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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emirikol" data-source="post: 1245907" data-attributes="member: 10638">The beauty of gaming in Hyboria (Conan's world) is that all real-world gods are already there!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />jh      DEITIES & RELIGIONSThis list is far from complete and is only for starters as it is an idealized version for gaming.  Religions have spread their influence far and wide and are not isolated to the places on this list.  Divine spellcasters often represent a PANTHEON of gods as well, and and choose whichever one suits their needs at any particular time and place; afterall, gods and religion in Hyboria is chiefly for priests and kings to exploit the populace.MitraSymbol:  PhoenixAlignment:  LNPortfolio:  Sun, light, strength, healingWorshipers: All Dark Ages Lands (Zingara to Brythunia)Cleric Alignments: Any non-evilDomains:  Air, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Luck, Magic, Protection from evil sorcery, Sun, Travel + 2 othersFavored Weapons:  MaceMitra, Lord of Light is a god of the people, believed to be all-pervasive and without form, although often pictured as a tall, old man. Mitra takes no living sacrifices, although the temple takes extensive tithes in money and services.  This priesthood is dominant in most civilized northern countries.    According to Mitraic belief, each person is called to a worthy life.  It is the obligation of each individual to follow the tenets of the faith of Mitra, which include honor, truthfulness, and trustworthiness.  In Mitra’s tenets, telling a lie or betraying a friend are mortal sins.    Clerics of Mitra must adhere to strict behavior.  They must remain celibate and must abstain from all alcohol and mind-altering drugs.  Clerics of Mitra must never perform any arcane spell casting, rather trusting totally in Mitra.  In game terms:  the character may not cast arcane spells, even if they are multiclassed.  If they do, they lose all divine spell casting abilities until they undergo major penance.  Clerics of Mitra gain a +2 to saving throws vs. arcane spells.  Clerics must tithe ¼ of their income to the temple; the greatest temples are found in Nemedia and Aquilonia.    One of Mitra’s most potent aspects is as the Defender, protecting Hyborians from evil sorcery, most specifically from his ancient enemy, the serpent-god Set.  In his battles with Set, Mitra prefers working through mortals, so that those who are called to be his champions can both defeat set and act as living proof of the validity of his cult’s tenets. Wiccana, Goddess of BrythuniaConan the TriumphantSymbol:  Golden sickleAlignment:  NPortfolio: Wildlands, flora, fauna, fertility, healing  Worshipers: All (Brythunian)Cleric Alignments: AnyDomains:  Animal, Plant, Healing, Family, Renewal + 2 othersFavored Weapons:  As druidWiccana, goddess of Wild lands is one of the oldest religions in the area.  She is conjugally bound to the god Targol in some tales.  Worshippers revere the oak and mistletoe.  Wiccana’s symbol is the golden sickle, and the religion is devoted mainly to fertility, healing and human guidance in nature.  Wiccana only accepts druidesses; men may not directly serve the goddess.  The priestesses are usually celibate (though not necessarily virgin), and vow never to cut their hair.  The priestesses reside in villages, but perform their ceremonies in natural sanctuaries near town.  Some sects still perform human, male sacrifice.    They are worshipped into Border Kingdom and by the Kezankians, however she is very rare in other areas.  A similar cult exists in Pictland.Targol, War God of BrythuniaConan the HunterBronze War God of the Brythunians, Eternal Foe of Yog.Symbol:  Bronze statue of a warrior holding a crucible and a dragon whisker fork Alignment: LNPortfolio: Retribution, disclpline, truth, power, war  Worshipers: All (Brythunian)Cleric Alignments: AnyDomains:  Destruction, Law, Metal, Protection, StrengthAllies:  WiccanaEnemies:  Yog, BoriFavored Weapons:  Trident (fork) and bowl-shaped shield; or Brythunian Dragon Whisker Fork (2 handed) (Conan the Hunter)Targol, the Bronze god, is an old war god of the Brythunians.  