L4W:The Twelve Gods

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Living 4th Edition: Setting - Gods - Organizations - PCs

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Though they are viewed very differently throughout the world there are striking similarities between the fundamentals of religions of across cultures undercutting what are superficially seen a great differences. Hadeys, wealth-obsessed-merchant of the underworld, captured beautiful Proserphones and made her his bride through cunning contract; transforming her into the goddess of seasons. The shugenja of the Kingdom of Jade speak of the Lord of the Tengu, forever in pursuit of the White Maiden, whose father, the king of all, changes the seasons to allow her to hide.

While they are a positive force collectively the gods are invariably fickle, self-centered creatures with their own desires and ambitions; they toy with the lives of mortals, especially mortal heroes, setting them against impossible odds, sometimes to make a point or teach a lesson and sometimes just for their own enjoyment.

Contents 1 12 Gods Name Chart 2 The Gods of Allaria 2.1 Joven 2.2 Juna 2.3 Lauto 2.4 Netari 2.5 Apoli 2.6 Peresefa 2.7 Vulkar 2.8 Maros 2.9 Merkari 2.10 Mireva 2.11 Dayna 2.12 Vena 3 The Gods of the Imperium 3.1 The Imperial Religion 3.1.1 Deiòs 3.1.2 Erath 3.1.3 Hadeys 3.1.4 Poseeydus 3.1.5 Phoebus 3.1.6 Proserphones 3.1.7 Eefeystos 3.1.8 Aressus 3.1.9 Hermethis 3.1.10 Palladys 3.1.11 Arthamis 3.1.12 Aphrodeys 3.2 Creation Myth: The Aeons 3.3 The Old Gods 3.3.1 Kronos 3.3.2 Hekates 3.3.3 Pan 3.3.4 Zagreus 4 Demigods 5 Credit 6 Inspiration/Comments from the creator

12 Gods Name Chart

Greek	Roman	Normal Gender	Imperium	Daunton	Savage Humanoid*	Hzakan
Zeus	Jupiter	Male	Deiòs	Joven	Deiz	Dez
Hera	Juno	Female	Erath	Juna	Rana	Rata
Poseidon	Neptune	Male	Poseeydus	Netari	Pozari	Poz
Hades	Pluto	Male	Hadeys	Lauto	Hrauto	Hrade
Persephone	Proserpina	Female	Proserphones	Peresefa	Pereza	Prozfa
Aphrodite	Venus	Female	Aphrodeys	Vena	Veraza	Afraza
Apollo	Apollo	Male	Phoebus	Apoli	Apolus	Feabus
Ares	Mars	Male	Aressus	Maros	Maraz	Araz
Artemis	Diana	Female	Arthamis	Dayna	Dakama	Arkama
Athena	Minerva	Female	Palladys	Mireva	Milaka	Palaka
Hephaestus	Vulcan	Male	Eefeystos	Vulkar	Vulastoz	Fastoz
Hermes	Mercury	Male	Hermethis	Merkari	Hrakari	Hramik

(*)Savage humanoids include shifters as well as primitive goblinoids, orcs, minotaurs, kobolds and gnolls.

The Gods of Allaria

To be developed in play; use the Imperium section for inspiration but feel free to deviate.
The patriarchal Imperium believe that Erath is Deiòs' wife, passionate but ultimately subordinate to his whims; unable to oppose her husband directly she is forced to engage in petty vendettas against his agents to sooth her anger (not that the mortals it effects aren't deeply effected by them).
The Dauntonians see the Joven and Juna differently, as twin brother and sister, equal rulers of the gods and fierce competitors. Juna's actions to impede her brothers agents are part of a reasoned and rational process to limit the greatest excesses of his passions

Joven

Joven is a passionate, stubborn and lusty god; the Kronos' first born and probably the most powerful of the gods. The wind and sky are his elements and storms show his temper. He was more reasoned before the birth of Mireva; a goddess in her own right. Now he is often presented as uncontrollable when his temper rises.

