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<blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 6057829" data-attributes="member: 13966"><p><strong>The Rhivian pantheon (continued)</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>SUREKKAL</strong>, the Discordant Dreamer, the Anarchist, Herald of Chaos</p><p><em>Male Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> A chain in the midst of shattering, held at both ends by shadowy hands</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Limbo</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Chaotic Neutral</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Anarchy, rebellion, dissent, freedom, deception, manipulation, theft</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Bards, rangers, rogues, anarchists, revolutionaries, thieves</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CE, CG, CN, N</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Charm, Chaos, Liberation, Luck, Trickery</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Flail or heavy flail</p><p>A whimsical Rhivian deity of pure chaos and roguishness, Surekkal is notorious as the Anarchist yet revered by freedom-fighters. Created by Ravik from portions of Lunelle's and Noctavian's stolen divine power, Surekkal has been a rogue element among the Rhivian deities since his creation. A loner and renegade spreading dissent among gods and mortals alike, Surekkal steals power and valuables from anyone he can, which has elevated him to the level of most other Rhivian deities in power. The Anarchist spreads subtle lies and sows distrust between leaders and their followers, even his own priesthood, keeping them on their toes. Although this sabotages his own worshippers and their goals at times, it is simply an essential part of his nature from the moment he was created with stolen essence.</p><p></p><p>Nonetheless, those who offer praise and sacrifices to Surekkal (particularly stolen goods) or who engage in his favorite activities are likely to be accepted into his divine realm of Dreamhold in Limbo, where they can steal and rant and demolish all that they wish, as the morphic nature of that realm continually rebuilds itself at Surekkal's whim. Despite the immoral nature of some activities favored by Surekkal, the Herald of Chaos is not truly evil, merely paranoid, crazy, and disruptive. He is also a patron of those who love freedom or whimsy, and he supports scheming politicians that would shake things up or overthrow the old leadership (even if he might turn his forces against them once they seize power and become the new tyrants). Freebooters, mercenaries, and some adventurers pay homage to Surekkal as the Discordant Dreamer, following their whimsy and going wherever fortune and opportunity lead them.</p><p></p><p>There are no holidays devoted to Surekkal, as he dislikes such predictable events, but many a thief, schemer, bandit, or pirate offers up a prayer of thanks and a small share of the spoils (as a donation to the nearest shrine or Surekkalite priest) after a successful heist, scam, mugging, or raid. Shrines of Surekkal are always small, innocuous affairs hidden as ordinary shacks, pawn shops, curio shops, cave-dwellings, or the like. Only a hidden symbol of the breaking chain is to be found as proof of the shrine's true purpose, and sometimes the presence of a priest or small group of them (an anarchist cell) in plain clothes when the priests aren't off executing some heist or scheme of their own. The altar of a Surekkalite shrine is always something innocuous like a table or firepit, which nobody would suspect to be consecrated to the Herald of Chaos. There is no ranking system among priests and they just allow the most-clever or most-commanding among them to lead in any given situation. Surekkalites rarely carry anything more than a small wooden symbol that can be easily concealed. They tend to wear some gray or black clothing but otherwise just try to blend in with local fashion. Priests of Surekkal may pray at either dawn, noon, dusk, or midnight, whichever they prefer each day, but they cannot pray for spells (and renew other priestly abilities at the same time) until at least 24 hours after the last time they did so. The Herald of Chaos dislikes predictable routines.</p><p></p><p>Surekkal himself is said to be nothing more than a shadowy cloud of raw chaos-stuff, never constraining himself to any single form for long, but he does occasionally appear as a nondescript male with plain features and plain clothing, whose only telling feature is a hypnotic, compelling voice. He may appear to be of any race and any age, but often appears to have some black or gray features such as hair, eyes, or clothing of such shades. He usually materializes a gray, smoky flail from his essence when engaging in combat, though other weapons are also used on occasion. The flail is known as Shadowbreaker, and said to inflict not only waking nightmares upon its victims but also spawns monsters from their shadows, by tearing holes into the Plane of Shadow.</p><p></p><p>Surekkal has come into conflict with many other deities, but counts Lunelle, Calistrienne, Tethariel, and Reveksor as nominal allies, in that he rarely interferes with them or their followers and shares some affinity with them in certain matters. He pities Lunelle as his mother of sorts, and he enjoys some of the destruction and chaos wrought by Calistrenne or Reveksor, who in turn simply don't mind Surekkal's schemes and ranting. Tethariel and Surekkal have a tempestuous romance of sorts, insofar as either has any concept of romance or affection, and have spawned various demigods in their on-and-off-again relationship. Surekkal's interactions with Gorin, Farador, Bharabzeel, and Delurinae are much more violent and disruptive by contrast, while Lahurias and Surekkal are the bitterest of rivals. Those two (and their followers) will stop at nothing to interfere with or destroy one another. Hevelior, Ashalla, and Paladia are often pestered by Surekkal's activities but have less to worry about from him, given their power and convictions.</p><p></p><p><strong>CALISTRIENNE</strong>, the Wailing Witch, the Fury, Thunder Banshee</p><p><em>Female Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Dark cloud striated by lightning and swirling wind, with furious red eyes</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Limbo</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Chaotic Neutral</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Thunder, wind, natural disasters, bitterness, fury, havok, wandering</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Barbarians, druids, rangers, rogues, pirates, the scorned</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CE, CG, CN, NG</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Chaos, Destruction, Strength, Travel, Weather</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Greatclub</p><p>The Rhivian goddess of foul weather, disasters, and fury, Calistrienne is favored by barbarian tribes and mean-spirited druids, while her aspects as a wanderer and mistress of the wind make her favored (or feared) by sailors and rangers. Others driven by bitterness, anger, or vindictiveness tend to pray for aid from Calistrienne, while some folks pray for Calistrienne to spare them from disasters or bad weather. Daughter of Mhavara and Rhisol, but never close to either of them, she has been rebellious from the beginning and chafed under Rhisol's restrictions. Her attitude has gotten her into plenty of trouble and she has grown bitter from the favor and attention lavished upon her siblings. She has consorted with Ravik on occasion just to spite her parents and siblings, spawning twisted and villainous deities that continually vex her kin. Calistrienne has little to do with her children, however, and has no true allies, though Ravik and Surekkal share some affinity for her destructive moods and rebellious nature. Calistrienne is mother of Shekeshnareth, Tethariel, Reveksor, and Delurinae. She once sought after Vanigor but was spurned by the vain, goodly deity.</p><p></p><p>Calistrienne appears as a stormcloud with glowing red vortices for eyes, as represented in her holy symbol, but she also takes the form of a frightening banshee, a glowering old lady, or an attractive young woman covered in tattoos of wind, clouds, lightning, tornadoes, whirlpools, and fissures. She always has wild black hair (often stirred by a constant breeze or gusts) and red or brown eyes, in her humanoid forms, wearing gray, white, black, and sometimes blue, violet, red, or silver. Her voice is high-pitched at times, or thunderous when enraged. When a violent mood strikes her, and it often does, she brandishes a massive, spiked greatclub of lightning-blackened wood that crackles with lightning and unleashes a peal of thunder with every hit. The club is known as Storm-Smasher and every impact it makes upon the ground opens a fissure, while every blow stricken against the water's surface produces a waterspout, and it can generate whirlpools underwater or whirlwinds in the air when swung around in circles. Many storms are thought to be battles between Calistrienne and other gods or demigods.