He is harsh and demanding, but proud of his people.  He hates the Demon of Elder Night, Yog.  He shares his bed with the goddess Wiccana.    The cult of Targol originated in the Thurian epoch nearly 4000 years ago.  During the migration of the Khari, opposition began with the cult of Yog.  The Yoggites later overran the Targolians and decimated their followers.  The religion has only recently been re-discovered in Brythunia in buried temples under Pirogia and elsewhere.    Targol places a premium on brutal warfare but smart strategy to problems.  Diplomacy is used as a last resort in warfare and no mercy is given to followers of Yog.    Clerics dress in oversized bronze or bronze trimmed armor and are always required to be armed.  The main temple of Targol is slowly being rebuilt from ruins and resides in the capital of Brythunia, Pirogia.  Small shrines exist around Brythunia, but are typically in ruins or have been consecrated to new gods.Erlik, God of TuranSymbol:  Yellow Hand (of Death)Alignment:  NPortfolio: Death, knowledge  Worshipers: All (Pathenia to Brythunia)Cleric Alignments: Any but lawful goodDomains:    Death, trickery, knowledge, plus 5 othersFavored Weapons:  As clericErlik is the main god of the Turanian pantheon.  He is worshipped as far west as Brythunia.  His prophet is known as Living Tarim.  His priests are selfish, power hungry, prone to holy wars, and coveting strange knowledge.  Their belief system is rigid monotheism and accepts no other.NORDHEIMR PANTHEONYmir, God of the Aesir Frost Giant, Chief God of the AsgardiansFor details use “Thrym” from Deities & Demigods p. 194.  The Aseir tend to revere Ymir highly and all others in greatly lessened roles.  The Aesir focus on war and destiny in their pantheon.Njord & Skadi, Deities of the VanirLibrarianChief deities of the Vanir (sea and earth/mountains)Portfolio:  Njord: Air, renewal, water;   Skadi: Destruction, earth, strength              Domains: prosperity, sea, wind; earth, mountains + 2 othersFavored Weapons:  Longspear or greataxeThe Vanir are the red-haired vikings of the northwest. Their lands border the ocean.  The gods of the Vanir are paired, unlike the gods of the Aesir.  Chief among the Vanir gods is Njord, who is married to Skadi (Nerthus).  Other deities are present (Frey, Freya, Ymir, Aegir, Forseti, Heimdall, Hel, Hermod, Loki, Odin, Odur, Sif, Surtur, Thor, Thrym (Ymir), Tyr, Uller, etc.) but are secondary.  The gods of the Vanir tend to represent prosperity and fertility.Crom, God of the CimmeriansGod of the Mountains -CimmerianSymbol:  MountainAlignment:  NPortfolio: Personal attainmentWorshipers: CimmeriansCleric Alignments: Crom doesn’t grant spells directly, but may have Adepts as worshippers that can cast spells of divine magic drawn from the earth.Domains:  None.  Favored Weapons:  AnyThe Cimmerians worship a grim and savage god, Crom, Lord of the Great Mountain, who cares little for mankind save to breathe into men's souls the power to strive and slay. The Cimmerians believe in a shadowy afterlife in which the souls of the dead would wander Crom's grey realm.OLYMPIAN PANTHEONCronus, God of OlympusLibrarian(Argos, Koth, Ophir, Corinthia)Symbol:  Mountain with cloudsAlignment:  NEPortfolio: Sky, rulership + 5 othersWorshipers: All (Roman-age lands)Cleric Alignments: AnyDomains:  Air, Storm, Nobility + 3 othersFavored Weapons:  TridentCronus is head of the Olympian pantheon, but the upstart cults of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia and the others are on the rise.  The Kothians have more ‘Romanized’ names for the Olympian gods and also include much of the Babylonian pantheon, including Ishtar.  See Deities & Demigods for a more complete list.STYGIAN PHARONIC PANTHEONSet, God of StygiaThe foe of Mitra and Isis/Ibis (Shem); Evil snake god/pantheon of Stygia and the ancient cults; all other Pharonic gods subservient.  