The Celtic Gods of Inzeladun

THE GODS OF ODHIRRAN

The Odhirran worship the Celtic gods (also called Aes Sidhe). These include (but are not limited to) Arawn (God of the Dead), Brigit (Goddess of Fire and Poetry), Balor (God of the Fomor), Cairbre (God of Music), Dagda (The Good God), Danu (The Mother), Dianchet (God of Healing), Goibniu (God of Smithwork), Lugh of the Long Arm, Mannanan Mac Lir (God of the Sea), The Morrigan (Goddess of War), Nuada of the Silver Arm, Oghma (God of Knowledge). Unlike normal D&D priests, Odhirran characters do not pick a single deity as his patron; they worship all of them, calling upon specific deities for specific problems.

Arawn, God of the Dead

Arawn is the lord of the Underworld, Annwn (Annuvin). He is frequently challenged by other would be claimants for his title, 'Pen Annwn' (Head of Annwn). As god of death and the underworld, Arawn rarely has reason to venture into the world of the living. His home is an island so far out at sea that no one, not even Manannan mac Lir, can find it while living, for only the dead can travel there. In fact, Arawn generally only sends an avatar to the world of the living after someone has been resurrected that Arawn would rather keep. Many other Celtic gods will endorse resurrections, but none can guarantee that Arawn will leave the matter at that. Arawn has absolute power over life and death among the Celts.

On resurrecting any Odhirran individual, there is a 2% chance per level of that individual that Arawn will intervene. He will either send his avatar to reclaim the body or (25% chance) he will attempt to bargain. He will offer some other similar character from the legions of the dead provided he can keep the original character. Refusal of his offer will be met with force.

Arawn's alignment is Lawful Evil, and his domains are Death, Evil, and Magic.

Brigit (Goddess of Fire and Poetry)

The daughter of Daghdha, she is the patroness of poets, healers and smiths. The sanctuary at Dun Kildar has a perpetual fire lit in her honor that is tended by the sisterhood. She is chaotic good, and her domains are Chaos, Fire, and Knowledge.

Balor (God of the Fomor)

Balor is the god of the Fomor. It is prophesied that his grandson will kill him, so he keeps his daughter, Ethniu, secluded on an island. Balor is one-eyed because he spied upon some druids who were preparing a potion of wisdom. Some splashed out and hit him in the eye and made that eye baleful to any he looked upon with it. He keeps this eye closed and has four attendants who raise it when he wants to kill enemies. Balor is Lawful Evil, and has the domains of Destruction, Evil, and Law.

Daghdha (The Good God)

Daghdha enjoys a position of leadership among the loose confederation of Celtic gods, a god of druids. His powers widely varied, but he is credited with control over the weather and crops. His great cauldron is a bottomless receptacle with food and drink and the abundance of the Celtic other-world from which he comes — there is virtually nothing he cannot pull from his cauldron. Daghdha is the custodian the gods and all Celtic people, using his charms and powers to protect and aid them whenever he can. As a warrior he is a great leader and scout, as a father figure he is both stern and fun-loving; Daghdha enjoys being a comical figure of great power.

Daghdha is a happy go lucky sort who is only interested in the general welfare of his Celtic worshippers. He will often send his avatar to appear at the scene of an impending battle and use his charms to sway crucial male figures on the other side. He also sends him during times of pestilence or crop failure to set things right. He will tempt to resort to comic trickery to get his own way.

Daghdha is Neutral Good and offers the domains of Good, Protection, and Strength.

Danu (The Mother)

She is the ancestress of the Tuatha de Danann. So antique is her legend that no stories about her survive. She may be one of the Old Ones.

Diancecht (God of Healing)

Diancecht is the grandfather of Lugh. He was the physician of the Tuatha de Danann. As the Celtic god of healing, Diancecht cares for the sick and wounded without regard to their worship. He is so insanely jealous of his abilities that he slew his own son who might have become a better healer than his father. Diancecht has healed the other gods, as well, fashioning at one time a silver arm to replace one lost, and using a cat’s eye to replace a lost eye. He has a magical bath that can instantly and completely heal any mortal or god. Diancecht often uses his powers to enforce his notion that any wound is the responsibility of the inflictor to heal, or at least pay for. In combat, Diancecht will heal himself, friends, and enemies alike, for he is unable to control his penchant for medicine.