</p><p></p><p>Her priests are known as stormbrothers or stormsisters when newly-initiated, thunderguards if acknowledged as battle-champions of the goddess, stormwardens if they are the leaders of a temple, or windspeakers if they've completed a pilgrimmage to every known temple of Calistrienne and received the blessings of the stormwardens. Stormwardens have authority over their own temples, while windspeakers have the greatest authority abroad, whereas thunderguards only have authority over stormbrothers and stormsisters. There is little else to their organization, given the chaotic nature of their goddess and most of her followers. Temples are few and far apart, but smaller shrines of Calistrienne are somewhat common and generally tended by whatever Calistriennean priest might be in the area at any given time. Shrines are just stone slabs surrounded by a few stout pillars and engraved with symbols of the goddess, exposed to the elements. Calistriennean temples are simply larger versions of that design, with a roof over part of the many-pillared structure but still an open hole over the altar, flanked by small rooms for the priests and religious paraphernalia. The temples are often built on high ground or on raised platforms where storm surges won't flood them, though small channels are carved into the floors to allow water to flow out, but these temples are usually located by the shore of lakes, seas, or oceans, or in high places where storms are common.</p><p></p><p>Priestly garb is nothing more than loose robes of gray and black, striated with patterns of white and blue, often hooded and sometimes veiled against dust-storms or the like. Silver jewelry is common among the priesthood, while thunderguards, stormwardens, and windspeakers also wear some red adornment such as rubies, red garnets, or red scarves. Stormwardens also wear at least a little bit of purple, such as amethysts, violet garnets, or a purple mantle. Windspeakers often wear sapphires or other blue gems, in addition to a hideous mask lined with rubies around the eye-slits. Thunderguards who are also stormwardens or windspeakers might wear more red, while stormwardens who are also windspeakers might wear more purple. Calistrienne is said to live in the Grand Tempest amidst Limbo, a swirling maelstrom large enough to swallow continents and surrounding a small, ever-changing island at the calm spot in the eye of the storm. Her divine realm is a dangerous place for dangerous people, always drifting across Limbo and causing trouble for that Plane's other inhabitants. Calistriennean priests must offer prayers, pleas, and homage some time between dawn and noon each day to beg for her favor.</p><p></p><p><strong>MAGARYX</strong>, the Stoic Scrivener, the Arcanist, Guardian of Lore</p><p><em>Male Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> An open scroll covered in violet runes, flanked by silvery golems</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Purgatory</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Neutral</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Magic, divination, understanding, cleverness, invention, math, reason, ego</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Alchemists, bards, sorcerers, wizards, artificers, scholars, architects, clerks</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CN, LN, N, NE, NG</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Artifice, Knowledge, Magic, Rune, Trickery</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Quarterstaff</p><p>Description forthcoming</p><p></p><p><strong>INAHARI</strong>, the Spore Child, the Orphan, Sun Princess</p><p><em>Female Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Small yellow spark, amid a black tunnel speckled with fungal blooms</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Purgatory</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Neutral</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Light, mutual aid, loss, desperation, misunderstanding, fungi, life from death</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Rangers, rogues, hermits, orphans, the poor, farmers, fungus creatures</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CN, LN, N, NE, NG</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Community, Healing, Plant, Repose, Sun</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Unarmed strike</p><p>Born from the last shred of Rhisol's divine essence when Hevelior devoured the old sun god, Inahari drifted away as nothing more than a tiny spark unnoticed by Hevelior. When the spark found a host later in the corpse of Noctavian, it took root and began to grow, drawing on what little remained of Noctavian's petrified divine essence. Inahari sprang forth and wandered the divine realms after that, leeching divine energy slowly and quietly from other deities for sustenance, occasionally getting caught and narrowly escaping their wrath. Eventually she found support from Mhavara and Lunelle, and helped Lunelle get a measure of revenge on Ravik in return. She leeched divine power from Ravik to strengthen and stabilize herself, but her leeching off of goodly deities has caused her trouble as well. The Orphan hides in different corners of Purgatory and the Transitive Planes, while her own small divine realm (the Soulspark Caverns, where the souls of the dispossessed, the faithless, and rejects end up) is always drifting about below Purgatory's surface.</p><p></p><p>Inahari has a kinship with fungal creatures and predatory plant creatures, like shambling mounds, but she receives offerings or worship from some farmers, beggars, criminals, and other folk of meager means or destitution. Underground fungus-farmers pray to the Spore Child as well, and she seems to have been readily adopted as the patron goddess of the myconids and other fungal creatures. She is also the patron of subterranean explorers and scavengers, such as dwarven or spriggan rangers. Although one of the youngest deities, little over a millenium in age, Inahari has been quick to seize opportunities and morsels of power wherever she can find them, gaining followers on the Material Plane with her active efforts to gather the lost, the desperate, and the poor into her priesthood. Many of her priests are poor individuals that the Orphan has visited and given aid or comfort to, including mortal orphans. They are tasked with spreading Inahari's message of acceptance and hope, providing aid to the needy, but also with destroying the undead, pests, and other foul creatures who make peoples' lives difficult.</p><p></p><p>Inahari is one of the most-active Rhivian deities on the Material Plane, since she has little to do with any other deities and avoids any involvement in the politics, schemes, or wars of the gods. She often appears as a young girl of whichever race is prevalent in the area, or the same race as whoever she is showing up to assist, wearing rags or moldy garments woven from plants. Inahari generally appears pale and dark-haired, but her eyes are always a bright, warm hue like amber, orange, red, or bright purple, and she wears almost exclusively gray, green, brown, and black garments. On rare occasions she appears as a fancily-dressed young princess, but only when dealing with noble-born, wealthy, or arrogant people whom she is not likely to persuade in her usual, humble guise. The Sun Princess is a direct inheritor to Rhisol's place in the pantheon but her unusual and parasitic origins as a goddess make her ill-suited to try commanding any of her kin as Rhisol once could have, let alone attempting to challenge Hevelior. Instead she simply tries to turn mortals to her cause and make them more charitable, more community-focused and less self-absorbed.</p><p></p><p>The Sun Princess believes in trade and repaying favors, so she has developed a small church of bankers and merchants amongst her priesthood. Her temples are few and far between, but largely just appear to be banks and trading halls, with only subtle hints in design and ornamentation that mark the buildings as consecrated to Inahari for her faithful. The actual temple areas are carved out beneath such structures in their basements or sub-basements, made to resemble natural caves with a flat-cap mushroom-shaped altar, inset with gold depicting the jagged spark of Inahari in her true form. When her followers die, they are buried in branches of these caves where fungus grows, interred in alcoves where the fungus can decompose their rotting husks and return them to the earth while their souls join Inahari in the Soulspark Caverns, where they await rebirth through the grace of the goddess. Inaharian holy texts, few and meager though they are, claim that one day Rhisol himself will be reborn from Inahari and retake his rightful place as lord of the gods, rewarding the faithful who supported his Orphan.</p><p></p><p>While temples of the Sun Princess are few, shrines of the Orphan and the Spore Child are more numerous and found in isolated or abandoned areas, and occasionally underneath orphanages or right next to subterranean fungus-farms. These shrines are simple and often made from scavenged materials, serving as meeting places for the faithful and as places to seek aid or healing, tended by priests with humble origins who generally try to blend in with locals. Regardless, priests of Inahari have no formal vestments and are only expected to wear a mantle of vegetation for the occasional ceremonies, which are simple and to the point. Priests are known simply as brothers or sisters, and hold authority only over their individual temples, shrines, or flocks. When there are multiple priests gathered in a temple or the like, they may refer to the local leader as a senior brother or senior sister while the least-experienced members may be called junior brothers or sisters. Inaharians have no holidays and their ceremonies are generally solemn, held around birthdays, marriages, funerals, and other important events in their personal lives. Priests of Inahari pray at dawn or dusk.