplane on the other side before closing again after thirty seconds or so. The one drawn in cannot leap back through the portal. The demiplane of Ithurgoloth is a bleak, empty rock, flat on top and around a half-mile in diameter. Above, below and on all sides, the rock is surrounded by dark, icy cold fog. What makes the prison complete is that the demiplane has the Dead Magic trait. No spells function in it, certainly not teleport, gate, plane shift or the like. Thus, the only way to escape is for someone on the other side to open the portal and then for those inside to jump through. The drawback, of course, is that one person (the one used as the victim) will still be stuck inside Ithurgoloth. Since the plane is barren rock without any food or water, prisoners do not last long. At the moment, the only occupants are an avatar of the goddess Kaunia and a cambion named Gustarlythix. The latter was trapped in the mirror plane by his lover, a Red Wizard of Thay, ten years ago, while Kaunia has been languishing in Ithurgoloth for almost a thousand years. |
| varyar06-12-07, 06:22 PM | And some elven gods of yore... UILIA MIHUMIEN Trailseeker Lesser Elven Goddess Symbol: A winged foot Home Plane: Arvandor Alignment: Chaotic Good Portfolio: Exploration, travel Worshipers: Explorers, rangers, travelers, spelljammers Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Elf, Portal, Travel, Wanderer Favored Weapon: "Wanderlust" (short sword) While an obscure deity in latter days, in her far too brief time Uilia (wheel-ia) was a cornerstone of the elven way of life. Said to have been the child of Sehanine Moonbow and Labelas Enoreth, Uilia was the patron of the spirit of exploration and discovery of the elves. In those early days, just after the arrival of the sun and moon elves upon Abeir-Toril, elves ventured far and wide with Uilia showing them the way. Her followers were explorers and trailblazers who scouted out every inch of Faerūn - and beyond, according to the tales. These outward voyages were balanced somewhat by Uilia's urgings to know the map of your mind and heart, but the emphasis was usually on thrusting back the uncharted horizon. Uilia and her church were not content while there was even a single white spot on any map of Abeir-Toril. As such, Uilia was on good terms with Aerdrie Faenya and Deep Sashelas, and her church with theirs, for air and water were often the mediums of the greatest voyages of discovery. The church of Ulilia was more of a society than a church in many ways. There was a hierarchy, but a small one, and the emphasis was on individual effort. The church served mainly to offer advice and guidance from its vast collection of maps and geographic lore. For followers of Uilia, the rite of passage involved being teleported to a random location never before visited and making one's way back. The voyage was often difficult, sometimes dangerous, but always rewarding. Aside from her elven worshippers, Uilia had a few followers amongst the firre eladrins of the Outer Planes, a folk whose inquisitive spirit mirrored her own. Among elves, most of Uilia's worshippers were moon elves, along with a few green and sun elves. The church was divided into three main sects: those who emphasised terrestial exploration (walkers), those who ventured into the planes (planewalkers) and the very rare spelljammers (spherewalkers). The sects had a friendly rivalry as to which form of exploration was best. (Uilia, of course, would answer "Yes" or "All of them" when the question was posed to her, as it sometimes was.) Clerics of Uilia Mihumien prayed either at dawn when daylight reveals the horizon or at sunset when the stars (useful for navigation and revered in their own right) begin to come out. Clerics of Uilia often multiclassed as horizon walkers. History/Relationships: Uilia was born of a primeval tryst between Sehanine Moonbow and Labelas Enoreth. She spent her youth shuffling between her mother's serene court and her father's timeless halls, earning the friendship of both Aerdrie Faenya and Deep Sashelas (his consort Trishia was a close friend) as well the mysterious powers of the eladrin along the way. It is said that it was Uilia who first discovered Abeir-Toril for the Seldarine. She spent many long years wandering the world alone before returning and reporting her discovery, then setting forth again. As the Seldarine began to guide the first elves to Abeir-Toril, Uilia had a dalliance with Carel Vandromia. It ended not long before Carel was slain by the storm god later known as Kozah, and grief over the Stormson's passing compelled Uilia to explore the darkness below the surface of Abeir-Toril. She ventured into the trackless Underdark and learned much of its ways, therein laying the seeds of her later doom. After many years of subterranean wandering, Uilia returned to the daylight world and encountered Vhaeraun, a grim god but one not yet dhaerow to the Seldarine. She taught him many of the secrets of the Underdark, but Vhaeraun betrayed the gift. He used what he learned to steal gifts (precious gems and other riches) intended for the elves. When Uilia learned of his greed, Vhaeraun was angered first for being discovered and second for being discovered pilfering gifts intended for mortals! Centuries later, after the dark elves fell, Uilia guided a great crusade of surface elves against Vhaeraun's followers in the north Underdark. Vhaeraun led his own folk deep into the hidden depths of the Underdark, using paths he had discovered thanks to Uilia, and the surface crusade fared poorly. Out of shame, Uilia manifested an avatar to battle the dark elves, but she was defeated when Vhaeraun's avatar appeared. She was greatly weakened by the epic battle, and the massacre of her great army made her shy away from encouraging even the most cursory exploration of the Underdark. Dogma: Never let a day go by without exploring, even in your own home and garden. The fastest way to understanding the world is to see it. Seek out the mysteries of faraway lands and let the journey illuminate you. Never fear being lost, view it as an opportunity to learn instead. Fate: Most loremasters believe that Uilia was hunted and ambushed by Vhaeraun while exploring the depths of the Demonweb Pits not long after the great battle with Vhaeraun's avatar. Captured by the dark gods of the drow, Uilia languished for eons, finally succumbing after countless years of torment. A spark of her divine essence is said to live on in the Arsaelouna, a powerful gate-creating artifact lost during the Fifth Crown War. Others believe that Uilia was never captured and instead simply went on a great exploration of some unknown plane, perhaps one yet undiscovered by mortals or gods. Regardless of her fate, her servitors long ago faded away or went to the courts of Labelas or Sehanine; her domain itself (a vast floating island) is long lost and seen only in fleeting glimpses, sometimes in Arvandor, sometimes in the Elemental Plane of Water, sometimes drifting along the River Oceanus and sometimes even farther afield (it has been sighted entangled in the black webs of the Demonweb Pits many times, for instance). |
| varyar06-12-07, 06:23 PM | VELESIA TARMATHEL Lord of Dawn Lesser Elven God Symbol: A golden sun with a brass corona Home Plane: Arvandor Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Athletics, competition, leadership, success, the sun Worshipers: Athletes, sun elves, warriors Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Domains: Elf, Good, Protection, Sun Favored Weapon: "Silithian" (elven handle sword) Velesia Tarmathel was the personification of the glorious sun and the light it brought to the world. Revered by sun elves, he was was their steadfast protector and constant advocate. He was always on the hunt for a righteous battle, venturing into the dark places of the Realms to test his blade against the creatures that dwelt there. Velesia exhorted his followers to do the same; his was not a faith of quiet reflection and mysticism. As such, he had a list of divine and epic foes that would fill up a dozen scrools. It was said, with only a little exageration, that every pantheon had a power that wished him dead. (This may or may not have included the Seldarine.) The church of Velesia was unlike most of its elvish counterparts in that it possessed a fairly strict hierarchy. Priests reported to the high priests of their city or province, who in turn reported to the grand priest of a kingdom, and they in turn to the solar hierophant in the capital of Aryvandaar. The church was also unusual in possessing an order of holy warriors, the Blades of Dawn (or Vael Kerivae). The Blades of Dawn counted a few paladins, many fighters, and not a few bladesingers in their ranks, and were much beloved by the ordinary sun elf folk for their battles with dragons and other foes of the Tel'Quessir. Clerics of Velesia Tarmethel prayed for their spells at dawn, bowing to the east as they welcomed the cleansing light of Velesia into their spirits. Velesia's clerics often multiclassed as bladesingers or fighters. History/Relationships: Velesia's heritage is unknown amongst even the most learned elf loremasters. None can say who his parents were, although many suspect his father was Corellon Larethian. It is known he was worshipped in Tintageer, the great sun elf realm of Faerie, and continued to be revered by the sun elf survivors of that fallen kingdom. His church flourished during the First Flowering, guiding the sun elf (or partially sun elf) kingdoms of Aryvandaar and Shantel Othereier to the pinnacle of their glory. In the eyes of many noble sun elves, Velesia and not Corellon Larethian was the chief protector of their kindred. Despite this unorthodox belief, Velesia's ties with his Seldarine kin were strong. He was especially close to Marisien Airithil, the elven goddess of evocation magic, although their dalliances never resulted in offspring (a fact that was said to disappoint Velesia). Velesia fought valiantly on behalf of the Seldarine and the elven people, battling against fiends, dark powers and dragon overlords. He was called the Bravest, and not just by his sun elf worshippers. Dogma: Bring forth the light of justice into all the corners of the world. Never let darkness stand, let alone prevail. Always challenge evil. The sun smiles on unity and honor. Fate: Velesia's fate was the most tragic of all the lost Seldarine. During the Crown Wars, Velesia was greatly swayed by the prayers of his faithful in Aryvandaar, and began his long fall from grace. He at first attempted to use his church to moderate the excesses of the Aryvandaarans, then took to pleading their case to his brethren - would not the elves of Faerūn be better served under one crown and one law? Over the centuries and millennia, Velesia more and more openly sided with Aryvandaar, justifying all their acts and proclaiming the righteousness of their cause. By the time the Fifth Crown War began, Velesia was an exile from the Seldarine in all but name. He had also dwindled to the status of a demipower, rejected by most sun elves and competing with devil lords and other fell entities (such as the fallen solar Melkizid) for the worship of the lords of the Vyshaantar Empire. Velesia, now dwelling on Faerūn, sided with Vyshaantar and, in a grotesque betrayal, raised his mighty blade against the other Seldarine. In the end, despite his reckless bravery, Velesia was swiftly defeated in single battle by an avatar of Corellon Larethian. His sword was shattered and his body is said to lie where it fell, somewhere beneath the Serpent Hills. Some glimmer of divine energy perhaps clings to it, although nearly all knowledge of Velesia was destroyed in the wake of the Crown Wars. Not even the Eldreth Veluuthra have more than an inkling of Velesia's existence, although they would search ceaselessly for his remains if they did discover the truth. VELESIA REBORN If by some chance the Eldreth Veluuthra learned of Velesia's final resting place, it is quite likely they would find a way to revive him. This would strengthen their group immeasurably, and also invigorate Velesia himself. Were he to be reborn as a power, it would most likely be as follows, although nothing is certain. Lord of Dawn Symbol: A white sun with a gold corona Home Plane: Faerūn Alignment: Lawful evil Portfolio: Dawn, honor, strength Worshipers: Sun elves, the Eldreth Veluuthra Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE Domains: Elf, Evil, Law, Sun Favored Weapon: "Vel Kerivae" (longsword) |
