{ "_meta": { "internalCopies": [ "deity" ] }, "deity": [ { "name": "Abbathor", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Greed", "symbol": "Jeweled dagger, point down", "entries": [ "The Great Master of Greed exerts an influence, no matter how subtle, over every dwarven heart. Abbathor teaches that greed isn't only desirable, but necessary to keep the dwarves in a strong and safe position.", "Abbathor has no skill in crafting. Instead, he relies on his ability as a thief to take ownership of what he wants. Why work so hard to manufacture something when a much easier path to riches lies open?", "Abbathor is the only advocate for change within the dwarven pantheon. He can inspire dwarves to seek shortcuts, normally frowned upon, but sometimes those methods turn out to be efficient techniques that improve a clan's capabilities." ] }, { "name": "Abbathor", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of greed", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Jeweled dagger, point-down" }, { "name": "Aegir", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of the sea and storms", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Rough ocean waves" }, { "name": "Aerdrie Faenya", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life", "Tempest", "Trickery" ], "province": "Air, rain, fertility, birth", "symbol": "Bird silhouetted against a cloud" }, { "name": "Aerdrie Faenya", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of the sky", "domains": [ "Tempest", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Bird silhouetted against a cloud" }, { "name": "Akadi", "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of air", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Cloud" }, { "name": "Alathrien Druanna", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Runes, writing, spellcasting", "symbol": "A quill or glyph" }, { "name": "Alobal Lorfiril", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life", "Trickery" ], "province": "Revelry, mirth", "symbol": "Wine glass" }, { "name": "Amaunator", "altNames": [ "The Keeper of the Eternal Sun", "The Light of Law", "The Yellow God" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 100, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of the sun", "worshipers": "Farmers, lawmakers, travelers", "plane": "Mechanus", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Amaunator.webp" }, "credit": "Helder Almeida", "width": 850, "height": 895 }, "entries": [ "The rule of law and the glory of the sun both fall in Amaunator's dominion. He is a stern and unforgiving god, concerned with keeping promises and maintaining order.", "Amaunator's followers believe he has died and been reborn time and again. They quarrel with followers of Lathander over whether Lathander is an aspect of Amaunator or is a separate deity. Either way, Lathander represents the optimistic light of dawn, while Amaunator represents the sun in all aspects. At times, the sun is warm and encouraging; at others, harsh and unforgiving. What matters most is that it reliably rises each day and sets each night.", "When Amaunator sends a messenger, its presence is unmistakable: a {@creature Couatl|XMM} or a seemingly ordinary bird with gleaming eyes like miniature suns descends from the heavens in a shaft of bright light. Amaunator also communicates with his followers via dreams in which the darkness of night is suddenly vanquished by the broad daylight.", "The folk of Faerûn invoke Amaunator's name when praying for sunny weather, swearing oaths, signing contracts, and declaring laws. The connection between a solemn oath and the light of the sun is ingrained in the people of Faerûn; those closing deals or issuing edicts often pause and wait for a passing cloud to clear the sun before completing the transaction or pronouncement.", "Amaunator's priests help establish bureaucracies and order in communities. They witness contracts and signed agreements, signifying these documents' validity by stamping them with the god's sun symbol. Temples to Amaunator feature courtyards and skylights to invite the god's bright gaze. In underground settlements or places plagued by cloud cover, his temples mount a torch with a {@spell Continual Flame|XPHB} spell cast on it over their doorway to symbolize the sun. Amaunator's temples keep extensive records of their surrounding community's laws and legal proceedings. Most temples make these records available to the public for transparency. In places where corruption has spread even to Amaunator's temples, access to these records cost a hefty sum.", "The Chosen of Amaunator master magic that dispels darkness and unveils hidden truths. Some work to enforce the law across the land; others become magistrates in Faerûn's highest courts." ] }, { "name": "Amaunator", "altNames": [ "The Keeper of the Eternal Sun", "The Light of Law", "The Yellow God" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of the sun", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Golden sun", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Amaunator.webp" } }, "entries": [ "The rule of law and the glory of the sun are both in Amaunator's dominion. His priests help establish bureaucracies and lawful order in communities. They often witness contracts and signed agreements, stamping such documents with the sun-symbol of Amaunator to signify their validity.", "His priests teach that Amaunator has died and been reborn time and again. Like the sun, he might pass into the realm of darkness, but inevitably his bright gaze will fall on the world once again. Amaunator is seen as a stern and unforgiving deity, not unlike Silvanus in comportment, but his concern isn't for the balance of life - he cares that things proceed according to the celestial order, that promises are kept, and that the rule of law persists.", "Farmers and travelers beseech him when they pray for rain or sun, as do any others looking for a favorable change in the weather. But the most common form of propitiation to Amaunator is the practice of swearing oaths, signing contracts, and declaring laws under the light of the sun. So ingrained in the common perception is the connection between a solemn oath and the sun that those engaged in closing deals or issuing edicts often pause and wait for a passing cloud to clear the sun before completing the transaction or pronouncement." ] }, { "name": "Angharradh", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "War", "Peace" ], "province": "Wisdom, growth, protection", "symbol": "Three interlocking circles" }, { "name": "Angharradh", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Triple goddess of wisdom and protection", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Peace" ], "symbol": "Triangle with three interlocking circles within" }, { "name": "Anubis", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 } ], "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of judgment and death", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave", "Order" ], "symbol": "Black jackal" }, { "name": "Apep", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of evil, fire, and serpents", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Flaming snake" }, { "name": "Aphrodite", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of love and beauty", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Sea shell" }, { "name": "Apollo", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of light, music, and healing", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Lyre" }, { "name": "Araleth Letheranil", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Light" ], "province": "Light, stars, revelations", "symbol": "Shaft of light" }, { "name": "Arawai", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "province": "Life, love", "symbol": "Sheaf of wheat tied with green ribbon {@i or} bronze dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Arawai is the Sovereign of Life and Love. She is the patron of fertility and of the benevolent aspects of nature, bringing good harvest and gentle rain." ] }, { "name": "Arawai", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of fertility", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Sheaf of wheat tied with green ribbon" }, { "name": "Arawn", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of life and death", "domains": [ "Life", "Death" ], "symbol": "Black star on gray background" }, { "name": "Ares", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of war and strife", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Spear" }, { "name": "Arms of the Betrayers", "source": "EGW", "page": 30, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Death", "War" ], "province": "The Fiend, the Hexblade", "symbol": "Blade thrust downward through an eight-eyed skull", "entries": [ "Before the Calamity, eight of the Betrayer Gods each forged a sentient weapon using the life force of a greater fiend and gave the weapon to a chosen champion in the kingdom of Ghor Dranas. The Calamity flung these weapons across Wildemount, burying them in mountains, forests, fields, and underground. Several of these weapons have been recovered, but a few have never been found and are highly sought-after. The weapons\u2014or more properly, the fiends bound inside them\u2014attract their own followings of mortal worshipers.", "When an Arm of the Betrayers is found, it grants its wielder some of the power of the Betrayer Gods and the wisdom of the fiend within. The bound fiends know that their war was lost long ago, but they still desire to be used in battle, win victories, and spill blood in the hands of skilled warriors. As a weapon's wielder becomes more powerful, so too does the weapon, which in turn is able to lend even more magic to the wielder. Whenever a weapon's wielder dies, the weapon disappears and reappears elsewhere.", "The Betrayer Gods made the following weapons, which are described in more detail in {@book chapter 6|EGW|7|Arms of the Betrayers}:", "{@item Blade of Broken Mirrors|EGW}. This stone dagger of Tharizdun has yet to be found after the Calamity. It has the power to warp reality around its wielder. The life force of a {@creature glabrezu} named Ragazuu was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item Grovelthrash|EGW}. This obsidian warhammer carries the tortured will of Torog and can raze whole structures with a single strike. The life force of an {@creature ultroloth} named Ciria was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item Lash of Shadows|EGW}. This Zehir-touched whip ends in five serpent heads that pump poisons of varying effects into the wielder's foes. The life force of a {@creature marilith} named Sizlifeth was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item Mace of the Black Crown|EGW}. This mace with a fiend's head of ruby carries the boon of Asmodeus, capable of summoning devils for the wielder to command and burning hot enough to melt steel. The life force of an {@creature erinyes} named Xartaza was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item Ruin's Wake|EGW}. This Gruumsh-blessed ivory spear can effortlessly pierce armor and transforms into lightning when hurled. The life force of a {@creature balor} named Yarrowish was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item Silken Spite|EGW}. This rapier has a blade forged from spider silk that gives the wielder Lolth's blessing. The life force of a {@creature yochlol} named Sinnafex was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item The Bloody End|EGW}. This adamantine morningstar bears the boon of Bane, and has yet to be found after the Calamity. It has the power to subjugate the wielder's enemies. The life force of a {@creature pit fiend} named Izeelzee was used to forge the weapon.", "{@item Will of the Talon|EGW}. This war pick bears the mark of Tiamat and makes the wielder impervious to the elements and grants them the power of dragon breath. The life force of an {@creature bone devil} named Ashtyrlon was used to forge the weapon." ] }, { "name": "Artemis", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of hunting and childbirth", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Bow and arrow on lunar disk" }, { "name": "Arvoreen", "source": "MTF", "page": 103, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Vigilance, war", "symbol": "Crossed short swords", "entries": [ "From time to time, halflings must fight to defend their friends or their village. In those moments, the tales of Arvoreen come to the fore in every halfling's memory. Every youth hears over and over again the stories of the hero's bravery and cunning, his clever tactics in battle, and his ability to use speed and smallness to defeat a much larger foe. The elders know that the world outside is dangerous and that their kin must understand how to deal with those dangers. Stories about Arvoreen are told in such a way that youngsters are inspired to act out his epic battles. In this way, the halflings get practical experience in executing measures that are designed to help the halflings defeat kobolds and goblin raiders, or even take down an ogre. When the time comes to put those tactics to use in earnest, everyone will be ready.", "Cooperation is a fundamental principle in how halflings fend off their enemies. Every community practices its own version of Arvoreen's favored tactics:", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Scatterstrike", "entry": "The halflings run in every direction as if in a panic, but then they regroup and circle back to attack with a concentrated effort." