Note: This list is incomplete.
Alabaster
Other Languages: Bashtar (Fharese); Habastar (Khazidean)
Nicknames: “All-Father,” “The God Supreme”
Appearance: Alabaster is commonly embodied as a wise old man holding a spear.
Symbol: A crown.
Favored Animal: A lion.
Lore: According to human legend, Alabaster is the god through whom all others were created. Because of this, he is often called the king of the gods or the father of the gods. He is the god of kingship, leadership, and courage.
Amara
Other Languages: Nariya (Gallian)
Lore: Amara is the goddess of platonic love. Once, she was also the “virgin queen of war” and depicted as a battle maiden, but lately her loving aspect is emphasized. She is called the Mother by her followers.
Priestesses: In the Empire, the priestesses of Amara shave their heads as a sign of their devotion. They are notable for their azure-colored priestly robes and shepherd’s crook staffs. They are sworn to nonviolence.
Temples:Temples can be found throughout the Empire. The religious city of Amaroth houses the Grand Mother Temple where the Revered Sister (the highest-ranking priestess) resides.
Servants: The priesthood of Amara states that the goddess is attended by ten heavenly beings, the three Graces and the seven Mercies. They are depicted as angelic girls with wings. The Graces are depicted with crowns on their heads. The names of the Graces are Amagora (brotherly/sisterly love), Amhonora (friendly love) and Ammatera (motherly love). The seven Mercies are named Justice, Kindness, Patience, Tenderness, Innocence, Compassion, and Peace.
Animon
Appearance: Often depicted as a muscular man with giant eagle’s wings and an eagle’s head.
Lore:A god of wind, favored by the augurs of the Empire. His sister is Celera.
Athra
Nicknames: “The Fire Lord,” “Athra Mighty-in-Battle”
Appearance: Often depicted as a bearded man with glowing eyes, and the lower half of his body made up of whirling fire.
Lore: A god of fire, primarily worshiped in Fharas. He is especially revered by the magi, a group of fire wizards, who also compose his priesthood. He is the state god of Fharas, and his seat of worship is at the Fire Temple in the south of Gor Ilán (High Plain).
Atman
Appearance: Atman is often depicted as androgynous. Being primarily worshiped in Khazidea, he is most often depicted with the darker features of the populace there.
Favored animal:Ibex buck.
Lore:A god of fertility, the counterpart (and according to Khazidees, the consort) of Issa. He is a mysterious god to northerners, whom the barbarous (in their minds) Khazidees accord with great reverence. He has been worshipped in the Khazidean region since before the Empire was founded, during Khazidea‘s first golden age in the years before the Dark Age.
Priests: The so-called “Godlings” of Qabash in Khazidea are the highest ranked of his priesthood. They are all eunuchs. Though a strange sight to northerners, the “Godlings” are considered set apart and holy, and undertake Atman’s rituals with care. No one is allowed to bring harm to a Godling at penalty of death. Though many in the Empire consider their presence offensive, they are largely tolerated by the emperors.
Arephon
See Brontor.
Bal Zaar
Other Languages: Balzor (Imperial) Belzaros (Eloesian)
Nicknames: “Lord Bal Zaar of the Crypt,” “Deathmonger,” “Bal Zaar the Fleshy Eye,” “the Gravedigger”
Appearance:Bal Zaar is commonly embodied as a pasty, sickly man in a black hood.
Symbol:An outstretched white hand.
Lore:Bal Zaar is the god of death, decay, and murderers. To be “taken by Zaar” or be “Zaar-taken” is to die.
Priests: Few would openly admit being a priest of Bal Zaar. Indeed, doing so would mark one for death in most civilized kingdoms. Priests are believed to don crimson robes during their rituals and engage in human sacrifice.
Temples:The priests of Bal Zaar have no official temples, but instead meet secretly in secluded places.
Brecko
Nicknames:“Lord of the Satyrs”
Appearance: Brecko is commonly embodied as a plump man in a panther-skin shirt with a bottle of wine in his hands.
Symbol: A goblet of wine.
Favored animal: The black panther.
Lore: Brecko is the god of pleasure, frolic, wine, and the imagination.
Worshipers: The cult of Brecko is mostly concentrated in Eloesus. The “religious” services are wine-fueled debauches.
Temples: A shrine can be found in Arkadion in Themuria. Temples to Brecko, however, are rare.
Bregedo
Other Languages: Bregeto (Imperial, Eloesian)
Nicknames: “The Golden God”
Appearance: Bregedo is commonly embodied as a fat man slumping on a pile of gold.