Diancecht is obsessed with healing, both among the gods and among mortals. His avatar is forever wandering the world of men searching for those who need his skills. Whenever confronted, Diancecht will seldom involve himself in a situation that does not require him to heal.

Diancecht is neutral good and his domains are Good, Healing, and Protecting. Like their deity, Priests of Diancecht are sworn to seek out those who need to be healed and perform their work. However, living in the imperfect world, his priests cannot pick and choose patients, so often follow marauders or other war bands to exercise their talents.

Goibniu (God of Smithwork)

The smith held a special fascination for the Celtic peoples. Smiths were thought to have magical powers of charm and healing, bestowed upon them by the god of the smiths, Goibhniu. Goibhniu is actually one of a triad of gods; Luchta the wright and Creidhne the worker in metal are also important craftsmen gods. Together they fashioned weapons for Lugh at the battle of Magh Tuiredh, each doing his part to create sound, sure weapons. Reputedly, weapons forged by the great Goibhniu will never miss their mark, and those stuck by them will certainly be slain. In the great Feast of Goibhniu, the god serves a variety of foods and drinks which can soothe, heal, and even make immortal their consumers.

Though his size and appearance may at first be threatening, Goibhniu is a generally warm and friendly fellow. He is especially fond of sharing stories of battle and fine armaments. He often makes food and drinks for those he befriends, sharing with them a small feast — the wines and dishes of which will be of a magical nature and will both prolong life and heal damage. However, when made angry, Goibhniu will go forth and will show no pity, slaying mortals who have crossed him without so much as a second thought.

Goibniu is Neutral and has the domains of Magic, Protection, and Strength.

Lugh of the Long Arm

Lugh can best be described as the god of excellence, reputed to be not only the inventor and patron of the arts, but also an expert in such diverse fields as sorcery, history, craftsmanship of all sorts, story telling, and heroism. Lugh, whose name means “The Shining One” is the most widely worshipped of the pantheon, with numerous monuments throughout Celtic regions where followers prayed to him for guidance in any of his many areas of expertise. Known to be a late comer to the pantheon, Lugh is often found in the company of Rosmerta, a goddess of wealth and material possessions. He can control endeavors in the arts and crafts with which he is familiar, and he can control or influence all forms of travel and commerce. He can also turn day to night or vice versa at will. Beyond these pursuits, however, Lugh is a formidable warrior, armed with a great spear and a sling.

A wanderer of the lands of his worshippers, consorting with the various goddesses of the lands that he meets, Lugh is a self-confident god, eager to keep his hand in mundane affairs. He keeps an eye out for fair play in human matters, stepping in with his avatar to affect the outcome of endeavors within his own expertise.

Lugh is Neutral Good and has the domains of Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Sun

Mannanan Mac Lir (God of the Sea)

The Celtic god of the sea is a knowledgeable custodian of the oceans. Manannan mac Lir rides over the waves on his chariot, pulled by various creatures of the sea, admiring its beauty and governing its bountiful operation. To Manannan mac Lir, the oceans are a vast plain, the various fishes either cattle or sheep — in his other-world reality, he lives upon the “land” while others must use boats to visit it. He generally wears armor made of metal and sea shells and carries a giant sword, riding his chariot upon the waves.

Manannan mac Lir’s sends his avatars to roam the oceans on their chariots. He has great respect for those mortals who can master the seas, but has no pity for those who fail and drown within them. He is Chaotic Good and has the domains of Air, Magic, Water, and Trickery.

