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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Argyle King" data-source="post: 5555120" data-attributes="member: 58416">There's really no rhyme or reason to this overall... this is a pantheon I jumbled together quickly for a GURPS dungeon fantasy game I had been running.  I borrowed a lot of things from various real life religions as well as from various myths and various literature.  I then made a token effort to have it all semi-make sense.Aganju - fire, change, volcanoesAganju is the lord of fire, change, and volcanoes.  It is said that he  has two forms.  The first appears as a gargantuan elemental consisting  of both earth and fire.  The second is a giant obsidian man.  As the  lord of fire and change, many craftsmen pay at least lip service to  him.  As the lord of volcanoes, losing one's temper is occasionally  associated with Aganju.  As might be imagined, the temple dedicated to  Aganju has a fiery motiff.  Obsidian glass is also used quite liberally  in the temple's construction.  Aganju's clergy typically wear fiery  colored clothing consisting of multiple layers to give the appearance of  flicking flame as they walk.Aphrodite - love, beauty, sexualityFirst and foremost the goddess of beauty and sexuality, Aphrodite  embodies the ideal female form.  To different races and different  people, the ideal form is many different things, but it is said that  Aphrodite's form is one who is so beautiful that it transcends all  cultures and races; mortals can only hope to achieve but an echo of it.   The most common account of her physical form is thus: being like a  pure maiden in height and mien, that he should not be frightened when he  took heed of her with his eyes.  Marked well and with wonderful mien,  height, and shining garments. For she was clad in a robe out-shining the  brightness of fire, a splendid robe of gold, enriched with all manner  of needlework, which shimmered like the moon over her tender breasts, a  marvel to see. Also she wore twisted brooches and shining earrings in  the form of flowers; and round her soft throat were lovely necklaces.   From her cheeks shone unearthly beauty  A monastery dedicated to her  is located in a vineyard on the outskirts of the city; the all-female  order of monks strives toward what could be described as physical  perfection.  The new church's vision of her tries to put more of a focus  on Aphrodite as an embodiment of love and femininity.  Typical clothing  of the monks inside the walls of the monestary are varying degrees of  nudity.  Inside the city, where a greater level of modesty is required,  they tend to wear a white toga, sandals, and shiny belt cloths tied  around their waist; the color of the belt indicating some sort of rank.   In the colder months they often wear a heavier coat over the torso and  shoulders as well as boots or shoes.Andras - discord, murderWhile no temples to Andras openly exist within the city, he is used in  the new church's pantheon as an antagonist for the more postive aspected  deities.  Where Aganju is simply a lord of change, Andras commands  change in a very negative light.  Andras seeks to engineer discord and  dissent.  He teaches those whom he favors to kill their enemies, masters  and servants. He stirs up trouble and dissension.  A few stories say he  can be summoned by mages and bargained with, though doing so is  considered highly dangerous and the tales of those who have done so  suggest he's just as likely to kill the conjuror, any assistants of the  conjuror, and even any pets of the conjuror as he is to help.  Those few  who claim to have done so and survived say he claimed to be Maquis in  some hellish otherwordly realm and command 30 legions of demonic  followers.  Andras is said to appear to have the body of an angel and  the head of a wood owl with serpentine eyes, and to be riding a black  wolf and carrying in his hand a pointed saber dripping with blood.   While the residents of the city do tend to open minded, and it is  probably not entirely uncommon for his name to be mentioned by those  seeking to bring harm to their enemies, being an openly devout follower  of Andras tends to be frowned upon.Aslan - honor, nobility, balance'The Great Lion,' 'King of Beasts,' and 'Son of The Emperor Over The Sea' ismost often viewed as a champion of good and honor, followers of Aslan  often work closely with and get along with followers of Thor.   Originating from the native Woem pantheon, Aslan is said to appear as a  massive lion with some accounts describing him as being the size of an  elephant; other accounts suggest he can change size, but that the  elephant size is his main form.  Originally Woem accounts emphasize that  Aslan is not a tame lion; despite his gentle and loving nature, he is  powerful and can be dangerous.  He is balance and harmony; the spirit of  the wild with a thinking mind, a sense of honor, and nobility.  While  it is said that Aslan himself does not recognize any sort of set  religion -he simply expects that all people should be good unto each  other- there are those who seek to emulate him.  Most often, these  'clergy' are Woem who groom themselves in a lion-like manner or knights,  monks, and other types who incorporate some sort of lion motiff into  their clothing.  It is not unheard of for those who favor both Thor and  Aslan to carry a hammer as their weapon and a shield made in the  likeness of a lion.  It is rumored that there exists a covenant of  Talking Beasts, Centaurs, Fauns, Dryads, Satyrs, Naiads, Hamadryads,  Unicorns, and Winged Horses who comprise Aslan's royal court in the  wild.Cthulu - insanity, madness, havoc, nightmaresWhile some may claim to have summoned Andras and survived, no such  account exists when it comes to Cthulu.  