| varyar06-12-07, 06:25 PM | CAREL VANDROMA Stormson Elven Demigod Symbol: Two crossed lightning bolts, one blue and one white Home Plane: Arvandor Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Lightning, storms, retribution Worshipers: Druids, green elves, rangers, sorcerers Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Chaos, Elf, Justice, Storm Favored Weapon: A lightning bolt (mace) While the Tel'Quessir have a great reverence for nature, they have relatively few nature deities. One exception was Carel Vandromia, one of the oldest gods of the Seldarine. He was the god of storms and lightning and, in the abstract, the fury and raw energy of untamed energy. As such, he was a god often placated but rarely worshipped. Farmers and travellers paid homage to Carel in order to protect themselves from the ravages of storms, as did many green elves. Carel's most common followers were druids, rangers and especially sorcerers. Amidst the great elven civilizations of the day, Carel stood out as a relic of an earlier, more dangerous era, the days of Faerie. The church of Carel Vandromia consisted almost entirely of druids, organized into circles scattered across the length and breadth of Faerūn. The chief of the Storm Order, as it was known, was called the Herald of Storms (each one gave up his given name when being chosen by Carel to be his high priest) and dwelt in what is now known as the Reaching Woods east of Scornubel. It was then a storm-wracked forest constantly bombarded by lightning that never set the trees ablaze. Followers of Carel were called on to serve as the 'living lightning' - agents of nature's righteous wrath. They often did battle with aberrations and other threats to the natural order; a few more radical druids took that to mean civilization itself, although they generally drifted away into the wilderness rather than doing battle with elven kingdoms. Clerics of Carel Vandromia prayed for their spells upon waking, when the day's possibilities were endless, and upon the breaking of storms in the heavens above. His clerics often multiclassed as rangers, or sometimes sorcerers. History/Relationships: Carel was the ancient son of Corellon and Aerdrie Faenya, born in the long-forgotten youth of the Seldarine before Corellon pledged himself to Araushnee. Despite his age, Carel was one of the last of the Seldarine to manifest on Faerūn. He was more comfortable in the wilds of Faerie where, it is said, he is worshipped even now by the elves who linger still under the ancient trees. Carel was ever distrusted by Araushnee and her children, even Eilistraee. His attitudes put him at odds with his father, at least philosophically, although Aerdrie often spoke on her son's behalf. Carel was close friends with Rillifane Rallathil and, surprisingly, Solonor Thelandria, but his deepest relationship was with Marisien Airithil, a goddess who was in many ways his arcane counterpart. They often held great contests to see who could create the most magnificent magical storms, a competition that was also sometimes carried out by their followers on Faerūn. Unsurprisingly for a brash and energetic deity, Carel had many foes. Like all the Seldarine, he was a bitter enemy of the gods of the goblinoid and giant pantheons. He also earned the ire of many of the darker nature gods of the era, forerunners of the Deities of Fury, and was an implacable enemy of the ancient and dark lightning god born of the battle between Shar and Selūne. Dogma: Embrace the storm, let it guide you even as you guide it. Lightning is the righteous wrath of nature. Strike down abominations with the pure fury of the storm. Fate: A millennium or two before the Crown Wars began, Carel was slain by a human storm god, possibly the one later known as Kozah by the Netherese, after an epic battle across northern Faerūn. It is said the skies rained lightning for ten tendays after, and the scene of the battle was ceaselessly ravaged by unimaginably powerful storms for centuries to come. For many centuries, his remaining followers, aided by the church of Marisien, engaged in a savage crusade against the worshippers of their god's slayer, tearing apart vast areas of Faerūn in their wrath. The Lightning Crusade only ended when the Crown Wars erupted; during that sad time, all the surviving worshippers of Carel were slain and the Stormson faded into memory, myth and finally vanished entirely from the memory of the Tel'Quessir. |
| varyar06-12-07, 06:31 PM | BIARA THAELAE Mother of Choices Lesser Elven Goddess Symbol: Two coins, one marked "Fate" and the other "Freedom" Home Plane: Arvandor Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Destiny, fate, choice, freedom Worshipers: Adventurers, diviners, fortune-seekers Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Chaos, Elf, Fate, Luck, Oracle (CD) Favored Weapon: "Fate" and "Freedom" (short swords) The Mother of Choices was the often honored but seldom loved deity of both fate and freedom. She embodied the seeming contradiction between the concepts of destiny and free will, and was revered by those who often faced peril, or those who tried to peer into the mists of the future. Moreso than most gods of the Seldarine, Biara Thaelae was a remote and quiet deity; some say because of her knowledge of what the future held for the People, others because the knife's edge balance between freedom and fate demanded perfect concentration even from a goddess. The church of Biara Thaelae was a tiny one. While many elves invoked her name at one time or another, few actively worshipped her and fewer still devoted their entire lives to serving her as priests. There were temples in the larger elven cities in each ancient kingdom, but even these few temples were essentially independent. There was no church hierarchy, although the priest of the temple in Evermeet was generally viewed as the chief of the church in those rare situations where it was important. Clerics of Biara Thaelae prayed every morning upon rising, looking ahead to the upcoming day and seeking the strength to make the right choices. They often multiclassed as diviners or rogues. History/Relationships: Biara Thaelae was the daughter of Kirith Sotheril and some unnamed deity from a distant world; her parentage added slightly to her aloofness from the rest of the Seldarine. Of all the Seldarine, she was close only to Labelas Enoreth, whose portfolio bordered hers in some respects. She herself was prone to spending many centuries in seclusion, pondering ancient mysteries and perhaps seeking to stand aside from any situations that would upset the fragile balance between the two halves of her spirit. Part of the reason for Biara's isolation was the aftermath of the treachery of Araushnee. When Corellon cast his consort out of the Seldarine and into the Demonweb Pits, some aspects of her were wrenched away and absorbed by Biara (previously the goddess of choice and freedom alone). The strain of absorbing the burden of becoming the guardian of destiny was hard to bear, and Biara suffered from her mastery of it. She became a grimmer goddess at times, almost as dour as Vandria Gilmadrith. Few of the other Seldarine could truly relate, even if they were never unkind to her. The one deity that Biara was on friendly terms with was not a member of the Seldarine at all. Chronepsis, the aloof draconic god of fate and judgement, was something of a kindred spirit and, if the ancient tales are true, had an almost paternal relationship with Biara, despite the open war between elves and dragons raging across Faerūn at the time. She was the one elvish power Chronepsis suffered to visit his domain in the Outlands, and a few stories (surpressed by elves and dragons alike) hinted that their friendship grew into something more. True or not, the bond between Biara and Chronepsis is one of the few memorable tales told about the Mother of Choices. Dogma: Freedom and fate are but sides of the same coin of life. Your destiny is written, but your choice is the pen that changes the story. Never let yourself be trapped by fate, nor let yourself think your will prevails over all. Accept what must be, create what might be. Fate: Biara was swept up in the maelstrom that marked the end of the Crown Wars and split into two deities by the sundering of elf cultures that occurred. Neither demigoddess lasted more than a few centuries (in contrast to the endurance of Beshaba and Tymora under somewhat similar circumstances). Some scholars opine that the Simbul worshipped in the Yuirwood of old was a fragment of Biara Thaelae, somehow adopted by the original human inhabitants of the forest and then restored to elven worship however briefly. Whatever the case may be, Biara is now remembered only in ancient phrases invoking, or bemoaning, the power of fate and chance. |
| Zandilar06-12-07, 09:10 PM | KIPUTYTTO The Pain Maiden, the Blight Queen Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: A pale, pockmarked hand Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair Alignment: Chaotic evil Portfolio: Disease, poison Worshipers: Druids, healers, those suffering from disease and illness Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Pestilence (SC), Suffering Favored Weapon: "Rutto" (short sword) I knew this one was deady-bones... But anyone who doesn't know that Talona defeated Kiputytto wouldn't. I think you need to format it like this... KIPUTYTTO The Pain Maiden, the Blight Queen Faerūnian Demigoddess (deceased) to make it clearer for dead deities. (Yes, I know dead doesn't necessarily mean gone in the Realms, what with the myriad ways of worshiping dead deities. :rolleyes: ) KAUNIA I'm fairly sure Sune existed in the Netherese pantheon in one form or another, so I'm not sure where Kaunia fits - if she does at all. Does she have anything to do with Sharess, Bast, or Zandilar? (At least in the case of Zandilar, she was an ancient lusty/hedonistic Love and Beauty deity of the Yuirwood. Actually, Zandilar is probably the only Yuirwood deity who wasn't absorbed by the Seldarine. (She was absorbed by Bast and went on to become Sharess.) Silverheart, the Pure Maiden "The Pure Maiden" seems to be a rather misplaced epithet for a more lusty/hedonistic Love deity. Lesser Faerūnian Goddess Needs deceased mentioned here somewhere. :) The church of Kaunia was a vigorous, chaotic affair. Individual temple priests were allowed to direct the affairs of their temple as they saw fit, and two churches only a dozen miles apart might emphasize radically different aspects of Kaunia's teachings. Regardless of these perpetual small schisms, Kaunia was the goddess ordinary folk turned to when they married and had children. Indeed, ceremonies of marriage and baptism were the primary duties of the priests of Kaunia. Baptism? That's the first I've heard of such a ritual in Faerun... Of couse, that isn't to say that such things don't exist, just that baptism has specific implications. You might want to research exactly what baptism implies, and give some extra explanation. Or just eliminate the mention of baptism all together. Those specially favored by Silverheart were often blessed with manifestations of the goddess (typically the appearance of a strikingly beautiful celestial or the image of a glowing silver heart) at the ceremonies. Aside from such milestones in life, Kaunia was little regarded except as the patroness of love, often the illicit or secret sort. Okay, you've completely confused me here. Was she important or not? Clerics of Kaunia prayed in the morning after rising and bathing. Their major holy days were Midsummer and Midwinter Nights, both of which were marked by frolicking, feasts and revelry until (or past) dawn. Such celebrations always began as communal affairs and then broke up into more intimate pairings as the night went on. Most of Kaunia's priests were women, and quite a few talented women rose to high ranks in Netherese society through the church. This sounds reminiscent of Sune's entry in Faiths and Pantheons. If it's not supposed to, I'd look at changing it a little. History/Relationships: Kaunia was originally a minor hero goddess of some forgotten tribe of the North before the rise of Netheril. She saw the growth of the arcane kingdom as a change to spread her doctrine of passion throughout Faerūn and soon became a fixture, albeit a minor one, of the Netherese pantheon. But despite rising to the rank of a lesser goddess, Kaunia was never able to spread far beyond the borders of Netheril. Other local goddesses of similar portfolios checked her efforts before themselves falling into the embrace of Sune, a bitter rival of Kaunia. I'm not surprised. However, I would say Kaunia was a bitter rival of Sune's. Sune probably didn't even notice her (being a Greater Goddess (or maybe Intermediate - can't remember, but more powerful anyway) with both elements of Kaunia's portfolio in her own, even then) when she absorbed her - they're very similar, and their natural synergy would have had them merge sooner rather than later. Kaunia was said to have had a hundred lovers, but no real friends. She wasn't a really good representative of love then. :( Dogma: Beauty is the greatest truth. Outer beauty is a reflection of one's soul. Tend to it and your inner beauty will blossom. Always follow your heart, no matter where it leads. When in love, remember that it comes from Kaunia. Be faithful to her or she can take both love and beauty away from you. Sounds like a reworked Sune dogma, sorry to say, except for the last line which is distinctly a CN attitude, not CG. Fate: As Netheril became older and less stable, Kaunia became a more decadent goddess, emphasizing the act of love more than the emotion. She lost most of her worshippers in the dark times after the fall of Netheril, an age when the struggle for mere survival was far more important than idle concepts such as love and beauty. Her last great temple was in the city of Calypto in Asram, and most of her clerics resided there; all of them were slain in the war of plagues between Kiputytto and Talona. What was left of Kaunia's cult was either absorbed by the emerging church of Sune or slaughtered by the followers of Kemeset, a darkly beautiful arch-devil who took Kaunia's form as a mockery of the fallen and was last seen in the ruins of Myth Drannor a century ago. Unlike most fallen gods, however, a glimmer of Kaunia's essence clings to life, bound inside the major artifact known as Love's Mirror. Sune is one of those deities who has existed in one form or another since the very start of time. She's always been pretty powerful, because love is such a broad and inclusive concept. I don't ever see Sune's church being "emergent" at least not in or after the time of Netheril. I'm sure someone'll correct me if I'm wrong, though. At the moment, the only occupants are an avatar of the goddess Kaunia and a cambion named Gustarlythix. The latter was trapped in the mirror plane by his lover, a Red Wizard of Thay, ten years ago, while Kaunia has been languishing in Ithurgoloth for almost a thousand years. Why didn't Kaunia, who has to be totally insane by now, jump back out of the portal when the red wizard put her hapless lover in? It doesn't make sense. (Unless someone else was in there and lept out, but you need to make that clear if that's the case.) |