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Turtle Shell", "entry": "Halflings cluster together and cover each other with shields, washtubs, wheelbarrows, coffer lids, or anything else that can deflect a blow." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Troll Knocker", "entry": "A few halflings act as bait to lure a troll or other large creature into a clearing where the rest of the group can hurl stones at it from concealment to confuse the monster, persuading it to seek other prey." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Swarming Stickwhackers", "entry": "Halflings rush an intruder in waves, swatting the enemy with sticks on all sides." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Fiddle and Crack", "entry": "A halfling fiddler lures the monster into a trap, usually a net or a pit, followed by several burly halflings wielding large sticks and hitting the monster from a safe vantage." } ] } ] }, { "name": "Arvoreen", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of vigilance and war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Crossed short swords" }, { "name": "Asmodeus", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of tyranny", "domains": [ "Trickery", "Order" ], "symbol": "Three triangles in tight formation" }, { "name": "Asmodeus", "reprintAlias": "The Lord of the Hells", "source": "EGW", "page": 26, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "the Lord of the Nine Hells", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Trickery", "War" ], "province": "God of the Nine Hells", "symbol": "Crown of spiked onyx and curved horns", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Asmodeus.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The devil god of the Hells is the master of tyranny and domination. His words are honeyed and carefully crafted, soothing and corrupting the mortal heart. Asmodeus rules his domain with an iron fist, and the punishments awaiting those that cross him are the basis of nightmares. Evil entities pay him tribute alongside his devils, and many warlocks are drawn to his power.", "Asmodeus lords over his fiendish hordes from within his fortress of Nalsheem, nestled in the depths of Nessus, the ninth and deepest of the Nine Hells.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "A twisted image of the celestial blood that once bore him, the Lord of the Nine Hells is revealed in many tomes and murals as a handsome humanoid with deep, red skin and long, black hair. Two curling horns rise from his brow, and his lips bear an eternal, knowing grin." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "Asmodeus's enemies are numerous, even among the Betrayer Gods, many of whom only follow the archdevil for fear of his immense power. His archnemesis is Avandra, the Change Bringer, whose mischief and cunning has vexed him throughout the eons. It was she who defeated him in the Calamity by tricking his fiendish armies into attacking one another. The Devil Lord's greatest triumph during the Calamity was fooling and betraying the Everlight and slaughtering all her followers in one fell stroke\u2014an act that has united the followers of Raei and Avandra in a bond of unbreakable fellowship ever since." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Asmodeus", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Assert dominance and power over others. Show your strength of will in the image of the Asmodeus.", "Repay cruelty done unto you with further evil. If others show you kindness, exploit it.", "As you ascend to power, do not pity or show mercy to those you climb over to get there. Compassion is for the weak." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Asmodeus", "altNames": [ "The Cloven", "The Lord of the Ninth", "Old Hoof and Horn" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 100, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of indulgence", "worshipers": "Corrupt politicians, desperate folk", "plane": "The Nine Hells (Nessus)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Asmodeus.webp" }, "credit": "Helder Almeida", "width": 850, "height": 1012 }, "entries": [ "Both a god of indulgence and an archdevil, Asmodeus rules over his devilish kin from the bottommost layer of the Nine Hells. Asmodeus promises his followers pleasures and powers beyond their wildest dreams\u2014for a price.", "Asmodeus's reputation for uneven bargains precedes him. Even so, folk of all moral leanings strike deals with the archdevil when they have nowhere else to turn.For instance, when followers of other deities transgress against their patrons, these folk might bargain with Asmodeus to hide their sins from the other gods. Asmodeus is charismatic and seemingly generous when he needs to be, and his messengers are as silver-tongued as he is. When attempting to manipulate a mortal into entering a pact with him, he sends a snake or an unassuming {@creature Imp|XMM}. He also enjoys using {@creature Erinyes|XMM} as messengers, since unwitting mortals might mistake them for angels. The birth of an animal with nine legs or nine eyes is considered an omen of Asmodeus's influence.", "Most cities don't explicitly outlaw the worship of Asmodeus. However, individuals who openly follow him earn the distrust of society, and temples to this archdevil are almost unheard of. Instead, many of Asmodeus's followers keep hidden shrines to the god in their homes.", "Priests who serve Asmodeus exploit individuals who succumb to greed and impatience. If a priest of Asmodeus fails to sway a potential worshiper with rewards in this life, the priest tempts them with promises about the afterlife instead. Many individuals fear their souls will languish for centuries in the Fugue Plane after death, awaiting Kelemvor's judgment. Asmodeus's priests promise such individuals that a devil will comfort their waiting soul or whisk them off to the Nine Hells, where they can assume a rank in the infernal host.", "Asmodeus's priests obey the commands of his Chosen, feigning humility just as lesser devils do with greater devils. Chosen of Asmodeus can gaze into people's souls, judging their character at a glance. This ability allows the Chosen to discern whether someone's soul has been claimed by a particular deity or whether their fate is still undetermined." ] }, { "name": "Asmodeus", "altNames": [ "The Lord of the Ninth", "The Cloven", "Old Hoof and Horn" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of indulgence", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery", "Order" ], "symbol": "Three inverted triangles arranged in a long triangle", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Asmodeus.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Open worship of Asmodeus began roughly a century ago when small cults with charismatic leaders sprang up in the aftermath of the Spellplague. That catastrophe left many asking why the gods were angry or had abandoned them. To those questioners, the faithful of Asmodeus provided answers and a god who would forgive all their faults. Still, for the next few decades, the Cult of Asmodeus struggled for acceptance.", "In the beliefs of the people of the North - which coincide with many tales told by dwarves, elves, and others - Asmodeus is Lord of the Ninth, the leader of all devils of the Nine Hells. People know devils to be iron-minded and silver-tongued purveyors of temptation, whose price for their boons can be as dear as one's soul. It's said that when a soul waits on the Fugue Plane for a deity to take it to its appropriate afterlife, devils approach the soul and offer it a chance at power and immortal pleasures. All a soul needs to do is take one step out of the dust and the milling crowd and put a foot on the first rung of the infernal ladder that represents the hierarchy of the Nine Hells.", "The faithful of Asmodeus acknowledge that devils offer their worshipers a path that's not for everyone - just as eternally basking in the light of Lathander or endlessly swinging a hammer in the mines of Moradin might not be for everyone. Those who serve Asmodeus in life hope to be summoned out of the moaning masses of the Fugue Plane after death. They yearn for the chance to master their own fates, with all of eternity to achieve their goals.", "To those not so dedicated, priests of Asmodeus offer the prospect of a reprieve in the afterlife. All souls wait on the Fugue Plane for a deity's pleasure, which determines where a soul will spend the rest of eternity. Those who lived their lives most in keeping with a deity's outlook are taken first. Others, who have transgressed in the eyes of their favored god or have not followed any particular ethos, might wait centuries before Kelemvor judges where they go. People who fear such a fate can pray to Asmodeus, his priests say, and in return a devil will grant a waiting soul some comfort.", "Today, shrines to Asmodeus are still rare and temples are almost unheard of, but many folk have adopted the habit of asking Asmodeus for reprieve from their sins. After transgressing against a god in some way, a person prays to Asmodeus for something to provide respite during the long wait. Asmodeus is known to grant people what they wish, and thus people pray for all the delights and distractions they desire most from life. Those who transgress in great ways often ask Asmodeus to hide their sins from the gods, and priests say that he will do so, but with a price after death." ] }, { "name": "Athena", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of wisdom and civilization", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Owl" }, { "name": "Athreos", "source": "MOT", "page": 37, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of Passage", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/024-02-03-athreos.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "All mortals are destined to face Athreos, the River Guide, when their lives come to an end. The god of passage ferries the dead across the Tartyx River, conveying each mortal soul to its destiny in the Underworld. For most people, Athreos embodies the greatest mysteries of existence\u2014the terror and wonder of life's last moment and the revelation of one's ultimate fate in the afterlife. Athreos is no judge, though. The veiled, silent god undergoes no deliberations and makes no exceptions. The River Guide reads the truth of each soul and bears it unfailingly to its proper place in the Underworld. There is no haggling and no sympathy on Athreos's skiff, the god having heard and denied every conceivable mortal plea.", "Athreos appears as a gaunt figure cloaked in ragged robes and a collection of golden masks. What little can be seen of his body is unsettling, its gray flesh stretched thin over a barely human skeleton. The River Guide is never without his ancient staff, Katabasis, which he transforms into the ferryboat he uses to ply the Rivers That Ring the World. Though the deity's shrouded form gives no clue, many mortals consider Athreos to be male, but the River Guide cares for terms or labels no more than any other force of nature. Athreos can change shape but rarely, if ever, takes on other forms.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Athreos's Influence", "entries": [ "Most mortals focus on the River Guide's role in their own deaths. Countless mortal superstitions prescribe ways to garner Athreos's favor, but all Athreos demands of those he transports is payment: a single coin of any minting or value. The River Guide has an expansive definition of what constitutes a coin, from actual stamped currency and jewelry to shiny beads or opalescent shells. Ultimately, he seems most concerned with whether a mortal has prepared for death, keeping payment ready out of respect and as a personal memento mori. Those whose bodies are burned, buried, or otherwise disposed of along with valuables deliberately intended for the River Guide discover that they can make use of such items when trading for Athreos's services. Spirits that reach the shores of the Tartyx River unprepared, though, risk being stranded, as Athreos refuses to ferry those who can't pay.", "Athreos is also invoked as the god of passage, as well as the deity with dominion over borders, boundaries, and that which is \"neither.\" Those who undertake journeys, especially dangerous ones, often drop a coin into a fountain or a body of water in apotropaic acknowledgment of the River Guide. Bridges and borders are also places where Athreos is commonly remembered, with many such sites being marked by motifs of rivers or spirits. Additionally, phenomena that are neither one thing nor another, defying simple classification, are often considered to be within Athreos's province\u2014most notably the state between life and death, but also echoes, phantom sensations, and the feeling of déjà vu.