Even those who pay homage to  the strange and terrifying god which sleeps eventually go mad; so  maddening is Cthulu that he even warps the physical forms of those who  seek his power and favor.  From these insane cultists come the few  garbled descriptions of his physical appearance, and Cthulu is thus  described in the following ways: "...simultaneous pictures of an  octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature.... A pulpy, tentacled head  surmounted a grotesque scaly body with rudimentary wings";"...a monster  of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face  was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws  on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind"; "The phrase 'a  mountain walked or stumbled' gives a sense of the creature's scale."   It is said that Cthulu currently slumbers in a dream state, but such is  his madness that his dreams sometimes leak into those of mortals;  causing nightmares.  What exactly will happen if he awakes is not agreed  upon, but it is universally agreed that it will be something horrific  and terrible.  The new church claims that the other gods will unite to  battle Cthulu at some future date when he awakens; some of the priests  go even go so far as to say Andras will offer his legions to help.Gau - earth, life, deathOften viewed as among eldest of the gods, Gau is the goddess of earth,  life, and death.  This portfolio is quite diverse and leads to her being  invoked for a number of reasons.  From the ground springs life, but the  body is also returned to the earth in death.  Often described as a dark  earth-skinned feminine figure with greenish hair, her dual nature leads  to her main description being modified depending on the aspect being  invoked.  During times of birth and life, she appears more motherly and  bright; during times of death and sorrow she wears a bone white mask and  her hair fades to a straw-like color and texture.  She represents the  natural order of things and the duality of life and death.  The main  temple of Gau is an arrangment of large stones scattered across roughly  an acre of ground just outside the northern edge of the city.  Half of  this area is salted so nothing will grow; the other half is overflowing  with various plants, flowers, and vines.  Gau's clergy typically wear  varying shades of greens and browns; the shade depending upon the  occasion.Lich - theft, shadows, humilitySomething of an enigma, Lich is a minor villain to some, a role model to  others, and presented as an example of foolish pride by yet others  still.  Lich stole the secret of eternal life when he hid near Gau  performing a ritual on Santa.  Unfortunately for Lich, he did not  realize that he could not correctly perform the ritual without Gau's  power.  Other accounts say he misheard some of the ritual.  Either way,  it did not work as he thought it would when he tried it upon himself,  and, instead of life, he was granted undeath.  Humbled by his failure  and the turn of events, the already stealthy thief sought to hide from  the world and learned to cloak himself in darkness.  It is important to  point out that while he is undead, he is not the god of undead.  Unhappy  with what he acquired, he shed that mantle and it was apparently found  by others.  Lich is described as a mummified skeleton wearing a night  black cloak.  By those seeking stealth and camoflauge, he is a role  model.  Theft is either good or bad depending on the point of view of  the person seeking aid, but most people don't publically announce being a  thief.  By those seeking to tell a story of pride and humility, he is  used as an example.  While there is a small clergy of his followers, no  temple is openly known to be dedicated to Lich.  Shades of gray and bone  motiffs mark the clothing of his clergy.  They favor a music instrument  which consists of two sticks which they clack together.Santa - charity, protector of children A recent addition, he is said to have once been mortal.  In life it is  said that he was a protector of children and used his own fortune and  wealth the spread joy and happiness.  At the end of his life, even Gau  felt sadness to see him pass and could not bear to have him lost.  Gau  used her command over life and death to grant Santa eternal life, and he  became the demi-god of charity and protector of children.  To a much  lesser extent, he is also sometimes paid lip service when someone is  combating undead.  The being Lich hid near where Gau performed her  ritual to allow Santa to cheat death and stole the secrets used.  Seeing  it as partially his fault, Santa is said to favor those who oppose  undead.  Some claim he personally visits the mortal realm at least once  each year; his most common descriptions are that of a jolly fat human  man dressed in white furs with red trim, and that of a slightly  overweight dwarf wearing red leathers trimmed with white fur.  No  temples are directly dedicated to him; instead there is simply a small  shrine carved out of one the stones which is part of the temple of Gau.   During certain holy days, it is common to meet at this shrine to  exchange gifts.  Those wishing to partake in the festivities usually  wear red hats trimmed with white fur and sing caroles.Shapash - sun, light, warmthSaid to be the older sister of Gau, Shapash is the goddess of the sun,  light, and warmth.  Distant from the world and the other gods, she keeps  a watchful eye over Gau.  Her appearance is described in many ways;  most of her faithful focus more on her aspects than trying to give her a  form.  Her temple is a large golden obelisk which towers over all other  buildings in the city.  