Gods and the Worshippers That Love Them

Caim · Apr 17, 2012

Heya guys. So I've been looking over the deity section on the LPF wiki and noticed we have ALOT of deities, 38 to be exact. Now out of the 38 there are several that don't have portfolios and even more without domains or favored weapons.

Now to the second portion. As much as I would hate to propose that we add an deities we have a full on orc pantheon and several partials which include dwarven, gnome, and halfling. Also we have nothing for elven and I am familiar with the elven mythos in E'n. However I fell they should have their own pantheon.

I have a list of the deities that have no domains or portfolios beyond the aspect in which they represent:
Helerion
Helina
Callisto
Puchnidur
Aelaiththon
Annaya
Ral
Kaven
Caridin
Erwahai
Lesovik

Whizbang Dustyboots · Apr 17, 2012

Speaking as a disinterested outsider, 38 deities doesn't seem like a lot to me.

That said, if you wanted help fleshing them out, I'd be happy to help, provided someone did a search of all the references to the gods in questions on the boards previously, so that the new stuff aligned with the old.

Maidhc O Casain · Apr 17, 2012

Some of these - such as Kaven and the other Gnomish deities - are likely on the old Social Group but never got ported over to the Wiki.

Proposal: Region - Tal Hallow (Gnomes!) said:
[sblock=Gnomish Pantheon]
Annaya
(the Ruler - Chaotic Good)

Annaya often appears as a white rabbit with light brown spots and deep blue colored eyes. She has floppy ears that fall to her side of her face.

Annaya is worshiped as the mother of all gnomes. Her clerics are the spokesmen and the healers of the community.

Domains: Charm, Chaos , Community, Good, Healing
Portfolio: family, helping, honesty, freedom
Favored Weapon: Heavy Mace

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***

Ral
(the Consort - Neutral Good)
Ral often appears as a smaller than normal badger being light grey in color and a black stripe down the length of his back

Ral cleric's are free spirits that roam wherever the wind takes them, but are always ready to protect gnomes in need. They look to protect those that cannot protect themselves and fight for freedoms wherever they might be.

Domains: Glory, Good, Liberation, Protection, Travel
Portfolio: defense of others, justice, honor, valor
Favored Weapon: Battle Axe

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***

Erendal
(the Councillor - Lawful Neutral)

Erendal often appears as a fox colored an orange-red and white with large fluffy tail. There always seems to be something ‘more’ within his gaze as if considering many things all at once.

Clerics of Erendal often work on cunning new ways to attack a problem. Whether it is a new way to toil a field or defend a tower they are always thinking up new inventions. Those of this small order are often sought after as advisors.

Domains: Artifice , Knowledge, Law, Magic, Rune
Portfolio: invention, discovery, lore, study
Favored Weapon: Staff

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***

Kaven
(the Wanderer - Neutral)

Kaven often appears as a raccoon of unusually large size.

Clerics of Kaven are of two breeds. The first concerns themselves with the natural world; flora and fauna of all the environments they encounter. They look to protect nature and work with others to see all that it has to offer. They are often druids.

The second are those who work in a more domestic setting; those that work the fields and tend the herds. They too work to protect and work with others for the benefit of all.

Domains: Animal, Plant, Sun, Water, Weather
Portfolio: farming, seasons, nature, renewal, birth
Favored Weapon: Sickle

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***

Neldru
(the Storm- Chaotic Evil)

Neldru often appears as a mole with a fine grey fur, of unusually large size. The swirling chaos within his eyes often captures and enchants those who stare too long.

Neldru is the "Plotter Down Below" his clerics live deep below Tal Hallow and plot for the day they will rule all the lands both above and below E'n.

Domains: Chaos, Darkness, Earth, Evil, Trickery
Portfolio: deception, revenge, envy, pride
Favored Weapon: Heavy Pick

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***

Tullog
(the Stranger - Neutral Evil)

Tullog oftern appears as a dark brown furred weasel with a white underbelly.

Many clerics of Tullog serve as caretakers of the dead. There are rogue clerics of a more evil nature that have been know to take and raise undead servants seeing the dead as their rightful property, to do with as they wish, after being given over to them.

Domains: Death, Evil, Luck (Curse sub-domain normally taken), Magic, Repose,
Portfolio: greed, secrets, death, luck (good and bad)
Favored Weapon: Dagger

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***

Geldar
(the Destroyer - Chaotic Neutral)

Geldar often appears as a dark green snake. His size varies to the situation he wishes to involve himself with.