• AKA: Sky father, the high lord, god of magic, king of the gods
• Favored weapon: "Thunderbolt" Quarterstaff
• Portfolio: Weather, the skies, mountains, pride, hurricane, tornadoes, power, governance
• Suggested Chanel Divinty Feat: Ioun's Poise which is sometimes called Will of the Sky Lord

Juna

Juna is Joven's twin sister, born only a minute later. Determined to outshine her brother she is in some ways his opposite, in others his complement and in every way his equal competitor. She is slightly less powerful, but more focused and dedicated; sometimes fables present her as simplistic. She is the cold determined face of order and justice and often presented as a proud beautiful woman. Her priests are often lawgivers and her church is strongest in cities and urban areas.

• AKA: Queen of the gods
• Favored weapon: “The scales of justice” Flail
• Portfolio: fertility, goliaths, marriage, laws, rules, home, women, guards, order, balance, coins
• Suggested Channel Divinity feat: Sehaine's Reversal which is sometimes called Juna's Reversal

Lauto

The god of death. Lauto is said to live within a great cube of force.

• AKA: the keeper
• Favored weapon: “fatality” greatsword
• Portfolio: the dead, death, warforged, banks, mining, minerals, loans, hoards, marriage, burials, history, luck, gambling, traps
• Suggested Channel Divinity feat: Raven Queen's Blessing which is sometimes called Lauto's Reward (for he is generous with those who fill his coffers with souls)

Netari

Ruler of the shifts, Seas and great Lakes, he has influence over the winds, sea travels, and waterbound beasts. Temperamental and mighty, ocean-going voyagers are wise to sacrifice to him before setting sail. His priesthood is small but rabid and have declared the shifting seas to be sacred to him; encouraging pilgrimages to demonstrate humility before his whims. Appearing to different races and cultures in different guises, Netari is said to have fathered many species both large and small. For example, it was an Avatar of Netari that had created the Race of lightning breathing Blue Dragonborn on Allaria, guiding them as a Diety for centuries in the form of a Ancient Blue Dragon. Although the kingdom built by these Dragonborn on Allaria has been destroyed some remanance of the faithful remain to oppose the Unending Mire. They wear the old symbol of the Blue Dragon cult (a green dragon head on a blue disk), and will stop at nothing to thwart the plots of the Mire.

• AKA: the deep one, blessed blue
• Favored weapon: “wavecaller” trident
• Portfolio: Dragonborns, seas, horses, earthquakes, ships, exploring, sailors, traveling by sea, tsunamis, storm
• Suggested Channel Divinity feat: Melora's Tide which is sometimes called Tide of Netari

Apoli

The god of the fate and the sun is central to worship for many people.

• AKA: the eversplendid one, first dragon slayer
• Favored weapon: “Solaris” longsword
• Portfolio: the sun, the arts, music, days, sanity, oracles, prophecies, swordmages, paladins, dawn
• Apoli's Clerics often have the Channel Divinity feat: Pelor's Radiance which they sometimes call Light of the Heavens

Peresefa

Daughter of Joven and wife of Lauto, Peresefa holds a unique place among the gods. Powerful in her own right the goddess controls the shifting of the seasons. As the bride of Lauto, she also reigns in the Land of the Dead and much of the otherworld falls into her domain.

• AKA: Reaper Queen, Everwalking One, Iron Queen, the Maiden and the Crone
• Favored weapon: “Soul harvester” scythe
• Portfolio: Life, Death, Seasons, growth, decay, ravens, harvest, undead, shadar-kai, revenants, warlocks
• Suggested Chanel Divinty Feat: Armor of Bahamut which is sometimes called Proserphones Ward (for her blessing alone can help against Lauto's grasp)

Vulkar

• AKA: the great maker
• Favored weapon: “mastermaker” warhammer
• Portfolio: Dwarfs, smiths, volcanoes, weapons, crafts, torture, insects, artificer
• Suggested Channel Divinity feat: Moradin's Resolve which is sometimes called Resolve of Vulkar

Maros

• AKA: the hound of war
• Favored weapon: “bloodlust” battleaxe
• Portfolio: war, weapons, warforged, orcs, halforcs, hate, warlords, fighters, barbarians
• Suggested Channel Divinity feat: Kord's Favor which is sometimes called Favored in Battle

Merkari

The great trickster god, but also the god of travel, Merkari can be a perplexing god to some. He is known to take many forms and has interacted directly with the worlds heroes on more than one occasion. For the average follower it is common to pray to him before making journeys especially if you desire safe passage through a portal.