</p><p></p><p><strong>FARADOR</strong>, the Strict Lord, the Enforcer, Absolute Magistrate</p><p><em>Male Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> A bronze fist gripping the bottom of an iron square, with 4 crossbars</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Utopia</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Lawful Neutral</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Discipline, structure, tradition, oaths, order, hard work, control, strength</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Fighters, monks, soldiers, knights, rulers, bureaucrats, laborers</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> LE, LG, LN, N</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Law, Nobility, Protection, Strength, War</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Unarmed strike or heavy pick</p><p>Another of the Three Lords of Law, Farador emerged at roughly the same time as Gorin and Bharabzeel from the essence of raw cosmic order, making him one of the eldest Rhivian deities and only loosely related to any others. Farador is the incarnation of pure law, discipline, and structure, getting along only passably with his fellows among the Three Lords of Law, who embody a mix of order and good or evil instead of the pure law of Farador's existence. The only deities that Farador accepts as nominal allies are Hevelior and Oramina, besides honoring his oaths of non-interference with Bharabzeel and Gorin, his brothers. The Strict Lord clashes with all other Rhivian deities to some extent, and his followers likewise have difficulty getting along with most other folks. Farador brooks no disobedience or disorder among his fellows or those who serve him, and he wages an eternal war with the forces of chaos. Naturally, his greatest foes are Lunelle, Surekkal, Calistrienne, Reveksor, and Delurinae, though he also fights with Alvaryn and Gabridea despite their tendency to flee or stay out of his way whenever possible.</p><p></p><p>Farador always appears as a stern-faced, brawny, humanoid man made of bronze, wearing a steel breastplate, an iron crown with four sides, iron bracers, and iron greaves. He carries a hefty, solid-steel pick-axe called Enforcer's Might, which petrifies and shatters whatever it strikes. He rules over his divine agents and the souls of his followers from the Iron Throne at the center of his domain, the Halls of Perfect Order in Utopia.</p><p></p><p>Farador teaches the importance of strength in mind, body, and spirit, the need for strong convictions and the will to fight for them. A weak mind is vulnerable to deception, corruption, and control, so Faradori (followers of Farador) must exercise their minds with study or debate while considering situations from all angles to avoid making a hasty or emotional decision. Farador and his followers ought to control their own actions and the course of their own lives, but should also respect traditions and the existing structure of society, working hard in whatever role they have while striving for advancement or at least perfection in their trade. Farador's scriptures say that men and women should pursue management positions in their businesses, communities, guilds, or countries, but without neglecting their place in society lest discord arise and undermine their authority within the family or community. Those with authority should use it wisely and not allow emotions to cloud their judgment. They have a responsibility to serve and protect those beneath them in society, in the organization, or in the family.</p><p></p><p>Oaths should be kept and followed faithfully, for uncertainty and disorder arise when oaths are taken too lightly, so followers should avoid swearing oaths they may not be able to keep. Self-discipline and physical prowess are to be respected by Faradori, for those who have mastered their bodies are not slaves to their baser instincts nor are they likely to fall under the control of weaker men. Weakness of body leads to poor health, a poor work ethic, and vulnerability to other dangers or unworthy rulers, so Faradori cannot be lazy or overly bookish. Only strong leaders deserve their positions of authority, and Farador teaches that such leaders must be obeyed for the sake of societal order and national or communal strength. War is inevitable so long as chaos is allowed to hold sway over people, Farador says, so his followers should be determined in fighting the spread of chaos, even going to war when necessary for the greater cause of universal order and eventual peace.</p><p></p><p>The Absolute Magistrate expects most disputes to be resolved peacefully in courts of law, or with contracts and treaties, or with simple deals between men and women of honor, but the Enforcer has no compunction against duels or warfare when necessary. Frequent meditation, and frequent supplication at Farador's shrines and temples, are expected of his followers for the sake of their spiritual well-being, reaffirming their convictions, and maintaining a clear head for rational decisions. Difficult or complicated matters should be given thorough examination and consideration, but decisive action should be taken when the immediate situation is too chaotic and dangerous for that much thought.</p><p></p><p>Farador has only one holiday dedicated to him, Magistrate's Day on the 28th of Autumn's End, when rulers, judges, and other leaders are honored alongside the god of ultimate law. Magistrate's Day is a solemn holiday of chanted prayers, offerings, introspection, and community exercises to show unity or discipline, followed by a martial display, and finally an athletic display of wrestling matches in a more-exciting but still-orderly celebration of strength. Temples of Farador are found in most major Rhivian cities while shrines to the Absolute Magistrate are located in many smaller towns or fortresses. They are simple, blocky structures with square pillars and windows, austere and functional with iron gates and iron-barred windows, very defensible in the event of an attack on the community. Inside they have a few bronze decorations, including an altar forged of bronze plates in the shape of an upraised fist, while colorful stone murals on the floor, ceiling, or walls of some temples depict military victories over chaotic foes such as goblins, orcs, elves, barbarians, minotaurs, or demons. Farador's temples only have a main hall and offices for the resident clergy or magistrates, as the faithful are expected to attend community services at the proper times rather than offering worship or seeking counsel individually at random times. His shrines are just smaller versions of these structures, a bronze altar inside a small stone chamber.</p><p></p><p>Priests of Farador are known as consuls, while those in training are adjutants, and the leaders of temples are adjudicators. There are junior and senior consuls inbetween these ranks, based not only on divine gifts and adherence to scripture but also on knowledge of laws and customs. An adjudicator must know all local laws and customs as well as the scriptures of Farador, though he or she may consult written records of the material when finer details are important. Each region's temples and shrines are managed by a senior adjudicator, while the church of Farador as a whole is overseen by the high magistrate as appointed by Farador himself through divine decree. His clergy wear dark gray robes with orange or yellow-orange trim and bronze ornamentation, with a bronze circlet or torc upon their heads. Adjutants wear a bronze skullcap instead, while the high magistrate wears a heavy bronze crown. Consuls wear a bronze torc around one arm while senior consuls wear them on both arms. Adjudicators wear a small bronze mantle, while senior adjudicators wear a bronze belt in addition. Priests of Farador must pray at nightfall, as all Farador's followers are expected to be productive workers of some sort during daylight hours.</p><p></p><p><strong>ORAMINA</strong>, the Handler of Fates, the Visionary, Divine Prophet</p><p><em>Female Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Orange, feminine eye gazing out from a misty field, with horses for eyelashes</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Utopia</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Lawful Neutral</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Prophecy, planning, quests, sojourns, racing, beasts of burden, civility, duty</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Oracles, rangers, advisors, quartermasters, stablemasters, teamsters, equestrians</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> LE, LG, LN, N</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Animal, Community, Knowledge, Law, Travel</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Shortbow</p><p>A Rhivian goddess of fate and travel, Oramina is predominantly worshipped by people in caravans and those merchants who organize them, but she is also widely-venerated by equestrians, horse-trainers, and others who use beasts of burden. Courtly advisors, military strategists, and rulers offer prayers to Oramina when planning any significant endeavor, mission, or plot. Bureaucrats and town guardsmen also offer the occasional prayer to Oramina for aid in their jobs or relief from burdensome duties. Daughter of Ashalla and Hevelior, she is a distant goddess that has little interaction with her divine family and less with mortals. Oramina has minor, peaceful ties to Magaryx, Farador, and Haliyane, whom her followers are expected to show some degree of respect toward.