Deities
Abaris
Goddess of Magic
The Enscribed
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Baelthor
God of Earth
The Stonehands
The stern and stalwart god of earth is the son of Lord Ptharos and, along with his sister Betshaba, one of the Triad, the creators of the world. As creator of the dwarven race, he is almost universally worshiped as the primary deity by dwarves. He is worshiped throughout human cultures as a patron of smithing, construction and strength and symbolizes the mind and intelligence. Among humans, worship of Baelthor is strongest in the former Great Empire, where he is worshiped along side Betshaba and Lord Ptharos in temples of the Triad.
Baelthor's clergy is usually closely aligned with other Baelthoric deities (excepting Gyges, who is exiled from his father's presence both in celestial and temporal spheres). His greatest enemy is Enosigaois, the offspring of Dagon created to oppose Baelthor and ancient wars between dwarves loyal to their creator and those traitors who fell under the sway of Enosigaois are legendary among the dwarves.
Bellona
Goddess of Wealth
The Collector
Bellona is a cold, calculating deity who encourages her worshippers to do whatever is reasonable to increase their personal wealth. A number of merchants who find her son, Minos, to be too moralistic pray instead to Bellona. Though dispassionate, Bellona is accepted in many regions that otherwise prohibit worship of the descendants of Dagon. Her clergy is small, even in regions where worship of Bellona is popular. Applicants to her clergy must prove their ability to amass wealth and be able to prove this ability throughout their careers. The followers of Bellona often find themselves in opposition to those who worship her sister, Britomaris, Goddess of Thievery, and the rivalry between the two gods is the subject of more than one apocryphal story.
Followers of Bellona do not actively oppose the clergy of Clementia, Goddess of Mercy, but Clementia's followers often place themselves in direct opposition to the desires of the followers of Bellona.
Betshaba
Goddess of Water
The Wavequeen
Daughter of Lord Ptharos and sister to Baelthor, Betshaba is one of the creator deities that compose the Triad. Betshaba is the heart and passion of the Triad, beneficent to those who pay her homage and cruel, even heartless, to those who cross her. As goddness of water, she is universally accepted as the Wavequeen, Queen of the Oceans, opposed in her regency only by Taltos, Dagon's offspring created to oppose her. On Aurea, Betshaba is typically worshiped as part of the Triad, but elsewhere she usually has her own dedicated temples, particularly in port cities. Her church hierarchy tends to be well-organized, though individual Wavemothers tend to have a great deal of autonomy within their domains.
Though Betshaba opposes all of the Dagonian deities, she stands most ardently opposed to her uncle, Dagon himself, who attempted to rape her soon after Creation. She was rescued by Vortumnus and thus her clergy has something of a soft spot for followers of Vortumnus, even those who follow the Koramian Heresy. Though Taltos was created to oppose her, its generally believed that Betshaba long ago won the war for her domain and most of her faithful consider followers of Taltos to be an annoyance, at best.
Britomaris
Goddess of Thieves
The Rogue
The clergy of Britomaris are typically a secretive lot, even in regions where the worship of Britomaris is not frowned upon. The clergy tend to operate very closely with any organized crime element in the society they are in, typically providing divine support to their criminal activities. Britomaris encourages criminal organization as well as the freelance rogue, acknowledging that there are many methods by which people liberate goods from others.
Britomaris is something of a trickster goddess and rarely encourages her worshippers to kill their opponents (though leading them to their deaths is perfectly acceptable). As Traugott the Brave, she is depicted as a lovable rogue who is the patron of bandits and rangers. This aspect of Britomaris almost approaches a Benign Ethos, as redistribution of liberated wealth to the needy is encouraged. Harbona of the Streets, however, is depicted as a cut-throat murder who has no issue seducing men and stealing their gold, typically slitting their throats in the process. In this aspect, Britomaris certainly approaches a Malign Ethos, even though those who are killed are typically cheap and the murder is punishment for not giving to the poor. Guilded thieves almost never pay homage to these lesser aspects of Britomaris.
Britomaris is considered a fool by many of her darker brothers and sisters. Even Mormo, God of Deception, treats her like a naïve child. Though she is not as accepted as Kratos or Bellona, the worship of Britomaris in and of itself is rarely proscribed on religious grounds.
Cardena
Goddess of Lust
The Whore
Cardena, as the Goddess of Lust, is the patron of illicit liaisons, courtesans and even rapists. Worshippers of Cardena feel that only through the ecstasy of sexual intercourse can enlightenment be gained and seek to bring others to the same understanding. Cardena's temples are surprisingly common and are typically hidden in the brothels of large cities, but her priests carry little direct political influence. Worshippers have no qualms, of course, with using their art to influence politicians and officials. The tenants of Cardenan worship demand personal physical satisfaction, even at the expense of non-worshippers who are unwilling to enjoin in the sexual act. It is believed that Cardena even protects successful rapists from capture and punishment. Needless to say, worship of Cardena is abhorred in most lawful regions and her priests often find themselves persecuted, if not outright killed, for their beliefs.
Cardena and Erato are the most dire of enemies and their worshippers often find themselves in conflict.
Cebren
God of Music
The Piper
Cebren is one of the most-liked gods, even in cultures that encourage the worship of the descendants of Dagon. As the patron of troubadours and bards, he is considered to be the source of inspiration in his aspect as the Spirit. His divine clergy tend to be small in number, despite his popularity, and can only be found in major cities, but his followers can be found almost anywhere, roving in bands or wandering as individuals. Cebren promotes spreading the joy of music wherever possible and encourages troubadours and bards to travel, thus his close association with Pavor, God of Travel. Cebren is also the patron of town criers and it is said that the only time he takes vengeance on criminals is when one of his criers is murdered.
Despite having been tricked into an affair with Mania, his most hated enemy, and producing Furinus, God of Wine, from the union, Cebren and his first wife, Thea, are on good terms.
Clementia
Goddess of Mercy
The Dove
The worshippers of Clementia are few, but the number of priests compared to this population is high. As the goddess of mercy and peace, even worshippers are prohibited from raising a hand against an enemy and instead attempt to use passive resistance to change how society works. Clementia herself is known to often sleep on the doorstep to the palace of Betshaba, her mother, who Clementia feels is too harsh with those who use the sea.
Outsiders often view followers of Clementia as a joke, until the faithful decide to take up a cause and protest the evils of the world. Most of the enemies of the church are listed as such because they are often the subjects of church-sponsored protests and there are many stories about Clementia opposing these deities directly. Clementia only has true hatred for Tisiphone, Goddess of Vengeance, but even that hatred is tempered with a hope that Tisiphone can be made to see the error of her ways.
