Pantheons of the Two Empires

vitruvian · 01-17-2012, 09:15 PM

Okay, this is a quick writeup of the major gods of the pantheons of two rival empires/religions in a DF or similar campaign. Each god gets defined by title or type of god from DF: Clerics, the Elements from DF: Allies emblematic of the god and any divine servitors, and maybe a little additional description - that's it. I'm not making up proper names for them at this stage, although those would likely be needed for proper use in a campaign.

See if you can spot the inspiration for each pantheon - which will also let you know exactly what kind of prize you get for guessing right.

Church of Divinity

All of the gods listed here qualify as Good-aligned, and a cleric may honor them all equally and receive the standard spell list from Power Investiture. However, each one has up additional Elements which help define the nature of the god and any servitors.

God of the Sky (Sun God)
Elements: Light, Air, Peace
The god of the sky is perhaps the preeminent deity, although that might be disputed by the cults of the two other members of the Triumvirate. While he is mostly associated with the daylit sky and the Sun, he is not inactive at night, but frequently associates with his darker counterpart.

God of Night
Elements: Darkness, Fear, Order, Wisdom
Far from being an evil counterpart to the God of the Sky, the God of Night is equally devoted to the protection of mortals. He is fearful only to monsters and evildoers, if somewhat forbidding in aspect to all.

Goddess of Love and War (combine aspects of Love and War spell lists)
Elements: Beauty, Peace, War
The Goddess has a paradoxical nature, a warrior for peace and love. She combines the features of a love goddess and a protective war goddess such as Athena. Far from espousing the view that 'all's fair in love and war', she is also concerned with concepts such as law, justice, and truth.

These first three are sometimes considered to comprise the Triumvirate of preeminent deities.

Sea God
Elements: Nature, Water
The sea god of this pantheon is worshipped almost exclusively by mariners and fishermen, yet more forgiving and protective than many such deities.

God of Youth (no special portfolio)
Elements: Beauty, Life, Light
This brightly shining demigod or deified mortal, strangely, is the protege of the God of Night rather than either the Sky God or the Goddess.

God of the Wind (God of Messengers)
Elements: Air, Travel, Deception or Wisdom
Sometimes also considered the god of lightning, this god's aspect is nevertheless all about swift travel from the heavens to the mortal realm and all about the world, not being a full-fledged storm god. Some aspects of this god have been more about being a rogue and trickster, others about knowledge of the wide world.

God of the Forge (Artificer God)
Elements: Fire, Light, Order
The god of the forge is also the god of fire, the light that it brings, the hearth, and civilization. At his most basic, he is the fire that wards off evil in the dark; at his most advanced, the god of metallurgy and technology.

God of the Hunt
Elements: Deception, Earth, Wisdom
The original god of the hunt is notorious for taking on many forms and understanding his prey, whatever it may be. His cult, while still extant, is not very prominent any longer, nor are his myths and legends often related.

Archer God (specialized spell list similar to Hunt and War; Holy Powers include Imbuements)
Elements: War (archery)
The archer god started off as a secondary god of the hunt, and developed into a warrior god as well as archers became the mainstay of the civilized world's armies.

God of Birds (War God)
Elements: Air, Nature, War
The Lord of the Winged Host is a mighty warrior in his own right, as well as bringing the massed armies of the air into the service of Heaven.

Goddess of Music and Dance (special portfolio, may grant Bard-Song or Chi Mastery instead of Power Investiture)
Elements: Special

vitruvian · 01-17-2012, 09:43 PM

The newcomers' (in relative terms) pantheon, which is in competition if not outright war with preceding one, is likewise generally Good-aligned, if somewhat more prone to containing rogue deities and internecine strife between the cults of the individual gods as they strive for prominence.

National God (like City God, but far less localized - can have Sanctity wherever worship of this pantheon or occupation by elements of the culture have spread)
Elements: Order, Peace, War
The national hero-god of the pantheon is an honorable and primarily defensive warrior of unimpeachable morals (of course, self-defense has been used to justify many a war of conquest).

Storm God
Elements: Good, Air, War
The storm god of the pantheon is of the protective sort that promotes fertility and mainly turns his wrath on monsters and other threats to his people.

Artificer God
Elements: Order, Wisdom, War
This is the armorer of the gods, and also sometimes their war leader (his cult and that of the National God have clashed in recent memory)

Berserker God (God of Frenzy)
Elements: Nature, War, Special
This is the patron god of berserkers.

Spider God (God of Messengers and Rogues)
Elements: Deception, Good, Wisdom
The bridge between the gods and humanity is often a spider web in this pantheon.

This pantheon has an Archer God and a God of the Wind so similar to those listed for the other one, that they are often syncretized and supposed to be the same deities under different names. The Sea God of this pantheon is often seen as less well disposed towards humanity, however.