| varyar06-12-07, 09:30 PM | I knew this one was deady-bones... But anyone who doesn't know that Talona defeated Kiputytto wouldn't. I think you need to format it like this... It's an excellent suggestion, but it won't be needed in the netbook when it's done. Living and dead gods get their own chapters. But thanks. I'll try and remember to use it when I post the rest of them here. :) I'm fairly sure Sune existed in the Netherese pantheon in one form or another, so I'm not sure where Kaunia fits - if she does at all. I haven't been able to find any reference to Sune being worshipped by the Netherse. (Which is someone's cue to point out references proving me wrong. ;)) Does she have anything to do with Sharess, Bast, or Zandilar? (At least in the case of Zandilar, she was an ancient lusty/hedonistic Love and Beauty deity of the Yuirwood. Actually, Zandilar is probably the only Yuirwood deity who wasn't absorbed by the Seldarine. (She was absorbed by Bast and went on to become Sharess.) Hmmm. She definitely has a lot in common with Sharess, but I don't think they had any relationships beyond similar personalities and portfolios. "The Pure Maiden" seems to be a rather misplaced epithet for a more lusty/hedonistic Love deity. It's ironic! Or a sign that Kaunia slightly evolved as I was writing her. :eek: Baptism? That's the first I've heard of such a ritual in Faerun... Of couse, that isn't to say that such things don't exist, just that baptism has specific implications. You might want to research exactly what baptism implies, and give some extra explanation. Or just eliminate the mention of baptism all together. Baptism, yeah, poor choice of words. Too heavily tied to real world religion... I couldn't think of a better name for 'ceremony marking the birth of a child' though. Do you have any suggestions? Okay, you've completely confused me here. Was she important or not? She was important at certain times in life, but otherwise ignored. Or something... I'll work on that. This sounds reminiscent of Sune's entry in Faiths and Pantheons. If it's not supposed to, I'd look at changing it a little. Part of it is laziness, I confess. But they are fairly similar goddesses. Except what's the point if they're basically identical, you ask? I'll work on that, too. I'm not surprised. However, I would say Kaunia was a bitter rival of Sune's. Sune probably didn't even notice her (being a Greater Goddess (or maybe Intermediate - can't remember, but more powerful anyway) with both elements of Kaunia's portfolio in her own, even then) when she absorbed her - they're very similar, and their natural synergy would have had them merge sooner rather than later. Well - do we even know when Sune arrived in the Realms? Faiths and Avatars doesn't say anything about it. I'm going under the assumption (which may be incorrect in canon) that Sune was one of several goddesses with similar portfolios in the ages up to the fall of Netheril. Afterwards, she rose to ascendancy as the unified Faerunian pantheon we know emerged. She wasn't a really good representative of love then. :( Well, she did fail in the end. And the implication (perhaps not clear enough/at all) is that she emphasized the act of love over the emotion. Sounds like a reworked Sune dogma, sorry to say, except for the last line which is distinctly a CN attitude, not CG. I'll work on it some tomorrow. Sune is one of those deities who has existed in one form or another since the very start of time. She's always been pretty powerful, because love is such a broad and inclusive concept. I don't ever see Sune's church being "emergent" at least not in or after the time of Netheril. I'm sure someone'll correct me if I'm wrong, though. See above. I'm willing to fix things, or delete Kaunia entirely, if there's reference to Sune existing since the battle between Selune and Shar. They can't all be winners. :) Why didn't Kaunia, who has to be totally insane by now, jump back out of the portal when the red wizard put her hapless lover in? It doesn't make sense. (Unless someone else was in there and lept out, but you need to make that clear if that's the case.) Kaunia doesn't know when and where inbound portals are going to appear. The demiplane is fairly large - by the time she could have reached the portal, it had already closed. btw, I really appreciate the feedback. It's definitely a help. :) |
| Zandilar06-13-07, 05:57 AM | Heya, It's an excellent suggestion, but it won't be needed in the netbook when it's done. Living and dead gods get their own chapters. But thanks. I'll try and remember to use it when I post the rest of them here. :) Ah yes, you did say that. :) I haven't been able to find any reference to Sune being worshipped by the Netherse. (Which is someone's cue to point out references proving me wrong. ;)) Well it turns out I was wrong... But not too far from the mark at the same time. At the time of Netheril, most of Sune's portfolios were held by Selune. (see Arcane Age - Netheril: Empire of Magic (page 51), which is available as a free download here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads)). Incidentally this was Selune's full portfolio at the time: Moon, moonlight, stars, dreams, purity, beauty, love, marriage, navigation, navigators, tracking, wanderers, seekers, diviners, good and neutral lycanthropes, and autumn. She was a greater deity, and given the size and scope of her portfolio, quite a powerful one. (The Netheril pantheon seems to be a highly "concentrated" one, with most deities holding many portfolios.) I would say that Sune is a "daughter" of Selune, and split from her sometime after the fall of Netheril. (The one item that isn't in Selune's portfolio but the modern Sune holds is passion.) Hmmm. She definitely has a lot in common with Sharess, but I don't think they had any relationships beyond similar personalities and portfolios. Well Sharess's portfolio is: Hedonism, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, and cats. ;) We know Sharess's history fairly well. She arrived with the other Mulhorandi deities, was at some point granted permission to range into the sphere of the Faerunian pantheon (in exchange for Mask having influence in the sphere of the Mulhorandi pantheon), absorbed Felidae which secured her hold over cats (Bast was a cat goddess to start with). Faiths and Pantheons neglects part of Sharess's history for some unknown reason, but Powers and Pantheons goes into more detail - at some point Bast found herself in the Yuirwood at the time when the Yuirwood deities were fighting Vhaeraun and Lolth. Bast arrived just in the nick of time to save the goddess Zandilar the Dancer from Vhaeraun. Zandilar was a goddess of physical love and passion, who was beautiful and tragic - think of her as a deific Mata Hari. Unfortunately for poor Zandilar her encounter with Vhaeraun left her mortally wounded, and rather than dying she chose to merge her remaining essence with her rescuer. This is what gave Sharess her physical pleasure/sensual fulfillment side. It was after that point that Bast fell under the influence of Shar, and ultimately became known as Sharess. Interestingly enough, in the elven section of Demihuman Deities there is a short entry for Zandilar that refers the reader to Sharess's entry in Powers and Pantheons. (Yes, I like reciting Sharess's history. :P) It's ironic! Or a sign that Kaunia slightly evolved as I was writing her. :eek: Heh. :) Baptism, yeah, poor choice of words. Too heavily tied to real world religion... I couldn't think of a better name for 'ceremony marking the birth of a child' though. Do you have any suggestions? I personally don't think this would be the province of a single deity. If it was, it would probably belong to Selune. The name of the ceremony would vary from deity to deity. She was important at certain times in life, but otherwise ignored. Or something... I'll work on that. Consistancy is the key. ;) Part of it is laziness, I confess. But they are fairly similar goddesses. Except what's the point if they're basically identical, you ask? I'll work on that, too. I always ask about identicalness. If you want to add passion to her, since none of the Netherese deities seem to have it, or maybe sensual pleasure/fulfillment, that might fix things... Then you really couldn't call her "The Pure Maiden"! :D :cool: Well - do we even know when Sune arrived in the Realms? Faiths and Avatars doesn't say anything about it. I'm going under the assumption (which may be incorrect in canon) that Sune was one of several goddesses with similar portfolios in the ages up to the fall of Netheril. Afterwards, she rose to ascendancy as the unified Faerunian pantheon we know emerged. See what I wrote above re: Selune. Well, she did fail in the end. And the implication (perhaps not clear enough/at all) is that she emphasized the act of love over the emotion. Well that's not exactly love, is it? The act = sex, the emotion = love. So maybe she's was minor goddess of sex? But that would change a lot about her history as you've written it. See above. I'm willing to fix things, or delete Kaunia entirely, if there's reference to Sune existing since the battle between Selune and Shar. They can't all be winners. :) ;) See what I wrote re: Selune. :) Kaunia doesn't know when and where inbound portals are going to appear. The demiplane is fairly large - by the time she could have reached the portal, it had already closed. I see... which means that only those who happen to be by the portal when there's incoming can ever leave... they don't know when someone else is going to arrive. I feel sorry for the Cambion, he'll probably end up dead. (Avatar > Cambion as far as power goes.) btw, I really appreciate the feedback. It's definitely a help. :) You're welcome. :) |
| varyar06-13-07, 05:31 PM | Okay, back to the drawing board for this 'un. KAUNIA The Prime Nomocrat, the Most HIgh Metaphysician Lesser Faerūnian Goddess (Deceased) Symbol: A grey infinity symbol Home Plane: Keep of the Eternal Sun Alignment: Lawful neutral Portfolio: Mathematics, metaphysics Worshipers: Mathematicians, metaphysicists, philosophers, spellcasters Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN Domains: Knowledge, Law, Mathematics Favored Weapon: "The Adamantine Subtractor" (morning star) Kaunia was the Netherse goddess of mathematics and metaphysics (specifically the study of extraplanar affairs). She was Amaunator's faithful assistant, and much like him in personality. All manner of intellectuals, arcanists and non-arcanists, paid homage to Kaunia and sought her guidance as they progressed into deeper understanding of the workings of the multiverse. The driving goal of Kaunia and her followers was the Ur-Equation, the great burst of unfathomable mystic power that created the multiverse and gave it its form. Kaunia believed that understanding the Ur-Equation would allow one to reshape the fundamental nature of existence into a more orderly, balanced form. She also held that the so-called Language Primeval much sought after by the curious and power-hungry was actually a great mathematical formula, not something as clumsy and subjective as mere words. Kaunia's avatar was a matronly woman with neat grey hair and drab violet and black robes. Kaunia's church was divided into temple-chapters, which doubled as sites of religious services and as lodges for mathematicians and philosophers to debate the esoteric workings of the multiverse. Hers was a popular faith in the larger flying cities of Netheril, where priests of Kaunia often served as teachers. Many of Kaunia's clerics multiclassed as wizards, while she also counted a few multiclassed cleric/bards, loremasters and mystic theurges among her clergy. Clerics of Kaunia prayed for their spells after the morning meal, when the mind was sharpest and prepared for a day of intellectual exercise and challenge. The church of Kaunia had an almost bewildering number of holidays, a mixture of universal and local celebrations in honor of this mathematical principle or that famous metaphysician. The most important were the Day of Long Debate, honoring Kaunia's legendary verbal duel with an arch-devil that resulted in the fiend agreeing that Kaunia's iron-clad logic and formulae bound him to her service for a thousand years, and the Feast of Equilateralism which celebrated the essential equality of all sentient beings (although most orthodox Kaunites insisted there were gradiations based on an esoteric scale of intelligence generally ranging from 3-18). History/Relationships: Kaunia was originally a minor hero goddess of some forgotten tribe of the North before the rise of Netheril. She saw the growth of the arcane kingdom as a change to spread her doctrine of the primacy of math and reason throughout Faerūn and soon became a fixture, albeit a minor one, of the Netherese pantheon. Kaunia was Amaunator's loyal servant, adding him in the formulation of many divine decrees (even if she never persuaded him to abandon word for symbol). Her faith grew as Netheril entered its golden age, a time when learning and knowledge were embraced by a human nation as never before (and, arguably, again). Kaunia's teachings went hand in hand with the breathtaking advances of Netherese arcanists. Indeed, many great arcane discoveries were based on the principles of the Kaunite faith, endearing the Prime Nomocrat to quite a few arcanists. Aside from her partnership with Amaunator, Kaunia had few ties with the other gods of the Netherese pantheon. She was an ally of Mystyrl, naturally, but regarded Jannath and Selūne with a sort of bewildered pity for their refusal to embrace the orderly scheme of the heavens and earth. Jergal, Kozah and Targus were gods who Kaunia had little time for (and vice versa), while she regarded Tyche as the irritating but mostly harmless antithesis of logic and reason. Moander was Kaunia's sworn foe, as he represented everything that was evil, chaotic and wrong. Dogma: Mathematics is the greatest of all knowledges. The precepts of mathematics bind all existence together in a great pattern, from the seasons of earth to the stars in the skies to the unfathomable movements of the planes. Understanding the secrets of math is the same as understanding the secrets of reality itself! Only discipline, rigor and persistence will allow one to understand the workings of the multiverse. Kaunia will guide you along the way, but you must make the effort. Share what you learn with your fellow disciples of Kaunia; the Ur-Equation will never be found by just one person. Fate: Kaunia did not long survive the downfall of Netheril. She was blamed in part for the great disaster, since it was said Karsus used some of the deepest esoteric secrets of the Kaunite faith in devising Karsus' avatar. Asram and Hlondath outlawed Kaunia's church not long after the cataclysm, while it lingered on in Anauria until the deserts consumed that kingdom. By then, Kaunia was little more than a hero goddess, and what remained of her following dwindled away over the next four or five centuries. By the fall of Myth Drannor, Kaunia had vanished entirely and is now remembered only by a few sages and undead survivors of Netheril. MATHEMATICS DOMAIN Granted Power: You can use erase once per day as a spell-like ability. 1. Protection from Chaos 2. Zone of Truth 3. Glyph of Warding 4. Divination 5. Symbol of Sleep 6. Symbol of Persuasion 7. Symbol of Stunning 8. Symbol of Death 9. Gate |
| MarkusTay6306-13-07, 07:11 PM | I would say that Sune is a "daughter" of Selune, and split from her sometime after the fall of Netheril. (The one item that isn't in Selune's portfolio but the modern Sune holds is passion.)I know! :eek: Elminster really used to just be 'Minster', and was the demi-god of passion for a short time (long story). After Mystra took some of her power back (stolen by Selune during Karse's Folley), the old mage ripped the 'El' from her and took it for himself, creating the new 'el'-less goddess Sune. Unfortunetly, the cosmos always requires some sort of balance, so 'passion' was taken from him and added to her portfolio and he was once again reduced to mortal status.* *all of the above is utter nonsense and should be ignored by anyone with an Int>3. ;) |