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Athreos's Goals", "entries": [ "Athreos endlessly works to maintain the balance between Nyx, the Underworld, and the lands of the living. The River Guide sees himself as a servant of the mortal world and knows nothing of the glamor, honor, or mystery mortals often ascribe such to him. Rather, he does what must be done, and should some cosmological condition fall out of sorts, the River Guide and his servants work with silent efficiency to restore balance." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Athreos cares little for the dealings of the other gods. As long as other deities don't impinge on the border between life and death, either by overstepping their bounds or by trying to draw the dead back into life, the River Guide has little to do with them. More than once, this isolation has put Athreos in silent conflict with Heliod and Erebos, both of whom subtly resent Athreos for limiting how much each can meddle in the other's realm. At the same time, the River Guide's role as a buffer between the two vindictive gods actively prevents their grudges from exploding into divine warfare.", "Thassa bears a chilly respect for Athreos. In a time before reckoning, boundaries divided the god of the sea's dominion from the Tartyx River. Though the god of the sea quietly resents sharing even a drop of water, she considers the River Guide to be a quiet, unobtrusive trespasser on her favored element and keeps her distance. Were her respect to wane, though, Thassa would eagerly vie to control the Rivers That Ring the World." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Athreos", "entries": [ "Most funeral traditions include small offerings and words of reverence to Athreos. Predominant among these traditions is burying or burning the dead with a clay funerary mask, to \"frame\" the identity of the dead for Athreos, and with at least one coin, so a soul might pay Athreos to ferry them to the Underworld. Some people are laid to rest with large amounts of grave goods. Memorial practices vary widely by culture, from tearful, somber affairs to lively celebrations. These rituals serve more as catharsis for the living than as meaningful boons to Athreos, though. The River Guide cares only for the single coin he's owed by any who board his skiff.", "During the feast of the Necrologion, which gives its name to the eighth month in the calendar of Meletis, pious souls silently spend the day reading ancient memoirs or writing messages for their own descendants.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/025-02-04.webp" }, "credit": "Ryan Barger" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Athreos", "entries": [ "Athreos eternally performs a remarkable labor, ferrying mortal souls to the Underworld. During the River Guide's ages of toil, he has inspired a number of legends.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The Athrean Obols", "entry": "Some claim that Athreos doesn't collect coins out of greed but because he's looking for five specific treasures. Apocryphal writings in the Underworld library of Oneirrakthys say that Athreos was the first mortal to die. When he came to face the gods, he brought a single treasure as an offering to each of Theros's five mightiest deities, hoping to receive a peaceful place among them in return." } ] }, "The gods realized what Athreos's spirit represented: the first of an endless flood of mortal souls that would soon begin to join Athreos in death. Unwilling to spend eternity sorting the endless stream of dead mortals themselves, the other gods did give Athreos a place among them, as well as charging him with his impossible task. They also offered him a measure of hope. The gods cast Athreos's offerings back into the mortal world in the form of five coins. They promised Athreos that, once he collected the coins anew, the gods would free the River Guide from his service and welcome him into their ranks. Ever since, Athreos has labored, both at ferrying the dead and in search of his five lost coins, called the Athrean Obols. It's said that any who bring the River Guide one of the coins will be rewarded with a wish for anything Athreos can grant\u2014even exception from death.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Death's Denier", "entry": "Some legends tell of an ancient shade who has tarried at the banks of the Tartyx longer than any other\u2014a woman, ancient beyond years and clad only in her own flowing hair and sagging skin, who some passing souls mistake for Athreos. This figure is Solyssia, once an oracle of Meletis. Solyssia refuses to pay Athreos's price, or to have it paid for her. For untold centuries, she has harassed the newly dead, learning an incredible amount about the mortal world in the process. The only thing she's less impressed with than the state of the modern world is Athreos, whom she curses like a bitter old friend whenever the River Guide draws near. If any mortal has ever truly known Athreos, it is her." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Eight Exceptions", "entry": "Eight times in the course of history, Athreos has purposely allowed a mortal to delay their death or temporarily return from the Underworld. These individuals were restored as living beings (not as Returned) to complete particular tasks. As a record of these exceptions, Athreos bears a Returned-like mask of each individual. Despite centuries between bargains, though, no one who Athreos has made an exception for has ever returned. As a result, the River Guide refuses to make another exception. He might be convinced to do otherwise were someone to bring one of the eight lost souls\u2014such as Biaas the Poison Drinker, Dianyan Half-Heart, or Hundred-Damned Thasmudyan\u2014before him for punishment." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Athreos's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually lawful, often evil" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Cleric, monk, rogue, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Death, Grave (described in {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE})" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Hermit, sage, sailor, urchin", "Most worshipers of Athreos believe death is a natural part of life, to be neither rushed toward nor run from. They seek to do their part in fulfilling the natural order, easing the passage of the living into death. Most also respect their ancestors and honor them through tradition, ritual, and memory." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Athreos's Favor", "entries": [ "As all mortals eventually bow before him, the River Guide doesn't seek worship. When mortal agents are necessary, though, Athreos often seeks the descendants of those who impressed him during their journey to the Underworld. The Athreos's Favor table offers several suggestions for the nature of your connection to the god.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Athreos's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "A family member died bringing you into the world." ], [ "2", "You don't think or feel as others do, finding emotions messy and confusing." ], [ "3", "In a brazen or desperate moment, you dared death to take you\u2014and in a way, it has." ], [ "4", "You sent a Returned back to the Underworld, restoring a measure of order to the cosmos." ], [ "5", "Serving Athreos is your family tradition, a responsibility honored for countless generations." ], [ "6", "You have died before, and in that moment, you glimpsed the mists that surround Athreos's skiff." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Athreos", "entries": [ "Servants of Athreos facilitate the passage from life into death. As a follower of Athreos, consider the possibilities on the Athreos's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Athreos's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Tradition. Honor the dead through rites of respect and by continuing their ways. (Lawful)" ], [ "3", "Dread. Mortals put their fear out of mind, but through me, they will remember the inevitable. (Evil or neutral)" ], [ "4", "Apathy. Life is but a rehearsal for death, and it's best not to grow too attached to it. (Neutral)" ], [ "5", "Succor. I offer balm to the dying\u2014which, to varying degrees, includes all of us. (Good or neutral)" ], [ "6", "Judgment. Violations against the order of life and death must be set right. (Lawful)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Athreos when you honor him or the cycle of life and death through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Providing coins and overseeing burial rites for those slain during a tragedy", "Ensuring that the deeds and knowledge of someone who has died are preserved", "Slaying a Returned and its associated eidolon" ] }, "Your piety score to Athreos decreases if you diminish the River Guide's influence in the world, impede his work, or disrespect the dead through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Denying a dying person their final rites", "Removing wealth from a corpse or defiling a tomb", "Aiding those who seek to escape from the Underworld, or who already have" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Athreos's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Athreos's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Athreos's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Passage|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Aureon", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Order" ], "province": "Knowledge, law", "symbol": "Open tome {@i or} blue dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Aureon is the Sovereign of Law and Lore. He is considered the first wizard, who shared the secrets of wizardry with the world." ] }, { "name": "Aureon", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of law and knowledge", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Order" ], "symbol": "Open tome" }, { "name": "Auril", "altNames": [ "The Cold Crone", "The Frostmaiden", "Icedawn" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 101, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of winter", "worshipers": "Druids, inhabitants of cold climates", "plane": "Pandemonium (Pandesmos)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Auril.webp" }, "credit": "Helder Almeida", "width": 850, "height": 983 }, "entries": [ "Auril, the merciless god of cold indifference, embodies winter's cruelty. Auril's beloved ice grips all things in her clutches, preserving them against the ravages of time. She hoards beauty in all forms, from art objects and flowers to skilled artisans and their wondrous works, freezing them in magical ice for her pleasure alone. If she deigns to speak to a mortal, her voice whispers like icy needles on the cold wind, or she sends a {@creature Yeti|XMM} or an {@creature Air Elemental|XMM} to speak on her behalf.", "Auril is worshiped in regions affected by deep winters, notably {@book Icewind Dale|FRHoF|2|Icewind Dale} during the supernaturally long night known as the Everlasting Rime. Individuals propitiate Auril with offerings and prayers for mercy. Few favor Auril, except those who make their livelihood from winter or those who truly love the season. Worshipers stock food, fuel, and other sources of comfort and warmth, which they sacrifice to Auril for deliverance from harsh winters. In times of deep desperation, however, sapient beings might be left in the deadly cold as a sacrifice to the Frostmaiden.", "Auril's priests tend to be people who would, but for their status, be outcasts from their communities. They avoid personal relationships, remaining aloof when not serving in their official capacity. Her priests warn local residents to prepare for winter and stock extra provisions so they have offerings for Auril.", "The rituals of Auril's worship seem cruel to outsiders. In {@book Luskan|FRHoF|2|Luskan}, Auril's temple is the Winter Palace, a roofless array of pillars and arches carved of white stone. Visitors gather here to watch a ritual in which supplicants don garments packed with ice. These supplicants then journey between six white pillars known as the Kisses of Auril, dispersed throughout the city. The worshipers move from pillar to pillar, chanting prayers to the god. On reaching a pillar, a supplicant must climb it and touch the rusty iron plate at the top. In winter, these events resemble frantic footraces, with the added risk of frostbite and injuries caused by falling from the slippery pillars.", "Auril's Chosen are spies or assassins who root out the agents of her enemies. She has invested few known Chosen, the most prominent being the Harper agent Artus Cimber." ] }, { "name": "Auril", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of winter", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Six-pointed snowflake" }, { "name": "Auril", "altNames": [ "The Frostmaiden", "Lady Frostkiss", "Icedawn" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of winter", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Six-pointed snowflake", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Auril.