The Midget's Deity-A-Week Thread!
- Thread starter I'm A Banana
- Start date
Hi KM!
The RTF.file of "Legends and Lore, 2nd ed." can be found right here (Official WOTC Downloads!)
[EDIT: Right at the bottom of the page.]
BTW, perhaps you should change your signature now, as this thread is now "ColonalHardisson"-approved, too.
Otherwise, keep on writing! (I have always use for another Deity.
)
Folkert
The RTF.file of "Legends and Lore, 2nd ed." can be found right here (Official WOTC Downloads!)
[EDIT: Right at the bottom of the page.]
BTW, perhaps you should change your signature now, as this thread is now "ColonalHardisson"-approved, too.
Otherwise, keep on writing! (I have always use for another Deity.
)Folkert
Last edited:
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
DEEP SASHELAS, THE DOLPHIN PRINCE
The friendly elven sea-father
Alignment: Chaotic Good
orshipers: Sea Elves, Sailors, Elves
Domains: Chaos, Good, Protection, Water
Favored Weapon: Trident
Home Plane/Domain: Arborea/The Glowing Waters
Divine Rank: Intermediate Deity (11)
Classes: Fighter, Bard, Wizard
Portfolio: Sea Creatures, Arcane Knowledge, Arts and Crafts, Beauty, Ceation, Sea Elves
Salient Abilities: (14) Alter Reality, Alter Size, Avatar, Banestrike (Humanoid (aquatic)), Banestrike (animals), Call Creatures (dolphins), Control Creatures (fish), Divine Blessing (Charisma), Divine Water Mastery, Divine Weapon Focus (trident), Extra Domain (protection), Master Crafter, Shift Form (dolphin), Speak with Creatures (dolphin)
Special Possessions: “Sea Sweeper,” a holy chaotic trident
Alternate Domains: Animal, Artifice, Charm, Community, Knowledge, Magic, Plant
Symbol: A dolphin
DESCRIPTION
From Defenders of the Faith: “Deep Sashelas, creator and patron of the sea elves, is chaotic good. He holds sway over the oceans, sea elves, knowledge, beauty, and water magic. He is an ally of Corellon Larethian and Eadro, and a fierce foe of Sekolah, Lolth, Blibdoolpoolp, and Panzuriel.”
In his natural form, Deep Sashelas appears as an androgynous sea elf with green skin, blue eyes, and blue hair that is always flowing chaotically. His Sea Sweeper is never far from his side, though he usually is clad in little more than a loincloth.
Deep Sashelas is the patron god of the sea elves, and was adopted as such after the sea elves splintered from the rest of the race. This was a more recent split than that between the dark elves and the rest of elvenkind, and so Sashelas still is a major foe of Lolth and her followers.
DOGMA
Deep Sashelas preaches about the inherent beauty and allure of life, and that it is to always be loved and enjoyed to it’s utmost. Life beneath the waves is a seeking of paradise, and to go ashore is to turn your back on the paradise. Instead, defend it and preserve it against the predations of other races (such as the sahuagin), and always remember the beauty you’re fighting for.
Examples of activities Deep Sashelas approves of are the defense of sea elven lands, the creation of a beautiful item, or the preservation of an ancient work of art.
CLERGY AND TEMPLES
Priests of Deep Sashelas are perhaps one of the most organized of all priests of the chaotic elven deities, actually holding together in a loose organization. They are considered emissaries to other underwater folk, and to their surface brethren (who are merely pitied in that they cannot enjoy the paradise of the aquatic world that the sea elves enjoy). They are also charged with organizing and holding together defenders of aquatic elf lands, which are under continuous siege from the sahuagin. The clerics are a bit more seriously militaristic than their kin, though they still would never dream of impinging on the freedoms of any creature.
Temples of Deep Sashelas are often elaborately artistic affairs, with an emphasis on the symbolic nature of water, life, beauty, and magic. They are great gathering places for aquatic elves, as well as quite serviceable strongholds – the art often hides a deadly series of defenses. Here is where matters of national importance are discussed and great projects planned for perhaps the least chaotic of the elven breeds. They are wondrous places to behold, with coral that is often magically shaped (with a variant of the stone shape spell), complimented with jewels and shells that are particularly beautiful.