Symbol: A coin.
Favored animal: The squirrel.
Lore: Bregedo is the god of money, and of the metals silver and gold.
Priests: The priests of Bregedo are few and far between, as worshiping the god of money is not very highly respected.
Temples: Temples to Bregedo are as uncommon as his priests. However, many shrines are erected in his honor to ensure a prosperous civic economy. Temples, however, do exist. One large temple can be found at the city of Bregantium (a city named after the god himself).
Brontor
Other Languages: Arephon (Eloesian) Fulminor (Imperial) Folmond (Zarube)
Nicknames: “Rider of the Storm”
Appearance:Brontor is commonly pictured as a muscular old man wielding a lightning spear.
Symbol: Lightning.
Lore: Brontor is the god of storms, lightning, and thunder. He is favored by the hierophants (a magical/priestly order of Eloesus). He has also found a following among lightning wizards (astropomancers) in the north.
Temples:A temple to Brontor (Arephon) can be found in the Eloesian city of Korthos.
Cadelara
See Maribel.
Celera
Appearance: Often depicted as a lean but tall, dark-featured woman with the white wings of a swan.
Lore:A goddess of wind, favored by the augurs of the Empire. The sister of Animon.
Eliane
See Maribel.
Feanara
Other Languages: Seladora (Imperial, Eloesian)
Nicknames: “The Green Lady,” “the Summer Queen”
Appearance: Feanara is commonly embodied as a breathtakingly beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes. She wears very little or nothing at all.
Symbol: A red rose.
Favored animal:A doe, or a unicorn.
Lore: Feanara is the goddess of nature and the fey.
Priests:Priests of Feanara are always female. They are selected to be priestesses as young girls, and are required to remain virgins until age 33, when they may choose to marry a knight or a man of nobility. If a priestess of Feanara breaks her vow of chastity early or marries a man of low caste, she is excommunicated and banned from entering the temples.
Temples: Churches to Feanara are very common in Zarubain and very rare elsewhere. Places of worship range from elaborate cathedrals to sacred groves in the forest. The high priestess of Feanara rules her flock from the Lady’s Cathedral in Zarubad.
Holidays: The Feast of the Maiden is celebrated on the spring equinox. Churches and homes are decorated with green and pink streamers. New clothes and “maiden bonnets” decorated with flowers are worn by women. The feast lasts seven days. This holiday is the most popular besides Yule in Zarubain. The Feast of the Lady, celebrated on the summer solstice, is a one-day affair. Red and gold streamers are hung along parish churches. Peasants light giant bonfires throughout the countryside to usher in the summer. The Feast of the Crone is not widely celebrated, though it has a prominent place on the church calendar. Celebrated on the autumn equinox, this holiday celebrates the Goddess —old and wizened — preparing to die before her rebirth as a maiden in the spring. That night, in Zarubad’s Lady’s Cathedral, bells are rung on behalf of the departed.
Herne
Other Languages: Kernunnos (Imperial, Eloesian)
Nicknames: “The Green Man,” “the Green Lord,” “Woad Warrior”
Appearance: Herne is commonly embodied as a hefty man with a curly green beard and blue skin.
Symbol: A tangled vine.
Favored animal: A stag.
Lore: Herne is the god of plants and vegetation.
Priests: Priests of Herne can be found throughout the wilds. They wander through the wilderness, trying to become one with nature. However, the Green Man’s priests can be roused to battle when their sacred groves are threatened, and make fierce and furious fighters when they are. In colder climates they wear animal skins as a sign of devotion; in the warmer climes of the south, they often wear little or wander in the nude. Almost all his priests are vegetarian, forswearing meat.
Temples: Priests of Herne resent cities and congregate in sacred groves in the wilderness. Cities are viewed as evil and an aberration to nature.
Heron
Other Languages: Hieronus (Imperial); Hieronomos (Eloesian)
Nicknames: “The Crusader,” “the Just God”
Appearance: Heron is commonly embodied as a brown hawk who perches on Alabaster’s right shoulder. He is also seen as the Noble Hound, a guard dog who watches over heaven.
Symbol: The hammer of justice.
Favored animal: The hound.
Lore: Heron is the god of justice and just war.
Priests: The priests of Heron are many, and most learn the art of fighting in addition to their religious studies. The warrior-priests of Heron often accompany soldiers when the Pontifex deems a war to be just. Generally, no bladed weapons are wielded, as they are forbidden to purposefully shed blood.