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Auril, the merciless goddess of cold and winter, is worshiped mostly in regions that are affected by deep winters. Folk propitiate Auril with offerings and prayers for mercy. Her priests warn others to prepare for winter, and to stock extra provisions in order to have some to spare as offerings to the goddess.", "Few favor Auril except for those who make their livelihood from winter or those who truly love the season. Her rare priests tend to be folk who would, but for their status, likely be outcasts from their communities. They practice celibacy and remain aloof from others when not serving in their official capacity.", "Luskan has a temple dedicated to Auril, the whitespired Winter Palace. The structure is a roofless array of pillars and arches carved of white stone. The rituals of Auril's worship often seem cruel to outsiders. In Luskan, visitors gather at the temple to watch the frequent \"wet parades,\" a ritual in which supplicants don garments packed with ice. They then journey between six white pillars known as the Kisses of Auril, which are dispersed throughout the city. The worshipers move from pillar to pillar, chanting prayers to the goddess. Upon reaching a pillar, a supplicant must climb it and then \"kiss the lady,\" touching lips to a rusty iron plate at the top. In winter, these events resemble frantic footraces, with the added risk of frostbite and injuries caused by falling from the slippery pillars. The parade runners are cheered on by patrons who come out of nearby taverns to place bets on the stamina of the participants. Those who finish the race are thought to have helped make the winter easier, and they rarely have to pay for food or ale all winter long." ] }, { "name": "Avandra", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of change and luck", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Three stacked wavy lines" }, { "name": "Avandra", "reprintAlias": "The Changebringer", "source": "EGW", "page": 20, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "the Change Bringer", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Change, freedom, luck", "symbol": "Woman's profile embossed on a gold coin or pendant", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Avandra.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Also known as \"She Who Makes the Path,\" Avandra champions freedom, travel, trade, and adventure across the lands. Her will heralds open frontiers, and her call beckons her followers to discover that which awaits them beyond the known. There are few urban temples dedicated to the Change Bringer, but her shrines are often found along well-traveled roads and off the beaten path. Her worship is common among merchants, free spirits, and adventurers, and tavern cheers celebrate her as a bringer of luck and fortune.", "Avandra calls no domain in the planes her residence, instead eternally wandering through the Outer Planes where serenity can be found, distantly watching over the potential of mortals.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "The Change Bringer is often depicted as a young woman of dark complexion and long, light brown hair that cascades to form the road left behind her. Most art shows her in constant motion, ever leading into the unknown." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Avandra's holy day, called New Dawn, takes place on the first day of the first month, when the old year gives way to the new. On the Menagerie Coast, people celebrate by having a feast on the shore at dusk to watch the sunset. They feast and discuss their hopes for the new year until the sun rises." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Avandra", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Luck favors the bold. Your fate is your own to grasp, and to do so is to have the Change Bringer behind you.", "Change is inevitable. The righteous can ensure that such change is for the better.", "Rise against tyranny. Fight for the freedom of yourself and others when you can, and inspire others to fight when you cannot." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Azuth", "altNames": [ "The High One", "Lord of Spells", "The Shining Hand of Sorcery" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 101, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of wizardry", "worshipers": "Arcane spellcasters", "plane": "Arcadia (Buxenus)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Azuth.webp" }, "credit": "Helder Almeida", "width": 850, "height": 1411 }, "entries": [ "Renowned as the right hand of Mystra and the First Magister, Azuth is a god of spells and spellcraft. Where Mystra is a god of magic in all its forms and manifestations, Azuth is the lord of spellcasting, the Art of giving shape to the raw power of {@book the Weave|FRHoF|5|The Weave}. As the Aphorism of the High One says, \"Where Mystra is force, Azuth grants form.\" His priests claim that spellcasters who meditate on the Aphorism reach new understanding of the Art.", "The myths of Azuth portray the First Magister as being deeply in love with Mystra, which his priests say isn't idle gossip but the proper approach of any magic-user to magic itself: the Art must be wooed and treated with equal parts adoration and reverence, cultivated like a lifelong love. But Azuth is less concerned with good and evil than Mystra, and he tolerates evil spellcasters as long as they don't deceive or spread chaos. Azuth is friendly with Oghma, who shares his neutral outlook. Azuth wields the {@i Old Staff}, an Artifact of incalculable arcane power marked with sigils and topped by a shape-changing crystal. He communicates with his worshipers through a manifestation of the {@spell Magic Mouth|XPHB} spell with a gray beard and mustache, by sending a gray animal such as a cat or owl, or\u2014in extreme cases\u2014a sphinx.", "Azuth has few dedicated temples, but every temple to Mystra contains at least one shrine to Azuth within it or a chapel dedicated to him. His priests, the magistrati, host magic fairs and collect rare and unusual {@item Spell Scroll|XDMG|Spell Scrolls} so the death of a spell's inventor doesn't leave their creation lost to time. Magistrati give away spellbooks to people with the potential to become spellcasters but who can't afford to pursue their study. Some magistrati teach at schools of magic. Azuth's priests spread and enforce the magebond, a social covenant among Faerûn's spellcasters. The magebond stipulates that personal disputes between spellcasters shouldn't attract the attention of or disturb mundane society. It encourages spellcasters to handle such issues among themselves, preferably in a peaceful way.", "Azuth's Chosen are called his Favored; they push the limits of magical research and arcane innovation, creating new ways to interact with and strengthen the Weave." ] }, { "name": "Azuth", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of wizards", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Left hand pointing upward, outlined in fire" }, { "name": "Azuth", "altNames": [ "The High One", "The Lord of Spellcraft", "The First Magister" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of wizardry", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Left hand pointing upward, outlined in fire", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Azuth.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Few pay homage to Azuth aside from wizards. For them, the High One is the ultimate embodiment of all that they hold dear.", "Mystra serves as goddess of magic; Oghma is god of knowledge; and Deneir is god of writing and language. Azuth takes aspects of these general fields and applies them to the specific practices of wizards. For instance, while Mystra is the deity who represents the soul, art, and wonder of magic, Azuth is god of a wizard's long hours of study, exacting standards of movement and speech, and cramped, ink-stained fingers. Wizards invoke Azuth when they scribe scrolls, inscribe magic circles, attempt to memorize spells, and even when they cast spells. Often this acknowledgment comes in the form of silently forming Azuth's holy symbol, pointing the index finger of the left hand to the sky. For many wizards, the gesture is so commonplace in their lives that it becomes an unconscious habit.", "Temples dedicated to Azuth are scarce, and clerics of the deity are extremely rare. Even in magic-saturated Halruaa, only a handful of holy places are dedicated to Azuth. Sometimes a statue or a shrine dedicated to him stands in a corner of a temple to Mystra or another deity. More often, a wizard has a personal shrine at home. Azuth is represented at such sites as a hooded and bearded figure with left hand held high, finger pointed up. Sometimes he is represented by merely the hand. In either case, the finger often serves as a candleholder or as the point of origin for a light spell." ] }, { "name": "Baervan Wildwanderer", "source": "MTF", "page": 111, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "domains": [ "Nature" ], "province": "Woodlands", "symbol": "Face of a raccoon", "entries": [ "Baervan Wildwanderer is the god of the forests and of those who travel, a peaceful soul whose explorations often turn into exciting adventures. Baervan's constant companion is Chiktikka Fastpaws, a mischievous giant raccoon who often gets the duo into trouble. Although Baervan isn't as much of a prankster as some of the other gods, she is often held responsible when Chiktikka does something outrageous, such as stealing Gruumsh's breakfast or peeing on Rillifane Rallathil's shoes.", "Baervan can sing every bird's song, knows every type of plant that has ever grown, never gets lost, and can befriend anyone under the sun (as long as Chiktikka chooses to act pleasant rather than annoying). Forest gnomes believe that they can speak to the animals of the woods and on the wing because Baervan teaches their souls how to do so before they are born." ] }, { "name": "Baervan Wildwanderer", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of woodlands", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Face of a raccoon" }, { "name": "Bahamut", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of justice and nobility", "domains": [ "Life", "War" ], "symbol": "Dragon's head, in profile, facing left" }, { "name": "Bahamut", "reprintAlias": "The Platinum Dragon", "source": "EGW", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "the Platinum Dragon", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Life", "Order", "War" ], "province": "Honor, justice", "symbol": "Silver dragon's head in profile", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Bahamut.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The pillar of justice, protection, nobility, and honor, Bahamut is a beacon to paladins of order and good, and is revered by most metallic dragons as the first of their kind. The crest of the Platinum Dragon adorns many halls of high leadership and justice, invoking his will in all matters of justice. To follow him is to look after those who cannot look after themselves.", "When not wandering the Outer Planes, Bahamut resides within his magnificent, glittering palace of gold, platinum, and mithral hidden among the winds of the Seven Heavens of Celestia.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "The Platinum Dragon is often seen emblazoned on shields and armor, both functional and decorative, in the form of a brilliant dragon head in profile. Temples and works of art depict a massive, glittering dragon with vibrant platinum scales and seemingly endless wingspan." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Bahamut's holy day is called Embertide, and is celebrated on the fifth day of Duscar. This is a day of remembrance, solemnity, and respect for those who have fallen in the defense of others." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Bahamut", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Stand as a paragon of honor and justice.", "Smite evil wherever it is found, yet show compassion to those who have strayed from the path of righteousness.", "Defend the weak, bring freedom to the persecuted, and protect the ideals of justice and order." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Bahamut", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Dragon god of good", "domains": [ "Life", "War" ], "symbol": "Dragon's head in profile" }, { "name": "Bahgtru", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Orc", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of strength", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Broken thigh bone" }, { "name": "Bahgtru", "source": "VGM", "page": 83, "_copy": { "name": "Bahgtru", "source": "SCAG", "pantheon": "Orc" }, "pantheon": "Orc", "customExtensionOf": "Bahgtru|Orc|SCAG", "title": "the Leg Breaker", "entries": [ "Despite the influence of Ilneval, orcs are and will forever be brutal and feral in how they wage war. Bahgtru is the deity who epitomizes the physical might and ruthlessness that orcs use to overwhelm their foes. He is the one who drives every thrust of an orc's weapon, so that it does as much harm as possible.