• AKA: the speedster, trickster god, the half divine, the twelth
• Favored weapon: “Caduceus” staff
• Portfolio: Halflings, thieves, spies, games, jokes, medicine, rogues, heralds, travel, commerce, portals
• Suggested Channel Divinity Feat: Corellon’s Grace which is sometimes called Merkari's Grace

Mireva

Patron of the Great Library in Daunton, Mireva's primary aspects are both knowledge and law. Her worshipers, as such are quite diverse, and often choose their deity for very different reasons.

• AKA: The Great Mentor
• Favored weapon: “battlecaller” spear
• Portfolio: strategy, libraries, eladrins, war, mercy, owls, victory, knowledge, warlords, paladins
• Suggested Chanel Divinty Feat: Ioun's Poise which is sometimes called Mireva's Perspective

Dayna

• AKA: the wild one, the untouched one, lady of dreams, lady of all night
• Favored weapon: “Doomfinder” longbow
• Portfolio: elfs, assassins, gnolls, woods, vengeance, virgins, moon, wolves, longtooth shifters, nightmares, dreams, dusks, nights
• Dayna's Clerics often have the Channel Divinity feat: Corellon’s Grace which they sometimes call Blessed Hunt

Vena

Dauntonians associate Vena with fertility of plants and animals as well as with beauty and it's darker counterparts (deception and illusion). The legend of Kythra attributes that islands fecundity of vegetation to the goddess' touch.

• AKA: the seducer
• Favored weapon: “Heavyheart” mace
• Portfolio: love, lust, peace, adultery, razorclaw shifters, chaos
• Suggested Channel Divinity feat: Melora's Tide which is sometimes called Health of the Lover

The Gods of the Imperium

It is said that the major gods saved mortals during the sundering (each of the 12 saving a certain sort of individual in a certain method) and sprinkled them upon the isolates that they may live their lives. Each mortal has the capacity to choose between good and evil, and the gods will reward or punish them accordingly. Though each of the 12 gods is revered individually and is dedicated his own temples and offices, the pantheon is generally believed in and revered as a whole. Most people (generally everyone but priests and priestesses) has one or two patron gods, but prays to the others when in need of blessing in an important matter in their sphere of competence.

The Imperial Religion

According to its priests and politicians the Imperium has grown strong an prospered by humbly devoting itself to all the gods; giving each the due and respect that they deserve. Priests are quick to point out the literally dozens of tales when hubristic, or even just insufficiently respectful, behavior has brought down the wraith of an offended god. It is worth noting that the priests are, collectively, particularly troubled by all the cases when this wrath has effected not only the offender but the offenders community. They also darkly note that the unhealthy fixation of "mono-deism" leads to religious extremism; mystery cults that can turn to worship of darker things.

It is a tenet of religious faith that the Imperium is already a blessed state which enjoys the support of the twelve gods individually and as a pantheon. It spends a tremendous amount of resources and has an entire caste of highly educated people (priests) who do nothing but work to ensure that this blessed state persists. The more cynical believe that the senate's extensive support for the questos is much less involved with any altruistic motivation to fight (or at least contain) evil in the cosmos but rather is a result of their intense pre-occupation with maintaining the gods favor.

In accordance with this the Imperium frowns upon the worship of a particular god to the exclusion of others. While it is perfectly understandable that a smith will give more devotions to Eefeystos than to other gods Imperial society (particularly the priesthood) would frown upon the suggestion that the smith 'only' worships Eefeystos.
The personal beliefs of questos are generally policed very loosely by the priesthood. This is partially due to the fact that militant brotherhood aggressively self policies itself for corruption and taint, partially due to the difficulty of attempting to rebuke someone who can literally call down radiant blasts of energy in the name of the gods and partially due to the belief among the priests that a questos who loses the support of the gods (let alone offends them) will simply die horribly in the next battle that they face. And, of course, there are historical examples of questos who actually have been directly serving the will of one god or another.

That is not to say that there are no priests or temples devoted to specific deities; major cities (urbs major) in the Imperium are mandated to temples to all 12 deities which must be equal in size and position relative to the central temple (in practice Deiòs temple is often larger, ostensibly the open air facilities enable the roofspace to be counted as floorspace), each has a corps of specialized priests including a certain number of virginal men and women who have been raised to serve in each temple since birth (usually humans though occasionally temperavir issued from liaisons between Eladrin priests and their human servants are taken in by a temple as "orphans".)
These specialized temples and priests are the most common possessors (and teachers) of Channel Divinity feats; which widely accepted among the Imperial priesthood (in the sense that only tiny minority of the most personally powerful and dedicated people could hope to learn one).