RITES AND RITUALS
The ceremonies of the sea elves are fairly similar to the ceremonies of the other breeds of elf in set up and execution. Long songs that stir an emotion and are beautiful to listen to, often sprining from the emotion that, in the elvish people, is so close to the surface. It is not uncommon for sea elves to praise everything around them in this litany, which often includes dances and vocalizations that are said to mimic the echolocation of the dolphin. The songs are rather impromptu affairs, and can spring up at the most bizarre of times; many sea elves would see it as an insult to Deep Sashelas to not compose an ode to some great work of art (which, not infrequently, includes the ode they just composed).
Much of the artwork of the aquatic elves in reverence to Deep Sashelas includes motifs of dolphins and battle, making it fairly distinctive and eccentric outside of their own societies.
MYTHOGRAPHY
One of the most intriguing ideas about Deep Sashelas is his role of lord of what the aquatic elves call the “asathalfinare,” (an elfish term meaning “those who have their being in the sea”). This, according to the tales, is a group of deities of good and neutral sea and air gods who have teemed up to forge a loose alliance of races spanning wind and wave. This alliance, say the sea elves, stops conflicts about territory and living space from breaking out amongst those so allied. A more skeptical view may say that what stops such wars from breaking out frequently is the fact that the seas are so inordinately vast that sometimes societies can remain segregated from the outside world for eons, though it is likely that some sort of mediator role is likely. It is, however, not nearly as powerful or as much of an allegiance as sea elves aparently theorize, as it is mentioned little, if at all, in the tales of the races that supposedly belong to it.
This grouping, and the placing of Deep Sashelas at the head of it, reflects an ethnocentric view that the sea elves posess that is probably an outgrowth of the general elven opinon – they view themselves as the pinnacle of achievement. They claim that the beauty of Deep Sashelas and his people is obvious to other aquatic races, and so the other races capable of seeing beauty seek guidance from the most beautiful god there is – their god.
Of course, other gods differ in their opinion of their role. The one other sea god in the group would be Eadro, the god of the merfolk and the locathah, who, though having a healthy respect for Deep Sashelas and no violence toward his people, is most likely not nearly as subservient or bickering as the aquatic elves would like to think. Others probably follow a similar pattern: they have a place in a pantheon that they largely ignore. To the sea elves, this represents their freedom embodied, and an opinion that if you're not against them, you're with them (because who wouldn't be?)
Another intriguing note is that the aquatic elves have far more of a militaristic cast of the deep one’s followers, compared to the elves they splintered from. This is probably due to the hostile or ambivalent reception to their friendly (albeit hubristic) attempts at settling. The rest of the ocean either ignored them, or decided to fight against them (as is the case with the sahuagin). In many ways, this matches how the high elves have been fighting against those that have made their lives in the forest hostile (orcs and goblins to name a few). The transition from longsword to trident is merely a reflection of the tools used underwater versus the tools on land, and in many ways Deep Sashelas is simply the Corellon of the seas – confident, egocentric, and beautiful, but never lax in the arts of metal and blade.
A final quirk of sea elf religion, the bond between them and dolphins, is also worth exploring. This likely has only a basis in that sea elves are hunted by sahuagin, which make prominent use of sharks, and found empathy with the friendly dolphins, whose friendly nature has been noted in naturalist notes. Thus, a dichotomy of friend vs. foe, of good vs. evil is set up. Most likely, the thoughts of eachanimal species is neither one of friendship nor animosity – dolphins simply help those who aid them, as do sharks. Each has merely been trained to respond to food and company, and the dichotomy doesn't express itself often outside of sea elf or sahuagin society.
LEGENDS
Deep Sashelas is said to be related to the supreme god of the elves, Corellon Larethian, as a brother. Where Corellon is the forest, Sashelas is the sea – not entirely different, and often very close indeed. Though the sea didn’t spring from the forest, it can be a place of as much beauty and magic, as the forest can be.
One legend of the sea elves names a goddess of dolphins, Trishina, as the consort and ally to Deep Sashelas. This reveals an aspect of the sea elves found in little other elven myth – they have a tight connection to a holy animal, the Dolphin. Though if he dolphins actually worship, and what they would if they did, remains untold, the sea elves have a confidence that their patron’s wife is the god they do worship. This speaks of the bond between sea elves and dolphins, often uniting against the sahuagin and their allies the sharks. In many ways, this is cast as a dichotomy between good and evil, with the dolphins preferring good and the sharks preferring evil. Of course, elvish deities being what they are, Deep Sashelas is quite a fickle consort. Trishina's opinion of this is never truly brought up, and the legend assumes that she is perfectly okay with Sashelas's sexual escapades. However, this could be speaking to an emergence of a patriarchal society in a race famous for equality (and indistinguishability) of the genders, though it is just as likely to be more allegory than metaphor, and merely hints that many people like Sashelas, and he likes many others. It could be more of a metaphor for the exploits of the sea elven ambassadors, who most often hail from churches of Sashelas as well.