Derketo (god of lust) is also part of this pantheon.SHEMITISH DESERT PANTHEONAdonis/Anu/Pteor, the Red GodGod of the Sky – Shem, Zamboulan Desert, Iranistan, CorinthiaSymbol:  Gold sun partially blocked by a gray cloudAlignment:  LNPortfolio: Sky, rulership + 5 othersWorshipers: All (Roman-age lands)Cleric Alignments: AnyDomains:  Air, Storm, Nobility + 3 othersFavored Weapons:  Brass maceAnu is said to have created the heavens and he earth.  All of the other gods of his pantheon bow to him (Babylonian) and he is bound to Ishtar. The other gods of the pantheon are:  Anshar, Druaga, Girru, Ishtar, Marduk, Nergal, and Ramman)The high priest of this religion is often the king of the country.  Clerics remain aloof from the people they serve and work to further the state politically as well as spiritually.    The priests collect tremendous amounts of money for the high priest, temple and the country.  Major ceremonies are held during new moons and that is the time that people must tithe.  The priest-king typically goes forth to quest with other clerics to bring back riches to further the sect.Requirements:  Clerics must uphold the laws of the religion and breaking even minor ones requires sacrificing of the clerics own animals and goods (mainly gold and jewels), as well as fasting, prayers, and meditation.  Clerics, as they are not allowed to directly communicate creatures opposed to their religious beliefs and are punished by loss of all spells if they do so.  Quests are used to prove worthiness and to regain favor.Traditional attire is a kilts and silk robes of red with cuniform writing on the hem.Bel, God of Thieves God of thieves; similar to Olidammara.  Mostly worshipped in Zamora and ShemZath, Spider God of Zamora As Lolth (Spider god of Zamora);  The most famous of the Zamoran divinities is Zath, the spider-god of Yezud. Zath's worshippers believe that the great spider-god walks the earth, and must be served by humankind. Indeed, the giant spiders which have occasionally been seen in the hills near Yezud are testaments to Zath's power.  Priests of Zath do not drink alcohol or fornicate, and those laymen in the service of the temple must also abide by these strictures. Even more guarded are the temple virgins, who dance for the spider-god on holy days. There are rumors of extensive caverns beneath the temple, where hundreds of giant spiders reside, fed cattle (and occasionally humans) by the priests of Zath. The cattle come from enforced tithes demanded from the steadings which surround Yezud; it is said that the priests would loose these spiders on the countryside if the king did not permit them their grisly worship.Hanuman, Ape God of ZamboulaOne "civilized" animal cult is that of Hanuman the ape-god, worshipped in Zamboula. Hanuman's priests are feared rather than loved, but worship of the ape-god is still supreme in Zamboula. One unusual ritual of the cult is the Dance of the Cobras, in which a young girl is made to dance between four live cobras, dodging their venomous fangs until, inevitably, she tires and falls to her death. OTHER MAJOR GODS OF THE REGIONBori, Elder Hyperborean GodNot much is known of this ancient Hyborian-Hyperborean deity except that it may be associated with necromancy.  He is head of a debased version of the Finnish pantheon.Jhebbal Sag, Chief Beast of PictlandThe most commonly worshipped Pictish deity is Jhebbal Sag, Master of Beasts. According to Pictish legend, all animals, including man, once worshipped Jhebbal Sag. Now, most have forgotten, and only the largest, smartest and strongest animals remember the earliest days. Those who remember are bound together, however, and can be controlled by one who serves Jhebbal Sag. Jhebbal Sag is the leader of the Animal Gods and all of the other animal totems serve him.  Other gods include Jhil (Raven), Gullah (apes), etc. YogDemon of the elder night.  Foe of Targol.  His cult dates back to the Khari invaders.Asura and the Vendhyan PantheonAsura is the Vendyhan equivalent of Mitra and is head of the Indian Pantheon that includes Yajur, the strangler god of Yota Pong.Old Kothian Pantheon  Ba’al, the old Kothian storm godZandru of the 9 hells (Jordan’s Conan)</blockquote>

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