Create Pantheon for Homebrew DND Setting

With this the only thing that’s left if copy editing, but I won’t be publishing the corrections. Thank you to all who followed this progress, I hope that if you’ve been keeping up the project entertained you as much as it did me.

Death Gods

The gods of death are respected, but are not often worshipped in cities. Many cities outright ban the worship of any death gods, and cults form in the shadows and cause ruin.

Overarching Domain: Death

Ego the Oathwatcher

Symbol: A bloody quill.

Patrons: All those bound by oaths.

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Domain: Order, Trickery, Grave.

“I am only enforcing the oath that you swore to uphold, right and wrong are of no concern.”

No one is quite sure of the Oathwatcher’s origins, not even the gods themselves. When an oath is sworn on any plane, it is Ego’s power that binds them. The fundamental tenant of Egolan belief is that all things must die, and that nothing is truly free. Curiously, intelligent demons who were willing to speak to scholars have claimed that they are as loyal to the god as they are to any Lord of Hell. Considering demons lie as easily as they breathe it is hard to believe this or any claim that they make, but demons can be bound by Ego’s power as easily as any other creature.

Ego is the lord of all death, even the death of gods. He has prophesized that all gods will break the fundamental oaths of their power, and that when they do Ego himself will end all life. While ego has many legitimate churches, there are many powerful cults that focus on his aspect as a doomsday god. They believe that entropy is the natural law of life, and that fighting against it is the only thing that is unnatural. These splinter groups may not have affected the official doctrine of the Egolan church, but they have affected its reputation.

Delear the Fallen

Symbol: A rusty spearhead.

Patrons: Kings, Generals, Soldiers

Alignment: Chaotic Evil.

Domain: War, Knowledge, Life, Trickery.

“Prayers? You would waste a god’s time with prayers? The only way to show devotion to Delear is blood.”

Early iterations of Delear indicate that he was a god of duels and contests in the past. When the gods waged their war to rule this world in the First War, Delear was their champion. As contests evolved and territories expanded, rulers of all kinds were no longer willing to risk their fortunes on single combatant contests and they began to waste as many lives as was necessary for land and treasure. This began the god’s slow descent into corruption, the power of blood and prayers strengthened Delear as he bore a burden he never asked for, and changed him for worse.

The powerful last prayers of dying soldiers, combined with blood and unimaginable magic power thrown around in the Archmage War awakened dark power in the god that he could not resist. Delear himself took the field in many battles during that time, and brought with him a powerful bloodlust that tainted the souls of any near him. Kala dueled Delear and banished his true form to the Infernal Planes, where his presence would do the least amount of harm, as the forces of Hell have always been locked in eternal conflict. While Delear’s presence can occasionally escape its prison and unleash his unquenchable bloodlust again, but it can never do so for long. Some fear that the corrupted god is only waiting for a war worthy of his attention.

Kelnor the Undying

Symbol: A rune carved skull with antlers.

Patrons: Necromancers, the Undead, Scholars of the Forbidden

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Domain: Grave, Knowledge, Arcana.

“The word of Kelnor is death.”

In ancient Godspire, long before it was a barren desert there lived a man by the name of Kelnor. While he was a mage of some skill, his true gifts were dedication and patience. He traveled the world learning the magics of any culture that would teach him, and exchanging magical secrets. He would fall in love, with a woman named Marna, she died with their child. Kelnor could not accept this, and became mad with grief. He dedicated himself to the practice of magic and sought to kill Ego himself, and free mortals from death. What he would find was not eternal life, but a cruel mockery of it. He would raise Marna and their child Markel from the dead, and in the process create the first true Vampires.

He dedicated this new school of magic to Orme, and offered a trade, a spell book for a spell book. Orme, an avaricious seeker of knowledge himself, valued new knowledge more than anything else, and greedily accepted the deal. When the god learned the full extent of what Kelnor had created he decreed that the man must die, and that his abominations be wiped off the face of the earth. Each of the gods sent armies of their own children to face the first Necromancer with their parents blessing. Not a single one of them survived, and with their blood as an ingredient, and Orme’s spell book to guide him, Kelnor the man would become Kelnor the god.