OOC: Please note that this is a 'roleplaying' element only. Currently all characters are limited to the knowledge of a maximum of one channel divinity feat. You can not use this belief to justify taking more than one channel divinity feat.

Deiòs

The god of kings. He governs the sky, the thunder and lightning. The eagle is his symbol, as it is one of the symbols of the Imperium. He is said to have defeated the Primordials and brought peace to the Cosmos. He also has a somewhat tyrannical and capricious aspect too, and storms are often explained as a manifestation of his anger.

Erath

Bride of Deiòs, goddess of queens and priestesses. She watches upon the order, both in the family and the State. Keeper of traditions, she's also referred to as the goddess of righteous revenge.

Hadeys

The keeper of the dead. His name is not spoken least it brings misfortune to those who utter it. He is said to dwell and rule in the Shadowlands. He is also the god of merchants, taxation and commerce and games of chance and wagering.
His priests are powerful and usurious but sometimes the only place you can go for a loan of coin when you need it. Coins are placed on the eyes of the dead to pacify him/pay his boatkeeper. He allows the dead to be raised -- they will eventually join the ranks of the dead -- and Hadeys can't resist the chance to be paid twice for the same thing.
Hadeys financial proclivities explain why the dead are often buried with wealth (a better position in the underworld is available to those who can meet his price), why undead are so frequently used to protect tombs (Hadeys believes you have to use your resources to protect your resources); and why such elaborate traps are included on tombs (wealth being a "down payment" on a "good space in the-land-of-the-dead" then the loss of that payment might mean (or people might fear) that the deceased would lose their cushy spot in the afterlife).
Hadeys's love of gambling and chance mean that he's indulgent of tomb-robbers, he loves the oppprotunity to make a good wager (provided their sufficiently respectful of course).

Poseeydus

Ruler of the shifts, Seas and great Lakes, he has influence over the winds, sea travels, and waterbound beasts. He's a feared deity and always sacrificed to before long travels. His priesthood is small but rabid and have declared the shifting seas to be sacred to him; encouraging pilgrimages to demonstrate humility before his whims.

Phoebus

God of the Sun and light. He is said to give mortals the gift of prophecy and foreseeing. In his angered aspect, he is the god of archery and pestilence. He is also said to love music, poetry and art, even beautifully spelled magic. He's the god that saves or damnes in the deserts, and is thought to gift his favored ones with extraordinary eyesight in saving moments. He is referred to as the saver of men from monsters. Usuallly revered by: Archers, bards, poets, wizards, seers, artists in general, hunters of vile monsters

Proserphones

Bride of Hadeys. Goddess of melancholy and gloom, but also tied to the seasonal cycle and land fertility. The goddess of seasons is beloved among warlocks and fey; who see her mercurial passions and the attachment to Hadeys that grants her her status as similar to their own.

Eefeystos

God of Fire and forge. Mostly revered by dwarves, he is often depicted as maimed. A secluded god, dwelling in the Elemental chaos.

Aressus

God of war and strength. Mostly tied to the violent aspect of battle, he is often given the attribute of cowardice. Often revered by goblinoids. He is said to grant extraordinary acts of prowess to his fathful, only to help their foes immediately after, for he loves the sight of battle, but he loves more that of blood. His weapons and armor are said to be forged by Efeystus himself. He is also some times a god that protects athletic competititors, though not necessarily the most honest of the lot. Acts of vengeance that call for blood are often officed with his blessing. Often revered by: Goblinoids, warriors, assassins, athletes, gladiators, executors

Hermethis

God of trickery,lies, travel, and luck. He's considered nimble and witty, and often revered by thieves and rogues. He is also said to show the souls the way to the afterlife. He is said to be the god responsible for portals, and those "shortcuts between reality" are only traveled safely with his blessing.

Palladys

Goddess of wisdom and intelligence, but also tied to wars and protection. One of the most revered deities in the Imperium.

Arthamis

Goddess of woods, virginity, hunt and wild beasts, sister of Apoli. She often represents the wildest aspect of the natural world. Highly revered by feys and other wood-dwelling creatures.

