Deities

Abaris

Original article: Abaris

Goddess of Magic

The Enscribed

Symbol of Abaris

The mysterious and aloof goddess of magic, Abaris is revered and sometimes feared throughout the three continents. Worship of Abaris is strongest in the Magocracy of Lun Dorak, where the Grand Mysteriorum of the Seventh Carnation lies as the central temple of worship and library of Abaris. Unlike most churches, priests of Abaris are not divided by major schisms or different views of orthodoxy. That said, the church hierarchy is also substantially less controlling than most ordered deities, existing more as a means for exchange of mystical information than a means for controlling its priesthood or laypeople.

Adrasteia

Original article: Adrasteia

Goddess of Rivers and Streams

The Handmaiden

One of the primary daughters of Betshaba, Adrasteia is the goddess of rivers and streams. Those few priests who worship Adrasteia directly are typically attached to the nearest Temple of Betshaba, working as servants and handmaidens to Betshaban priests, as their deity works as handmaiden to Betshaba herself. Despite her subservient role and small priesthood, Adrasteia is often called upon by those who rely on fresh water, including those who participate in shipping via river, subsist off of fresh water fish and in dry areas where agriculture relies irrigation fed by rivers. Though riverside shrines are not uncommon, true temples to Adrasteia are extremely rare.

Alcina

Original article: Alcina

Goddess of Drought

The Withered Hag

The cruel goddess of droughts and daughter of Dagon, Alcina is more often appeased with self-flagellation in dry regions to avoid her wrath or ritualistically defeated by followers of Orestea. Her extremely small clergy considers itself an integral part of bringing destruction to creation by preventing Orestea's rains and withering Podalirius' crops. Alcina captured Evander and forced him to lie with her in the hopes of begetting a son she could shape into an ally in pain. Ophion was the result of this union, but the youthful god rebelled against his mother, released Orestea from the prison he was intended to guard and took up the responsibility of carrying Lord Ptharos' Light of Truth across the heavens each day. Despite his betrayal, there is no special hatred between Ophion and his wicked mother.

As the goddess of despair, she is given the souls of those who die by suicide by Cthos and the living will sometimes pray to her to release these souls to a more friendly resting place. Her extremely small clergy follows Alcina as Ellesar of Many Wonders, concentrating on pain-induced visions and deceptive illusions that lead their enemies to despair and, hopefully, suicide.

Alcyoneus

Original article: Alcyoneus

God of Youth

The Yul

Alcyoneus is the patron and protector of children and the young. Offerings are given to him primarily by parents to insure that their children grow strong and healthy. As Bonny Billy, he is something of a mischief-maker who plays pranks on adults who mistreat children. As Father Yul, he is a grand toy-maker who annually sneaks into the homes of children who have been good, leaving toys behind for them to enjoy. Of course, parents who desire Alcyoneus' good graces are typically the ones who place the presents at the foot of the children's beds at the Winter Solstice, but sometimes a present will appear without the assistance of mortals. In those cases, it is usually a warning to the parents to avoid miserliness when they should be focusing on generosity. Alcyoneus is also the Patron of Spring and is invoked in ceremonies on the Spring Equinox, where gift-giving is also encouraged.

It should be noted that Father Yul, for all his generosity and skill at carving, is a poor painter. Tradition holds that his wife, Thea, paints the toys that are to be given to children on Yul's Day. If a toy appears at the foot of a child's bed that is painted horribly wrong, it is said that the child is particularly blessed for the next year. It is Aridnus who provides a list of the children that have been good for the previous year, though Alcyoneus sometimes adds a few names if he feels that Aridnus has been too harsh in judgment.

Alecto

Original article: Alecto

Goddess of Pain

The Scourge

Alecto is most often appeased to avoid pain, particularly a painful death, but she is also the patroness of torturers. Alecto is known to be a merciless goddess, so the prayers of those trying to avoid pain are typically ignored. Her small clergy is generally hated, even in the vilest of lands, where they are employed in times of war by the local rulership to exact information from captured enemies and suspected spies. Her priests believe that she grants visions to loyal followers who inflict pain upon themselves.

Alecto often assists allied deities in inventing new ways to increase the pain involved in each of their spheres.

Amphitritus

Original article: Amphitritus

God of Greed

The Goldmiser

Amphitritus, as the God of Greed, has a fairly strong clergy in those nations which permit the worship of the malign deities. Priests are often heavily involved with the local Thieves' Guilds and often exert a great deal of political clout. In these regions, competition with the church of Britomaris can sometimes turn violent, but the two churches do not oppose each other on an ideological basis.

Amphitritus is also a patron of adventurers, particularly those who seek lost (or not so lost) treasures of times past.

Aridnus

Original article: Aridnus

God of Judgment

The Fair

The clergy of Aridnus are a fairly influential group, but it is rare that they exert that influence in the political arena. In some regions, the local government relies on the clergy to officiate in trials and in most areas they are at least associated with the judicial system (if there is one). Aridnus is also the patron of scribes and, often, is associated with oversided bureaucracies by his critics. It should be noted that temples solely dedicated to Aridnus are rare... his clergy usually inhabit the same structure as those of Fides, Majestas and Meliboea.

The clergy of Aridnus are also often called upon by Guilds to construct weights and measurements for their use and most people know that measurements issued by the clergy of Aridnus are some of the most precise to be found.