| Zandilar06-13-07, 08:11 PM | Heya, KAUNIA The Prime Nomocrat, the Most HIgh Metaphysician Lesser Faerūnian Goddess (Deceased) Symbol: A grey infinity symbol Home Plane: Keep of the Eternal Sun Alignment: Lawful neutral Portfolio: Mathematics, metaphysics Worshipers: Mathematicians, metaphysicists, philosophers, spellcasters Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN Domains: Knowledge, Law, Mathematics Favored Weapon: "The Adamantine Subtractor" (morning star) Woah, now there's a 180! :D I gather you liked the name? :) I don't really have much to crit here this time, since my eyes glaze over at the mention of mathematics. One thing I will say, though, is that the idea of "mathematics" being important to the workings of (or at the heart of) a largely magical universe is deeply disturbing to me*. The idea that some deity or mortal could "unravel reality" just by a well placed equation just doesn't fit with my idea of what Faerun is at the heart - magical and mysterious. Mathematics is neither to me... So I hope you don't mind if I ignore such deities and concepts and not incorporate them in my own Realms. ;) * ESPECIALLY Faerun, where we know Physics works differently than they do on Earth. So why would we assume maths does too? |
| varyar06-13-07, 08:19 PM | Woah, now there's a 180! :D I gather you liked the name? :) Indeed :) I don't really have much to crit here this time, since my eyes glaze over at the mention of mathematics. One thing I will say, though, is that the idea of "mathematics" being important to the workings of (or at the heart of) a largely magical universe is deeply disturbing to me*. The idea that some deity or mortal could "unravel reality" just by a well placed equation just doesn't fit with my idea of what Faerun is at the heart - magical and mysterious. Mathematics is neither to me... So I hope you don't mind if I ignore such deities and concepts and not incorporate them in my own Realms. ;) Of course not. :) Although 1) there's no proof the Ur-Equation even exists (at least as Kaunia and her followers understood it) and 2) it's not that different in concept from the Metatext that Deneir (or is it Oghma?) is fixated on. * ESPECIALLY Faerun, where we know Physics works differently than they do on Earth. So why would we assume maths does too? Well, 1 + 1 = 2 is true on Faerun, too, one hopes. :D And there's definitely a arcane tint to Faerunian mathematics, especially of the Kaunite sort. F'instance, the classic demonic summoning circle, it has all sorts of glyphs and squiggles, no? If a Kaunite was drawing it, he'd fill the space between the inner and outer circle with one long, incomprehensible-to-non-wizards equation or formula. I should add a paragraph or two about the blurry boundary between math and magic in the Realms, maybe. How does this sound? MYSTIC MATHEMATICS In a magic-rich world such as Faerūn, mathematics is not quite as we know it; or rather, is not limited to the math we know. What some sages call 'mystic mathematics' is an esoteric and often baffling phenomenon that blurs the lines between magic and mathematics. Complex equations reflect and even shape the framework of reality. Masters of mystic mathematics are essentially wizards (or very rarely sorcerer savants) who draw on the Weave in a slightly different way than most of their peers. Instead of traditional somatic and material components, mystic mathematicians memorize amazingly complex formulas and then call them to the forefront of their minds as the triggers of their spells. They also employ equations in place of glyphs, symbols and runes used in so many spells and magic items. The results are the same, even if the forms are very different. While the great dragons of ancient days first created the study of mystic mathematics, it was the arcanists of Netheril who perfected the esoteric art and used it to tap into some of the deepest secrets of the Weave (true 10th and 11th level spells). After the Fall of Netheril, mystic mathematics fell into decline. Later spellcasters, often influenced by the elves who had always shunned mystic mathematics as cold and alien, rarely showed any interest in the field. Nevertheless, the libraries of Candlekeep and Halruaa are full of tomes of arcane equations, many incomprehensible to modern mages, waiting for someone to come and peruse their secrets. |
| varyar06-15-07, 05:35 PM | GEMMA SONGLEAF The Nightingale, Mistress Melody Intermediate Gnome Deity (Deceased?) Symbol: A golden lute with silver strings Home Plane: The Golden Hills Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Song, music Worshipers: Bards, musicians Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Domains: Charm, Good, Knowledge, Music Favored Weapon: "Sharpnote" (short spear) Long ago, the gnome pantheon had both male and female deities. The most prominent of the gnome goddesses was Gemma Songleaf, wife of Garl Glittergold and patroness of music and song among the Forgotten Folk. She was a gentle goddess, and a kind teacher to gnomish bards. Her followers were also the keepers of lore among the gnomes in a time when gnomes had no written language of their own. In their long days of captivity among the Netherse, gnomes remembered the songs Gemma had taught them, and used them as a symbol of solidarity and hope. Her avatar was an aging but spry gnome woman with a lute in hand and a song on her lips. The church of Gemma Songleaf was widespread among the gnomes, but it had few temples to call its own. In her day, as now, gnomes had no real lands to call their own, and their free settlements were often primitive hamlets. But nearly every gnomish home had a small shrine to Mistress Melody, or at least a musical instrument consecrated by one of her wandering song-priests. Priests of Gemma Songleaf prayed for their spells at twilight, welcoming the blessing of the Nightingale and going forth to entertain and comfort gnome workers after a day of toil. Their holidays were at spring sowing and High Harvestide, when gnomes of a given village or community would come together and spend the day in oft-rowdy dances, singing and celebration. Many of Gemma's priests were multiclassed bards, who often received special blessings from the Nightingale. History/Relationships: Ages and ages ago, when the gnomes were young, their pantheon had gods and goddesses alike. Gemma Songleaf and her sisters (said by a few Netherese sages to have been named Halia Winkwand, Tamma Waterstone, Una Birchbrand and Anidea Scatterfoot; other sources disagree on names and numbers) were an integral part of gnomish life. The most ancient scraps of lore pertaining to the gnomes, records kept by the elves of the First Flowering, tell of this time in brief. Gemma was said to have been born at the same time as Garl Glittergold, and the story of their first encounter is at times poignant, at times hilarious. Gemma was the content and devouted spouse of Garl, and he was just as faithful to her, and good friends with all the deities of the gnome pantheon, even (according to some tales) Urdlen, who was wild but not evil in those days. She was also an ally of the countless little gods of good of that era, as well as the deities of the Seldarine and the gods of the halflings. Gemma's foes were dark gods of ignorance and evil, such as Talos, Malar and the like, and especially the brutish gods of orcs, goblins and other evil peoples. Dogma: Story and song are the living tradition of the gnomes. Songs for the sake of simple pleasure have their place, but the true bard forms a link between his people and the wisdom of the gnomes of long ago. Make sure music endures uncorrupted in order to keep the spirit of the gnomes uncorrupted. Offer your thanks to the Nightingale whenever you sing or hear a true song. Fate: The ancient elven songs and sagas that tell of the golden years of the gnomes also speak of a dark time that came after (but still long, long ago, before the Crown Wars and even the Sundering). Somehow, the goddesses of the gnomes vanished. None but the gods themselves know why, and they never speak of it. The elves had many theories, though. The most popular was that Gemma and her sisters fell in a great battle with the gods of the kobolds, part of a secret war between the two pantheons. A version of that story says it was base treachery, not open battle, that claimed Gemma and the others. Another story says Gemma and the other gnome goddesses are not dead, but simply gone - where, none can say. A hidden plane beyond all knowledge, perhaps, or some secret corner of Faerie. Whatever the truth, Gemma has not answered the prayers of the gnomes in many tens of thousands of years. MUSIC DOMAIN Granted Power: Add all Perform skills to your list of cleric class skills. You cast enchantment spells at +1 caster level. 1. Ventriloquism 2. Sound Burst 3. Sculpt Sound 4. Shout 5. Command, Greater 6. Irresistable Dance 7. Power Word Blind 8. Shout, Greater 9. Power Word Kill |
| Zandilar06-15-07, 09:38 PM | Heya, GEMMA SONGLEAF I like her. I do have one crit though... Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Song, music Worshipers: Bards, musicians Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG Bards can be any non-lawful alignment (and back in 2nd Ed they had to have neutral component to their alignment, so LN, NG, N, NE, or CN). Having a LG goddess of Bards seems out of place... Yes, I know the vast majority of the gnomish pantheon are LG, but they don't all have to be. (Even the dwarves have at least one CG deity I can think of off the top of my head - Haela Brightaxe.) I don't think making her NG would break anything. :) Fate: The ancient elven songs and sagas that tell of the golden years of the gnomes also speak of a dark time that came after (but still long, long ago, before the Crown Wars and even the Sundering). Somehow, the goddesses of the gnomes vanished. None but the gods themselves know why, and they never speak of it. The elves had many theories, though. The most popular was that Gemma and her sisters fell in a great battle with the gods of the kobolds, part of a secret war between the two pantheons. A version of that story says it was base treachery, not open battle, that claimed Gemma and the others. Another story says Gemma and the other gnome goddesses are not dead, but simply gone - where, none can say. A hidden plane beyond all knowledge, perhaps, or some secret corner of Faerie. Whatever the truth, Gemma has not answered the prayers of the gnomes in many tens of thousands of years. This begs the question - why only the goddesses? |
| varyar06-15-07, 09:45 PM | I like her. I do have one crit though... Fire away! Bards can be any non-lawful alignment (and back in 2nd Ed they had to have neutral component to their alignment, so LN, NG, N, NE, or CN). Having a LG goddess of Bards seems out of place... Yes, I know the vast majority of the gnomish pantheon are LG, but they don't all have to be. (Even the dwarves have at least one CG deity I can think of off the top of my head - Haela Brightaxe.) I don't think making her NG would break anything. :) Oops. Yeah, NG she is. :) This begs the question - why only the goddesses? Good question. How about this? Fate: The ancient elven songs and sagas that tell of the golden years of the gnomes also speak of a dark time that came after (but still long, long ago, before the Crown Wars and even the Sundering). Somehow, the goddesses of the gnomes vanished. None but the gods themselves know why, and they never speak of it. The elves had many theories, though. The most popular was that Gemma and her sisters fell in a great battle with the gods of the kobolds, part of a secret war between the two pantheons. A version of that story says it was base treachery, not open battle, that claimed Gemma and the others, and that the gnome gods played some inadvertent part in the disaster. Another story says Gemma and the other gnome goddesses are not dead, but simply gone - where, none can say. A hidden plane beyond all knowledge, perhaps, or some secret corner of Faerie. Whatever the truth, Gemma has not answered the prayers of the gnomes in many tens of thousands of years. |
| varyar06-16-07, 02:41 PM | The sort-of return of a dead goddess... KYSO Son of the Mists, the Little Shadow Faerūnian Demigod Symbol: A triangle divided into grey, black and white inner sections Home Plane: The Supreme Throne Alignment: Chaotic neutral Portfolio: Nimbral, illusionists, illusion magic Worshipers: Illusionists, Nimbrali wizards Cleric Alignments: CG, CE, CN Domains: Illusion, Magic, Spell, Trickery Favored Weapon: "Mistblade" (dagger) Kyso, known only among the insular people of Nimbral, is the aspiring god of illusion. He is said to be the son of Leira and a Nimbrali archmage, or perhaps one of the marids who served the Lady of the Mists. Kyso occupies a precarious position, but has managed to ally himself with Cyric, current patron of illusion, as a mutual enemy of Mask. Now, Kyso serves as Cyric's 'second' among the illusionists of Nimbral. On those rare occasions when he takes an avatar, Kyso appears as a human-shaped mist clad in light grey robes. The church of Kyso is small and restricted to the island nation of Nimbral. Kyso has claimed many of the former temples of his mother, and has tiny chapels in many others that are still occupied by Leiran priests in service to Cyric. All his priests report to the High Mistlord in Ormen, who regularly communes with Kyso or his marid lieutenants. Many of Kyso's clerics multiclass as wizards or illusionists. Kyso's priests pray for their spells at the dawn, prostrating themselves before an image of the Son of the Mists. He has kept the traditions of his mother's church alive, and ordered his priests to honor six Conclaves every year. In these secretive events, held at different times and places every year, the priests of Kyso gather and, it is said, speak only truth to each other. The ceremonies of the Unmasking, a ritual purification of novice priests, priests rising in rank and priests undergoing penance, and Invocation, a direct call to Kyso's aid, are open to the laity. History/Relationships: The legends about Kyso's origin are quite conflicting, apparently a deliberate policy of the Little Shadow. Characteristically, his first appearance in the Realms is shrouded in mystery. He is known to have been heralded as a saint of the church of Leira two centuries ago, although two different temples both claim the honor of hosting his first manifestation. It is known that he was on the cusp of rising to demigod status as the patron of Nimbrali wizards prior to the Time of Troubles, but disappeared from the Realms for more than a decade thereafter. Recently, he managed to regain some of his influence by becoming a servant, almost a slave, of Cyric. The Dark Sun has granted Kyso a pittance of divine power and let him claim the portfolio of illusion - but only in Nimbral. Kyso's priests are forbidden to leave the island kingdom lest they suffer Cyric's wrath. Kyso is utterly subservient to Cyric and constantly trying to find a way to break free from the Prince of Lies, a game that has so far amused Cyric. How long the Prince of Lies remains interested is an open question, which explains Kyso's efforts to gain the patronage of Mystra. The Lady of Mysteries has so far shown little interest in 'adopting' Kyso. Kyso despises Mask, blaming him for the treacherous murder of his mother, and does all he can to purge Nimbral of thieves and priests of the Shadowlord. Kyso also vies with Ria for the hearts and minds of Nimbrali wizards, and is soundly disliked by the forthright Tyr. Dogma: Kyso is the ultimate illusion, and can be hiding behind anything, anywhere, that is not what it seems. Making people doubt what they perceive is the best way to restore Holy Mystery to the Realms. Give hope and take it away in equal measure. Never tell the truth when a little will do, and never tell a half-truth when a lie would be just as good. Hiding a thing gives it value by the very act of concealing. RUATHLEK This extremely obscure language is the written tongue of illusionary magic. It was first devised by Leira ages ago, and has long been used by illusionists in the Realms. It uses a puzzling variant of the Draconic alphabet, and texts written in Ruathek are often enchanted to hide the real words behind a veil of illusion. Ruathek is the secret language of the church of Leira (Cyric) and Kyso alike, and also used by many Nimbrali nobles and wizards. Very few outsiders are taught the intricacies of Ruathek, although a handful of ancient spellbooks and artifacts in the wider Realms employ it. ILLUSION DOMAIN Granted Power: Add Bluff to your list of cleric class skills. You cast illusion spells at +1 caster level. 1. Disguise Self 2. Misdirection 3. Illusory Script 4. Phantasmal Killer 5. Mirage Arcana 6. Veil 7. Triple Mask 8. Scintillating Pattern 9. Weird |