</p><p></p><p>Impartial and more aware of the inevitability of Fate than anyone else, Oramina dispenses advice or warnings to people and monsters of all stripes, whether good, evil, lawful, chaotic, or neutral. The Handler of Fates does what she can to steer events towards peaceful or steady outcomes, but her influence over Fate is quite limited. She is said to witness the unraveling Threads of Fate for each creature and object in the world, viewing the vast Tapestry of Time that they form. But even the Divine Prophet can only inspect a few people's Fates at once, and interpret the meaning of those points where they are interwoven with other Threads of Fate. She is said to have been sullen and withdrawn even at birth, foreseeing what Fate held in store for her parents and grandparents but unable to communicate it at first, born last and only shortly before Hevelior's betrayal of Rhisol.</p><p></p><p>Oramina feels it is her duty to inform others of their Fate, or at least those parts that seem most-disruptive to normal life, but she has difficulty reading the Fates of other divinities, which supposedly appear blindingly-bright or exceptionally-dark in the Tapestry of Time. She is said to find her only joy in riding her divine mare Ephaestia across the Fated Fields, Oramina's divine realm in Utopia. Oramina herself is often depicted with the metallic-bronze horse at her side or carrying her about, often in racing poses. The goddess appears as an adolescent girl or young woman with orange eyes, flowing auburn hair, pale or lightly-tanned skin, and plain features often in a calm, neutral expression. She wears simple gray robes, often hooded, with a white belt and brown-leather riding boots. Some depict her as an elderly crone with gray hair, a guise she has used only on rare occasions. Oramina carries a rune-engraved shortbow called Inevitability, which never misses its mark under any circumstance and has been known to take out the eyes of unruly demigods. However, the Divine Prophet rarely involves herself directly in any conflict, and has never been harmed as she always knows when and where trouble will come from.</p><p></p><p>Temples of Oramina are few and small, usually including a stable and a large, fenced yard. Small shrines are more common and found in many settlements across Rhivia, often near one of the gates into town. They are simple and functional structures with a small common room for religious services and meetings, a wooden or stone block serving as the altar (generally with a brass or bronze bowl upon it, or a carving of the goddess' symbol). They occasionally have smaller side-chambers or alcoves for individual prayers before smaller altars and icons of the goddess. Each shrine or temple is a square-shaped building with a rounded pillar in each corner, often including a skylight over the common room for stargazing. Oramina's priests are usually wanderers who only serve at any given temple or shrine briefly. They wear practical clothes for travel instead of formal vestments, though many keep a simple hooded robe of gray (with white and brown accessories) for the occasional ceremony, such as blessing a race horse or when called upon for guidance by a local ruler. The only holiday for the Oraminan faith is on the night of the 1st new moon each spring, a solemn ceremony offering thanks to the goddess for her insights, and seeking omens among the stars for the year to come. Oraminan priests pray at dawn or midnight, their choice upon entering her service or upon first receiving her gifts.</p><p></p><p>Oraminan priests only distinguish themselves with a prominent orange decoration such as ribbons, a headband, a cape, or a sash. Many wear some kind of brass, bronze, or copper jewelry, but they avoid the ostentatiousness of gold, silver, platinum, gems, pearls, and such. Only holy symbols or magic items they carry might be of such valuable materials, and Oraminans try to be humble, pragmatic savers. Others call them miserly, but they simply know the importance of saving for retirement or disasters. The Handler of Fates may favor her worshippers, but she doesn't reward poor planning. Fortune favors the prepared, as her followers are fond of saying. Cooperation and civil behavior are also important in Oramina's teachings, as they often lead to better outcomes and minimize violence. Oramina prefers orderly, structured Threads of Fate as opposed to tangled, chaotic ones. Her priests have no ranking other than simple seniority, with the oldest or most-experienced priests having limited authority over their younger peers, though the roaming priests rarely have any need for leadership.</p><p></p><p><strong>BHARABZEEL</strong>, the Silver-Tongued Devil, the Dominator, Red Tyrant</p><p><em>Male Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Scimitar slashing down on several small, cowering, bloody humanoids</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Hell</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Lawful Evil</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Domination, pride, exploitation, contracts, toil, coercion, torture, hobgoblins</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Fighters, monks, rogues, tyrants, overseers, negotiators, torturers, hobgoblins</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> LE, LN, NE</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Evil, Law, Nobility, Trickery, War</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Scimitar</p><p>This ancient Rhivian deity of conquest and ruthless order predates all but the eldest of gods, as one of the Three Lords of Law that formed from the organization of raw, cosmic order into paragons of its three aspects. Bharabzeel is essentially the brother of Gorin and Farador, with whom he shares only a nominal treaty to avoid direct interference with one another and their creations. The Silver-Tongued Devil always honors contracts, but only in the loosest manner possible without breaking them. Breakers of contracts are sometimes cursed to "Receive Bharabzeel's only mercy," which is a swift death.</p><p></p><p><strong>LAHURIAS</strong>, the Foul Mistress, the Wretched, Shadow Sovereign</p><p><em>Female Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> A seemingly-fanged cave-mouth, the dark maw speckled with tiny green eyes</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Hell</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Lawful Evil</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Envy, disease, poison, scavenging, theft, skulking, spying, sabotage, traps, shadows, caves, extraction, oozes</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Assassins, bards, rangers, rogues, grimlocks, duergar, deep dwarves, deep gnomes</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> LE, LN, NE</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Artifice, Darkness, Earth, Evil, Law</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Slam or whip</p><p>Description forthcoming</p><p></p><p><strong>SHEKESHNARETH</strong>, the Entropic Lord, the Disintegrator, Soul Collector</p><p><em>Male Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Greatsword lying on its side, atop a burning corpse</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Abaddon</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Neutral Evil</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Sloth, gluttony, entropy, decay, corruption, execution, power, ruin, ambushes, bugbears, gnolls</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Barbarians, bards, fighters, rogues, sorcerers, wizards, executioners, bugbears, gnolls</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CE, LE, N, NE</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Death, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Magic</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Greatsword</p><p>Description forthcoming. Son of Calistrienne and Ravik.</p><p></p><p><strong>TETHARIEL</strong>, the Wicked Mistress, the Gatherer, Lady of Illusion</p><p><em>Female Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Profile of a beautiful woman's face, exhaling a cloud concealing a hazy dagger</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> Abaddon</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Neutral Evil</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Lust, greed, secrets, seduction, debauchery, treachery, surprise, clouds, illusion, spiders, scorpions</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Barbarians, bards, fighters, rogues, dark elves, ettercaps, aranea</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CE, LE, N, NE</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Air, Charm, Evil, Knowledge, Trickery</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Dagger</p><p>Description forthcoming. Daugher of Ravik and Calistrienne.