The Morrigan (Goddess of War)

Morrigan is the Celtic goddess of war. She is a fearsome warrior, causing great fear in her opponents, driving home her own battles with a spear in either hand. She is terribly ugly, laughs a maniacal laugh, and has dreadful manners. She expects all Celts and especially her followers to fight constantly, encouraging petty wars where there otherwise would be none. She can shape change to fool her opponents, and often calls upon four minor goddesses of war to fight by her side. At one time, Morrigan tried to seduce the hero Cu Chulainn, but on failure she turned against him and nearly killed him.

Morrigan is bent on warfare every turn. She will readily pick fights, preferring to get mortals to fight each other by whatever means. She will use many forms to trick otherwise peaceful parties into conflict. Morrigan often observes battles and will not tolerate fear among her followers — she will strike dead any follower that turns and flees from a battle she is watching.

She is Chaotic Neutral and has the domains of Chaos, Destruction, and War.

Nuada of the Silver Arm

He was the king of the Tuatha de Danann. He lost his hand fighting the Firbolgs and was thus disqualified from kingship. Diancecht and Credne made him a silver hand which caused Nuada to be called Airgetlam (silver-hand). He allowed Lugh to reign after him. He is Lawful Good, and has the domains of Good, Law, and War.

Oghma (God of Bards)

Oghma, whose epithet, Grianainech, means “of the sun-like countenance,” is the god of eloquence and language. His speeches and words carry great weight with his listeners, and he is often depicted as having gold chains between his tongue and the ears of his listeners; Celts have great respect for the powers of persuasive speech that Oghma personifies. He has the power to communicate his ideas accurately and quickly, swaying any number who hear him to his cause. Oghma invented the beautiful Oghma script which can be easily carved into stone or wood, especially at places devoted to his worship. Oghma is also known to be a champion, both as a warrior and as a patron of ideas.

Oghma enjoys visiting and speaking to his flock in the form of his avatar. He strengthens their collective resolve to worship him, and teaches his priests the arts of his lettering and persuasiveness. Oghma seeks justice and will occasionally go out of his way to see that it is done. He will champion small causes at times, even those that affect but one village with only a few worshippers, if an injustice is brought to his attention. He is Neutral and offers the domains of Knowledge, Luck, Magic, and Trickery.

The Wild Hunt

Despite its evil connotations, the Wild Hunt is a manifestation of good life force on the Prime Material Plane. It appears in Celtic lands whenever there is a great force of evil in the area. The source of the evil could be many different things, from an evil wizard or priest moving through the area to an invading evil army. Wherever the druids are and wherever they have built standing stones that the Wild Hunt can use as beacons, the pack and its master are forever on guard against encroaching evil. The Wild Hunt appears in the world of men as a huge pack of magical dogs led by a great man. The man has dark skin and can either be on foot or at the reins of a two-horse chariot. He carries an enormous spear and wears a metal and leather helmet with antlers. The dogs of the pack are huge beasts that can, at one instant appear as normal (albeit huge) canines and then transform into ferocious, magical animals with green flame coming from their mouth and eyes. When the Wild Hunt approaches, the weather turns for the worse — the winds howl and thunder booms from the heavens. The Wild Hunt fights evil with evil’s weapons, namely fear and ferocity.

Celts or other good beings who encounter the Hunt on the move may be swept up by it. All Celts or characters of good alignment who see the Hunt must make a save versus spells or become part of the Wild Hunt and its mission, accepting the Master as their leader. Persons so caught up might have to act against their own alignment at the behest of the Master, fighting against those they might otherwise ignore, etc. As it tears across the countryside, the pack will raise a terrifying ruckus, attracting followers and warning evil of its approach.

On any given night there will be only one Wild Hunt, provided there is sufficient evil to warrant it. Once the pack has caught up with the source of evil, it will attack. The pack and the master will fight to the death against the evil. If they are slain, they will appear fresh for a new hunt the following night. If they do not destroy the evil they pursue, the Wild Hunt will return until their prey is driven from Celtic lands or slain.

The Wild Hunt has been known to fight against demigods and heroes who have manifested evil among the Celts. Sometimes destroyed themselves, they have always returned to renew the battle. The forces that seek out evil to destroy it are eternal, and the Wild Hunt can never be completely annihilated.