| Zandilar06-16-07, 08:16 PM | Heya, Kyso is utterly subservient to Cyric and constantly trying to find a way to break free from the Prince of Lies, a game that has so far amused Cyric. How long the Prince of Lies remains interested is an open question, which explains Kyso's efforts to gain the patronage of Mystra. The Lady of Mysteries has so far shown little interest in 'adopting' Kyso. Kyso despises Mask, blaming him for the treacherous murder of his mother, and does all he can to purge Nimbral of thieves and priests of the Shadowlord. Kyso also vies with Ria for the hearts and minds of Nimbrali wizards, and is soundly disliked by the forthright Tyr. Kyso's interesting. I can see Cyric toying with him before devouring him... However - I am almost certian that Mystra would leap at the chance to weaken Cyric by sponsoring Kyso, and helping him eventually usurp Cyric's dominion over Illusion. Mystra hates Cyric with a passion, and I just don't see her letting this pass by. She would be very much aware that Cyric is only toying with Kyso, and would want to act before the Dark Sun tired of him (and knowing Cyric, that could be anything from five seconds from now, to five hundred years in the future or longer). Re: Gemma... Nice change. :) Kind of a mystery, and one that would be interesting to unravel. :) |
| varyar06-16-07, 09:01 PM | Kyso's interesting. I can see Cyric toying with him before devouring him... That's the plan! However - I am almost certian that Mystra would leap at the chance to weaken Cyric by sponsoring Kyso, and helping him eventually usurp Cyric's dominion over Illusion. Mystra hates Cyric with a passion, and I just don't see her letting this pass by. She would be very much aware that Cyric is only toying with Kyso, and would want to act before the Dark Sun tired of him (and knowing Cyric, that could be anything from five seconds from now, to five hundred years in the future or longer). Two things. First, Kyso is kind of a prat. He's just like Leira, minus the redeming qualities of being thousands of years old and slightly wise thereby. And he willingly sold himself to Cyric. Second, Mystra is holding out for a more suitable candidate to use to pry Illusion away from Cyric. Granted, this isn't very clear - or at all clear - in the write-up. I'll edit accordingly. Re: Gemma... Nice change. :) Kind of a mystery, and one that would be interesting to unravel. :) Thanks. :) |
| Zandilar06-17-07, 01:31 AM | Heya, Two things. First, Kyso is kind of a prat. He's just like Leira, minus the redeming qualities of being thousands of years old and slightly wise thereby. And he willingly sold himself to Cyric. Second, Mystra is holding out for a more suitable candidate to use to pry Illusion away from Cyric. Granted, this isn't very clear - or at all clear - in the write-up. I'll edit accordingly. Ah, I see. That does make sense... Though I think she'd hardly judge him on the basis that he's not thousands of years old - given she's been Mystra for less than 20 years. ;) Still, that's a reasonable explanation. :) Especially concidering that he willingly sold himself to Cyric. Mystra wouldn't like that much. |
| varyar06-17-07, 07:36 PM | Ah, I see. That does make sense... Though I think she'd hardly judge him on the basis that he's not thousands of years old - given she's been Mystra for less than 20 years. ;) Still, that's a reasonable explanation. :) Especially concidering that he willingly sold himself to Cyric. Mystra wouldn't like that much. Here's an updated version: Kyso is utterly subservient to Cyric and constantly trying to find a way to break free from the Prince of Lies, a game that has so far amused Cyric. How long the Prince of Lies remains interested is an open question, which explains Kyso's efforts to gain the patronage of Mystra. The Lady of Mysteries has so far shown little interest in 'adopting' Kyso, as she dislikes his wild personality and willingness to ally with Cyric. Kyso despises Mask, blaming him for the treacherous murder of his mother, and does all he can to purge Nimbral of thieves and priests of the Shadowlord. Kyso also vies with Ria for the hearts and minds of Nimbrali wizards, and is soundly disliked by the forthright Tyr. And now, Sossal... SOSSAL The Glacier Lord Faerūnian Demigod Symbol: A red sun rising behind an iceberg Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Sossal Worshipers: The Sossrim, warriors of the frozen north Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Cold, Good, Nobility Favored Weapon: "Rimewrath" (battleaxe) Sossal is the legendary founder of the kingdom of Sossal, a distant and mysterious realm in the far northeast of Faerūn. Even after his ascension to the ranks of the divine, he continues to watch over the land that bears his name. He is a stern patron, sometimes as cold as the ice that blankets Sossal much of the year, but also as implacable as a winter storm when roused to action. Sossal's followers can count on the backing of the Glacier Lord as long as they are true to his code of honor, laid down a thousand years ago and little changed since. The Sossrim face many dangers on all sides, but are confident the Glacier Lord will protect them. They have not yet been proven wrong. When he takes an avatar, which he does more often than most demigods, Sossal appears as he did in life, a tall, pale warrior in white dragon scale armor and wielding his powerful battleaxe with quiet fury. The church of Sossal is almost an arm of the kingdom's government. While other good faiths, primarily Chauntea and Gwaeron Windstrom, are tolerated, most Sossrim worship Sossal and Sossia exclusively. Temples of Sossal are found in all the small towns that dot the winter kingdom, and there is a towering cathedral of ice in the capital city of Naupau. Priests of Sossal, often multiclass druids or rangers, are often the first line of defense of isolated townships against frost giants, white dragons, and other monstrous threats. As such, they are revered by most Sossrim and it is not uncommon for especially remote settlements to be ruled by priests. Clerics of Sossal pray for their spells at dawn (or after they wake when long summer days and winter nights come into play). The high holidays of all Sossrim are the Winter Solstice, a boisterous celebration held in defiance of all the cruelties of winter and one marked by many ordinations, marriages and other joyful events, and Rivermelt, held on the day the river Naupau thaws (known in advance because it is carried out with the aid of the high priests of Sossal in Naupau). Rivermelt is a solemn day when all shops close and families gather for quiet meals where the dead and their deeds are remembered. History/Relationships: Over a thousand years ago, Sossal was the warrior-chief of a tribe of Moonsea nomads who were forced further and further into the northlands by endless waves of orc attacks. Over the course of several years, Sossal lead his people to the very end of the world, where he used his epic powers to tame the inhospitable wilderness and destroy the monstrous inhabitants (including several great wyrm white dragons). Sossal ruled his new land wisely for many many years and gained the adulation of his people as well as the respect of his patron Chauntea. After his death, he was raised to the status of hero god by the Earthmother and appointed guardian of the realm of Sossal (in much the same fashion the Earthmother's children in the Moonshaes protect it from great threats). Sossal remains unswervingly loyal to Chauntea to this day, and is also an ally of both Mielikki and especially Gwaeron Windstrom, as well as Torm and the minor elven god Rellavar Danuvien. Sossal and Auril have a long-standing truce, but they are by no means friends. At best, they regard each other with feigned indifference. The same can't be said of Bane and Loviatar, who have been open enemies of Sossal for centuries. Sossal is also often at war with Kostchtchie and the gods of the giants and orcs of the Great Glacier. Dogma: Be ever vigilant against the dangers of the frozen lands. Work together to protect your people, and sacrifice for them as they will for you. Never give up your freedom, and strike down tyrants wherever they appear, lest you become like the brutish giants and orcs. Strive to live an honorable life as Sossal did, and you will be rewarded in this life and the next. |
| Zandilar06-17-07, 08:09 PM | Here's an updated version: Kyso is utterly subservient to Cyric and constantly trying to find a way to break free from the Prince of Lies, a game that has so far amused Cyric. How long the Prince of Lies remains interested is an open question, which explains Kyso's efforts to gain the patronage of Mystra. The Lady of Mysteries has so far shown little interest in 'adopting' Kyso, as she dislikes his wild personality and willingness to ally with Cyric. Kyso despises Mask, blaming him for the treacherous murder of his mother, and does all he can to purge Nimbral of thieves and priests of the Shadowlord. Kyso also vies with Ria for the hearts and minds of Nimbrali wizards, and is soundly disliked by the forthright Tyr. Yup yup, much clearer now. :) SOSSAL <snip> Alignment: Chaotic good <snip> Domains: Cold, Good, Nobility Sossal is the legendary founder of the kingdom of Sossal, a distant and mysterious realm in the far northeast of Faerūn. Even after his ascension to the ranks of the divine, he continues to watch over the land that bears his name. He is a stern patron, sometimes as cold as the ice that blankets Sossal much of the year, but also as implacable as a winter storm when roused to action. Sossal's followers can count on the backing of the Glacier Lord as long as they are true to his code of honor, laid down a thousand years ago and little changed since. <snip> Dogma: Be ever vigilant against the dangers of the frozen lands. Work together to protect your people, and sacrifice for them as they will for you. Never give up your freedom, and strike down tyrants wherever they appear, lest you become like the brutish giants and orcs. Strive to live an honorable life as Sossal did, and you will be rewarded in this life and the next. (Added bolding is mine for evidence/emphasis...) Okay. How come he's Chaotic Good? He sounds far more Lawful than Chaotic. Lawful Good people can be against tyranny and for freedom too, you know. :) He also has nobility in his portfolio - how does he relate to other deities of nobility such as Siamorphe and Nobanion (yes, I know they're more southern deities, but at least Siamorphe is on the same "divine ranking" as Sossal. Edit: unless I'm utterly confused by the divine ranking... So to clarify, Siamorphe is a demigoddess, which means she'll have a DvR of somewhere between 1 and 5, but I don't have my books with me to confirm that.) |
| varyar06-17-07, 08:55 PM | Okay. How come he's Chaotic Good? He sounds far more Lawful than Chaotic. Lawful Good people can be against tyranny and for freedom too, you know. :) You raise good points. LG he is. Now he can have paladins. :D He also has nobility in his portfolio - how does he relate to other deities of nobility such as Siamorphe and Nobanion (yes, I know they're more southern deities, but at least Siamorphe is on the same "divine ranking" as Sossal. Good point. Hm. How's this? Given their complementary portfolios, it is no surprise that Nobanion, Siamorphe and Sossal are on good terms (especially Nobanion and Sossal, who represent a slightly more primal form of nobility). Edit: unless I'm utterly confused by the divine ranking... So to clarify, Siamorphe is a demigoddess, which means she'll have a DvR of somewhere between 1 and 5, but I don't have my books with me to confirm that.) No, you're right. 0 = hero deity, 1-5 = demigod, 6-10 = lesser gods, 11-15 = intermediate gods and 16-20 = greater gods. Sadly, Faiths and Pantheons doesn't list DRs for the minor gods, so beyond the category it's all guesstimates. Sossal is probably on the low end of a demigod, though. |