Another major legend of Deep Sashelas has to do with his role as a leader and peacemaker amongst the deities of se a and sky. He is the leader of a loose pantheon of gods, as has been noted, and he likely is able to serve to some extent in this role. Certainly, Eadro, Panzuriel, and Sekolah don’t seem to work as a cohesive whole, but many of the more neutral races may be swayed in the direction of charismatic and beautiful elves, toward peace and not war. Thus, the role of Sashelas as a sort of mediator between species is probably an outgrowth of his people’s role in calming the races around them (as long as those races happen to not be evil), to form a friendship that may help defend them from wickedness.
ETC.
PrC’s:
· The Dolphin Paladin: Espousing virtues important to the sea elves, and holding their own code of conduct, the dolphin paladin gains powers revolving around their chosen mount -- a porpoise.
· The Treereacher: A branch of the worship of Deep Sashelas that focuses on reaching out to the high elf brethren on the surface, granting powers to survive out of water and to assist a transition.
Plot Hooks
· Beaching: The phenomenom of beaching has been well documented in cases of whales and dolphins that have stranded themselves on a beach and who often return to the beach to die, even if set free. Now, however, it is happening to sea elves. In droves, they come ashore, trancelike, unresponsive, able only to continue in a swimming motion until they dry out and die in time. Perhaps the PC's can assist the rescue effort, or find out what force is behind this?
· Why Don't They Like Me?: In a coastal city that has long been friendly with the sea elves several miles out in their fishing waters, the unthinkable has happened: a human art critic has belittled and insulted the artwork of a famous sea elven artist. The cultural mores being what they are, this ammounts to little less than blasphemey to the sea elves, and they intend on responding with force unless the critic repents. The critic refuses, and even gains som allies in some circles, refusing to kow-tow to the elven art supremicists. Perhaps the PC's can diffuse the situation before creative blood is spilt, perhaps with a work of art of their own...
· The Rampage of the Dolphins: Something has gone horribly wrong in an aquatic elf villiage. The local population of dolphins has suddenly gone berserk, killing and wounding much of the population. The sea elves themselves are unwilling to kill the creatures, though they're not nessecarily above sending PC's to do it. But maybe the PC's can find the true reason for this strange turn of events, and diffuse it?
*_________*
Welp, there ya go. Next up, a request from our very own Ashy, I'll be sending you guys a fully original deity who is very...open minded...
The friendly elven sea-father
Alignment: Chaotic Good
orshipers: Sea Elves, Sailors, Elves
Domains: Chaos, Good, Protection, Water
Favored Weapon: Trident
Home Plane/Domain: Arborea/The Glowing Waters
Divine Rank: Intermediate Deity (11)
Classes: Fighter, Bard, Wizard
Portfolio: Sea Creatures, Arcane Knowledge, Arts and Crafts, Beauty, Ceation, Sea Elves
Salient Abilities: (14) Alter Reality, Alter Size, Avatar, Banestrike (Humanoid (aquatic)), Banestrike (animals), Call Creatures (dolphins), Control Creatures (fish), Divine Blessing (Charisma), Divine Water Mastery, Divine Weapon Focus (trident), Extra Domain (protection), Master Crafter, Shift Form (dolphin), Speak with Creatures (dolphin)
Special Possessions: “Sea Sweeper,” a holy chaotic trident
Alternate Domains: Animal, Artifice, Charm, Community, Knowledge, Magic, Plant
Symbol: A dolphin
DESCRIPTION
From Defenders of the Faith: “Deep Sashelas, creator and patron of the sea elves, is chaotic good. He holds sway over the oceans, sea elves, knowledge, beauty, and water magic. He is an ally of Corellon Larethian and Eadro, and a fierce foe of Sekolah, Lolth, Blibdoolpoolp, and Panzuriel.”
In his natural form, Deep Sashelas appears as an androgynous sea elf with green skin, blue eyes, and blue hair that is always flowing chaotically. His Sea Sweeper is never far from his side, though he usually is clad in little more than a loincloth.
Deep Sashelas is the patron god of the sea elves, and was adopted as such after the sea elves splintered from the rest of the race. This was a more recent split than that between the dark elves and the rest of elvenkind, and so Sashelas still is a major foe of Lolth and her followers.