Temples: Temples to Heron can be found all throughout the Western Kingdoms. The main temple where the Pontifex resides, the Magisterium, is located in the major Imperial city of Sanctum. In many cities, especially in the Northern World, statues of hounds are built to invite his protection.
Imperium
Nicknames: “The Spirit of Empire”
Appearance: Imperium is pictured as the symbol of the Imperial state, the war eagle.
Symbol: The Imperial war eagle.
Lore: Imperium is the patron of the Empire, embodying its supposed calling to rule over the nations. Imperium’s existence is denied by the theologians of the Magisterium.
Priests: The priests of Imperium are few, and intricately tied into the Imperial government.
Temples: Shrines to Imperium dot the Empire, and a giant temple in Imperial City holds the cremated remains of the emperors.
Isdar
Other Languages: Issa or Isa (Imperial, Eloesian, Fharese, Khazidean)
Nicknames: “the Panting Heathen,” “Lady Excess,” “Queen of the Moon”
Appearance: Isdar is commonly embodied as an alluring and often naked woman with dark skin and hair.
Symbol: A crescent moon.
Favored animal:Ibex doe.
Lore: Isdar is the goddess of pleasure, carnal desire, fertility, and the moon.
Priests: Priestesses of Isdar can be found in Fharas and sporadically (in small, persecuted groups) throughout the Desert of Hamma. The priesthood is banned in most of the Northern World due to their encouragement of impropriety.
Temples: The temples of Isdar are brothels and houses of pleasure. The priestesses serve their god by giving the worshipers pleasure.
Jaine
Other Languages: Barukh (Khazidean) or Jano (Imperial)
Lore: God of entries, gates, and doorways. Jaine is a minor god in most lands, but the temple of Jano in Imperial City is among the largest of the temples there.
In addition to presiding over gates and doors, he is oft considered the god of new beginnings, of new pathways and choices. Thus, people making a decision of great importance will often invoke him.
In Khazidea, where he is called Barukh, a minor festival occurs each autumn in the courts of Haroon.
Kernunnos
See Herne.
Kharn
Lore: The god of wrestling, gladiators, and competitive sports.
Priests:Many priests of Kharn are monks that perfect their bodies through strenuous exercise and become expert wrestlers.
Lorken
Other Languages:Lorkarum (Imperial), Lorkon (Eloesian)
Nicknames: The Plague King, the Giver of Sores
Appearance:Lorken is commonly embodied as a sickly man covered in boils and sores.
Symbol: An amorphous piece of goo.
Lore: Lorken is the god of disease and rot. Plague is called “the gift of Lorken.”
Priests: Priests of Lorken are banned in the Empire and in the kingdom of Zarubain. In Gallia, there is an active priesthood in the marsh village of Black Heath.
Temples: Temples to Lorken are banned in most cities. The largest temple can be found in the Gallian town of Black Heath, where the High Priest resides.
Lunas
Nicknames: The Trickster, Prince of Thieves
Appearance: Lunas is commonly embodied as an impeccably well-kempt, attractive young man.
Symbol: A crescent moon.
Lore: Lunas is the god of virtuous thieves, dice, luck and the moon. He also protects actors, acrobats, and performers of all kinds.
Priests: Priests of Lunas are resented but grudgingly tolerated throughout the Western Kingdoms.
Temples: In the Northern World, open shrines and temples to Lunas are banned by many cities due to their vice—however, they are allowed to exist if they are not clearly visible and they are not advertised. Open temples are built in the countryside and along roads. One of the largest temples to Lunas can be found on the road a few miles east of Galiope.
Lorenus
Other Languages:Lorne (Zarube)
Favored animal: The triton
Lore:Lorenus is the much-feared god of the seas. Sailors often beg for his aid.
Maribel
Other Languages: Marabelle (Zarube); Eliane (Murghuli, Badelgardic); Cadelara (Imperial, Eloesian)
Nicknames: Night Rider (Imperial)
Appearance: In Zarubain, Gallia and much of the north, Maribel is depicted as a handsome mare with silver bells on her ankles. In the Empire and much of the south, she is pictured as the Night Rider, a woman riding bareback on a horse.
Temples: In Zarubain, much of Maribel’s priesthood are knights. In Gallia, a small temple can be found in the town of Meryl’s Meadow, and a major shrine can be found in Galiope. In the Empire, the Night Rider’s shrines are numerous, placed along much of the roads. Among the equestrian Murghuli people, she is worshipped as the central mother goddess and the chieftain is her grand priest.