| varyar06-18-07, 02:28 PM | SOSSIA Lady Snowshield, the Matron of Winter Faerūnian Demigoddess Symbol: An open hand coated in ice Home Plane: House of Nature (spring, summer and autumn)/Fury's Heart (winter) Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Protection from winter storms, Sossrim carving Worshipers: Sossrim druids Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG Domains: Cold, Nature, Storm, Winter Favored Weapon: "Frostfury" (longspear) Sossia is the sister of the god Sossal and guardian of the land Sossal during the long winters. By pledging herself to the service of Auril, Sossia has ensured the Great Glacier does not swallow up Sossal and bring about an endless winter. She is a sad deity, resolute in her duties but bound to a miserable fate as Auril's hostage. Among her people, though, Sossia is universally revered. Her brother may be the champion of the nation and the monarchy that unites it, but Sossia is guardian of the Sossrim themselves. Her avatar, a pale woman with either icy silver or radiant gold hair (depending on the season), is clad in brilliant white furs the same hue as her magic longspear. Sossia often appears to help her followers ward off the encroachments of monsters such as white dragons and frost giants from the Great Glacier. Sossia's church consists almost entirely of druidic circles scattered across the length and breadth of Sossal. Her few urban worshippers are found mainly in Naupau, where they make sure the balance between civilization and the wild is kept. In the wildlands of Sossal, Sossia's followers work to thwart the plots of frost giant shamans and renegade Red Wizards and fire elementalists who seek to either spread or destroy the Great Glacier. Priests of Sossia pray for their spells at noon, when the sun reaches its zenith and warms the land from an unassailable height. Their chief holidays are Greengrass, a triumphant celebration of another triumph over the cruelty of winter, and the solemn Highharvestide, when Sossia returns to the palace of Auril to serve her until spring. History/Relationships: Sossia is Sossal's twin sister. While he lead the tribe on the long exile into the frozen north, Sossia fended off the many unnatural threats the people faced along the way. Like Sossal, Sossia was raised up to the ranks of the divine after her death. She served as the protector of the wilderness of Sossal for over a century before coming into conflict with Auril; their war was brief and bitter, and ended with Sossia's defeat. To save her people and her land from Auril's wrath, Sossia offered to be Auril's willing servant during the long winter months. From Highharvestide until Greengrass, Sossia resides in Fury's Heart as Auril's captive, and then is set free for the warm months to do as she will. This unpleasant arrangement greatly amuses Auril and enrages Sossal, but cannot be ended with risking the very existence of Sossal. Sossia hated Auril at first, but has grown used to her over the centuries and is even able to temper the Frostmaiden's wrath now and then. Chauntea is Sossia's patron and would see her set free, but she is bound to honor the agreement Sossia made with Auril long ages ago. Sossal is likewise constrained, which only increases his rage against those foes he can fight. Sossia is also on good terms with Mielikki, the gods of the gnomes (especially Baervan Wildwanderer), Rillifane Rallathil and other like-minded nature deities. Some tales say she is smitten with Gwaeron Windstrom, but the truth is that Sossia's affections are aimed instead at Rellavar Danuvien. She is an enemy of Loviatar, Bane, Malar, Thrym and Kostchtchie, all of whom have threatened Sossal at one time or another. Dogma: The eyes of Sossia are always upon the land. Follow her deeds and preserve the fragile wilderness against its foes, both the looming power of the glacier and the insidious danger of the city. Winter is to be endured, not feared. Even the mightiest blizzard ends, and spring always comes, thanks to the intercession of Sossia. Use fire, but use it wisely. Embrace the power of the cold, and honor the goddess who brings it as well as the goddess who tempers it. |
| Zandilar06-18-07, 08:22 PM | Heya, Got just some general stuff on this one... SOSSIA I like this deity, but I find myself wondering if she shouldn't be a Proxy or a "Saint" or a legendary hero. Having said that... In some ways, she also reminds me of Persephone. I'm sure you know the story I'm thinking of - her kidnapping by Hades, and Demeter's search and subsequent yearly grief over her being symbolic of winter. (Ironically, Demeter is the deity Chauntea was originally based on way back in the Dragon article "Down to Earth Divinities" written by Ed Greenwood.) The trouble is... I can't see why has Auril done this. It's not like Sossia was stopping winter all together (being a druid, she obviously knows the purpose of the cycle of seasons, and wouldn't interrupt it), and it isn't like Sossia actually helps Auril during winter (it's not made clear what she's being "forced" to do in Fury's Heart). All it seems to achieve is a miserable goddess dwelling with Auril for three to six months of the year (I'm not sure how long you have her there for). Auril should have subsumed her all ready - it's not like Chauntea has any control over what happens to Sossia while she's in Fury's Heart. Also... Who the heck is Rellavar Danuvien? :) |
| varyar06-18-07, 08:30 PM | I like this deity, but I find myself wondering if she shouldn't be a Proxy or a "Saint" or a legendary hero. Having said that... I considered it, but someone has to be giving the Sossrim their unique and funky woodshaping powers (see the FRCS). If it's Chauntea (or whoever), why doesn't she (he/it) let all her (his/its) druids do it? Thus, minimal actual god status seemed appropriate. In some ways, she also reminds me of Persephone. I'm sure you know the story I'm thinking of - her kidnapping by Hades, and Demeter's search and subsequent yearly grief over her being symbolic of winter. (Ironically, Demeter is the deity Chauntea was originally based on way back in the Dragon article "Down to Earth Divinities" written by Ed Greenwood.) Indeed. :) Entirely deliberate. The trouble is... I can't see why has Auril done this. It's not like Sossia was stopping winter all together (being a druid, she obviously knows the purpose of the cycle of seasons, and wouldn't interrupt it), and it isn't like Sossia actually helps Auril during winter (it's not made clear what she's being "forced" to do in Fury's Heart). All it seems to achieve is a miserable goddess dwelling with Auril for three to six months of the year (I'm not sure how long you have her there for). Auril should have subsumed her all ready - it's not like Chauntea has any control over what happens to Sossia while she's in Fury's Heart. True. Hm. Well, for one thing, Auril is evil through and through. This way, she gets to parade around a defeated foe, which gives her some street cred in Fury's Heart. Auril strikes me as the type to do that sort of thing. To paraphrase Tolkien, "Sossia as a miserable slave would please her far more than Sossia happy and free in the afterlife. There is such a thing as malice and revenge." Additionally, this lets Auril have some indirect influence over the people of Sossal who would ordinarily be entirely opposed to her. Check that one sentence in Sossia's dogma - she encourages her followers to respect Auril. (And Sossia is in Fury's Heart for about six months - they have long winters up in the arctic.) Also... Who the heck is Rellavar Danuvien? :) He's a minor god of snow elves and related fey creatures from a Dragon issue way back when. IIRC, he's considered a marginal part of FR canon. |
| Zandilar06-18-07, 08:55 PM | Heya, Indeed. :) Entirely deliberate. Persephone was Hades' wife, though. :P So I don't think it works exactly the same way. :) True. Hm. Well, for one thing, Auril is evil through and through. This way, she gets to parade around a defeated foe, which gives her some street cred in Fury's Heart. Auril strikes me as the type to do that sort of thing. To paraphrase Tolkien, "Sossia as a miserable slave would please her far more than Sossia happy and free in the afterlife. There is such a thing as malice and revenge." Auril may be a goddess of Fury, but she's cold... Very cold. I don't think she'd really care what her fellow gods thought. And even if she did, most of the other gods of Fury wouldn't think any better of her, they'd be asking things like: "why only 6 months?" or "why haven't you eaten her heart by now?" (Or saying childish things like: "Auril and Sossia sitting in a tree... K I S S I N G"... :P (sorry, I just had to do that!)) Silly as the last might actually be, it's not in the context of the Hades/Persephone/Demeter story. Hades's made Persephone his wife, and that was his motivation for kidnapping her. Even if you don't want to go the path of a "love" match (and the tired old cliche of the evil/demented lesbian :D) - perhaps there's something about Sossia that appeals to a softer ("warmer") side of Auril (a more netural rather than evil side) - maybe there is a heart to this goddess after all. If this is the case, then Chauntea, who could completely wipe the floor with Auril if it ever came to fistycuffs between them, may be allowing this to happen because she can see the influence Sossia has on Auril. Additionally, this lets Auril have some indirect influence over the people of Sossal who would ordinarily be entirely opposed to her. Check that one sentence in Sossia's dogma - she encourages her followers to respect Auril. And this even lends creedence to my above thoughts about a softer side of Auril, and maybe an actual friendship between the two. He's a minor god of snow elves and related fey creatures from a Dragon issue way back when. IIRC, he's considered a marginal part of FR canon. Ah, I see. Well I don't have that Dragon magazine. :weep: |
| varyar06-18-07, 09:00 PM | Persephone was Hades' wife, though. :P So I don't think it works exactly the same way. :) Details, details. :D Auril may be a goddess of Fury, but she's cold... Very cold. I don't think she'd really care what her fellow gods thought. And even if she did, most of the other gods of Fury wouldn't think any better of her, they'd be asking things like: "why only 6 months?" or "why haven't you eaten her heart by now?" (Or saying childish things like: "Auril and Sossia sitting in a tree... K I S S I N G"... :P (sorry, I just had to do that!)) ... Well, now I know what to ask the artist to draw for Sossia. ;) Silly as the last might actually be, it's not in the context of the Hades/Persephone/Demeter story. Hades's made Persephone his wife, and that was his motivation for kidnapping her. Even if you don't want to go the path of a "love" match (and the tired old cliche of the evil/demented lesbian :D) - perhaps there's something about Sossia that appeals to a softer ("warmer") side of Auril (a more netural rather than evil side) - maybe there is a heart to this goddess after all. If this is the case, then Chauntea, who could completely wipe the floor with Auril if it ever came to fistycuffs between them, may be allowing this to happen because she can see the influence Sossia has on Auril. And this even lends creedence to my above thoughts about a softer side of Auril, and maybe an actual friendship between the two. I find your ideas intriguing, etc. etc. How does this sound? History/Relationships: Sossia is Sossal's twin sister. While he lead the tribe on the long exile into the frozen north, Sossia fended off the many unnatural threats the people faced along the way. Like Sossal, Sossia was raised up to the ranks of the divine after her death. She served as the protector of the wilderness of Sossal for over a century before coming into conflict with Auril; their war was brief and bitter, and ended with Sossia's defeat. To save her people and her land from Auril's wrath, Sossia offered to be Auril's willing servant during the long winter months. From Highharvestide until Greengrass, Sossia resides in Fury's Heart as Auril's captive and servant, and then is set free for the warm months to do as she will. This unpleasant arrangement greatly amuses Auril (who thereby gains a measure of influence over the land of Sossal) and enrages Sossal, but cannot be ended with risking the very existence of Sossal. Sossia hated Auril at first, but has grown used to her over the centuries and is even able to temper the Frostmaiden's wrath now and then. Chauntea is Sossia's patron and would see her set free, but she is bound to honor the agreement Sossia made with Auril long ages ago. In addition, Chauntea recognizes that Sossia is a moderating influence upon Auril now, and may even slowly nudge the Icemaiden into a more neutral morality. Sossal is likewise constrained, which only increases his rage against those foes he can fight. Sossia is also on good terms with Mielikki, the gods of the gnomes (especially Baervan Wildwanderer), Rillifane Rallathil and other like-minded nature deities. Some tales say she is smitten with Gwaeron Windstrom, but the truth is that Sossia's affections are aimed instead at Rellavar Danuvien. She is an enemy of Loviatar, Bane, Malar, Thrym and Kostchtchie, all of whom have threatened Sossal at one time or another. Ah, I see. Well I don't have that Dragon magazine. :weep: Me neither. I used to, but it's long gone. :( |
| Zandilar06-18-07, 10:33 PM | Heya, ... Well, now I know what to ask the artist to draw for Sossia. ;) Should I ask? :D I find your ideas intriguing, etc. etc. How does this sound? Sounds pretty good, actually. However, Chauntea must be getting the idea that Sossia is somehow moderating Auril from somewhere, while the reason given for Auril keeping Sossia around, "because it amuses her", implies that Sossia is just a trifle for Auril and means nothing... Right now, it kind of lack punch somewhere. I suppose the question I'm asking here is: how does Sossia moderate Auril exactly? |
| MerrikCale06-22-07, 11:45 PM | He's a minor god of snow elves and related fey creatures from a Dragon issue way back when. IIRC, he's considered a marginal part of FR canon. What do you mean by "marginal part of FR canon"? And what do you base that on? |
| varyar06-22-07, 11:52 PM | Sounds pretty good, actually. However, Chauntea must be getting the idea that Sossia is somehow moderating Auril from somewhere, while the reason given for Auril keeping Sossia around, "because it amuses her", implies that Sossia is just a trifle for Auril and means nothing... Right now, it kind of lack punch somewhere. I suppose the question I'm asking here is: how does Sossia moderate Auril exactly? Well, she's kept her from blasting Sossal (country) with endless winter. That's about all I got, I admit. :eek: What do you mean by "marginal part of FR canon"? And what do you base that on? Marginal as in 'mentioned in one book' (that I can't remember the name of or if the mention even existed). |
| Zandilar06-23-07, 08:38 PM | Heya, Well, she's kept her from blasting Sossal (country) with endless winter. That's about all I got, I admit. :eek: Hmm. It might work... But in order to say that Sossia is truely moderating Auril, it would have to be for a better reason than "because Sossia agreed to be her slave"... In order for Auril to be moderated to the point where Chauntea would happy with letting her faithful Sossia be a "slave", Auril would have to clearly be moderated. Maybe Auril is lonely, and Sossia provides her with company. Auril would still say that she's only sparing Sossal (country) because she has Sossia enslaved, but it might simply be "if I do this, I get Sossia's company which eases my loneliness." Hmm... not sure I'm making much sense. *sigh* |