DOGMA
Deep Sashelas preaches about the inherent beauty and allure of life, and that it is to always be loved and enjoyed to it’s utmost. Life beneath the waves is a seeking of paradise, and to go ashore is to turn your back on the paradise. Instead, defend it and preserve it against the predations of other races (such as the sahuagin), and always remember the beauty you’re fighting for.
Examples of activities Deep Sashelas approves of are the defense of sea elven lands, the creation of a beautiful item, or the preservation of an ancient work of art.
CLERGY AND TEMPLES
Priests of Deep Sashelas are perhaps one of the most organized of all priests of the chaotic elven deities, actually holding together in a loose organization. They are considered emissaries to other underwater folk, and to their surface brethren (who are merely pitied in that they cannot enjoy the paradise of the aquatic world that the sea elves enjoy). They are also charged with organizing and holding together defenders of aquatic elf lands, which are under continuous siege from the sahuagin. The clerics are a bit more seriously militaristic than their kin, though they still would never dream of impinging on the freedoms of any creature.
Temples of Deep Sashelas are often elaborately artistic affairs, with an emphasis on the symbolic nature of water, life, beauty, and magic. They are great gathering places for aquatic elves, as well as quite serviceable strongholds – the art often hides a deadly series of defenses. Here is where matters of national importance are discussed and great projects planned for perhaps the least chaotic of the elven breeds. They are wondrous places to behold, with coral that is often magically shaped (with a variant of the stone shape spell), complimented with jewels and shells that are particularly beautiful.
RITES AND RITUALS
The ceremonies of the sea elves are fairly similar to the ceremonies of the other breeds of elf in set up and execution. Long songs that stir an emotion and are beautiful to listen to, often sprining from the emotion that, in the elvish people, is so close to the surface. It is not uncommon for sea elves to praise everything around them in this litany, which often includes dances and vocalizations that are said to mimic the echolocation of the dolphin. The songs are rather impromptu affairs, and can spring up at the most bizarre of times; many sea elves would see it as an insult to Deep Sashelas to not compose an ode to some great work of art (which, not infrequently, includes the ode they just composed).
Much of the artwork of the aquatic elves in reverence to Deep Sashelas includes motifs of dolphins and battle, making it fairly distinctive and eccentric outside of their own societies.
MYTHOGRAPHY
One of the most intriguing ideas about Deep Sashelas is his role of lord of what the aquatic elves call the “asathalfinare,” (an elfish term meaning “those who have their being in the sea”). This, according to the tales, is a group of deities of good and neutral sea and air gods who have teemed up to forge a loose alliance of races spanning wind and wave. This alliance, say the sea elves, stops conflicts about territory and living space from breaking out amongst those so allied. A more skeptical view may say that what stops such wars from breaking out frequently is the fact that the seas are so inordinately vast that sometimes societies can remain segregated from the outside world for eons, though it is likely that some sort of mediator role is likely. It is, however, not nearly as powerful or as much of an allegiance as sea elves aparently theorize, as it is mentioned little, if at all, in the tales of the races that supposedly belong to it.
This grouping, and the placing of Deep Sashelas at the head of it, reflects an ethnocentric view that the sea elves posess that is probably an outgrowth of the general elven opinon – they view themselves as the pinnacle of achievement. They claim that the beauty of Deep Sashelas and his people is obvious to other aquatic races, and so the other races capable of seeing beauty seek guidance from the most beautiful god there is – their god.
Of course, other gods differ in their opinion of their role. The one other sea god in the group would be Eadro, the god of the merfolk and the locathah, who, though having a healthy respect for Deep Sashelas and no violence toward his people, is most likely not nearly as subservient or bickering as the aquatic elves would like to think. Others probably follow a similar pattern: they have a place in a pantheon that they largely ignore. To the sea elves, this represents their freedom embodied, and an opinion that if you're not against them, you're with them (because who wouldn't be?)
Another intriguing note is that the aquatic elves have far more of a militaristic cast of the deep one’s followers, compared to the elves they splintered from. This is probably due to the hostile or ambivalent reception to their friendly (albeit hubristic) attempts at settling. The rest of the ocean either ignored them, or decided to fight against them (as is the case with the sahuagin). In many ways, this matches how the high elves have been fighting against those that have made their lives in the forest hostile (orcs and goblins to name a few). The transition from longsword to trident is merely a reflection of the tools used underwater versus the tools on land, and in many ways Deep Sashelas is simply the Corellon of the seas – confident, egocentric, and beautiful, but never lax in the arts of metal and blade.