Mortal Gods

Mortal gods rule the settled lands, and are commonly worshiped in cities or expedition colonies in the wilds. All major cities have a church where these gods can be worshiped. Overarching Domain: Light.

Palsidae the Merchant Symbol: A pierced coin. Patrons: Merchants, Bankers, Cities. Alignment: True Neutral. Domain: Peace, Order, Avarice.

“Swords, cannons? We would never use such useless tools, not when the coin kills twice as much and in half the time.”

Palsidae came into existence when the first humanoid traded a bite of food for a shiny rock, and she has been guiding humanity’s growth ever since. Palsidae blesses trade routes and city trade posts, there is not a road in Ofoth that does not have a shrine to Palsidae in the form of either fine stone statues, or a stacked pile of rocks at a crossroads. As a token of thanks to Palsidae, traders are expected to toss a coin or shiny rock onto the pile to remember their protector. Palsidae’s second epithet is the Peace Keeper, as civilization has grown around trade, cities have risen on popular trading paths. Palsidae protects wealthy merchants, traders, and the kings that protect them when she cannot personally intervene.

While Palsidae plays the role of often plays the role of protector she is not always benevolent. Coin often shows the full nature of one’s heart and the same is true even in the gods. Some clerics of the Palisdaen Church worship another epithet of the goddess, Palsidae the Avaricious, a crueler aspect of a benevolent goddess that they use to justify their enrichment at the cost of others. For these clerics the harm of others is simply the cost of doing business, and while the Palsidaen Church officially condemns these clerics in their ranks, it is rare for any sort of punishment to actually occur.

Nebul the Hearthkeeper Symbol: A tiny whisk. Patrons: Chefs, Homemakers, Craftsmen, Doctors. Alignment: Neutral Good. Domain: Life, Forge, Nature.

“I’ve seen the gods in many ways, I’ve seen Delear in the eyes of dying men on the battlefield; I’ve seen Kala’s sneer when a guilty man lies; but Nebul I am fond of. I see Nebul in the laugh of every child who learns something new, and the smile of friends warmed by a good meal. Aye, now that’s a god worthy of worship.”

Every culture has its own versions of the gods, and each of them can vary greatly, with the exception of Nebul. In every culture, Nebul appears as a happy Halfling with a bag of herbs and spices on his belt. Many refer to him as the god of good things, and simple living. There are many fairy tales telling stories of him traveling the land in search of a good meal, and if he leaves happy and full, he will bless the house or restaurant that satisfied him for the rest of their lives. Whether this is true or not, Halflings around the world are happy for the free meals when they enter a town as strangers.

Nebul’s worship focuses on all healing, and in the same way a good meal feeds the soul and the body, it is the responsibility of Nebul’s faithful to heal them. While there are many stories in which Nebul gave the first healing herbs to man, the most widely believed is the Halfling version of the tale, in which one of the god’s faithful had a cookie recipe that she would not share with a soul. The god kept her alive for as long as he could, and taught many in the village the same to keep her well when she was away. When the god could do no more, she offered a trade, the recipe for other cures to other ailments.

Kala the Raven Justicar Symbol: A raven feather Patrons: Paladins, Judges, Law Enforcement Alignment: Lawful Good Domain: Twilight, Life, Grave.

“There’s another one! Can’t you see them? They’re watching me, they mock me with every caw! What are they waiting for? What do they want?”

When the first mortal was wronged, and the need for justice was invented the goddess Kala was there to settle the score. She took the light from the Sun and the Moon and forged her sword and shield Dawn and Dusk. She plucked stars from the sky and created a flock, and from the darkness left behind she created prisons. To Ego, she swore a binding oath, to bring comfort to those who need it, and justice to those who deserve it, and she became the first Paladin.