01-17-2012, 09:15 PM	#1
vitruvian Join Date: Aug 2004	Pantheons of the Two Empires Okay, this is a quick writeup of the major gods of the pantheons of two rival empires/religions in a DF or similar campaign. Each god gets defined by title or type of god from DF: Clerics, the Elements from DF: Allies emblematic of the god and any divine servitors, and maybe a little additional description - that's it. I'm not making up proper names for them at this stage, although those would likely be needed for proper use in a campaign. See if you can spot the inspiration for each pantheon - which will also let you know exactly what kind of prize you get for guessing right. Church of Divinity All of the gods listed here qualify as Good-aligned, and a cleric may honor them all equally and receive the standard spell list from Power Investiture. However, each one has up additional Elements which help define the nature of the god and any servitors. God of the Sky (Sun God) Elements: Light, Air, Peace The god of the sky is perhaps the preeminent deity, although that might be disputed by the cults of the two other members of the Triumvirate. While he is mostly associated with the daylit sky and the Sun, he is not inactive at night, but frequently associates with his darker counterpart. God of Night Elements: Darkness, Fear, Order, Wisdom Far from being an evil counterpart to the God of the Sky, the God of Night is equally devoted to the protection of mortals. He is fearful only to monsters and evildoers, if somewhat forbidding in aspect to all. Goddess of Love and War (combine aspects of Love and War spell lists) Elements: Beauty, Peace, War The Goddess has a paradoxical nature, a warrior for peace and love. She combines the features of a love goddess and a protective war goddess such as Athena. Far from espousing the view that 'all's fair in love and war', she is also concerned with concepts such as law, justice, and truth. These first three are sometimes considered to comprise the Triumvirate of preeminent deities. Sea God Elements: Nature, Water The sea god of this pantheon is worshipped almost exclusively by mariners and fishermen, yet more forgiving and protective than many such deities. God of Youth (no special portfolio) Elements: Beauty, Life, Light This brightly shining demigod or deified mortal, strangely, is the protege of the God of Night rather than either the Sky God or the Goddess. God of the Wind (God of Messengers) Elements: Air, Travel, Deception or Wisdom Sometimes also considered the god of lightning, this god's aspect is nevertheless all about swift travel from the heavens to the mortal realm and all about the world, not being a full-fledged storm god. Some aspects of this god have been more about being a rogue and trickster, others about knowledge of the wide world. God of the Forge (Artificer God) Elements: Fire, Light, Order The god of the forge is also the god of fire, the light that it brings, the hearth, and civilization. At his most basic, he is the fire that wards off evil in the dark; at his most advanced, the god of metallurgy and technology. God of the Hunt Elements: Deception, Earth, Wisdom The original god of the hunt is notorious for taking on many forms and understanding his prey, whatever it may be. His cult, while still extant, is not very prominent any longer, nor are his myths and legends often related. Archer God (specialized spell list similar to Hunt and War; Holy Powers include Imbuements) Elements: War (archery) The archer god started off as a secondary god of the hunt, and developed into a warrior god as well as archers became the mainstay of the civilized world's armies. God of Birds (War God) Elements: Air, Nature, War The Lord of the Winged Host is a mighty warrior in his own right, as well as bringing the massed armies of the air into the service of Heaven. Goddess of Music and Dance (special portfolio, may grant Bard-Song or Chi Mastery instead of Power Investiture) Elements: Special

01-17-2012, 09:43 PM	#2
vitruvian Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: Pantheons of the Two Empires The newcomers' (in relative terms) pantheon, which is in competition if not outright war with preceding one, is likewise generally Good-aligned, if somewhat more prone to containing rogue deities and internecine strife between the cults of the individual gods as they strive for prominence. National God (like City God, but far less localized - can have Sanctity wherever worship of this pantheon or occupation by elements of the culture have spread) Elements: Order, Peace, War The national hero-god of the pantheon is an honorable and primarily defensive warrior of unimpeachable morals (of course, self-defense has been used to justify many a war of conquest). Storm God Elements: Good, Air, War The storm god of the pantheon is of the protective sort that promotes fertility and mainly turns his wrath on monsters and other threats to his people. Artificer God Elements: Order, Wisdom, War This is the armorer of the gods, and also sometimes their war leader (his cult and that of the National God have clashed in recent memory) Berserker God (God of Frenzy) Elements: Nature, War, Special This is the patron god of berserkers. Spider God (God of Messengers and Rogues) Elements: Deception, Good, Wisdom The bridge between the gods and humanity is often a spider web in this pantheon. This pantheon has an Archer God and a God of the Wind so similar to those listed for the other one, that they are often syncretized and supposed to be the same deities under different names. The Sea God of this pantheon is often seen as less well disposed towards humanity, however.