A final quirk of sea elf religion, the bond between them and dolphins, is also worth exploring. This likely has only a basis in that sea elves are hunted by sahuagin, which make prominent use of sharks, and found empathy with the friendly dolphins, whose friendly nature has been noted in naturalist notes. Thus, a dichotomy of friend vs. foe, of good vs. evil is set up. Most likely, the thoughts of eachanimal species is neither one of friendship nor animosity – dolphins simply help those who aid them, as do sharks. Each has merely been trained to respond to food and company, and the dichotomy doesn't express itself often outside of sea elf or sahuagin society.
LEGENDS
Deep Sashelas is said to be related to the supreme god of the elves, Corellon Larethian, as a brother. Where Corellon is the forest, Sashelas is the sea – not entirely different, and often very close indeed. Though the sea didn’t spring from the forest, it can be a place of as much beauty and magic, as the forest can be.
One legend of the sea elves names a goddess of dolphins, Trishina, as the consort and ally to Deep Sashelas. This reveals an aspect of the sea elves found in little other elven myth – they have a tight connection to a holy animal, the Dolphin. Though if he dolphins actually worship, and what they would if they did, remains untold, the sea elves have a confidence that their patron’s wife is the god they do worship. This speaks of the bond between sea elves and dolphins, often uniting against the sahuagin and their allies the sharks. In many ways, this is cast as a dichotomy between good and evil, with the dolphins preferring good and the sharks preferring evil. Of course, elvish deities being what they are, Deep Sashelas is quite a fickle consort. Trishina's opinion of this is never truly brought up, and the legend assumes that she is perfectly okay with Sashelas's sexual escapades. However, this could be speaking to an emergence of a patriarchal society in a race famous for equality (and indistinguishability) of the genders, though it is just as likely to be more allegory than metaphor, and merely hints that many people like Sashelas, and he likes many others. It could be more of a metaphor for the exploits of the sea elven ambassadors, who most often hail from churches of Sashelas as well.
Another major legend of Deep Sashelas has to do with his role as a leader and peacemaker amongst the deities of se a and sky. He is the leader of a loose pantheon of gods, as has been noted, and he likely is able to serve to some extent in this role. Certainly, Eadro, Panzuriel, and Sekolah don’t seem to work as a cohesive whole, but many of the more neutral races may be swayed in the direction of charismatic and beautiful elves, toward peace and not war. Thus, the role of Sashelas as a sort of mediator between species is probably an outgrowth of his people’s role in calming the races around them (as long as those races happen to not be evil), to form a friendship that may help defend them from wickedness.
ETC.
PrC’s:
· The Dolphin Paladin: Espousing virtues important to the sea elves, and holding their own code of conduct, the dolphin paladin gains powers revolving around their chosen mount -- a porpoise.
· The Treereacher: A branch of the worship of Deep Sashelas that focuses on reaching out to the high elf brethren on the surface, granting powers to survive out of water and to assist a transition.
Plot Hooks
· Beaching: The phenomenom of beaching has been well documented in cases of whales and dolphins that have stranded themselves on a beach and who often return to the beach to die, even if set free. Now, however, it is happening to sea elves. In droves, they come ashore, trancelike, unresponsive, able only to continue in a swimming motion until they dry out and die in time. Perhaps the PC's can assist the rescue effort, or find out what force is behind this?
· Why Don't They Like Me?: In a coastal city that has long been friendly with the sea elves several miles out in their fishing waters, the unthinkable has happened: a human art critic has belittled and insulted the artwork of a famous sea elven artist. The cultural mores being what they are, this ammounts to little less than blasphemey to the sea elves, and they intend on responding with force unless the critic repents. The critic refuses, and even gains som allies in some circles, refusing to kow-tow to the elven art supremicists. Perhaps the PC's can diffuse the situation before creative blood is spilt, perhaps with a work of art of their own...
· The Rampage of the Dolphins: Something has gone horribly wrong in an aquatic elf villiage. The local population of dolphins has suddenly gone berserk, killing and wounding much of the population. The sea elves themselves are unwilling to kill the creatures, though they're not nessecarily above sending PC's to do it. But maybe the PC's can find the true reason for this strange turn of events, and diffuse it?
*_________*
Welp, there ya go.
Next up, a request from our very own Ashy, I'll be sending you guys a fully original deity who is very...open minded...