Atop the obelisk sits a round ball.  This  obelisk can be found near the center of the city.  Her clergy typically  wear varying hues of gold and yellow.Tarrasque - rage, destructionSaid to be either the son of Cthulu or possibly a lesser aspect of  Cthulu or even possibly created from Cthulu's mad dreams, Tarrasque is  said to be as larger than even the most ancient of dragons and said to  have a body armored with a carapace which can withstand any attack.  The  parts of its body not covered by this armor shell is covered in wicked  spikes, and it's terrifyingly large maw is filled with rows upon rows of  huge razor sharp teeth.  It is said that the Tarrasque slumbers; waking  only to unleash wrath and desctruction upon the world before again  sleeping.  While not exactly worshipped, certain warriors who favor  brute force and shield makers pay lip service to Tarrasque.Tlaloc - rain, fertility, water, blue moonMostly a beneficent god who helps to give life and sustenance, Tlaloc  occasionally also sends hail when he loses his temper.  His appearance  is something of an oddity, and is described as an anthromorphic duck  with cartoonishly large eyes, snakelike fangs, bluish skin, and an  eagle's wings.  Supposedly the brother of Thoth, Tlaloc resides on the  blue moon which can be seen in the night sky, and that moon bears his  name.  A strange juxtaposition; a temple to Tlaloc can be found across  the street from Aganju's temple.  Using white marble and stones dyed to  various hues of blue, Tlaloc's temple has an obvious water motiff.  Tlaloc's clergy tend to wear clothing which is colored with various hues  of blue with feathery sleaves and feathery head dresses; the more  extravagant the head dress, the higher the rank of the priest.Thor - strength, thunder, valorNo coherant origin story is attributed to Thor by the new church;  accounts among the older religions vary.  In many he cases, he simply  always was.  Often said to be the defender of mortals against evil and  trickery, his favored weapon is the hammer.  Thunder is said to be the  sound of his hammer striking a foe.  His temple in the city is a  circular shaped building built mostly from oak.  Inside this temple is a  variety of gongs placed at regular intervals.  At the center of it all  is a feast table which is set with food every fourth day.  This temple  can be found near the center of the city.  It is often difficult to tell  a clergy member of Thor's temple.  Most appear like other knights and  warriors; however, most prefer hammers, mauls, and warhammers and  incorporate some sort of masculine or thunderous motiff into their  equipment.  Some have learned to play the shield as a sort of drum.Thoth - wisdom, time, writing, white moonHaving a humanoid body and the head of an ibis and the feet of a baboon  is Thoth, lord of wisdom, time, writing, and the white moon.  He does  not normally interfere with the affairs of the other gods nor does he  typically involve himself with mortals.  Instead he sits in his  celestial realm from which he can watch the world quietly and record its  events.  His realm is the white moon which can be seen in the night  sky, and it bears his name.  Tlaloc is his brother.  Thoth's temple in  the city is a library built of ivory which is beside Tlaloc's temple and  across the street from Aganju's temple.  Thoth's clergy wear flowing  white robes and furry shoes or boots.  While not required, some also  take vows of silence.Vayu - air, breath, navigationSaid to have helped Gau create life, Vayu is among the eldest of gods.   It is not definitively said whether Vayu is male or female.  Instead, it  is said that Vayu goes through phases of being one and then the other;  changing slowly and lazily as the clouds often do.  Vayu's children are  the winds and they were originally responsible for navigation, but  proved too unreliable on their own.  As a result, Vayu disciplined them  and gave them direction; thus creating the means for navigation.  This  in sharp contrast to most of Vayu's stories because Vayu is typically a  free spirit and not very supportive of rigid structure.  Vayu's temple  is an obelisk built in a similar manner to that of Shapash, but it is  not nearly as high.  However, the obelisk is thicker in order to support  a larger ball, and the round ball at the top of Vayu's obelisk is known  to be hollow with many open windows.  Faithful of Vayu venture to this  ball on windy days to feel the awesome wind tunnel effects cause by its  construction.  Vayu clergy tend to wear white robes which flow in an  almost dress-like manner and are sleaveless.  The musically inclined  among them tend to favor flutes and other instruments which use air and  breath.Yig - lord of serpentsA relative new faith to the city, the cult of Yig is a snake cult.   Neither seeming to be good nor bad, the new church is undecided on its  place in the collective pantheon.  The temple of Yig is constructed from  a large 'skin' of leather and a light metal mesh stretched over a long  zig-zagging 'skeleton' made of stone, wood, and metal beams.  This  structure is found along the eastern outskirts of the village.  Yig  himself is described by his followers as having the head of a cobra, the  tail of a rattlesnake, and the body of a massive python.  Those who  claim Yig is a force of good say Yig is most in touch with Gau due to  having to crawl along the ground.  Those who claim Yig is a force of  evil or at least less than good point to his seemingly casual view of  using poison and venom.  His clergy usually wear hues of green and carry  shakers or tamborines.</blockquote>

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