| Braekor Dragonfang06-24-07, 05:17 PM | I created this deity for a game awhile ago. It used an alternate history I made up, but it could probably be adapted fairly well KRION The Warmhearted Winter, The Icy Protector Lesser Faerunian God Symbol: a white roc's head facing right showing one ice blue eye Home Plane: House of Nature Alignment: Neutral Good Portfolio: Winter, Snow, Survival in winter, Northern families, Damaran families, Rashemi families Worshipers: Northerners, Damarans, Rashemi, Druids, former worshipers of Auril and Ulutiu Cleric Alignments: NG, N, CG Domains: Good, Cold, Air, Water, Protection, and Community Favored Weapon: "The Sword of Cold Fire" (Bastard Sword) Krion (Cry-On) is a recent addition to the faerunian pantheon, ascending during the Time of Troubles after successfully defeating Auril and assimilating her portfolio, but only after Auril had already absorbed Ulutiu’s portfolio. He managed to hold both their portfolios even after a fierce battle with Talos, who attempted to sway Krion to his way of thinking. Krion likely would have died, had it not been for the timely intervention of Mielikki, his former patron. Before this, Krion was a simple, seventeen year old boy and a druid of Mielikki. He appears as he did in life, a tall but somewhat skinny teenaged boy with white hair and sapphire eyes. The Warmhearted Winter is kind and gentle, and always has a warm smile on his face. He does what he can to help others, even interfering personally, but this has caused some trepidation in the older nature deities who could be potential allies. Despite this, Krion’s lack of experience in both deific politics and life in general makes him naļve and his kindness betrays his obvious innocence. The church of Krion recognizes many major holidays, and has special rituals pertaining to them enacted by the priests and druids of the faith. Greengrass: Greengrass is a day of jubilant celebration among the Krionic faith, marking the end of winter hardships and the start of good times. Many priests and druid go about melting any still standing snow they can in celebration of winter’s apparent death Midsummer: The holiday of Midsummer is a day of mixed feelings. Joyful feelings because of the warmth and life that has been brought by summer, and sadness because it must be recognized that winter is fast approaching. Many clerics of the Icy Protector begin stockpiling supplies for winter to be handed out to the needy, or casting Plant Growth in preparation for the harvest. Feast of the Dead: A somber holiday indeed, the Feast of the Dead is a quiet occasion of planning and preparation for winter Midwinter: On Midwinter, followers of Krion hand out blankets, give warm meals and offer shelter to those forced out into the cold. Though this is done universally on Midwinter, temples and followers are encouraged to do this whenever possible. History/Relationships: The Icy Protector’s first five years as a deity were a difficult and trying experience, on one occasion he nearly lost his divinity to an opportunistic Talos. Eventually, however, he managed to stabilize himself, and his willingness to get personally involved in his worshiper’s troubles has gained him quite the reputation among mortals and gods alike. Krion’s former patron, Mielikki, is his chief ally, as well as Chauntea, Eldath, and Lathander, who admires Krion’s kindness and positive attitude, and takes every opportunity to help him grasp divine politics. Beyond that, Lathander has become somewhat of a mentor to Krion, trying to educate him when the Warmhearted Winter’s lack of experience comes into play. Lurue also took an interest in the young and vibrant deity, and after Krion had taken the form of a silver dragon to save one of her high priestesses, the two had become lovers. Now the two can hardly stand to leave the other’s side, and Lurue has even accompanied Krion on several of his monthly visits to his mortal parents’ home in Quaervarr. The Icy Protector’s worst foe is Talos, and the two are often at each others throats. Talos had even gone as far as to resurrect Auril’s mortal form and steal back some of her power, making her another enemy to beware of. Malar has also become a threat to Krion, and he reminds the young god of this by sending snow tiger and polar bear lycanthropes against his followers, and the innocents around them. Since Malar mounted an attack on Quaervarr to kill Krion’s parents, the Warmhearted Winter has been on high alert, even moving his parents into his divine realm. Dogma: Be kind to others and help provide for your family and community in times of need. Be prepared for winter, so as to mitigate its worst effects, and always aid and give shelter to those who cannot hide from the cold. Live your life freely and happily, and be prepared for anything, because you never know what might happen next. Always protect those you care most about, whether from disease, magic, monsters, brigands, or the unforgiving cold of winter. |
| Zandilar06-24-07, 08:46 PM | Heya, I created this deity for a game awhile ago. It used an alternate history I made up, but it could probably be adapted fairly well KRION I'm sorry. I don't actually like him. He's way too contrived (A 17 year old druid defeated Auril during the Time of Troubles? Who goes on to win the hearts of all the "Good" gods, and lands Lliira as a lover (who even comes down to meet the kid's mortal parents!) - despite Lliira's track record as a lover of women?). I'd go into this in more detail, but I can't trust myself to keep my emotions out of it. :( |
| Braekor Dragonfang06-26-07, 02:21 PM | Heya, I'm sorry. I don't actually like him. He's way too contrived (A 17 year old druid defeated Auril during the Time of Troubles? Who goes on to win the hearts of all the "Good" gods, and lands Lliira as a lover (who even comes down to meet the kid's mortal parents!) - despite Lliira's track record as a lover of women?). I'd go into this in more detail, but I can't trust myself to keep my emotions out of it. :( After reading this I realized I mixed up Lliira with Lurue, serves me right for not double checking. Anyway, the deity was originally for a player who wanted to be a winter themed druid, and I wanted to tie Krion to the nature deities for various plot reasons (one of which was recovering an artifact for the church of Lathander). I agree it's a bit contrived, but the campaign had a comedic bent to it, so it was supposed to be. |
| Zandilar06-26-07, 08:37 PM | Heya, After reading this I realized I mixed up Lliira with Lurue, serves me right for not double checking. Anyway, the deity was originally for a player who wanted to be a winter themed druid, and I wanted to tie Krion to the nature deities for various plot reasons (one of which was recovering an artifact for the church of Lathander). I agree it's a bit contrived, but the campaign had a comedic bent to it, so it was supposed to be. Well, I was actually thinking about this last night while going to sleep. If you wanted to detatch this deity from his game roots, I think you could fix this deity. I'd start by adding 10 years to his age and having him be a legendary druid from some place prior to the Time of Troubles, and by dropping the romance (even Lurue doesn't work well for me - some people might be uncomfortable with the implication of bestiality. Yes, her entry in Faiths and Pantheons shows a young white haired woman with a horn, but Lurue's natural form is that of a unicorn). You need to think about what a deity of winter and cold is all about. There are plenty of places where winter is very harsh - such a kind hearted deity might be tempted to ah... temper the season in those places. You need to give a reason why he wouldn't do this. You also need to explain why his clergy mourn when winter comes, but celebrate when his time of power ends... that seems very wierd to me. :confused: |
| Braekor Dragonfang06-29-07, 09:49 PM | Heya, Well, I was actually thinking about this last night while going to sleep. If you wanted to detatch this deity from his game roots, I think you could fix this deity. I'd start by adding 10 years to his age and having him be a legendary druid from some place prior to the Time of Troubles, and by dropping the romance (even Lurue doesn't work well for me - some people might be uncomfortable with the implication of bestiality. Yes, her entry in Faiths and Pantheons shows a young white haired woman with a horn, but Lurue's natural form is that of a unicorn). You need to think about what a deity of winter and cold is all about. There are plenty of places where winter is very harsh - such a kind hearted deity might be tempted to ah... temper the season in those places. You need to give a reason why he wouldn't do this. You also need to explain why his clergy mourn when winter comes, but celebrate when his time of power ends... that seems very wierd to me. :confused: :eek: hadn't thought about that :yuck: I'm thinking of making him a druid from Rashemen. It makes him sort of a loner, since male druids have no place in Rashemi society, leaving him more time to devote to his abilities. As far as tempering the season, the main reason he wouldn't do this is because it upsets the balance of nature and the local ecosystems. So instead he teaches to prepare and defend against the rigors of winter, and celebrate the end of the cold season because it signals the beginning of easier times. Even though his power wanes after winter, it means that times will be less harsh and more enjoyable. perhaps I should add a passage in Dogma saying to celebrate light winter days as well. |
| MarkusTay6306-30-07, 01:48 PM | Hmmmm.... So Auril would not be interested in Sossia the same way Hades would be interested in Persephone? :confused: So a god wouldn't be interested in a another with a 'beast' aspect? Have you guys ever read the myths surrounding Loki? He posed as a MARE and seduced Svadilfari, and then gave birth to Odin's horse Sleipner! He had the wolf-god Fenris (Kezef) with a giantess, and even had a trist with the serpent Jormungand! Gods are NOT their Avatars!!! They can assume ANY form they wish, male or female. If you are going to critique gods, you should know a little more about mythology. And besides, Auril keeping Sossia as an unwilling 'love slave' is SO hot! :D Another example, in D&D mythology, would be story of the girl who fell in love with a Treant, which I believe is in the CBoE. She took a vegetable as a lover! To me, thats even weirder then an animal. I would contribute some of the gods I have created over the years, but they were all created for GH and I ran my game with a tongue-in-cheek flavor. Let's see, there was 'The Man', the California-mellow God of physchedlic creation, And Vibronicus, the god of vibrations, whose symbol was a tuning fork. His priestesses caried 'rods of vibration', but I'm pretty sure they didn't use them on their enemies... ;) Yup, my gods would all be WAY inappropriate. |
| Zandilar06-30-07, 09:00 PM | Heya, So Auril would not be interested in Sossia the same way Hades would be interested in Persephone? :confused: Well I never said that. :) I actually suggested that it might be similar, but the creator of the demideity Sossia didn't seem to take that part of my suggestion and run with it. :) I don't think there's any reason why not - the fact that they're both female is not a hindrance to the idea. Remember, Hades kidnapped Persephone to make her his wife. Not because it simply amused him. So a god wouldn't be interested in a another with a 'beast' aspect? Have you guys ever read the myths surrounding Loki? He posed as a MARE and seduced Svadilfari, and then gave birth to Odin's horse Sleipner! He had the wolf-god Fenris (Kezef) with a giantess, and even had a trist with the serpent Jormungand! Heh. :) Yes, I'm well aware of this. I just wanted the writer of Krion to take it into consideration. I said that some people might be uncomfortable with the suggestion. I thought Loki was Jormungand's father? They can assume ANY form they wish, male or female. If you are going to critique gods, you should know a little more about mythology. And besides, Auril keeping Sossal as an unwilling 'love slave' is SO hot! :D Well if you're going to critique a critiquer, you should at least read what the critic is saying properly. (And it is Sossia, not her brother Sossal, we're talking about.) Read this again... Auril may be a goddess of Fury, but she's cold... Very cold. I don't think she'd really care what her fellow gods thought. And even if she did, most of the other gods of Fury wouldn't think any better of her, they'd be asking things like: "why only 6 months?" or "why haven't you eaten her heart by now?" (Or saying childish things like: "Auril and Sossia sitting in a tree... K I S S I N G"... (sorry, I just had to do that!)) Silly as the last might actually be, it's not in the context of the Hades/Persephone/Demeter story. Hades's made Persephone his wife, and that was his motivation for kidnapping her. Even if you don't want to go the path of a "love" match (and the tired old cliche of the evil/demented lesbian ) - perhaps there's something about Sossia that appeals to a softer ("warmer") side of Auril (a more netural rather than evil side) - maybe there is a heart to this goddess after all. If this is the case, then Chauntea, who could completely wipe the floor with Auril if it ever came to fistycuffs between them, may be allowing this to happen because she can see the influence Sossia has on Auril. Basically I was saying there that is it not beyond the realm of possibility that Auril kidnapped Sossia for similar reasons to Hades. The "Even if you don't want to..." part was me allowing him some wriggle room if this made him uncomfortable - not me saying "it wouldn't happen". Another example, in D&D mythology, would be story of the girl who fell in love with a Treant, which I believe is in the CBoE. She took a vegetable as a lover! To me, thats even weirder then an animal. At the risk of putting this into the Mature forums, I actually have no problem with Lurue having a human lover. Lurue, being the consummate shapeshifter that she is (deity, you know), is perfectly capable of assuming human forms. Even if she couldn't, I still wouldn't have much of a problem with it. Maybe I should have been clear that there were other reasons why Lurue didn't work for me (her closeness to Mielikki, for example. If Lurue is inseparable from Krion, then Mielikki doesn't have a mount any more ;)). Deities are beyond form and gender. They're pretty much all omnisexual. |