Last edited:
Ashy
First Post
· The Dolphin Paladin: Espousing virtues important to the sea elves, and holding their own code of conduct, the dolphin paladin gains powers revolving around their chosen mount -- a porpoise.
Truly a Prestige Class with a virtuous..... you guessed it....porpoise!
Sorry, KM, I could NOT resist!!! LOL!
Truly a Prestige Class with a virtuous..... you guessed it....porpoise!
Sorry, KM, I could NOT resist!!! LOL!
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
Ashy: ....ha....hehehe...hohohoho....BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.. *SMACK!* Sorry, blood, it's for your own good, with puns like that. 
kolvar: According to Deities and Demigods, they're not. But I guess the Book of Vile Darkness will include things that the devotees of the demon lords, etc., will be able to do. Di&De includes a sidebar on how to maybe handle these types of outsiders, saying that they don't actualy grant spells, but act as emissaries to the divinities that do. But then under alternate cosmologies they give the suggestion to make them Divine Rank 0, but give them the ability to grant spells to their servants. A limitation of only allowing them one domain.
I say bah. I think I've reached a happy medium with the sacrifices. Most of the time, the woshipers of these quasideities aren't really any less powerful than others, but the need to sacrifice to maintain this power makes their position tenuous...they are always on the verge of loosing their powers if they don't continue to propiate the creatures they worship. So they're not exactly deities, but they're close enough to be cool in my book.
Piratecat: You may want to stop trying to speak to me with your head in the fishbowl. I have it on good authority that it can kill you. Mostly because I tried it once and it didn't work, but the chlorine made my lungs burn like the smell of Grandma.
But, to answer your question: Blurp.
kolvar: According to Deities and Demigods, they're not. But I guess the Book of Vile Darkness will include things that the devotees of the demon lords, etc., will be able to do. Di&De includes a sidebar on how to maybe handle these types of outsiders, saying that they don't actualy grant spells, but act as emissaries to the divinities that do. But then under alternate cosmologies they give the suggestion to make them Divine Rank 0, but give them the ability to grant spells to their servants. A limitation of only allowing them one domain.
I say bah.
I think I've reached a happy medium with the sacrifices. Most of the time, the woshipers of these quasideities aren't really any less powerful than others, but the need to sacrifice to maintain this power makes their position tenuous...they are always on the verge of loosing their powers if they don't continue to propiate the creatures they worship. So they're not exactly deities, but they're close enough to be cool in my book. Piratecat: You may want to stop trying to speak to me with your head in the fishbowl. I have it on good authority that it can kill you. Mostly because I tried it once and it didn't work, but the chlorine made my lungs burn like the smell of Grandma.
But, to answer your question: Blurp.
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
DENNARI, THE EARTH MOTHER
The dwarven revolutionary
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Worshipers: Dwarves, oppressed and poor people, farmers and peasants
Domains: Chaos, Earth, Good, Liberation, Plant
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Home Plane/Domain: The Beastlands/Freedom Springs Forth
Divine Rank: Lesser Deity (10)
Classes: Cleric
Portfolio: Earth, liberation, suffering
Salient Abilities: (12) Alter Reality, Area Divine Shield, Clearsight, Command Plants, Divine Blessing (Constitution), Divine Earth Mastery, Divine Fast Healing, Divine Inspiration (hope), Divine Shield, Extra Domain (Chaos), Extra Domain (Liberation), Gift of Life
Special Possessions: None
Alternate Domains: Healing
Symbol: A warhammer with leaves sprouting from the handle
DESCRIPTION, DOGMA, CLERGY AND TEMPLES
These have been omitted so that I don't get a Cease and Desist order from WotC. They're in Deities and Demigods...though I coulda done 'em better.
-- J
RITES AND RITUALS
Dennari's rituals revolve around her agricultural roots and simultaneously serve as allegories for the oppressed people she represents. They are often litanies (usually in dwarvish) about the persecutions suffered at the hands of those who have no right to persecute. Though it often sounds like simple complaining, the clerics see this as a powerful source of inspiration, and a petition for help from the deity who feels all of the pain.
Often, shows are made of love to the earth and ground, including bowing, sleeping on the bare ground, kissing the ground during prayer time, spreading handfulls into the air, or planting seeds.
Some result to ritual scarring or cutting to represent that they, themselves, wish to take some of the burden off of Dennari and place it upon themselves.