Melkior
Other Names: Old Father Wenzel (Gallian), Yule Father (Imperial, Zarube)
Nicknames: The Brass God, the Precious One
Appearance: Melkior is pictured as a metallic figure with six heads and flaring tongues.
Lore: Melkior is the god of precious things and dearly-beloved gifts. A common rumor is that, in olden days, children would be sacrificed as a burnt offering to the brass image of Melkior. However, Melkior’s followers hotly dispute this and say the rumors are derived from the ancient worship of Meltoth, a demon, long since banished.
Temples: He is the patron god of Carta Mega and a minor god in Khazidea and Kheroe.
Mina
Other languages:Amara (Imperial); Nariya (Gallian)
Nicknames: Our Mother
Appearance:She is viewed as a woman in modest dress, with her hair covered and her hands extended.
Lore:Mina is the goddess of love and motherhood. She is viewed as chaste and modest, caring deeply for her human children. She is identified with Amara in the Empire and Nariya in the Northern World. Next to Athra, she is the most worshipped deity in Fharas. Beloved by both men and women, her priestesses serve as midwives, healers and counselors.
Temples:Most Fharese towns and villages have a shrine to Mina. Great temples can be found in the large cities, especially in Taifun, yet her priestesses do not form an organized body.
Nariya
Other Languages: Amara (Eloesian, Imperial); Mina (Khazidean, Fharese)
Nicknames: Lady Love, the Perfect Mother, Queen of Hearts
Appearance: Nariya is commonly embodied as a beautiful young woman with long brown hair, dressed in a white robe.
Symbol: A smooth white hand grasping a ring.
Lore: Nariya is the goddess of romantic love, charity, motherhood, and orphans.
Priests: Priests of Nariya are most often female, though exceptions are occasionally made. They are healers, musicians and singers who take care of the sick and the unloved. Their goddess requires them to be benevolent, kind and compassionate, even to those who have transgressed greatly against the gods.
Temples: Temples to Nariya can be found in almost every major city. They function as places of worship, hospitals, orphanages, and places of meditation. Almost all temples contain baths where people can wash and relax.
Servants:The priesthood of Nariya states that the goddess is attended by ten heavenly beings, the three Graces and the seven Mercies. They are depicted as angelic girls with wings. The Graces are depicted with crowns on their heads. The names of the Graces are Amagore (brotherly/sisterly love), Amhonore (friendly love) and Ammatere (motherly love). The seven Mercies are named Justice, Kindness, Patience, Tenderness, Innocence, Compassion, and Peace.
Nix
Other languages: Toxine (Zarube) Nocturnine (Imperial) Polly Blackthorn (Estenmere in Gallia)
Appearance: Nix is pictured as an old crone with wrinkled purple skin, bright yellow eyes and black claws.
Symbol: A sprig of nightshade.
Favored animal: Owl.
Lore: Nix is the goddess of wisdom, of the knowledge of healing herbs and poisonous plants, of the nighttime and of the metals iron and silver.
Temples: In the Northern World, she is viewed as evil and her temples are banned. In the Empire, views of her are more ambivalent. Historically, she has had a large following in the Eloesian city of Korthos, though of late, she has been mostly replaced by Arephon lord of lightning and thunder.
Old Father Wenzel
Other Names: Melkior
Nicknames: Yule Father (Imperial, Zarube)
Appearance: Old Father Wenzel is pictured as a rotund, jolly, rosy-cheeked man wearing brown clothes, a brown hat, and bells.
Lore: The god of gift-giving, spiced wine, and Yuletide.
Temples:Shrines to Old Father Wenzel are seasonal, set up during the Yule season. Presents are laid before the altar and then distributed to poor children and orphans.
Orbuus
Appearance: Orbuus is rarely depicted in human form. He is often depicted as a prism or rainbow.
Lore: The god of knowledge, learning, scholarship, writing, and magic.
Temples: Temples to Orbuus are generally not built. He has a lay priesthood, with religious societies run by amateur worshippers. As a god of magic and arcane study, he is favored by the wizards of the north. Schools and collegiums in the Western Nations have him as their patron.
Peong
Appearance: A man of stone, with a white beard of crystals, carrying a hammer.
Symbol: The Malleus (Hammer of Peong)
Favored animal: The mountain ox
Lore: Peong is the god of stone, crystal, and minerals, as well as the foundations on which the earth is laid.