| MarkusTay6306-30-07, 10:46 PM | I thought Loki was Jormungand's father?Quite right, my bad. In fact, Fenris, Jormundgand (Night Serpent in FR), and Hel were all children of Loki and the giantess ANGRBODA. I think he had a thing for 'big' women. ;) Well if you're going to critique a critiquer, you should at least read what the critic is saying properly. (And it is Sossia, not her brother Sossal, we're talking about.Sorry, I was skip-reading through the thread (playing catch-up), and missed that you pointed out that possibility. Thanks for correcting me on Sossia, it was a typo. BTW, my comment about Auril and Sossia being 'Hot' was also meant as a pun. It would explain why winter retreats six months out of the year, though... :D For the sake of politness, I won't even run with your 'mount' comment. ;) |
| Zandilar07-01-07, 02:22 AM | Heya, Quite right, my bad. In fact, Fenris, Jormundgand (Night Serpent in FR), and Hel were all children opf Loki and the giantess ANGRBODA. I think he had a thing for 'big' women. ;) I don't think he was the only one. :) Thor was Odin's son to a giant woman. BTW, my comment about Auril and Sossia being 'Hot' was also meant as a pun. It would explain why winter retreats six months out of the year, though... :D Well, that would only be if Sossia and Auril were together during spring and summer (which could be a way to mix things up a bit!), but I think the implication of varyar's write up is that she's with Auril during autumn through winter - like Persephone. In the tale of Persephone, Demeter's mourning was the cause of autumn-winter. Given that Chauntea was directly based on Demeter, I suppose it still makes sense. ;) For the sake of politness, I won't even run with your 'mount' comment. ;) That's probably a good thing! :D :P ;) |
| GothicDan07-01-07, 12:45 PM | I wouldn't call Jord a Giantess. She seems more like a Gaia/Chauntea figure. A member of the Vanir, possibly, though. But not a Giant in the normal sense of the word (who in Norse myth were usually either Frost or Fire giants). |
| lavekkia07-02-07, 06:32 PM | I would ask the permission to sue Valesia for my campaign in the author does not mind tanks (warning: that s not a typo ;) ) |
| varyar07-05-07, 06:24 PM | I would ask the permission to sue Valesia for my campaign in the author does not mind tanks (warning: that s not a typo ;) ) Go ahead and use Velesia, as long as you tell us who sues him and why. :D Anyhoo. I need to go back and jigger with the history of Sossal (country), Sossal (god) and Sossia, since just before leaving on vacation last week, I noticed there's some more on the history of Sossal in Races of Faerun that doesn't quite jibe with my made-up stuff. At any rate, once I recover from jetlag, I'll work on that and then get started on Murdane. After her, there's the following sketchy ideas floating around my brain: Herne. CN. Same domains as Malar, minus Evil. Slain by Malar during the Time of Dragons. Brannor Blackshield. Dwarf god. The Earthstorm. God of earthquakes, lava and the like. Kha'alid. Brigand deity of the south. A minion of Mask's. Enemy of Shaundakul. Valuran Markaveth. Demigod, absorbed by Talos. Halruaan archwizard. Thark. The Corruptor. Devoted to destroying civilization from within. Valigan Thirdborn - CN god of anarchy. appeared during the fall of Jhaamdath. Slain by Tyr. Nua. Beast lord of foxes. The Forest King. Clever Paws. |
| lavekkia07-05-07, 07:23 PM | Go ahead and use Velesia, as long as you tell us who sues him and why. :D Eldreeth Veluuthra IMC this organization spans multiple prime worlds and it s connected to the IEN. I ruled that somehow, using and EHM ritual its body was magically transported to a non - elven crystal sphere to cover tracks Someone in the IEN opposed this and passed the knowledge hoping for better future. Eldreeth Veluuthra gained this knowledge some 50 years ago and launched a spelljamming/planewalking campaign to find the body. Obivously IMC they find it when my players come into play (the right men at the right time i suppose ;) ) |
| varyar07-08-07, 07:30 AM | Eldreeth Veluuthra IMC this organization spans multiple prime worlds and it s connected to the IEN. I ruled that somehow, using and EHM ritual its body was magically transported to a non - elven crystal sphere to cover tracks Someone in the IEN opposed this and passed the knowledge hoping for better future. Eldreeth Veluuthra gained this knowledge some 50 years ago and launched a spelljamming/planewalking campaign to find the body. Obivously IMC they find it when my players come into play (the right men at the right time i suppose ;) ) Cool! That sounds nice and epic. :) |
| MarkusTay6307-08-07, 02:01 PM | We need someone to come up with a 'Mummy God'. We got ones for all the other 'Dark Folk' (liches, Vampires, Lycanthropes), so why don't mummy's get any love? Something based around The Mummy movies, with some undead priest gaining demi-god status. It would be cool to work that into the Mulhorand Re-Dux thread. Tomb Kings, anyone? ;) Nevartep - God of positive unlife, and stiffing waitresses. Then there could be holiday in Mulhorand based around his religion called 'Mummy's Day', and everyone has to buy cards and flowers! :dancin: All kidding aside though, a mummy demigod living somewhere in the southern Mulhorand would be way cool. |
| lavekkia07-08-07, 06:11 PM | Cool! That sounds nice and epic. :) Nice... well my players will not like it very much :schemes: And epic... indeed; around lvl 35 i suppose (if we will ever come to that; of course) @Mark: in ELH we have the Hunefer which is the Mummy of a god. It s not the same thing... but i suppose that a god raising a a mummy would eventually accept and take the best from his new situation |
| Soulsong07-08-07, 07:01 PM | Anybody ever hear/see any statement on the stutus of the Greek Gods mentioned in the 2e Bloodstone Lands Sourcebook? It alluded to churches of Athena, Poseiden, and several other Greek gods existing in FR in Damara and Impiltur. Has there ever been any retconning of these references to explain some of the other canonical FR Gods with Greek backgrounds, or that they were pseudonyms for other canonical FR Gods, etc...? |
| Dipree Xarann07-08-07, 07:22 PM | When I get time & find the writeups, I'll post two FR deities created by my recently-deceased DM. They were his original two PCs way back in the 1E days who became demigods by the will of their divine patrons (Tyr and Corellon Larethian). |
| ambersorsha07-16-07, 04:51 PM | Sharess is already on the actual Faerunian Dieties but even the faiths and pantheons did not have actual stats on her. Here is my take on Sharess. The Race Felinari is a Feline Race. Sharess The Dancing Lady, Mother of Cats Symbol: Feminine lips Homeplane: Brightwater Aliggnment: Chaotic Good Portofolio: Hedonism, Sensual Fulfillment, Festhalls, Cats Worshipers: Bards, Hedonistis, Senualists, Felinari Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Travel, Trickery Favored Weapon: A great cats paw (Claw Bracer) Once Known as Bast a Mulhorandi diety who served as the Patroness of cats, She taveld and left numerous cults in her wake. She is now tied in friendship to Anhur, Hanali celanil, Lliira, Milil, Nobanion, Selune, and Sune. She is opposed to Set, Shar, and Loviatar. Etc Dogma: Life is to be lived to its fullest, in decadent suensual fulfillment of yourselves and others. That which is good is pleasurable, that which is pleasurable is good. Etc Sharess: Divine Rank 8 Bard 20, Rouge 5, Druid 10, Ranger 5 Chaotic Good Felinari Stats: Str: 22 Dex: 30 Con: 24 Int: 25 Wis: 30 Cha: 45 HP: 550 Init: +14 Fort: +65 Ref: +73 Will: + 71 Base Attack: +30 From Class Levels Immune: Transmutation, Entergy Drain, Ability Drain, Ability Damage, Mind affecting, Electric, Cold, Acid, Disease, Posion, Stunning, Sleep, Death Effects, Distintefration, Imprisionment or Banishment, Massive Damage. DR: 43/+4 SR: 40 Fire Resistance 28 Immortal, 8 mile Senses, Remote Seeing, Grant Spells, Divine Aura DC 35, Communication, Remote communication, Teleport without Error. Skills: Just think high on just about every skill Spells per Day: Bard 0th 4, 1st 9, 2nd 8, 3rd 8, 4th 8, 5th 8, 6th 7, 7th 7, 8th 7, 9th 7 Druid: 0th 6, 1st 7, 2nd 7, 3rd 5, 4th 5, 5th 4 Ranger: 1st 3 Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon focus, Weapon finesse, Quick draw, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Skill Focus Cooking, Dodge, Mobility, Spring attack, Whirlwind attack, Leadership Effective 18th Lvl cleric for Domain Spells, Spell like abilites of all domain spells, DC 35+ spell Level. Other Divine Abilities: Avatar, Battlesense, Call Creatures, Divine Bard, Divine Druid, Gift of Life, True Shapeshifter, Grow Creature. Bard Abilities: Bardic music, Bardic Knowledge 27, Inspire Courage +4, countersong, Fascinate, Insipr Competence, Suggestion, Inspire greatness, Song of freedom, Inspire heroics, Mass suggestion. Druid Abilities: Animal companion, Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, Woodland Stride, Trackless Step, Resist Natures Lure, Wildshape 4/day, Wild Shape Large, Veneom Immunity. Rogue Abilites: Sneak attack +3d6, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, Trap sense +1, trapfinding. Ranger Abilities: Track, Endurance, Animal companion, two weapon combat style, Wild empathy, 1st favored Enemy Abberations, 2nd favored Enemy Vermin. |
| MarkusTay6307-16-07, 05:30 PM | Anybody ever hear/see any statement on the stutus of the Greek Gods mentioned in the 2e Bloodstone Lands Sourcebook? It alluded to churches of Athena, Poseiden, and several other Greek gods existing in FR in Damara and Impiltur. Has there ever been any retconning of these references to explain some of the other canonical FR Gods with Greek backgrounds, or that they were pseudonyms for other canonical FR Gods, etc...?I wrote THIS (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13085703&postcount=25) the other day, to tie up any lose ends concerning that and the blurb in Powers and Pantheons. The Chondathans (the decendents of my 'Dathens') settled all of the areas around the Inner Sea, and the bloodstone Lands are probably the last place where these gods are still venerated. |
| Zandilar07-16-07, 07:30 PM | Heya, Sharess is already on the actual Faerunian Dieties but even the faiths and pantheons did not have actual stats on her. Here is my take on Sharess. The Race Felinari is a Feline Race. Sharess, like almost all of the Faerunian Pantheon, is a non-specific Outsider. She is a non-racial deity, and thus race is immaterial. It is usually better not to use custom/home brewed content when converting Realms specific people and places into crunch (especially when you're not providing any information on the home brewed content besides "she's this"). I mean look... She started off as Bast, a human deity who appeared as a human woman with the head of a cat. She absorbed Felidae, a beast cult deity who was basically a cat. Then she absorbed Zandilar the Dancer who was an elven deity who appeared as a blue skinned elf. She is all of those things, which means she certainly isn't catfolk or tabaxi or a werecat or a Cat Lord, or well you get the picture. She can appear as all those things, though, but just because she can doesn't mean she is that race at the heart of her being. If you were going to give her any race at all (which I wouldn't), human would be it (even Mystra, Kelemvor, and Cyric are non-specific Outsiders, despite being ascended humans). Worshipers: Bards, Hedonistis, Senualists, Felinari No, you can't just slip the race in there either. :) Her write up in both F&P and P&P make no mention of your home brewed race. If you were going to put something there, it would be something less specific like "felines and felinoids" - which would handily incorporate just about any catfolk-like race you like. Bard 20, Rouge 5, Druid 10, Ranger 5 I know, it's picky picky, but... Rouge is a type of make up you put on your cheeks to make them redder - like blush. Rogue is a tricky individual. ;) Even in her P&P write up, Sharess had no druid or ranger levels - and really, as she's not a nature deity, neither class really suit her. P&P has her as a Thief 23/Mage 18/Spellsinger 18/Cleric 16/Fighter 10. Also, there is a write up on the forums for Sharess, here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=2958688&postcount=359), which has her as a Bard 20/Rogue 20, which I think is quite suitable. Oh and one last thing... Your write up appears to be 3.0. There isn't anything inherently wrong with that, but it would be nice to note it somewhere. |
| MarkusTay6307-17-07, 01:44 AM | First off, it does say that she digs Nobanion in source, so thats kind of like "Cats sticking together", although I think he is obtuse toward her (just like a cat). Personally, I think she wants to have his litter. :P Second, I can see make-up falling under the portfolio of a hedonistic goddess - tramps love to wear tons of cosmetics. So I think 'rouge' is exceptable, I just can't figure out how she got five levels in it. :confused: ;) :D |
| ambersorsha07-17-07, 11:35 AM | Mind you I did that version of her about 2 or 3 years ago and I had just found her on the computer. lol, I suppose i could use a revamp. |
| Zandilar07-17-07, 08:51 PM | Heya, First off, it does say that she digs Nobanion in source, so thats kind of like "Cats sticking together", although I think he is obtuse toward her (just like a cat). Personally, I think she wants to have his litter. :P Actually, she's got stronger ties to Anhur. It says she has an on again-off again romantic involvement with him. Of course that wouldn't stop her from wanting a fling with anyone at all (of either and all genders, and preferably multiples at once!) - but bear in mind, she's flighty and promiscuous. She wouldn't limit herself, which is quite probably what Nobanion would want - being a Lion and all (male Lions have been known to kill the cubs of rival Lions when he first takes up with a female - and they're quite territorial about their females). Plus having kittens would crimp her style a little. ;) Leave having children to Chauntea and Lathander. :P Second, I can see make-up falling under the portfolio of a hedonistic goddess - tramps love to wear tons of cosmetics. It would be more Sune's thing. Sune is all about self-beautification, after all. :) So I think 'rouge' is exceptable, I just can't figure out how she got five levels in it. :confused: ;) :D Oh, she just caked it on, I'm sure... :yuck: :rofl: |