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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nnms" data-source="post: 5307237" data-attributes="member: 83293">The majority of the people in the region the PCs are starting (the northwestern frontier of a fallen empire) are followers of the old ways.  Their animistic/shamanic worshipers of primal spirits.  However, they also venerate the three ancient gods of the southern empire as the overseers and organizers of the natural world.The goddess of creation and birthThe sun god, a good of growth and preservationThe storm god, a good of destruction and endingsAs well they whisper about their great enemy, a god who perverts the cycle and makes the dead walk.  Who curses spirits with unrest and seeks to destroy the cycle of life.As well there is the grey lady of fate.  Scholars debate whether she is a true god or not.Different races don't really have different gods.  The Dwarves heavily emphasize the goddess of creation as their Forge Mother.  And the storm god is the Grudgebearer.  The Elves worship the cycle directly and have their own names for the three faces of it.To the south and the east the gods become innumerable.  Their rate of clerical power is much, much lower.  They have gods of war and peace and travel and trade.  Gods of the sea and the mountains.Most of them aren't real gods.  Occasionally one of the three gods of the cycle will see merit in their faith and extend to them some facet of power.  When the empire still stood, the three were widely worshipped as the official faith of the Emperor.  They were recast in more civilized terms than how they are worshipped in the north.  With the fall fall of the empire, their temples and shrines got separated and people began to worship the things they prayed for rather than the gods themselves.  So a merchant who used to pray to the goddess for her help in creating wealth began to focus on praying to a goddess of wealth.Clerics, paladins, etc., are generally rare enough that the gods themselves make an appearance at their anointing.  A cleric of the sun god will see a chariot rider who's face blazes so brightly he can hardly look.  The chariot will ride by and the rider will toss down a glowing hot bronze disc.  When it has cooled, the cleric has their holy symbol  All true wielders of divine power receive their holy symbols or other divine implements directly from their god.Many of the terrible gods of far away lands are actually demonic beings.  They can grant power like the gods can.  Some seek to destroy the world and render it to chaos.  Others want to dominate the world.  No one is sure where these beings come from.  Their followers believe them to be the true gods that always were.  Others see some as fallen traitors.  Others see them as manifestations of evil acts done by mortals-- spiritual echoes of hate, murder, envy, tyranny and lust.  They certainly claim to be the true gods.Then there are the elemental lords.  Lords of fire, air, earth and water.  They too can grant magic but rarely do so outside of their chaotic elemental realm.  Some giants and elementally touched beings can call upon them in the mortal realm.</blockquote>

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