The Order of Ravens guard their secrets jealously. Kala’s clerics are either raised by the order from a young age, or are chosen to act as avatars of justice by the goddess herself. Temples of Kala are considered safe places for any that seek sanctuary. Kala’s temples have protective magics woven into the bricks and can survive an assault from any magical force that seeks to do harm to those inside. For non-magical threats there are the clerics themselves, capably trained warriors who can do as much harm as they can heal.

Raven Justicars are Kala’s most dangerous force, being granted gifts, purpose, and direct orders by the goddess herself. The surest sign that a Justicar has someone in their sights is Kala’s curse, first one raven will appear, then ten more, and soon a flock will follow and watch wherever they go. Few have ever been tracked by a Justicar and lived to tell the tale, and those that did ran until their dying days. There are few foes that can defeat a Justicar, but those that do receive the direct attention of the goddess herself.

Sorry for the late update, but for those of you following the project, I hope this lore dump about the wild gods will be enough to forgive me.

Wild Gods Wild gods rule the great unknowns, the forests, the seas, the storms. Those who wish to live in concert with the natural forces of the world often worship the gods of the wild. Overarching Domain: Nature.

Brilla the Hungering Beast

Symbol: A wolf fang necklace carved with runes.

Patrons: Mothers, Hunters, Lycanthropes.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.

Domains: Trickery, Grave, Life.

“Brilla, I will give you my life and serve you dutifully. All I ask in return, is that you stay away from her.”

Legends say the Brilla stalks the wilds of Ofoth looking for unsuspecting travelers to feed to her cubs. Many mothers proclaim devotion to Brilla because they admire the ferocity with which she protects her children. A common Ofothian fairy tale warns children not to travel too far into the woods, as children who stray too far from home and are caught by Brilla are transformed into cubs. Like with all fairy tales there is an element of truth to this.

While Brilla is not above hunting those lost in the woods, her ultimate target is the Undying Kelnor, the father of Necromancy. When Kelnor ascended to godhood, his punishment for inventing Necromancy was to be hunted and killed by the goddess until the end of days. Kelnor awakes in the Spring, sprints in the summer, tires in the Fall, and is struck down in Winter. Many Lycanthropes that worship Brilla hunt undead in the goddess’ honor.

Orme the Tempest

Symbol: A storm in a bottle.

Patrons: Aeronauts, Smiths, Scholars, Craftsmen.

Alignment: Chaotic Good.

Domain: Tempest, Forge, Arcana.

“You think to use the storms the way most men would use a hammer, and that is why you’ll never control it. Once you realize its true nature, I fear you will abandon the arcane entirely.”

Orme is considered to be the first of all mages. When the gods come into being they do so with a sense of purpose and a knowledge of who they are supposed to be, Orme on the other hand had to discover his place in the universe. Orme reached into the primal forces of the universe with a belief that doing so would result in the answers he needed. This was the first spell, and it resulted in the discovery of all but one of the schools we recognize today.

The invention of Necromancy shook the heavens in many ways, for Orme, it was the opening of a previously unknown world. Even mortals could invent new schools of magic, schools previously unknown to the gods themselves. Humbled by this revelation, Orme wondered what else he did not know about the Arcane. Working tirelessly, the god crafted weapons and spells to test his abilities with no regard for potential consequences, and encouraged his followers to follow in his footsteps. The Archmage War would have consequences so vast as to be incalculable to this day. When the god Delear fell into madness from this war, Orme swore an oath exiling himself from the Celestial Plane in penitence. When lightning strikes in a tempest some swear that they can see the god, trying to forge magic powerful to undo the harm he has caused.

Uremes the Sea

Symbol: A gilded sand dollar.

Patrons: Sailors, Triton, Traders.

Alignment: Chaotic Evil.

Domain: Order, Knowledge, War.

“Sorry friend, Palsidae only protects travelers of the land. If you didn’t want to run to us, you should have prayed to Uremes.”