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Fearless and Mighty", "entries": [ "In the myths, it is said that Bahgtru was out hunting when he was surprised by the mightiest of the behirs, one with hundreds of legs. In a flash, Bahgtru was wrapped in the creature's coils and gripped by its legs. No one had ever escaped the grasp of the behir, but Bahgtru saw this as the ultimate test of his strength, and laughed at his good fortune. One by one, Bahgtru broke the behir's legs, and freed himself from its clutches. The creature's shrieks became the lightning of the storm, and its broken femur became the symbol of Bahgtru's followers, reminding them that anything can be broken and defeated by superior strength." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Competing in Cruelty", "entries": [ "Most young orcs that an explorer or an adventurer might encounters are followers of Bahgtru. Orcs of Bahgtru continually try to prove their superior strength and endurance through cruel contests against their tribe mates, acts of unprovoked belligerence, and great success in battle. It is through these tests of strength that Bahgtru's followers prove which among them will eventually be worthy of Gruumsh's unwavering gaze." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "The Sacred Bull", "entries": [ "Orcs of Bahgtru sometimes enter battle astride {@creature aurochs|vgm}, large creatures that resemble oxen or cattle but are much more ferocious. By doing so they honor the creatures as well as their deity, because legends tell that Bahgtru also rode a great bull into battle. No orc will eat or harm one of these sacred beasts, which are believed to be imbued with Bahgtru's spirit." ] } ] }, { "name": "Balder", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of beauty and poetry", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Gem-encrusted silver chalice" }, { "name": "Balinor", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Nature", "War" ], "province": "Beasts, the hunt", "symbol": "Pair of antlers {@i or} green dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Balinor is the Sovereign of Horn and Hunt. He guides both the beast and the hunter, and he is the patron of those who walk on the edge of civilization and the natural world." ] }, { "name": "Balinor", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of beasts and the hunt", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Pair of antlers" }, { "name": "Bane", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of war and conquest", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Claw with three talons pointing down" }, { "name": "Bane", "reprintAlias": "The Strife Emperor", "source": "EGW", "page": 26, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "the Strife Emperor", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Forge", "Order", "War" ], "province": "Conquest, tyranny", "symbol": "Flail of chains, each ending in shackles", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Bane.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Blood-drenched armies of brutal warriors oft crush their foes in the name of Bane, the evil patron of war and conquest. To serve his will is to accept the call to conflict, seeking lesser people to break and subjugate. Warmongering nations and goblinoid tribes worship the Strife Emperor as they strike out at the world to bend it beneath them. Bane twists all living things to his iron will, forcing even nature itself to bow to his whims.", "Bane plots his conquest of the planes from within the bastion of Banehold, towering among the blood-soaked battlefields of Acheron.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Bane is often depicted as a brutish, ogre-like man clad from head to toe in jagged black armor. Heads dangle from his belt, and the shadows that obscure his helmeted face do not hide his yellow eyes." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "The Strife Emperor's greatest enemy is Melora, who defeated him at Rifenmist during the Calamity. The Strife Emperor grew his armies by corrupting noble creatures into monsters and destroying the wilds to fuel his terrible engines of conflict, and the two deities clashed many times during the war before his defeat at Beynsfal Plateau." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Bane", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Fear is your ally. Conquer your fear and inspire it in your foes.", "Disorder and rebellion are to be punished severely.", "Combat is the greatest gift, and perfecting your skills to master it is the greatest pursuit." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Bane", "altNames": [ "The Black Hand", "The Lord of Darkness" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 102, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of tyranny", "worshipers": "Conquerors, Fighters, Monks, tyrants", "plane": "Acheron (Avalas)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Bane.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 1139 }, "entries": [ "Bane, a god of tyrants and ambition, has a simple ethos: the strong have the duty to rule over the weak. A tyrant who can seize power must do so; not only does the tyrant benefit, but so do those under the tyrant's rule. When a ruler succumbs to decadence, corruption, or decrepitude, a stronger and more suitable ruler will rise. Bane is one of the Dead Three, a trio of gods including Bhaal and Myrkul who attained divinity when they absorbed the divine station of a former death god, Jergal, and were then slain during the Time of Troubles. Bane was the first of the three to return and has risen to a more prominent position than he ever held before his death.", "Although Bane's worshipers have committed dark deeds in his name, most of them don't do so out of malice. Bane represents ambition and control, and those who have the former but lack the latter pray to him to give them strength. Bane favors those with drive and courage, and he aids those who seek to become conquerors, carve kingdoms from the wilderness, and bring order to the lawless.", "Whatever form Bane takes, he is marked by his jet-black right hand. If he wishes to conceal his identity, he wears a gauntlet or glove over this hand. He appears to mortals in dreams as a powerful, shadowy figure in armor wearing a black, jeweled gauntlet. When he sends an emissary, it is usually a {@creature Horned Devil|XMM}, or it could be a possessed {@creature Knight|XMM} with pitch-black eyes who remembers nothing of the encounter later.", "At many times and in many places in Faerûn, the faithful of Bane have been heralded as saviors for slaughtering raiders, throwing down corrupt rulers, or saving armies on the brink of defeat. But just as often, the worship of Bane has created or supported cruel dictatorships, aided mercantile monopolies, or subjugated entire populations. Priests of Bane wear a black-enameled gauntlet on one fist. Cults of Bane are particularly active in {@book Baldur's Gate|FRHoF|2|Baldur's Gate}, where noble patriar families are easily enraptured by Bane's promises of power.", "The power-hungry Chosen of Bane become warlords or otherwise amass followers to help them seize and consolidate power. Bane's Chosen also act as whispering advisers, tempting and driving rulers to greater acts of cruelty and domination.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Knights of the Black Gauntlet", "entries": [ "The Knights of the Black Gauntlet is a military order of crusaders dedicated to Bane. Based in the city of Mintar on the shores of the {@book Lake of Steam|FRHoF|2|Lake of Steam}, this organization is ruled with an iron fist by the Lord Knight Imperceptor of Bane. The Black Gauntlet's roster boasts warriors and militant priests who are experienced in commanding troops and who are, in turn, prepared to execute orders without question.", "Hopefuls join the order as soldiers (regardless of their class or background) and can expect to be treated as such. The rigid hierarchy of the Black Gauntlet ensures that only those who thrive in and master its unyielding structure can rise in rank. Soldiers follow their commanders on expeditions to secure borders, quell uprisings, and stamp out lawlessness that threatens stability.", "Soldiers who show obedience to their superiors, demonstrate leadership, and inspire loyalty or fear might receive knighthood. Candidates for knighthood must demonstrate their leadership on a successful expedition without undermining the Black Gauntlet's hierarchy. Those who are found worthy are promoted and given a contingent of soldiers to oversee. Many don a black gauntlet on one hand. (If your campaign uses renown, your character must also have a Renown Score of 3+ with the Knights of the Black Gauntlet to be knighted.)", "Knights of the Black Gauntlet learn tactics and leadership. If your character is a member of the Knights of the Black Gauntlet, you receive a free Comfortable lifestyle at any temple of Bane or outpost of the order. Additionally, if you have a Renown Score of 10+ and are leading an expedition in service to the order can request the temporary service of a {@creature Helmed Horror|XMM}. Once you've used this benefit, you can't do so again until your Renown Score increases.", "Knights of the Black Gauntlet find allies in the cults of Bhaal and Myrkul, befitting their god's relationship among the Dead Three, as well as the worshipers of Loviatar. Their primary enemies include those who pose threats to the lands they govern, whether rivals from without or destabilizing elements and dissidents within their borders." ] } ] }, { "name": "Bane", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of tyranny", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Upright black right hand, thumb and fingers together" }, { "name": "Bane", "altNames": [ "The Black Hand", "The Lord of Darkness" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of tyranny", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Upright black hand, thumb and fingers together", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Bane.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Bane has a simple ethos: the strong have not just the right but the duty to rule over the weak. A tyrant who is able to seize power must do so, for not only does the tyrant benefit, but so do those under the tyrant's rule. When a ruler succumbs to decadence, corruption, or decrepitude, a stronger and more suitable ruler will rise.", "Bane is vilified in many legends. Throughout history, those who favor him have committed dark deeds in his name, but most people don't worship Bane out of malice. Bane represents ambition and control, and those who have the former but lack the latter pray to him to give them strength. It is said that Bane favors those who exhibit drive and courage, and that he aids those who seek to become conquerors, carving kingdoms from the wilderness, and bringing order to the lawless.", "At many times and in many places in Faerûn, the faithful of Bane have been seen as saviors for their efforts in slaughtering raiders, throwing down corrupt rulers, or saving armies on the brink of defeat. But in just as many other places, the worship of Bane has created or supported cruel dictatorships, aided mercantile monopolies, or brought about the practice of slavery where before it didn't exist." ] }, { "name": "Baravar Cloakshadow", "source": "MTF", "page": 111, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "domains": [ "Arcana", "Trickery" ], "province": "Illusion, deception", "symbol": "Dagger against a hooded cloak", "entries": [ "When gnomes arrived in the world, Baravar protected them by teaching them how to hide, use magic, and deceive their foes. She was once entrapped by the goblin god Khurgorbaeyag, and after escaping and gaining her revenge, she began the practice of never wearing the same face twice, and she follows a different routine every day so no one can predict what she might do. When gnomes tell stories of their gods' adventures, Baravar is always the last to be found when the group forms, but she nevertheless swiftly agrees to support Garl's plans.", "Forest gnomes and deep gnomes owe their innate magical abilities to Baravar, and all gnomes get their natural defense against magic from her shrewdness." ] }, { "name": "Baravar Cloakshadow", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of illusion and deception", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Dagger against a hooded cloak" }, { "name": "Bast", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of cats and vengeance", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Cat" }, { "name": "Belenus", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of sun, light, and warmth", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Solar disk and standing stones" }, { "name": "Beory", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Green disk" }, { "name": "Beory", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "Heart of Oerth", "worshipers": "Farmers, herders", "plane": "Material Plane", "symbol": "Green disk" }, { "name": "Berei", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "of the Hearth", "worshipers": "Families, farmers", "plane": "Bytopia", "symbol": "Sheaf of wheat stalks" }, { "name": "Berronar Truesilver", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "Peace" ], "province": "Hearth, home, truth", "symbol": "Intertwined silver rings", "entries": [ "The Matron of Home and Hearth is the patron of family, honor, and law. She lays out the rules for managing a dwarf clan.", "Berronar's code establishes the laws of the dwarves, including contracts, trade agreements, and every other kind of bond forged through words and deeds. As Moradin provides the example that dwarves strive to match, Berronar provides the bonds that create dwarven society and culture.", "Berronar's priests arrange marriages, using a process that finds the best matches and is designed to ensure that each generation of a clan is stronger and more talented than the last. Their dictates in this respect are sacrosanct, and a dwarf designated for an arranged marriage must obey the priests or risk exile." ] }, { "name": "Berronar Truesilver", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of hearth and home", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "Peace" ], "symbol": "Intertwined silver rings" }, { "name": "Bes", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of luck and music", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Image of the misshapen deity" }, { "name": "Beshaba", "altNames": [ "Lady Doom", "The Maiden of Misfortune" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 103, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of misfortune", "worshipers": "Gamblers, Red Wizards, Rogues", "plane": "The Abyss", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Beshaba.