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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Baron Opal II" data-source="post: 8735665" data-attributes="member: 6794067">How Many?23 + A bitThe "Twelve and Twenty"; there are twelve Patrons, twenty Powers, and a host of other beings that could claim some divinity.Gender?Umm... interesting question! Hadn't put too much thought there.About half are Male / Female. A third are Masculine / Feminine, and could have been depicted as the opposite gender in the past or depicted as one sex but fulfilling a different gender role. A handful either change or don't have a sex or gender.Belief?That there are powers greater than mortals is unquestioned. Faith isn't about whether or not you believe these entities are real. It is about trust and conviction. Do you trust that these beings will help you if you give them proper respect? Do you have the conviction that you are following the rules they laid down? Does the heretical priest in the next nation over have a better insight into the Patron's will? Or, do you not want their help and just go your own way, leaving the fate of your soul to be reincarnated without aid?Do You Have a Choice?Yes. Don't really want to deal with that, unless, for some reason, you decide to join with Team Evil. Then there can be some social blowback.Divine Right?Sure! There are demigods about. For some it's just a qualification for rulership than anything else. I mean, being the 12th great grandson of Horus is cool and all, but you don't really get anything else out of it.Manifestations?The Patrons? No. From myth they are bound to creation. A powerful storm bringing hail to flatten crops is Lady Kirigal manifest, and a pleasant evening in a glade next to a brook with fireflies flitting about is a gift from Lord Brisingr as you woo your special interest. That's about a clearly as they manifest these days. The Powers? Unlikely but possible. They have a bit more freedom in what they can do. The lesser beings? They can mostly tromp about as they wish, but in doing so they take the risk of being killed / banished / most uncomfortably inconvenienced.Fear or Love?Yes. A plethora of emotions is experienced when encountering the numinous.The Old Gods?In times of myth, there were other entities that created, procreated, married, separated, warred, loved, killed, and died. These days, not so much. There are other powers beyond the Twelve and Twenty, but they are broken, lost, indifferent, or sealed away. Some power could be salvaged from them, perhaps.The Patrons are bound to Creation- they cannot die even if wholly forgotten. The Powers would diminish, but they too would linger on as patterns in the stars or why the sky turns green right before a tornado touches down. The lesser powers actually need some worship to survive as numinous beings, otherwise are simply immortal rather than eternal. They could be slain by violence, and then they would walk the Long Road as any other being.Worship is primarily pleasing for them; everyone likes a hug, flowers, or invited to MMA ringside seats.What Are They Really?Numinous beings that are shards of Creation; most with some care and affection for the mortal races.Clerics or Warlocks?The Twelve Patrons? Clerics, usually as part of a religion that venerates a selection of them. The Green Temple of the Septeon worships a pantheon of the Spring Mother, Summer Adventurer, Autumn Crone, Winter Sage, Eternal Sentry, Eldest Dancer, Shackled General. A player would be a cleric of the Green Temple, and may later specialize in one of the Patrons they have a particular affinity for.The Twenty Powers? Could be either- it would depend on how devout the character is. If they just want a business deal for power, then they're warlocks.The Lesser Powers? Demons locked within the Iron Sun? Warlocks, only option. They don't have the available power for clerical investiture.</blockquote>

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