Clerics who serve Geldar have been slightly touch by the madness of the Snake God - cults rise and fall as they try and mindlessly destroy all in their way. It is only through their own self destructiveness (the snake swallowing his own tail) that the cults of Geldar have not succeeded in conquering Tal Hallow.

Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Madness, Strength, War
Portfolio: monsters, murder, wrath, pain
Favored Weapon: Heavy Flail

*** *** *** *** *** ****** *** ***[/sblock]

I've put this one on the Wiki under Tal Hallow.

Systole · Apr 17, 2012

Before any of this goes anywhere, there's a biiiiiiig question that LPF needs to answer. And that's specifically: Do you want to define the world because it's there, or do you want to leave it as open as possible until someone needs it?

So, we can sit down and define all the pantheons, or we can not care until someone comes up with a neat idea that they need a god to fit given what's already written.

To put this in context, House Boraga has six heirs. I've defined two, because they came up in Escort Service. However, I have really great ideas for at least three of the remaining four, and I'd love to write wiki entries for them. Is it better that those four are undefined, so that other people can invent stuff as needed, or is it better that I define them, so that other people have a hook to write adventures?

Qik · Apr 17, 2012

It's a good point. While I do agree that leaving things open is a positive, in that we want others (especially newcomers) to feel like they can contribute, I do think that there's enough world-building to be done that if people get motivated to do something (like, say, yourself with the heirs), then they should do it.

Satin Knights · Apr 17, 2012

The deities needs something built and hashed out for balance. Otherwise, you will get someone that will come along and worship Mistress Ivy, the ruling treant of luckily deceptive travel. Stringing Law, Luck, Travel, Plant and Trickery all together so their monk/cleric can get the best bonuses.

That which affects tens of thousands of inhabitants should be fleshed out so we have a good idea which way the prevailing wind is taking us while writing. Deities fall in that category, as we have no small gods. Or do we?

The example of the Boraga House is on the small scale side of things.

The big part right now is that some races have their pantheon all built up, while others don't have much done at all.

Systole · Apr 17, 2012

When I wrote Serroth, I was under the impression that Landadel had tons and tons of small-ish gods, almost like Shinto or at the very least like ancient Greece/Rome, since a full pantheon hadn't been fleshed out. Or even proposed, really. And there's the impression in Penk's writeup that worship varies quite a lot from place to place.

Looking at many of the pantheons as they stand, I'm not sure they're complete enough for full fleshing out. And I'm not sure that potential munchkinism is really a problem, because that's what judge approval is for.

I think it might be a good idea to tag which pantheons are 'Open' and which are 'Closed,' though. Is the Venzan religion accepting applications, or is it full?

Caim · Apr 17, 2012

Here is a write up I just did on Caridin, I'm not keen on making him a golem but that's how the OP had him so I left it alone.

[sblock=Caridin]Caridin, the Tombstone
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Artifice, Death, Earth, Healing, Repose
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Nationality: Dwarven
The reaper of dwarven souls, Caridin, is said to be a golem created by Rogar himself to reap the honorable souls of the dwarves. He often appears as a golem of usual dwarven height and build made of adamantine and stone wielding a warhammer, the head of which is in the shape of an hourglass.[/sblock]

jkason · Apr 17, 2012

I think if the gods are already named, then it makes sense to me to at least work up their basic portfolios, even if we leave the fluff available for folks when they feel especially inspired.

I think I'd leave unnamed / undefined NPCs alone until such time as you're ready to use them. Heck, I've even been trying not to expand too much past what I put in an adventure with the NPCs I've created / used, so that other people can continue defining / refining them as they see fit in further adventures. Which seems to be working out in some cases; I had no idea Galen Parsons would get such widespread usage when I plopped him in Ryall's Estate spontaneously to head off PC's with a wagonful of corpses.

Systole · Apr 17, 2012

What jk said about working up named gods makes sense, although I think it's worth thinking about whether a particular set of gods is open or not.

I also tend to agree that as much stuff should be left open as possible, even though this is killing me for House Boraga.

I should probably flesh out the Jiragan gods. They don't have organized religion, but they probably do have inquisitors/oracles so the domains/mysteries should probably be spelled out.