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 693 }, "entries": [ "Beshaba is a god of misfortune, the counterpoint to her benevolent sister, Tymora, and as frequently acknowledged in daily life. Lady Doom is a cruel and capricious god who must be placated to avoid attracting her ruinous attention and interest.", "The ancient empire of Netheril revered a single god of luck, Tyche, whose influence extended over both good luck and bad. According to myth, Tyche became corrupted and died, but her essence then manifested in Beshaba and Tymora, two sisters who share influence over Tyche's divine portfolio. Beshaba is petty and spiteful, and her actions and whims seem perplexing even to her followers. When Beshaba speaks directly to a mortal, her voice whispers from broken mirrors. Otherwise, she sends a {@creature Quasit|XMM} disguised as a black cat, or a great stag ({@creature Deer|XMM}, {@creature Elk|XMM}, or {@creature Giant Elk|XMM}) with black antlers dripping blood.", "Mortals invoke Beshaba's name when beset by bad luck\u2014anything as minor as stubbing a toe or as catastrophic as falling off a cliff. She is also petitioned to ward off her attentions when sudden bad luck could spell disaster, such as when crossing a rickety bridge. Although people tremble in fear at the prospect of Beshaba's presence at any event (even in spirit), those performing opening speeches or ceremonies at formal functions welcome and propitiate her\u2014after all, if she isn't invited to an event, she might take offense and wreak misfortune on those involved.", "Temples to Beshaba are virtually unknown. It's common, however, for rural folk to erect a post and mount antlers on it at the site of a roadside accident or murder. In cities, where antlers are hard to come by, the pious draw the black antlers of Beshaba with charcoal on a nearby wall, leaving the symbol on display until weather scours it away. These makeshift shrines warn others about places of ill fortune.", "Beshaba's Chosen are conduits of misfortune. They move throughout the world manipulating people and events to drive disasters, unleash plagues, and let demons slip into the world." ] }, { "name": "Beshaba", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of misfortune", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black antlers" }, { "name": "Beshaba", "altNames": [ "The Maid of Misfortune", "Lady Doom", "Black Bess" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of misfortune", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black antlers", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Beshaba.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Beshaba is the counterpoint to Tymora and is just as frequently acknowledged in daily life as is her more benevolent \"sister.\" She is seen as a cruel and capricious goddess who must be propitiated to avoid attracting her attention and interest in a negative way.", "Beshaba's name is invoked when someone is beset by bad luck - which could be as minor as stubbing a toe or breaking a wagon wheel, or as catastrophic as slipping and accidentally falling off a cliff. It is also invoked to ward off her attentions when someone is doing something in which good luck wouldn't play a part but bad luck might. For example, someone rolling dice would invoke Tymora because they want random chance to fall in their favor, but someone about to cross a rickety bridge would ask Beshaba to keep the bridge intact.", "Folk make the symbol of Beshaba by folding in their thumbs and extending their fingers on one or both hands (mimicking the horns of her holy symbol) to ward off misfortune. The same gesture raised to the head signifies a salute; when pointed at someone, the \"horns\" indicate ill favor directed toward that individual.", "Many druids worship Beshaba as one of the First Circle. They propitiate her with dances while wearing fire-blackened antlers dipped in blood. According to these druids, her holy symbol is the horns of a stag because when Beshaba was first worshiped, humans were simple hunter-gatherers and she was believed to bring misfortune to hunters, such as being gored by a stag.", "Although most people tremble in fear at the prospect of Beshaba's attendance at any event (even in spirit), Beshaba is almost always invoked and welcomed formally in the opening speeches or ceremonies of formal functions such as marriages and coronations, contests of sport or martial prowess, and at the naming ceremonies of children. If she isn't invited to such an event, she might take offense and wreak misfortune on those involved.", "Temples to Beshaba are virtually unknown. It's common, however, for rural folk to erect a post and mount antlers on it at the site of some roadside accident or murder. In cities, where antlers are hard to come by and murders and accidents more prevalent, the fashion is to draw the black antlers of Beshaba with charcoal on a nearby wall, leaving the symbol on display until weather scours it away. These \"shrines,\" in either form, serve as warnings to others about places of ill fortune.", "More formal shrines to Beshaba exist in places where folk frequently hope to ward off misfortune. These sites tend to be posts or stones painted red with blackened antlers attached to them, or a red, triangular wall-mounted plaque with attached antlers. Both types have a stone or bronze bowl where coins can be tossed or burnt offerings made. The Red Wizards of Thay commonly erect such shrines outside their ritual chambers to guard against unfortunate mistakes.", "Few dare to take Beshaba as a patron. The rare clerics of the Maid of Misfortune are those who have been deeply affected by great misfortunes and who seek to warn others of the essential unfairness of life - or to inflict that unfairness upon them." ] }, { "name": "Bhaal", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Murder" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 103, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of murder", "worshipers": "Assassins, murderers", "plane": "Gehenna (Khalas)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Bhaal.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 848 }, "entries": [ "Bhaal is a god of murder who revels in violence and ritualistic killing. He lends power to those whose slaughters invoke fear and dread. The act of murder is only half the equation. The second half is the suspicion, paranoia, and fear that a seemingly unstoppable killer can evoke. Bhaal inspires fear by slaying those seemingly beyond the reach of death. He is a member of a trio of deities known as the Dead Three alongside Bane and Myrkul.", "Bhaal always carries a red handkerchief somewhere on his manifested form. He can take on an alternate appearance regardless of his current form: a hulking figure armed with a long, curved dagger that drips blood. In this hairless form, he wears only a tattered loincloth and is covered with bleeding wounds caused by a blade. His face is a skull flayed of its flesh and surrounded by a halo of blood. When he sends emissaries to carry his word, he usually tasks a {@creature Doppelganger|XMM} in the guise of someone the recipient later learns was dead during the conversation, or he sends a vicious {@creature Mezzoloth|XMM}.", "While the folk of Faerûn don't normally pray to Bhaal, some propitiate him when they want to commit murder. A person might have an understandable reason to resort to murder, such as when they're unable to redress an injustice through lawful means, but it's far more common for prayers to Bhaal to be uttered by murderers motivated by jealousy, greed, or wrath. It's rare for anyone but assassins or compulsive killers to take Bhaal as a patron.", "Murder cults of Bhaal have arisen in the past, each led by a charismatic, self-styled priest of Bhaal, but organized worship of the Lord of Murder is extremely uncommon. Temples and shrines are similarly rare. Those who erect a shrine to Bhaal usually do so to thank him for a successful murder. Such shrines feature a skull or a severed head surrounded by drops of blood (both from the murdered victim). As with the other members of the Dead Three, Bhaal's cult has infiltrated {@book Baldur's Gate|FRHoF|2|Baldur's Gate} on the {@book Sword Coast|FRHoF|2|Sword Coast}, where a vast temple to the Lord of Murder is said to brood in the tunnels beneath the city.", "Chosen of Bhaal are blood-soaked terrors with little or no capacity for empathy. Their divine gifts hone their killing skills to a razor's edge." ] }, { "name": "Bhaal", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of murder", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Skull surrounded by a ring of blood droplets" }, { "name": "Bhaal", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Murder" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of murder", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Skull surrounded by ring of bloody droplets", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Bhaal.webp" } }, "entries": [ "The folk of Faerûn don't normally pray to or acknowledge Bhaal. He is seen as a deeply evil and destructive deity who hungers for death - meaning the death of any sentient beings through unlawful means.", "Some people pray to Bhaal when they want to commit murder. A person might have good reason to resort to murder, such as when one is unable to redress some injustice through lawful means. But it's far more common for prayers to Bhaal to be uttered by those who seek to kill someone out of jealousy, greed, or wrath. It's rare for anyone but assassins or compulsive killers to take Bhaal as a patron, and clerics who revere Bhaal often qualify on both counts.", "Murder cults of Bhaal have arisen in the past, each led by a charismatic, self-styled priest of Bhaal, but organized worship of the Lord of Murder is extremely uncommon. Temples and shrines are similarly rare. Those who erect a shrine to Bhaal usually do so to thank him for a successful murder. Such shrines typically feature a skull or a severed head surrounded by drops of blood (often both from the murdered victim)." ] }, { "name": "Bleredd", "source": "MTF", "page": 110, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "N" ], "domains": [ "Forge", "Light" ], "province": "Labor, craft", "symbol": "Iron mule" }, { "name": "Blibdoolpoolp", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Kuo-toa goddess", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Lobster head or black pearl" }, { "name": "Boccob", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of magic", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Eye within a pentagram" }, { "name": "Boccob", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Uncaring, Archmage of the Gods", "worshipers": "Sages, spellcasters, seers", "plane": "Outlands", "symbol": "Eye within a pentagram" }, { "name": "Boldrei", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 }, { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Peace", "Twilight" ], "province": "Community, home", "symbol": "Fire in a stone hearth {@i or} copper dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Boldrei is the Sovereign of Hall and Hearth. She guides and protects communities and families, inspiring people to work together for the common good." ] }, { "name": "Boldrei", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 }, { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of