</p><p></p><p><strong>REVEKSOR</strong>, the Rampant Demon, the Brute, Lord of Slaughter</p><p><em>Male Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Eight bloody, crossed battleaxes in a circle</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> The Abyss</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Chaotic Evil</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Ruthlessness, recklessness, hatred, deceit, rampages, brutality, goblins, orcs</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Barbarians, fighters, rogues, goblins, orcs</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CE, CN, NE</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Chaos, Evil, Strength, Trickery, War</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Battleaxe</p><p>Description forthcoming. Son of Ravik and Calistrienne.</p><p></p><p><strong>DELURINAE</strong>, the Lady of Wrath, the Tempest, Sea Witch</p><p><em>Female Intermediate Deity</em></p><p><strong>Symbol:</strong> Kraken flailing about with three tridents</p><p><strong>Home Plane:</strong> The Abyss</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Chaotic Evil</p><p><strong>Portfolio:</strong> Wrath, fear, devastation, pillaging, sadism, suspicion, brinksmanship, seafaring, pirates, sea monsters</p><p><strong>Worshippers:</strong> Barbarians, fighters, rogues, pirates, torturers, raiders, krakens, sahuagin</p><p><strong>Cleric Alignments:</strong> CE, CN, NE</p><p><strong>Domains:</strong> Animal, Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Water</p><p><strong>Favored Weapon:</strong> Trident</p><p>Description forthcoming. Daughter of Calistrienne and Ravik.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Arkhandus, post: 6057829, member: 13966"] [b]The Rhivian pantheon (continued)[/b] [b]SUREKKAL[/b], the Discordant Dreamer, the Anarchist, Herald of Chaos [i]Male Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] A chain in the midst of shattering, held at both ends by shadowy hands [b]Home Plane:[/b] Limbo [b]Alignment:[/b] Chaotic Neutral [b]Portfolio:[/b] Anarchy, rebellion, dissent, freedom, deception, manipulation, theft [b]Worshippers:[/b] Bards, rangers, rogues, anarchists, revolutionaries, thieves [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CE, CG, CN, N [b]Domains:[/b] Charm, Chaos, Liberation, Luck, Trickery [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Flail or heavy flail A whimsical Rhivian deity of pure chaos and roguishness, Surekkal is notorious as the Anarchist yet revered by freedom-fighters. Created by Ravik from portions of Lunelle's and Noctavian's stolen divine power, Surekkal has been a rogue element among the Rhivian deities since his creation. A loner and renegade spreading dissent among gods and mortals alike, Surekkal steals power and valuables from anyone he can, which has elevated him to the level of most other Rhivian deities in power. The Anarchist spreads subtle lies and sows distrust between leaders and their followers, even his own priesthood, keeping them on their toes. Although this sabotages his own worshippers and their goals at times, it is simply an essential part of his nature from the moment he was created with stolen essence. Nonetheless, those who offer praise and sacrifices to Surekkal (particularly stolen goods) or who engage in his favorite activities are likely to be accepted into his divine realm of Dreamhold in Limbo, where they can steal and rant and demolish all that they wish, as the morphic nature of that realm continually rebuilds itself at Surekkal's whim. Despite the immoral nature of some activities favored by Surekkal, the Herald of Chaos is not truly evil, merely paranoid, crazy, and disruptive. He is also a patron of those who love freedom or whimsy, and he supports scheming politicians that would shake things up or overthrow the old leadership (even if he might turn his forces against them once they seize power and become the new tyrants). Freebooters, mercenaries, and some adventurers pay homage to Surekkal as the Discordant Dreamer, following their whimsy and going wherever fortune and opportunity lead them. There are no holidays devoted to Surekkal, as he dislikes such predictable events, but many a thief, schemer, bandit, or pirate offers up a prayer of thanks and a small share of the spoils (as a donation to the nearest shrine or Surekkalite priest) after a successful heist, scam, mugging, or raid. Shrines of Surekkal are always small, innocuous affairs hidden as ordinary shacks, pawn shops, curio shops, cave-dwellings, or the like. Only a hidden symbol of the breaking chain is to be found as proof of the shrine's true purpose, and sometimes the presence of a priest or small group of them (an anarchist cell) in plain clothes when the priests aren't off executing some heist or scheme of their own. The altar of a Surekkalite shrine is always something innocuous like a table or firepit, which nobody would suspect to be consecrated to the Herald of Chaos. There is no ranking system among priests and they just allow the most-clever or most-commanding among them to lead in any given situation. Surekkalites rarely carry anything more than a small wooden symbol that can be easily concealed. They tend to wear some gray or black clothing but otherwise just try to blend in with local fashion. Priests of Surekkal may pray at either dawn, noon, dusk, or midnight, whichever they prefer each day, but they cannot pray for spells (and renew other priestly abilities at the same time) until at least 24 hours after the last time they did so. The Herald of Chaos dislikes predictable routines. Surekkal himself is said to be nothing more than a shadowy cloud of raw chaos-stuff, never constraining himself to any single form for long, but he does occasionally appear as a nondescript male with plain features and plain clothing, whose only telling feature is a hypnotic, compelling voice. He may appear to be of any race and any age, but often appears to have some black or gray features such as hair, eyes, or clothing of such shades. He usually materializes a gray, smoky flail from his essence when engaging in combat, though other weapons are also used on occasion. The flail is known as Shadowbreaker, and said to inflict not only waking nightmares upon its victims but also spawns monsters from their shadows, by tearing holes into the Plane of Shadow. Surekkal has come into conflict with many other deities, but counts Lunelle, Calistrienne, Tethariel, and Reveksor as nominal allies, in that he rarely interferes with them or their followers and shares some affinity with them in certain matters. He pities Lunelle as his mother of sorts, and he enjoys some of the destruction and chaos wrought by Calistrenne or Reveksor, who in turn simply don't mind Surekkal's schemes and ranting. Tethariel and Surekkal have a tempestuous romance of sorts, insofar as either has any concept of romance or affection, and have spawned various demigods in their on-and-off-again relationship. Surekkal's interactions with Gorin, Farador, Bharabzeel, and Delurinae are much more violent and disruptive by contrast, while Lahurias and Surekkal are the bitterest of rivals. Those two (and their followers) will stop at nothing to interfere with or destroy one another. Hevelior, Ashalla, and Paladia are often pestered by Surekkal's activities but have less to worry about from him, given their power and convictions. [b]CALISTRIENNE[/b], the Wailing Witch, the Fury, Thunder Banshee [i]Female Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Dark cloud striated by lightning and swirling wind, with furious red eyes [b]Home Plane:[/b] Limbo [b]Alignment:[/b] Chaotic Neutral [b]Portfolio:[/b] Thunder, wind, natural disasters, bitterness, fury, havok, wandering [b]Worshippers:[/b] Barbarians, druids, rangers, rogues, pirates, the scorned [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CE, CG, CN, NG [b]Domains:[/b] Chaos, Destruction, Strength, Travel, Weather [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Greatclub The Rhivian goddess of foul weather, disasters, and fury, Calistrienne is favored by barbarian tribes and mean-spirited druids, while her aspects as a wanderer and mistress of the wind make her favored (or feared) by sailors and rangers. Others driven by bitterness, anger, or vindictiveness tend to pray for aid from Calistrienne, while some folks pray for Calistrienne to spare them from disasters or bad weather. Daughter of Mhavara and Rhisol, but never close to either of them, she has been rebellious from the beginning and chafed under Rhisol's restrictions. Her attitude has gotten her into plenty of trouble and she has grown bitter from the favor and attention lavished upon her siblings. She has consorted with Ravik on occasion just to spite her parents and siblings, spawning twisted and villainous deities that continually vex her kin. Calistrienne has little to do with her children, however, and has no true allies, though Ravik and Surekkal share some affinity for her destructive moods and rebellious nature. Calistrienne is mother of Shekeshnareth, Tethariel, Reveksor, and Delurinae. She once sought after Vanigor but was spurned by the vain, goodly deity. Calistrienne appears as a stormcloud with glowing red vortices for eyes, as represented in her holy symbol, but she also takes the form of a frightening banshee, a glowering old lady, or an attractive young woman covered in tattoos of wind, clouds, lightning, tornadoes, whirlpools, and fissures. She always has wild black hair (often stirred by a constant breeze or gusts) and red or brown eyes, in her humanoid forms, wearing gray, white, black, and sometimes blue, violet, red, or silver. Her voice is high-pitched at times, or