Priests: Priests and worshipers of Peong are mainly found in the Kalamar Forest, as well as in the Dwarf Lands. Ties have been cut off between the norgs and their dwarf ancestors for millennia, however, and worship of Peong has developed into something altogether new in Kalamar. In the Kalamar Forest, he has taken on the role of a protector of the woodlands, trees, and forests, in addition to earth and stone.
Temples: In the Kalamar Forest, temples to Peong are unheard of, but his priests and priestesses can be found everywhere, with representatives in even the tiniest hamlet. His clergy are often called enchanters, for they are steeped in their god’s ancient lore from the time of the dwarfish settlement. They use blessings, sacred oils and ointments to cure disease and aid norgs‘ undertakings.
Seladora
Other Languages: Feanara (Zarubain)
Appearance: Seladora is depicted as a red-haired young woman in a thin, silken gown.
Symbol: A hyacinth.
Favored animal: A doe.
Lore: Seladora is the goddess of nature and the fey — especially nymphs.
Priests: Priests of Seladora are always female. Though Seladora’s worship is not common in the Empire, she has shrines in each Eloesian city and a small temple in Imperial City. They can be identified by their white gowns and the oak branches which they carry. The high priestess wears a garland of flowers on her head.
Temples: Temples to Seladora always contain inner courtyards with lush gardens. Gardens are viewed as her delight; therefore, much of the priestess’s work involves tending the plants. These gardens do not grow food, but instead are designed to maximize beauty.
Selesti
Other Languages:Sollust (Imperial)
Nicknames: “The Healer”
Appearance: Selesti is often pictured as a white-hooded man carrying a mortar and pestle.
Symbol: The star of life.
Lore:Selesti is the patron of physicians, midwives, battle medics and healers. He presides over the curing of diseases and mending of wounds.
Priests: Selesti’s priests (Northern the Selestine; Imperial the Sollustari) double as healing doctors and priests, sworn to cure the wounds of anyone, regardless of ability to pay. However, they request payment from those able to provide coin.
Temples: A temple to Sollust can be found in most every large town in the Empire. The Grand Temple of Sollust (in the Empire) is located in Sollaris on the north-west coast of Gad. Churches of Selesti are frequent sights in the north as well, with an especially large Selestine Church and Hospital in Southkirk, Gallia.
Sollust
See Selesti.
Terryn
Other Languages: Terrena (Imperial, Eloesian); Terenne (Zarube)
Nicknames: The Little Goddess, Corn Dolly
Appearance: Terryn is commonly embodied as a little girl with auburn hair tied in pigtails, rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes.
Symbol: A scarecrow.
Lore: Terryn is the goddess of harvest, of wheat and grain, and of the home and hearth. For this reason she is the most commonly worshipped deity in farming villages.
Priests:Priests and priestesses of Terryn can be found in most major kingdoms and cities. They conduct harvest rituals in the autumn to appease their goddess.
Temples: At least one small temple to Terryn can be found in any major city. Her servants are often found in small farming villages, often overseeing little chapels in the service of their god.
Tyr
Other Languages: Sagar (Khazidean), Tyros (Eloesian), Tyrus (Imperial)
Lore: The god of war.
Favored animal:The wolf.
Umbra
Nicknames:Greatshadow, Greatshadowed Umbra
Appearance: Among his small following Zarubain, he is pictured as a silhouette or shadow-man. Among his small, but slightly larger following in the Empire, he is pictured as pure shadow, a black canvas.
Lore:The central ritual, Greatshadow, is performed by high priests but not the laity. Umbra is the rival of Luos, god of light.
Temples: Umbra is an obscure god, favored of the Dukes of Voraigne in Zarubain. In the Empire his strongest presence is felt in the Imperial City. His largest house of worship is a small (and completely dark) temple in Imperial City.
FRINGE GODS
Mazda
Nicknames: Prince of Virtue, Annihilator of the Unclean, Mazda the Mighty
Appearance: Images of Mazda are banned by his followers.
Symbol: A stylized serpent.
Favored animal: The white-spotted cobra.
Lore: Worshipers of Mazda regard him as the only god, or the only good god. One does not serve Mazda in addition to any other deity.
Priests: Priests of Mazda, like his temples, are mostly found in the southeastern deserts of Hamma. They dress in black robes and wear black hoods. The priesthood is male-dominated and women are barred from service. The religious and political leader of Mazda’s followers is called the Theomancer.
Temples: Temples to Mazda are mostly found in the desert of Hamma. They are black cube-shaped buildings called kabakhs.