Despite vast power, and an even vaster domain the sea god, Uremes sees very little worship on the surface world outside of sailors and coastal inhabitants. The cities that do worship him however, often treat him as the center of the pantheon. Some Triton cults in cities under the ocean worship Uremes as their only god. This cult’s ultimate goal is for life to return from whence it came, beneath the tides. While many dismiss them as cranks, more fear their goals.

Uremes is the oldest god that we know of, when the world was created Uremes was created with it. Many sea gods divided the oceans in the days of old, Uremes declared war on them all until he emerged the only god of the sea. Many of these ancient primal gods serve Uremes, but many more are imprisoned by him. Ancient Kraken, Primal Elementals, and even Outsiders from beyond the stars, are trapped in the oldest dungeons at the very bottom of the sea with Uremes acting as their warden, and none have ever escaped his prison.

A combination of factors including work, sickness, and Halloween led me to not making much progress this week. Luckily most of the work on week 2 was already done, and we can move the goal post to having the first draft of lore for all of the gods done by next week.

My week 1 and 2 goals may have been a little under ambitious, I had a little bit of time this week and have what I feel are a good contender for the 9 main gods of the setting. There’s a chance that I feel something is missing from this, but if that happens all that’s left is lore and editing so we have plenty of time to do so. That being said I want to be cautious to make sure I’m not overfilling the pantheon just to increase the quantity when my focus is quality. Here are the gods of my setting.

Wild Gods

Wild gods rule the great unknowns, the forests, the seas, the storms. Those who wish to live in concert with the natural forces of the world often worship the gods of the wild.

Overarching Domain: Nature.

Brilla the Hungering Beast

Symbol: A wolf fang necklace carved with runes.

Patrons: Mothers, Hunters, Lycanthropes.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.

Domains: Trickery, Grave, Life.

Orme the Tempest

Symbol: A storm in a bottle.

Patrons: Aeronauts, Smiths, Scholars, Craftsmen.

Alignment: Chaotic Good.

Domain: Tempest, Forge, Arcana.

Uremes the Sea Symbol: A gilded sand dollar. Patrons: Sailors, Triton, Traders. Alignment: Chaotic Evil. Domain: Order, Knowledge, War.

Mortal Gods

Mortal gods rule the settled lands, and are commonly worshiped in cities or expedition colonies in the wilds. All major cities have a church where these gods can be worshiped.

Overarching Domain: Light.

Palsidae the Merchant

Symbol: A pierced coin.

Patrons: Merchants, Bankers, Cities.

Alignment: True Neutral.

Domain: Peace, Order, Avarice.

Nebul the Hearthkeeper

Symbol: A tiny whisk.

Patrons: Chefs, Homemakers, Craftsmen, Doctors.

Alignment: Neutral Good.

Domain: Life, Forge, Nature.

Kala the Raven Justicar

Symbol: A raven feather

Patrons: Paladins, Judges, Law Enforcement

Alignment: Lawful Good

Domain: Twilight, Life, Grave.

Death Gods The gods of death are respected, but are not often worshipped in cities. Many cities outright ban the worship of any death gods, and cults form in the shadows and cause ruin.

Overarching Domain: Death

Ego the Oathwatcher

Symbol: A bloody quill.

Patrons: All those bound by oaths.

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Domain: Order, Trickery, Grave.

Delear the Fallen

Symbol: A rusty spearhead.

Patrons: Kings, Generals, Soldiers.

Alignment: Chaotic Evil.

Domain: War, Knowledge, Life, Trickery.

Kelnor the Undying

Symbol: A rune carved skull.

Patrons: Necromancers, the Undead, Scholars of the Forbidden

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Domain: Grave, Knowledge, Arcana.

We’re starting strong with 9 gods and 3 groups of them. We’ve got Wild Gods, Mortal Gods, and Devil Gods (name likely to change). Groups should have an Overarching Domain, something they’re all representative of. Wild will be the Nature domain, Mortal will be Life, and Devil will be Death.