MYTHOGRAPHY
Dennari is a superb example of a transitional deity: one born for a specific purpose whose nature has shifted due to the nature of her worshipers.
The oldest records of Dennari date back to the earliest dwarven records, where she was refered to as a friendly goddess of motherhood, childbirth, and love. She was said to be the Mother of All Born. Gradually, she became to be more closely associated with the suffering matron, whose children had hurt her in so many ways, still associated with a cult of women only. Rather abruptly she shifts from a passive observer of pain to an active fighter of it, and simultaneously spreads beyond the dwarven lands, first to the towns surrounding various dwarven camps, and then further and further out.
The most popular theory holds that, much like the elven beauty fetish can get out of control, the dwarven reverence for obedience and love of war can get out of control, too. Though little is forthcoming from the insular people, it can be reasonably determined that on at least one occasion, this has resulted in a very strict patriachy system that the women of the dwarven lands (long-suffering but as tough and hardy as any other dwarf) rebeled against, as much as a dwarf can rebel.
The most likely scenerio for her spread is that various outsiders were present at some of these rebellions, and Dennari, a long-time example of a dwarven woman, was instrumental in the symbolism of the rebellion. Take away the woman, the source of stability in the often violent dwarven lifestyle, and you can cause a collapse of the entire society.
Dennari, then, grew out of this icon of the dwarven hearth and home and her place as the Eternal Mother, and was spread to other areas where rebellion was needed, often from very destitute people. In this way, she slowly became less and less of a dwarven hearth-mother and more and more a figure of the subjugated masses rebelling in all ways possible. Every flower that blooms is a source of freedom from the pain of their lives.
LEGENDS
Few of the original legends of Dennari and her role as the patron of childbirth and the home, are preserved any more, or if they have they have been so changed by her alteration as to be indistinguishable.
Perhaps the most famous legends of Dennari are actually expressed in a motif that varies in it's players from region to region. It always stars a woman of stout, resolute heart, who is put down and subjugated by those around her. She perserveres, showing toughness that is usually compared to a dwarf's, and soon finds that those who subjugate her depend more on her than she on them. She rebels by refusing to do that which the powers that be want her to do, and succeeds in causing their lives to fall to peices around her. The tale frequently ends with her violent and untimely death at the hands of a furious lord or king, but always with an afternote that states that those that killed her lead lives not worth living in subjugation to others because of her abscence. The woman is said to, sometimes, be braught back to life by her prayers to Dennari, and to be offered a place of importance at the head of a kingdom, but she always refuses, choosing instead to help the lives of the common folk now that she is free.
One would think that, perhaps, this echoes a dwarven history somewhere.
ETC.
PrC's
· The Bearer of Pain: Gets more and more abilities to resist/endure damage (bonus HP, DR, regeneration, etc.)
· Poor Revolutionary: Focuses on rabble-rousing and mob-gaining for winning a rebellion.
Spell
· Dennari's Wail: Clr 4 (Dennari), You release an agonized scream that tears through the air, and can be heard for a distance of one mile. Those with 30 feet of you are dealt an amount of damage equal to your current HP subtracted from your maximum HP, ignoring all forms of damage reduction or energy resistance. This is a sonic spell. The effect is often described as Dennari herself releasing the force of the pain that has been caused on her faithful that she also had to bear.
Plot Hooks
· Set Your Mind Free: Some cultists of Dennari have been farming a strange plant which, when smoked, gives you a sense of floating, falling, flying freedom. However, the authorities suspect that the plant is addictive. Perhaps the PC's can be instrumental in this investigation: does the plant set you free, only to bind you to it's freedom? Is that a bad thing? Does craving freedom mean you must be a slave to it?
The dwarven revolutionary
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Worshipers: Dwarves, oppressed and poor people, farmers and peasants
Domains: Chaos, Earth, Good, Liberation, Plant
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Home Plane/Domain: The Beastlands/Freedom Springs Forth
Divine Rank: Lesser Deity (10)
Classes: Cleric
Portfolio: Earth, liberation, suffering
Salient Abilities: (12) Alter Reality, Area Divine Shield, Clearsight, Command Plants, Divine Blessing (Constitution), Divine Earth Mastery, Divine Fast Healing, Divine Inspiration (hope), Divine Shield, Extra Domain (Chaos), Extra Domain (Liberation), Gift of Life
Special Possessions: None
Alternate Domains: Healing
Symbol: A warhammer with leaves sprouting from the handle
DESCRIPTION, DOGMA, CLERGY AND TEMPLES
These have been omitted so that I don't get a Cease and Desist order from WotC. They're in Deities and Demigods...though I coulda done 'em better.