thunderous when enraged. When a violent mood strikes her, and it often does, she brandishes a massive, spiked greatclub of lightning-blackened wood that crackles with lightning and unleashes a peal of thunder with every hit. The club is known as Storm-Smasher and every impact it makes upon the ground opens a fissure, while every blow stricken against the water's surface produces a waterspout, and it can generate whirlpools underwater or whirlwinds in the air when swung around in circles. Many storms are thought to be battles between Calistrienne and other gods or demigods. Her priests are known as stormbrothers or stormsisters when newly-initiated, thunderguards if acknowledged as battle-champions of the goddess, stormwardens if they are the leaders of a temple, or windspeakers if they've completed a pilgrimmage to every known temple of Calistrienne and received the blessings of the stormwardens. Stormwardens have authority over their own temples, while windspeakers have the greatest authority abroad, whereas thunderguards only have authority over stormbrothers and stormsisters. There is little else to their organization, given the chaotic nature of their goddess and most of her followers. Temples are few and far apart, but smaller shrines of Calistrienne are somewhat common and generally tended by whatever Calistriennean priest might be in the area at any given time. Shrines are just stone slabs surrounded by a few stout pillars and engraved with symbols of the goddess, exposed to the elements. Calistriennean temples are simply larger versions of that design, with a roof over part of the many-pillared structure but still an open hole over the altar, flanked by small rooms for the priests and religious paraphernalia. The temples are often built on high ground or on raised platforms where storm surges won't flood them, though small channels are carved into the floors to allow water to flow out, but these temples are usually located by the shore of lakes, seas, or oceans, or in high places where storms are common. Priestly garb is nothing more than loose robes of gray and black, striated with patterns of white and blue, often hooded and sometimes veiled against dust-storms or the like. Silver jewelry is common among the priesthood, while thunderguards, stormwardens, and windspeakers also wear some red adornment such as rubies, red garnets, or red scarves. Stormwardens also wear at least a little bit of purple, such as amethysts, violet garnets, or a purple mantle. Windspeakers often wear sapphires or other blue gems, in addition to a hideous mask lined with rubies around the eye-slits. Thunderguards who are also stormwardens or windspeakers might wear more red, while stormwardens who are also windspeakers might wear more purple. Calistrienne is said to live in the Grand Tempest amidst Limbo, a swirling maelstrom large enough to swallow continents and surrounding a small, ever-changing island at the calm spot in the eye of the storm. Her divine realm is a dangerous place for dangerous people, always drifting across Limbo and causing trouble for that Plane's other inhabitants. Calistriennean priests must offer prayers, pleas, and homage some time between dawn and noon each day to beg for her favor. [b]MAGARYX[/b], the Stoic Scrivener, the Arcanist, Guardian of Lore [i]Male Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] An open scroll covered in violet runes, flanked by silvery golems [b]Home Plane:[/b] Purgatory [b]Alignment:[/b] Neutral [b]Portfolio:[/b] Magic, divination, understanding, cleverness, invention, math, reason, ego [b]Worshippers:[/b] Alchemists, bards, sorcerers, wizards, artificers, scholars, architects, clerks [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CN, LN, N, NE, NG [b]Domains:[/b] Artifice, Knowledge, Magic, Rune, Trickery [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Quarterstaff Description forthcoming [b]INAHARI[/b], the Spore Child, the Orphan, Sun Princess [i]Female Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Small yellow spark, amid a black tunnel speckled with fungal blooms [b]Home Plane:[/b] Purgatory [b]Alignment:[/b] Neutral [b]Portfolio:[/b] Light, mutual aid, loss, desperation, misunderstanding, fungi, life from death [b]Worshippers:[/b] Rangers, rogues, hermits, orphans, the poor, farmers, fungus creatures [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CN, LN, N, NE, NG [b]Domains:[/b] Community, Healing, Plant, Repose, Sun [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Unarmed strike Born from the last shred of Rhisol's divine essence when Hevelior devoured the old sun god, Inahari drifted away as nothing more than a tiny spark unnoticed by Hevelior. When the spark found a host later in the corpse of Noctavian, it took root and began to grow, drawing on what little remained of Noctavian's petrified divine essence. Inahari sprang forth and wandered the divine realms after that, leeching divine energy slowly and quietly from other deities for sustenance, occasionally getting caught and narrowly escaping their wrath. Eventually she found support from Mhavara and Lunelle, and helped Lunelle get a measure of revenge on Ravik in return. She leeched divine power from Ravik to strengthen and stabilize herself, but her leeching off of goodly deities has caused her trouble as well. The Orphan hides in different corners of Purgatory and the Transitive Planes, while her own small divine realm (the Soulspark Caverns, where the souls of the dispossessed, the faithless, and rejects end up) is always drifting about below Purgatory's surface. Inahari has a kinship with fungal creatures and predatory plant creatures, like shambling mounds, but she receives offerings or worship from some farmers, beggars, criminals, and other folk of meager means or destitution. Underground fungus-farmers pray to the Spore Child as well, and she seems to have been readily adopted as the patron goddess of the myconids and other fungal creatures. She is also the patron of subterranean explorers and scavengers, such as dwarven or spriggan rangers. Although one of the youngest deities, little over a millenium in age, Inahari has been quick to seize opportunities and morsels of power wherever she can find them, gaining followers on the Material Plane with her active efforts to gather the lost, the desperate, and the poor into her priesthood. Many of her priests are poor individuals that the Orphan has visited and given aid or comfort to, including mortal orphans. They are tasked with spreading Inahari's message of acceptance and hope, providing aid to the needy, but also with destroying the undead, pests, and other foul creatures who make peoples' lives difficult. Inahari is one of the most-active Rhivian deities on the Material Plane, since she has little to do with any other deities and avoids any involvement in the politics, schemes, or wars of the gods. She often appears as a young girl of whichever race is prevalent in the area, or the same race as whoever she is showing up to assist, wearing rags or moldy garments woven from plants. Inahari generally appears pale and dark-haired, but her eyes are always a bright, warm hue like amber, orange, red, or bright purple, and she wears almost exclusively gray, green, brown, and black garments. On rare occasions she appears as a fancily-dressed young princess, but only when dealing with noble-born, wealthy, or arrogant people whom she is not likely to persuade in her usual, humble guise. The Sun Princess is a direct inheritor to Rhisol's place in the pantheon but her unusual and parasitic origins as a goddess make her ill-suited to try commanding any of her kin as Rhisol once could have, let alone attempting to challenge Hevelior. Instead she simply tries to turn mortals to her cause and make them more charitable, more community-focused and less self-absorbed. The Sun Princess believes in trade and repaying favors, so she has developed a small church of bankers and merchants amongst her priesthood. Her temples are few and far between, but largely just appear to be banks and trading halls, with only subtle hints in design and ornamentation that mark the buildings as consecrated to Inahari for her faithful. The actual temple areas are carved out beneath such structures in their basements or sub-basements, made to resemble natural caves with a flat-cap mushroom-shaped altar, inset with gold depicting the jagged spark of Inahari in her true form. When her followers die, they are buried in branches of these caves where fungus grows, interred in alcoves where the fungus can decompose their rotting husks and return them to the earth while their souls join Inahari in the Soulspark Caverns, where they await rebirth through the grace of the goddess. Inaharian holy texts, few and meager though they are, claim that one day Rhisol himself will be reborn from Inahari and retake his rightful place as lord of the gods, rewarding the faithful who supported his Orphan. While temples of the Sun Princess are few, shrines of the Orphan and the Spore Child are more numerous and found in isolated or abandoned areas, and occasionally underneath orphanages or right next to subterranean fungus-farms. These shrines are simple and often made from scavenged materials, serving as meeting places for the faithful and as places to seek aid or healing, tended by priests with humble origins who generally try to blend in with locals. Regardless, priests of Inahari have no formal vestments and are only expected to wear a mantle