community and home", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Peace", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Fire in a stone hearth" }, { "name": "Branchala", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 14, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Music", "symbol": "Bard's harp", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/010-00-031.good-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Paladine, Branchala, and Habbakuk", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Called the Bard King, Branchala is the god of music, poetry, and the inner beauty of all living things. Many elves and kender worship him above all other gods. Both groups revere him as a champion of life and laughter, bringing solace and joy to those who listen." ] }, { "name": "Branchala", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of music", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Bard's harp" }, { "name": "Brandobaris", "source": "MTF", "page": 104, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "N" ], "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Adventure, thievery", "symbol": "Halfling footprint", "entries": [ "Dashing trickster, patron of thieves, and star of fantastical fables and wild stories of adventure-that's the legacy of Brandobaris, the Master of Stealth. Stories of Brandobaris, full of artful trickery and narrow escapes, inspire many young halflings to play at roguish pursuits. In their imagination, a grain silo becomes a lofty wizard's tower to scale in search of treasures, or a rowboat becomes the setting for a swashbuckling adventure. And for some\u2014the youngsters who are said to \"have a bit of Brandobaris in them\"\u2014that play-acting is the prelude to a life of living as Brandobaris does: always on the lookout for the next challenge.", "Brandobaris continues to wander in search of excitement, and now, as an ascended being, his travels span the planes of existence. His curiosity takes him to all corners of the multiverse in search of magical curios, rare treasures, and mystical puzzles. When Brandobaris moves stealthily, no mortal or god can hear his footfalls-an ability he uses not only for defense, but also to bestow unlooked-for treats upon those he favors.", "Although he never seems to rest in his travels, Brandobaris always has time to reward halflings who dare to take risks and explore the world to make their own mark on it. He has been known to give a bit of aid to halflings in dire straits, turning them invisible for a time or intervening so that they can't be heard or tracked." ] }, { "name": "Brandobaris", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of thievery and adventure", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Halfling footprint" }, { "name": "Brigantia", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of rivers and livestock", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Footbridge" }, { "name": "Callarduran Smoothhands", "source": "MTF", "page": 111, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "N" ], "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Nature" ], "province": "Mining, stone carving", "symbol": "Golden signet ring with six pointed star", "entries": [ "Callarduran became the patron of the deep gnomes when he led them into the Underdark and taught them how to survive, but all gnomes see him as the embodiment of the drive to know more, to examine everything more minutely-and thereby make great discoveries.", "Callarduran earned his moniker when, after stealing the heart of Ogrémoch, he rubbed his hands smooth as he polished the heart and turned it into a magical stone. The theft caused Ogrémoch to turn to evil, but it gave Callarduran the power to control earth elementals-which, it is said, he can confer to deep gnomes by rubbing the stone and saying their names." ] }, { "name": "Callarduran Smoothhands", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of mining and carving stone", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Golden signet ring with six-pointed star" }, { "name": "Celestian", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of stars and wanderers", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Arc of seven stars inside a circle" }, { "name": "Celestian", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Far Wanderer", "worshipers": "Wanderers, astronomers", "plane": "Astral Plane", "symbol": "Arc of seven stars inside a circle" }, { "name": "Ceratos", "source": "EGW", "page": 31, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Tempest" ], "province": "The Great Old One", "symbol": "Three mismatched eyes surrounded by teeth", "entries": [ "A being that slipped from the Far Realm into Exandria before the Founding, Ceratos is one of the oldest creatures in the world. A single creature of many minds, Ceratos reveled in chaos. When the Elemental Chaos was divided into four planes, Ceratos retreated underground, their minds unraveling as they entered a nightmarish slumber.", "The digging of the Crawling King woke Ceratos a long time after. Though their minds were scattered, each desired the return of chaos to unite themselves. So Ceratos sent thoughts to the surface, offering magic to those who could create chaos in the land above, so that they might one day regain their full power. Ceratos tells their followers that chaos brings clarity and destruction begets rebirth.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Ceratos is thought to be a massive skinless sphere of flesh covered in mismatched eyes, mouths, and tentacles. They can project their minds' thoughts into other creatures, especially those who desire to bring chaos to the world." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Charmalaine", "source": "MTF", "page": 103, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "N" ], "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Keen senses, luck", "symbol": "Burning boot print", "entries": [ "Charmalaine is an energetic and spontaneous deity, unafraid of danger, for she expects to be able to detect it as it approaches and evade it before it brings her harm. The stories of her accomplishments read like an adventurer's wildest dreams: she escaped from an army of sahuagin, solved the Chamber of a Thousand Traps, and took treasure from the lair of Tiamat. Halflings envision her as a young adult who moves so fast that her boots smoke and sometimes even catch fire. She carries a mace that has a head that shouts out warnings, and she is accompanied by her ferret friend, Xaphan.", "Halflings sometimes call Charmalaine the Lucky Ghost because she can send her spirit out of her body to scout ahead, and thus she is able to warn halfling adventurers of danger while in her incorporeal form. Halflings who favor Charmalaine are usually adventurers or those who pursue other risky professions such as hunting, beast training, scouting, and guarding public officials." ] }, { "name": "Chauntea", "altNames": [ "The Grain Goddess", "The Great Mother" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 104, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of agriculture", "worshipers": "Farmers, gardeners, homesteaders", "plane": "Elysium (Eronia)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Chauntea.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 848 }, "entries": [ "Chauntea is the most widely worshiped god among Faerûn's common folk. As a god of agriculture, she is especially popular among farmers and rural communities. The hearth and home also fall under her purview, and as such, people in cities pray to her at mealtimes or before the birth of a child. Some say Chauntea blessed the world with life when it was first formed.", "Grand spectacles and displays of power hold no interest to Chauntea. She prefers quiet and small acts of devotion. The Grain Goddess seldom appears directly to mortals, nor does she send divine messengers. On the rare occasions when she communicates with her followers, she does so through words scrawled on freshly tilled soil or the rustling sound of wind through crops, sounding faintly like whispered speech.", "Some worshipers of Chauntea celebrate fertility festivals each {@book Greengrass|FRHoF|2|Greengrass}, wherein they arrange freshly cut flowers in beautiful arrangements as offerings for the god in exchange for a speedy growing season. Later in the year, folk across Faerûn express gratitude to Chauntea on the holiday of {@book Highharvestide|FRHoF|2|Highharvestide}, thanking her at sunset for the past year's plentiful bounty as winter approaches.", "Chauntea's teachings are full of agricultural aphorisms and farming parables. Her faith teaches folk to nurture, tend, and plant wherever possible; anything torn down must have something new planted in its place. Temples of Chauntea are repositories of practical lore concerning farming and cultivation. Chauntea's priests work closely with rural communities to ensure plentiful harvests and are happy to roll up their sleeves and dig their hands into the dirt. They dress humbly, wearing shades of beige and muted green.", "It's rare for Chauntea to select a Chosen, and it's even rarer to spot one. They usually dress and comport themselves no differently than any other member of her following.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Seeds of Cultivation", "entries": [ "The Seeds of Cultivation is a nomadic order of Chauntea dedicated to easing the pain of communities experiencing blight or famine. These worshipers travel wherever they are needed. Many know crop-yielding spells such as {@spell Plant Growth|XPHB}, but the cause of a blight or famine is often more complicated than a simple lack of fertile soil. The origin might be a mysterious curse on the land, or the dastardly work of cultists of Talona\u2014in which case, swords or skulduggery often prove more useful than spells. For this reason, the Seeds welcome folk with all manner of abilities in their ranks.", "The group typically recruits from farming communities. If a city dweller or other aspiring recruit unfamiliar with pastoral life seeks to join the order, the prospective member must first spend at least one year tending to crops in a rural community. At the end of the year, a representative from the Seeds visits the community to survey its people. If the folk vouch for the aspiring recruit's work ethic and character, the Seeds of Cultivation welcomes the recruit into their ranks with open arms. (If your campaign uses renown, the Seeds of Cultivation might waive this requirement for characters who have a Renown Score of 5+ with the order.)", "Like Chauntea herself, the Seeds of Cultivation cares little for pomp and circumstance. When initiating a new member, a group of Seeds makes a humble home-cooked meal and enjoys it with the recruit. At the end of the meal, the Seeds bestow on the recruit a wooden brooch depicting the symbol of Chauntea: a blooming rose over a sheaf of grain. Members of the Seeds of Cultivation wear these brooches prominently over their otherwise unassuming attire.", "Anyone who grows crops recognizes the Seeds of Cultivation, and members of the order can lodge at any temple of Chauntea for as long as they wish.", "Pestilence-bringing disciples of Talona rank among the Seeds' foremost enemies, along with followers of Talos who bring about destruction for destruction's sake. The Seeds typically count worshipers of nature deities among its allies, but the organization occasionally clashes with extremist druids of Silvanus who aim to turn cultivated farmland back into untamed wilds." ] } ] }, { "name": "Chauntea", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of agriculture", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Sheaf of grain or a blooming rose over grain" }, { "name": "Chauntea", "altNames": [ "The Great Mother", "The Grain Goddess" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of agriculture", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Sheaf of grain or a blooming rose over grain", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Chauntea.