-- JRITES AND RITUALS
Dennari's rituals revolve around her agricultural roots and simultaneously serve as allegories for the oppressed people she represents. They are often litanies (usually in dwarvish) about the persecutions suffered at the hands of those who have no right to persecute. Though it often sounds like simple complaining, the clerics see this as a powerful source of inspiration, and a petition for help from the deity who feels all of the pain.
Often, shows are made of love to the earth and ground, including bowing, sleeping on the bare ground, kissing the ground during prayer time, spreading handfulls into the air, or planting seeds.
Some result to ritual scarring or cutting to represent that they, themselves, wish to take some of the burden off of Dennari and place it upon themselves.
MYTHOGRAPHY
Dennari is a superb example of a transitional deity: one born for a specific purpose whose nature has shifted due to the nature of her worshipers.
The oldest records of Dennari date back to the earliest dwarven records, where she was refered to as a friendly goddess of motherhood, childbirth, and love. She was said to be the Mother of All Born. Gradually, she became to be more closely associated with the suffering matron, whose children had hurt her in so many ways, still associated with a cult of women only. Rather abruptly she shifts from a passive observer of pain to an active fighter of it, and simultaneously spreads beyond the dwarven lands, first to the towns surrounding various dwarven camps, and then further and further out.
The most popular theory holds that, much like the elven beauty fetish can get out of control, the dwarven reverence for obedience and love of war can get out of control, too. Though little is forthcoming from the insular people, it can be reasonably determined that on at least one occasion, this has resulted in a very strict patriachy system that the women of the dwarven lands (long-suffering but as tough and hardy as any other dwarf) rebeled against, as much as a dwarf can rebel.
The most likely scenerio for her spread is that various outsiders were present at some of these rebellions, and Dennari, a long-time example of a dwarven woman, was instrumental in the symbolism of the rebellion. Take away the woman, the source of stability in the often violent dwarven lifestyle, and you can cause a collapse of the entire society.
Dennari, then, grew out of this icon of the dwarven hearth and home and her place as the Eternal Mother, and was spread to other areas where rebellion was needed, often from very destitute people. In this way, she slowly became less and less of a dwarven hearth-mother and more and more a figure of the subjugated masses rebelling in all ways possible. Every flower that blooms is a source of freedom from the pain of their lives.
LEGENDS
Few of the original legends of Dennari and her role as the patron of childbirth and the home, are preserved any more, or if they have they have been so changed by her alteration as to be indistinguishable.
Perhaps the most famous legends of Dennari are actually expressed in a motif that varies in it's players from region to region. It always stars a woman of stout, resolute heart, who is put down and subjugated by those around her. She perserveres, showing toughness that is usually compared to a dwarf's, and soon finds that those who subjugate her depend more on her than she on them. She rebels by refusing to do that which the powers that be want her to do, and succeeds in causing their lives to fall to peices around her. The tale frequently ends with her violent and untimely death at the hands of a furious lord or king, but always with an afternote that states that those that killed her lead lives not worth living in subjugation to others because of her abscence. The woman is said to, sometimes, be braught back to life by her prayers to Dennari, and to be offered a place of importance at the head of a kingdom, but she always refuses, choosing instead to help the lives of the common folk now that she is free.
One would think that, perhaps, this echoes a dwarven history somewhere.
ETC.
PrC's
· The Bearer of Pain: Gets more and more abilities to resist/endure damage (bonus HP, DR, regeneration, etc.)
· Poor Revolutionary: Focuses on rabble-rousing and mob-gaining for winning a rebellion.
Spell
· Dennari's Wail: Clr 4 (Dennari), You release an agonized scream that tears through the air, and can be heard for a distance of one mile. Those with 30 feet of you are dealt an amount of damage equal to your current HP subtracted from your maximum HP, ignoring all forms of damage reduction or energy resistance. This is a sonic spell. The effect is often described as Dennari herself releasing the force of the pain that has been caused on her faithful that she also had to bear.
Plot Hooks
· Set Your Mind Free: Some cultists of Dennari have been farming a strange plant which, when smoked, gives you a sense of floating, falling, flying freedom. However, the authorities suspect that the plant is addictive. Perhaps the PC's can be instrumental in this investigation: does the plant set you free, only to bind you to it's freedom? Is that a bad thing? Does craving freedom mean you must be a slave to it?
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