of vegetation for the occasional ceremonies, which are simple and to the point. Priests are known simply as brothers or sisters, and hold authority only over their individual temples, shrines, or flocks. When there are multiple priests gathered in a temple or the like, they may refer to the local leader as a senior brother or senior sister while the least-experienced members may be called junior brothers or sisters. Inaharians have no holidays and their ceremonies are generally solemn, held around birthdays, marriages, funerals, and other important events in their personal lives. Priests of Inahari pray at dawn or dusk. [b]FARADOR[/b], the Strict Lord, the Enforcer, Absolute Magistrate [i]Male Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] A bronze fist gripping the bottom of an iron square, with 4 crossbars [b]Home Plane:[/b] Utopia [b]Alignment:[/b] Lawful Neutral [b]Portfolio:[/b] Discipline, structure, tradition, oaths, order, hard work, control, strength [b]Worshippers:[/b] Fighters, monks, soldiers, knights, rulers, bureaucrats, laborers [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] LE, LG, LN, N [b]Domains:[/b] Law, Nobility, Protection, Strength, War [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Unarmed strike or heavy pick Another of the Three Lords of Law, Farador emerged at roughly the same time as Gorin and Bharabzeel from the essence of raw cosmic order, making him one of the eldest Rhivian deities and only loosely related to any others. Farador is the incarnation of pure law, discipline, and structure, getting along only passably with his fellows among the Three Lords of Law, who embody a mix of order and good or evil instead of the pure law of Farador's existence. The only deities that Farador accepts as nominal allies are Hevelior and Oramina, besides honoring his oaths of non-interference with Bharabzeel and Gorin, his brothers. The Strict Lord clashes with all other Rhivian deities to some extent, and his followers likewise have difficulty getting along with most other folks. Farador brooks no disobedience or disorder among his fellows or those who serve him, and he wages an eternal war with the forces of chaos. Naturally, his greatest foes are Lunelle, Surekkal, Calistrienne, Reveksor, and Delurinae, though he also fights with Alvaryn and Gabridea despite their tendency to flee or stay out of his way whenever possible. Farador always appears as a stern-faced, brawny, humanoid man made of bronze, wearing a steel breastplate, an iron crown with four sides, iron bracers, and iron greaves. He carries a hefty, solid-steel pick-axe called Enforcer's Might, which petrifies and shatters whatever it strikes. He rules over his divine agents and the souls of his followers from the Iron Throne at the center of his domain, the Halls of Perfect Order in Utopia. Farador teaches the importance of strength in mind, body, and spirit, the need for strong convictions and the will to fight for them. A weak mind is vulnerable to deception, corruption, and control, so Faradori (followers of Farador) must exercise their minds with study or debate while considering situations from all angles to avoid making a hasty or emotional decision. Farador and his followers ought to control their own actions and the course of their own lives, but should also respect traditions and the existing structure of society, working hard in whatever role they have while striving for advancement or at least perfection in their trade. Farador's scriptures say that men and women should pursue management positions in their businesses, communities, guilds, or countries, but without neglecting their place in society lest discord arise and undermine their authority within the family or community. Those with authority should use it wisely and not allow emotions to cloud their judgment. They have a responsibility to serve and protect those beneath them in society, in the organization, or in the family. Oaths should be kept and followed faithfully, for uncertainty and disorder arise when oaths are taken too lightly, so followers should avoid swearing oaths they may not be able to keep. Self-discipline and physical prowess are to be respected by Faradori, for those who have mastered their bodies are not slaves to their baser instincts nor are they likely to fall under the control of weaker men. Weakness of body leads to poor health, a poor work ethic, and vulnerability to other dangers or unworthy rulers, so Faradori cannot be lazy or overly bookish. Only strong leaders deserve their positions of authority, and Farador teaches that such leaders must be obeyed for the sake of societal order and national or communal strength. War is inevitable so long as chaos is allowed to hold sway over people, Farador says, so his followers should be determined in fighting the spread of chaos, even going to war when necessary for the greater cause of universal order and eventual peace. The Absolute Magistrate expects most disputes to be resolved peacefully in courts of law, or with contracts and treaties, or with simple deals between men and women of honor, but the Enforcer has no compunction against duels or warfare when necessary. Frequent meditation, and frequent supplication at Farador's shrines and temples, are expected of his followers for the sake of their spiritual well-being, reaffirming their convictions, and maintaining a clear head for rational decisions. Difficult or complicated matters should be given thorough examination and consideration, but decisive action should be taken when the immediate situation is too chaotic and dangerous for that much thought. Farador has only one holiday dedicated to him, Magistrate's Day on the 28th of Autumn's End, when rulers, judges, and other leaders are honored alongside the god of ultimate law. Magistrate's Day is a solemn holiday of chanted prayers, offerings, introspection, and community exercises to show unity or discipline, followed by a martial display, and finally an athletic display of wrestling matches in a more-exciting but still-orderly celebration of strength. Temples of Farador are found in most major Rhivian cities while shrines to the Absolute Magistrate are located in many smaller towns or fortresses. They are simple, blocky structures with square pillars and windows, austere and functional with iron gates and iron-barred windows, very defensible in the event of an attack on the community. Inside they have a few bronze decorations, including an altar forged of bronze plates in the shape of an upraised fist, while colorful stone murals on the floor, ceiling, or walls of some temples depict military victories over chaotic foes such as goblins, orcs, elves, barbarians, minotaurs, or demons. Farador's temples only have a main hall and offices for the resident clergy or magistrates, as the faithful are expected to attend community services at the proper times rather than offering worship or seeking counsel individually at random times. His shrines are just smaller versions of these structures, a bronze altar inside a small stone chamber. Priests of Farador are known as consuls, while those in training are adjutants, and the leaders of temples are adjudicators. There are junior and senior consuls inbetween these ranks, based not only on divine gifts and adherence to scripture but also on knowledge of laws and customs. An adjudicator must know all local laws and customs as well as the scriptures of Farador, though he or she may consult written records of the material when finer details are important. Each region's temples and shrines are managed by a senior adjudicator, while the church of Farador as a whole is overseen by the high magistrate as appointed by Farador himself through divine decree. His clergy wear dark gray robes with orange or yellow-orange trim and bronze ornamentation, with a bronze circlet or torc upon their heads. Adjutants wear a bronze skullcap instead, while the high magistrate wears a heavy bronze crown. Consuls wear a bronze torc around one arm while senior consuls wear them on both arms. Adjudicators wear a small bronze mantle, while senior adjudicators wear a bronze belt in addition. Priests of Farador must pray at nightfall, as all Farador's followers are expected to be productive workers of some sort during daylight hours. [b]ORAMINA[/b], the Handler of Fates, the Visionary, Divine Prophet [i]Female Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Orange, feminine eye gazing out from a misty field, with horses for eyelashes [b]Home Plane:[/b] Utopia [b]Alignment:[/b] Lawful Neutral [b]Portfolio:[/b] Prophecy, planning, quests, sojourns, racing, beasts of burden, civility, duty [b]Worshippers:[/b] Oracles, rangers, advisors, quartermasters, stablemasters, teamsters, equestrians [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] LE, LG, LN, N [b]Domains:[/b] Animal, Community, Knowledge, Law, Travel [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Shortbow A Rhivian goddess of fate and travel, Oramina is predominantly worshipped by people in caravans and those merchants who organize them, but she is also widely-venerated by equestrians, horse-trainers, and others who use beasts of burden. Courtly advisors, military strategists, and rulers offer prayers to Oramina when planning any significant endeavor, mission, or plot. Bureaucrats and town guardsmen also offer the occasional prayer to Oramina for aid in their jobs or relief from burdensome duties. Daughter of Ashalla and Hevelior, she is a distant goddess