Aphrodeys

Goddess of love and passion. Representation of beauty and charm. Also in her hostile aspect, the deity of blinding passion and disorder, and illusions.

Creation Myth: The Aeons

The first Aeon was Darkness.

The second Aeon, Light blossomed out in darkness, and Light outlined the Chaos from the Dark, and Chaos was all, and all was in Chaos.

The third Aeon, love was born, and separation was born. For from Chaos, Ge, the Mother, and Ouranos the Shining too, and one laid herself under all things, and the other embraced her lovingly. And the Chaos that remained was alone and furious, and stabbed Ge, and shattered her. And Ouranos embraced her and soaked in her blood and they were closer and farther than before.

The fourth Aeon, children were born from Ge and Ouranos, and they were mighty and beautiful, and walked on the womb of their mother and looked up at their father. But Chaos was cast aside and jealous and also gave birth, but though mighty his children were, ugly and angry they were, too. And while the children of Ge and Ouranos gave life and beauty to the soil that was their Mother, the children of Chaos brought darkness, and sharp mountains, and scorching fires, and chilling cold, and they excavated the interior of Ge with caves and rifts. And the Mother was in pain and cried and shook, and remembered whe she was one. And from her memory a light was born that was fair and full of life and her children called it Elysium and inhabited it, but then it cast a long shadow on the opposite side, and the children looked at it and it was gloomy and deserted, and they called it Herebos, and few of them ever walked on it. And then Ge was tired and fell asleep, and sad was Ouranos and followed her in her slumber to dream outside all that was, and they have not awakened since. And from their stillness the Cosmos was born, and the shifting Seas. Some say their dreams gave birth to another reality entirely, for which no name was found, sometimes simply called "That Which is Far".

Then came the first age of Mortals, first of many to come. The world was blossoming with life, and the young Gods helped it grow, each in its way. The dragons were the first to awaken in the Cosmos, and they grew great and mighty, closest to gods than any other mortal being. The Elysium shone like a glowing star, and its children soon walked the world, and even the darkes corners of the world were stirring, and the gods walked on the same grounds of mortals. But again, the Primordials, children of chaos, were jealous and moved to the Cosmos to bring ruin with them, and built fortresses and created servants to kill and imprison mortals, made of raw matter and pure life force. They dared not enter Elysium and Herebos, for mysterious were their lands, but Titans, and Giants their children, and Archons and Elementals were in Cosmos. At first, the Gods were pushed away, for no army they had, nor had they battled before, save for play. They established fortresses too, in Ouranos, Elysium, in the Shifting Seas, and even in Herebos. They started to gather allies among the most powerful mortal creatures, and even powerful immortal spirits. They eternal forged bonds of loyalty with Angels, and created fearsome Abominations to send against those spawned by the Primordials, desperate to take back the Cosmos. The war was the longest the World has since seen, and forever will be. In the end, the gods prevailed as the majority of the Primordials were destroyed, or retired in the eternal elemental storms of Chaos. The most powerful of the Primordials and their rulers, Arges, Gya, Kotto, Bryareus, Stheropes and Bronthes were cast down with all the divine might to the deepest abyss of Chaos, and there chained and sealed. There, their malice corrupted all around them and made their own prison far worse than ever would it had been. That was called Thartharus.

The Old Gods

Some things that could once be seen are now clouded in darkness. Great cities now lie in ruin and mountains have crumbled to dust. Such is the fate of all things.
Sometimes, what is immortal can die, too. Do gods die? It is a question that many mortal sages have pondered upon. What few mortals understand is that gods do not "die". Their spark is forever lit, but they are forgotten, or forget the World, or come to be untied from Its destinies. As the kingdom of Allaria had far more ancient roots than the Imperium, its gods were passed down by countless generations' oral traditions, and little more than nothing is known of them in the civilized lands. The traces they left are in the legends of ancient lands, stories of uncivilized cultures, and strange similarities with the crystallized cults of the Imperium. The following are some that are still remembered to this day.

Kronos

Ancient myths speak of an era dominated by a god-tyrant of surpassing power and unspeakable cruelty, not "god" nor "primordial", or maybe both. Ruler of the World, defiler of the great Father Ouranos, Wielder of the Shyte of Fate, Kronos was said to have tamed both gods and primordials under his iron fist, and then been overthrown and killed, or cast away in an endless slumber. Some believe its monstrous dreams to have broken reality apart and brought the Far Realm into being. Some other truths report it as a conscious act.