that has little interaction with her divine family and less with mortals. Oramina has minor, peaceful ties to Magaryx, Farador, and Haliyane, whom her followers are expected to show some degree of respect toward. Impartial and more aware of the inevitability of Fate than anyone else, Oramina dispenses advice or warnings to people and monsters of all stripes, whether good, evil, lawful, chaotic, or neutral. The Handler of Fates does what she can to steer events towards peaceful or steady outcomes, but her influence over Fate is quite limited. She is said to witness the unraveling Threads of Fate for each creature and object in the world, viewing the vast Tapestry of Time that they form. But even the Divine Prophet can only inspect a few people's Fates at once, and interpret the meaning of those points where they are interwoven with other Threads of Fate. She is said to have been sullen and withdrawn even at birth, foreseeing what Fate held in store for her parents and grandparents but unable to communicate it at first, born last and only shortly before Hevelior's betrayal of Rhisol. Oramina feels it is her duty to inform others of their Fate, or at least those parts that seem most-disruptive to normal life, but she has difficulty reading the Fates of other divinities, which supposedly appear blindingly-bright or exceptionally-dark in the Tapestry of Time. She is said to find her only joy in riding her divine mare Ephaestia across the Fated Fields, Oramina's divine realm in Utopia. Oramina herself is often depicted with the metallic-bronze horse at her side or carrying her about, often in racing poses. The goddess appears as an adolescent girl or young woman with orange eyes, flowing auburn hair, pale or lightly-tanned skin, and plain features often in a calm, neutral expression. She wears simple gray robes, often hooded, with a white belt and brown-leather riding boots. Some depict her as an elderly crone with gray hair, a guise she has used only on rare occasions. Oramina carries a rune-engraved shortbow called Inevitability, which never misses its mark under any circumstance and has been known to take out the eyes of unruly demigods. However, the Divine Prophet rarely involves herself directly in any conflict, and has never been harmed as she always knows when and where trouble will come from. Temples of Oramina are few and small, usually including a stable and a large, fenced yard. Small shrines are more common and found in many settlements across Rhivia, often near one of the gates into town. They are simple and functional structures with a small common room for religious services and meetings, a wooden or stone block serving as the altar (generally with a brass or bronze bowl upon it, or a carving of the goddess' symbol). They occasionally have smaller side-chambers or alcoves for individual prayers before smaller altars and icons of the goddess. Each shrine or temple is a square-shaped building with a rounded pillar in each corner, often including a skylight over the common room for stargazing. Oramina's priests are usually wanderers who only serve at any given temple or shrine briefly. They wear practical clothes for travel instead of formal vestments, though many keep a simple hooded robe of gray (with white and brown accessories) for the occasional ceremony, such as blessing a race horse or when called upon for guidance by a local ruler. The only holiday for the Oraminan faith is on the night of the 1st new moon each spring, a solemn ceremony offering thanks to the goddess for her insights, and seeking omens among the stars for the year to come. Oraminan priests pray at dawn or midnight, their choice upon entering her service or upon first receiving her gifts. Oraminan priests only distinguish themselves with a prominent orange decoration such as ribbons, a headband, a cape, or a sash. Many wear some kind of brass, bronze, or copper jewelry, but they avoid the ostentatiousness of gold, silver, platinum, gems, pearls, and such. Only holy symbols or magic items they carry might be of such valuable materials, and Oraminans try to be humble, pragmatic savers. Others call them miserly, but they simply know the importance of saving for retirement or disasters. The Handler of Fates may favor her worshippers, but she doesn't reward poor planning. Fortune favors the prepared, as her followers are fond of saying. Cooperation and civil behavior are also important in Oramina's teachings, as they often lead to better outcomes and minimize violence. Oramina prefers orderly, structured Threads of Fate as opposed to tangled, chaotic ones. Her priests have no ranking other than simple seniority, with the oldest or most-experienced priests having limited authority over their younger peers, though the roaming priests rarely have any need for leadership. [b]BHARABZEEL[/b], the Silver-Tongued Devil, the Dominator, Red Tyrant [i]Male Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Scimitar slashing down on several small, cowering, bloody humanoids [b]Home Plane:[/b] Hell [b]Alignment:[/b] Lawful Evil [b]Portfolio:[/b] Domination, pride, exploitation, contracts, toil, coercion, torture, hobgoblins [b]Worshippers:[/b] Fighters, monks, rogues, tyrants, overseers, negotiators, torturers, hobgoblins [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] LE, LN, NE [b]Domains:[/b] Evil, Law, Nobility, Trickery, War [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Scimitar This ancient Rhivian deity of conquest and ruthless order predates all but the eldest of gods, as one of the Three Lords of Law that formed from the organization of raw, cosmic order into paragons of its three aspects. Bharabzeel is essentially the brother of Gorin and Farador, with whom he shares only a nominal treaty to avoid direct interference with one another and their creations. The Silver-Tongued Devil always honors contracts, but only in the loosest manner possible without breaking them. Breakers of contracts are sometimes cursed to "Receive Bharabzeel's only mercy," which is a swift death. [b]LAHURIAS[/b], the Foul Mistress, the Wretched, Shadow Sovereign [i]Female Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] A seemingly-fanged cave-mouth, the dark maw speckled with tiny green eyes [b]Home Plane:[/b] Hell [b]Alignment:[/b] Lawful Evil [b]Portfolio:[/b] Envy, disease, poison, scavenging, theft, skulking, spying, sabotage, traps, shadows, caves, extraction, oozes [b]Worshippers:[/b] Assassins, bards, rangers, rogues, grimlocks, duergar, deep dwarves, deep gnomes [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] LE, LN, NE [b]Domains:[/b] Artifice, Darkness, Earth, Evil, Law [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Slam or whip Description forthcoming [b]SHEKESHNARETH[/b], the Entropic Lord, the Disintegrator, Soul Collector [i]Male Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Greatsword lying on its side, atop a burning corpse [b]Home Plane:[/b] Abaddon [b]Alignment:[/b] Neutral Evil [b]Portfolio:[/b] Sloth, gluttony, entropy, decay, corruption, execution, power, ruin, ambushes, bugbears, gnolls [b]Worshippers:[/b] Barbarians, bards, fighters, rogues, sorcerers, wizards, executioners, bugbears, gnolls [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CE, LE, N, NE [b]Domains:[/b] Death, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Magic [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Greatsword Description forthcoming. Son of Calistrienne and Ravik. [b]TETHARIEL[/b], the Wicked Mistress, the Gatherer, Lady of Illusion [i]Female Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Profile of a beautiful woman's face, exhaling a cloud concealing a hazy dagger [b]Home Plane:[/b] Abaddon [b]Alignment:[/b] Neutral Evil [b]Portfolio:[/b] Lust, greed, secrets, seduction, debauchery, treachery, surprise, clouds, illusion, spiders, scorpions [b]Worshippers:[/b] Barbarians, bards, fighters, rogues, dark elves, ettercaps, aranea [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CE, LE, N, NE [b]Domains:[/b] Air, Charm, Evil, Knowledge, Trickery [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Dagger Description forthcoming. Daugher of Ravik and Calistrienne. [b]REVEKSOR[/b], the Rampant Demon, the Brute, Lord of Slaughter [i]Male Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Eight bloody, crossed battleaxes in a circle [b]Home Plane:[/b] The Abyss [b]Alignment:[/b] Chaotic Evil [b]Portfolio:[/b] Ruthlessness, recklessness, hatred, deceit, rampages, brutality, goblins, orcs [b]Worshippers:[/b] Barbarians, fighters, rogues, goblins, orcs [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CE, CN, NE [b]Domains:[/b] Chaos, Evil, Strength, Trickery, War [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Battleaxe Description forthcoming. Son of Ravik and Calistrienne. [b]DELURINAE[/b], the Lady of Wrath, the Tempest, Sea Witch [i]Female Intermediate Deity[/i] [b]Symbol:[/b] Kraken flailing about with three tridents [b]Home Plane:[/b] The Abyss [b]Alignment:[/b] Chaotic Evil [b]Portfolio:[/b] Wrath, fear, devastation, pillaging, sadism, suspicion, brinksmanship, seafaring, pirates, sea monsters [b]Worshippers:[/b] Barbarians, fighters, rogues, pirates, torturers, raiders, krakens, sahuagin [b]Cleric Alignments:[/b] CE, CN, NE [b]Domains:[/b] Animal, Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Water [b]Favored Weapon:[/b] Trident Description forthcoming. Daughter of Calistrienne and Ravik. [/QUOTE]
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