Hekates

Goddess of the night, of magic, and dark knowledge, Hekates is said to still restlessly wander the world disguised as an old hag of unmatched ugliness. Often spoken of in small villages to scare children.

Pan

Depicted as half man, half goat, similar to a satyr, Pan is told of as an unseen god of Wilderness, Music and Sensual love, but also irrational terror. He is the disquieting noise in the quiet of the night, the smell of blood in the peaceful farm, the sudden scream in the forest.

Zagreus

Zagreus is one of the many names of an ubiquitous god, still revered in the Imperium too, with the name of Dyonesius. He is the god of wine and feast, laughter and mess. But also of madness and vision, and nightmares. Dark rites are dedicated to him, in which drunk men feast and copulate, and finally eat human flesh.

Demigods

In addition to the 12 there are a host of demi-gods, usually mortal heroes who have pleased the gods in some way and joined them in legend as powers in their own right. Some Demi-gods are almost as widely known as the gods themselves, others are known only to a few cultures.

Credit

Almost entirely developed by one man Ata in a series of posts ([I] II III

Inspiration/Comments from the creator

Initial thoughts From the first post I'd also like to offer my collaboration specifically to create a pantheon for imperium. I believe the Greek pantheon will be perfect inspiration for this, for various reasons. First, with twelve or so major gods that have both a positive and a negative aspect, it's easy to sum up all the most important spheres of "competence". Furthermore, it is well known how several deities were revered both officially and in "mysteric cults". Adding demi-gods and minor local deities would be extremely easy for that was the nature of the actual ancient greek religion. Finally, ancient Greek religion had a generational nature, coming from the fact that more ancient gods were actually supplanted by the cults of populations invading the Aegean region, and survived mostly in myths and tradition (the myths have a repetitive nature too: Chronos overthrew Ouranos, and was overthrown by Zeus... who then defeated the primordial and savage forces of old represented by Titans and Hecatoncheires... this works so well with 4e fluff too... the Abys could be well called Thartarus and imprison a "chained god" or two... i'd say it fits)

On the lack of "evil" dieties About evil deities. There are many possibilities with a greek-model pantheon like that in my example. The first is that greek deities had major negative and capricious aspects, all of them. Zeus (Deiòs) is a tyrant and a womanizer, Ares is a coward, Athena is REALLY easily angered, Aphrodithes jealous of the others' beauty, etc. The other side of the medal are the primordial forces represented by the ancient gods, revered in more isolated and less civilized parts of the world, the previous generations of deities. Ouranos, Chronos, Rhea, Gea, are all extremely ancient and almost forgotten deities whose "portfolios" have been almost wholly swallowed by their "children". Also, the Titans (that in Greek mythology were the children of Ouranos and Gea) have an important negative role in the 4e mythology, as the gods' adversaries: they might still be serving Cotto, Gia and Briareus, the three great Primordials left, chained in Thartarus (the Abyss)-those were the names of the three Hecatoncheires, brothers of the Titans... all these are original names, but you can see they're only used as suggestions. Furthermore, some deities were revered specifically in mysteric cults that often had a very dark side. For example, Zagreus might be a dark aspect of Dyonisus (that for some reason i forgot to include) in whose name wild rites including human sacrifices are officed. Finally, the potential of demigods in a system like this is endless. Demigods were revered everywhere in ancient Greece, and often regarder as legendary founders of poleis (Theseus, Cadmus, Heracles and so on...) -ata

On the creation myth Well obviously shattered Ge is the Earth, and the Cosmos in this case, while Ouranos is the Astral Sea, and thefting seas are made of Ge's "blood" soaking Ouranos (to represent their "transitiveness"). Chaos is the elemental Chaos. the children of Ge and Ouranos the Gods, the children of Chaos the Primordials. Herebos is the Shadowfell and Elysium the Feywild. The "excavated interior"of Ge may well be the Underdark. Thartharus is the Abyss. This was a first Myth of creation. I'll write more later (like something to introduce the Far Realms. Maybe they were spawned by the mighty dreams of Ouranos and Ge, eternally asleep?) and update the pantheon itself.