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Chauntea is goddess of agriculture: sowing and reaping, seeding and harvest, breeding and butchery, shearing and weaving. In this aspect she is a rural deity rarely prayed to behind the walls of a city except by kitchen gardeners. But Chauntea is also the Great Mother, a goddess of crib, hearth, and home. And as such she is welcomed into all homes at mealtimes and at the birth of children, and folk give her thanks whenever they experience the pleasure of settling by a fire and feeling safe and loved.", "Chauntea's faith is one of nurturing and growth. Agricultural aphorisms and farming parables dot her teachings. Growing and reaping, the eternal cycle, is a common theme in the faith. Destruction for its own sake, or leveling without rebuilding, is anathema to her.", "Temples of Chauntea maintain a great body of lore about farming and cultivation. Her priests work closely with communities in rural areas, and they are willing to roll up their sleeves and dig their hands into the dirt.", { "type": "inset", "name": "The Earthmother", "entries": [ "The druids of the Moonshae Isles worship the Earthmother, she who is the generative power of the land itself. To some mainlanders, the Earthmother is an aspect or manifestation of Chauntea, but to the Ffolk, she is simply the Earthmother, and always will be. The moonwells of the isles are her sacred sites and her windows onto the world. See \"Druids\" in chapter 4 for more information." ] } ] }, { "name": "Chemosh", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 18, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Undead", "symbol": "Yellow skull", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/016-00-035.evil-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Takhisis, Chemosh, and Hiddukel", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Chemosh is the god of undeath and false redemption, tempting his followers with the promise of immortality. Those who heed him find that while they may live forever, their bodies still decay and putrefy. Followers of Chemosh embrace his baleful reputation, dressing in white skull masks and black robes." ] }, { "name": "Chemosh", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of the undead", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Yellow skull" }, { "name": "Chislev", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 16, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Nature", "symbol": "Feather", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/013-00-033.neutral-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Gilean, Chislev, and Lunitari", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Chislev is the god of nature on its own terms, governing the rhythms of life that unfold heedless of mortal action. Though enigmatic and shy, they are fiercely protective of their domain, regarding all plants and animals as their children. Chislev's followers are often hermits, druids, and others who revere nature without asking anything in return." ] }, { "name": "Chislev", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of nature", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Feather" }, { "name": "Clangeddin Silverbeard", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "War, strategy", "symbol": "Crossed silver battleaxes", "entries": [ "Known as the Father of Battle, Clangeddin Silverbeard is the patron of dwarf warriors. Impetuous and brave yet a cunning strategist, Clangeddin embodies the warrior's spirit that makes dwarven armies such formidable foes.", "Clangeddin encourages dwarf warriors to venture out of the stronghold in search of foes to defeat. He particularly hates goblinoids, giants, and dragons. He compels his followers to seek out and dispatch such enemies before they can become a threat to the stronghold.", "Clangeddin's faithful are mainly full-time warriors assigned to weapon training from an early age and expected to take the fight to the enemy. The two axes he wields embody his attitude, since he forsakes the added protection of a shield for the chance to deal more damage to his enemies.", "Clangeddin's priests are warriors who lead from the front. When defending a stronghold, they guard the walls and lead sorties against enemy positions. When an external threat is near, the priests plan guerrilla raids to disrupt invaders before they can besiege the stronghold." ] }, { "name": "Clangeddin Silverbeard", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Crossed silver battleaxes" }, { "name": "Corellon", "reprintAlias": "Corellon Larethian", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of magic and the arts", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Eight-pointed star" }, { "name": "Corellon", "reprintAlias": "The Arch Heart", "source": "EGW", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "the Arch Heart", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Light" ], "province": "Art, beauty, elves", "symbol": "Two crescent moons facing each other atop a four-pointed star", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Corellon.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Guardian of spring, beauty, and the arts, Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. The Founding inspired them to wander the twisted lands, seeding them with the first arcane magics and raising the most ancient of forests. It was by the Arch Heart's hand that the first elves wandered from the Feywild, and for this reason they are considered the Mother and Father of all elves. Those who seek art in all their work, whether magical or mundane, often worship at the altar of Corellon. They loathe the Spider Queen and her priestesses for leading the drow astray.", "Corellon watches the business of mortals and gods from within the palace of Crescent Grove in the beautiful realm of Arborea, surrounded by towering white trees and pillars of marble.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Most modern tapestries and tomes depict the Arch Heart as an elven being of impossible grace and beauty, androgynous and alluring, framed by long, wavy, golden hair. They were the inspiration for many early elven art pieces, and elements of their visage or symbol are included in most elven architecture." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Corellon's holy day is called Elvendawn, or Midsummer. It is celebrated on the twentieth day of the sixth month, and commemorates the elves' first emergence from the Feywild. Though the Dwendalian Empire doesn't promote the worship of the Arch Heart, the elves of Bysaes Tyl quietly celebrate in private by opening small doors to the Feywild and having a little more wine than usual." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Corellon", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Create, inspire, and find beauty in all that you do.", "Follow the echoes of lost magics, forgotten sites, and ancient art, for within these lie the Arch Heart's first works.", "Combat the followers of Lolth wherever they might be." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Corellon Larethian", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Life", "Light", "War" ], "province": "Primary god of elves", "symbol": "Quarter moon or starburst", "entries": [ "The creator of all elves is both chaos and beauty personified. Corellon is as fluid and changeable as a breeze or a brook-quick to anger, but equally quick to forgive and forget. The god loves magic, artistry, nature, and freedom. Anyone who has felt the mystical presence of Corellon describes it as a joy like no other, followed by a deep melancholy when his presence is no longer felt.", "Corellon doesn't expect much from followers-no complex rituals or frequent ceremonies or even regular prayer. Corellon wants them to enjoy life, to try new things, to imagine what they desire and then pursue it, and to be kind to others. In return for this freedom from the usual requirements of religion, Corellon expects them to address their own problems and not pray for aid in every crisis. These precepts are instilled within every elf, since all elves are ultimately descended from fragments of Corellon. When elves ask their priests how one might become able to sense Corellon's presence, the priests often say, \"First, truly know yourself. Only then can you feel our creator near.\" Services in Corellon's honor are typically conducted in natural stone amphitheaters or bowl-shaped forest clearings. In keeping with Corellon's chief commandment for everyone to be free, all who attend are allowed to show their obeisance however they choose, as long as their way of contributing combines with the others to form a grand display of reverence. Such a gathering has the atmosphere of a festival rather than of an organized worship service.", "Many elf wizards honor Corellon and adorn their spellbooks and towers with the god's symbols. Some of them speculate that Corellon is the personification of raw magic itself, the primal force that underlies the multiverse. Corellon is not magic tamed or shaped-not the Weave, as some name it-but magic in its original form: a well of endless, splendid possibilities.", { "type": "entries", "name": "The Mysteries of Arvandor", "entries": [ "Only those long-lived scholars who have researched the elves with the greatest tenacity have heard of the Mysteries of Arvandor, and all these luminaries have ever been able to glean is that it is a secret gathering of elves dedicated to Corellon where a magical replaying of the elven myths of creation is communally experienced.", "The truth is that the Mysteries of Arvandor is a phenomenon that elves recognize as a summons from their creator, which they can choose to accept or disregard. The event occurs on one plane or multiple planes within the multiverse in a single moment, and there is no guarantee that it will ever occur again; the ability to hear the call is a rare gift. Depending on Corellon's need, the god might call a few dozen or several thousand elves to gather, each elf returning to Corellon's body temporarily for some task that only the god can comprehend.", "Before this gathering begins, the elves who have been selected start to have powerful dreams and waking visions, urging them to travel to a certain location. At this point, each of the summoned elves must choose whether to follow the visions, because it is known that not every elf returns from an encounter with Corellon. It's true that to be absorbed into the god once more, and returned to awareness before the Drawing of the Veil, is the fulfillment of every elf's longing, but some elves have grown attached to the mortal and mundane world, and thus they turn away from their god's summons. Those who answer the call of Corellon are telepathically guided to their destination, often for hundreds of miles across unknown terrain, or even across planes.", "Most elves who return to their homes from the Mysteries are forever transformed. These participants generally remain silent about their experience, out of reverence and appreciation. Those who speak about the Mysteries of Arvandor struggle for the right words, but they all say in one way or another that experiencing the Mysteries is a way for elves to join with Corellon, gifting the god with their life force-and in return, they revert back to their free, formless nature for a time. After this mystical communion, many elves have a deeper understanding of their origin and a firmer grasp of magic, and some enjoy a lingering telepathic connection with others who have been initiated into the Mysteries.", "Cryptic shrines to the Mysteries of Arvandor appear throughout the planes, mostly sites where carved or painted stars cover the ceiling of a cave. On the planes that have hosted one of these rare events, elf priests consecrate and maintain temples devoted to the Mysteries. Often these sacred sites are natural spaces that have intrinsic magical properties.", "Stories about the Mysteries are preached by many theologians as examples of Corellon's abiding love for his wayward children. Some sages imagine that, one day, all elves will be given this opportunity, after Corellon is satisfied by the completion of some great cosmic quest, and elves will once again be a people of unfettered form and unimaginable joy." ] }, { "type": "inset", "name": "The Blessed of Corellon", "entries": [ "Ever changing, mirthful, and beautiful, the primal elves could assume whatever sex they liked. When they bowed to Lolth's influence and chose to fix their physical forms, elves lost the ability to transform in this way. Yet occasionally elves are born who are so androgynous that they are proclaimed to be among the blessed of Corellon-living symbols of the god's love and of the primal elves' original fluid state of being. Many of Corellon's chief priests bear this blessing.", "The rarest of these blessed elves can change their sex whenever they finish a long rest-a miracle celebrated by elves of all sorts except drow. (The DM decides whether an elf can manifest this miracle.) Dark elves find this ability to be terrifying and characterize it as a curse, for it could destabilize their entire society. If Corellon's blessing manifests in a drow, that elf usually flees to the surface world to seek shelter among those dedicated to Corellon." ] } ] }, { "name": "Corellon Larethian", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Elf deity of art and magic", "domains": [ "Light", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Quarter moon or starburst" }, { "name": "Corellon Larethian", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of art and magic", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Light" ], "symbol": "Crescent moon" }, { "name": "Cults of the Dragon Below", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Madness", "symbol": "Varies", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/Cults of Khyber.webp" } } }, { "name": "Cults of the Dragon Below", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Deities of madness", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Varies" }, { "name": "Cuthbert", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "of the Cudgel", "worshipers": "Practical, honest folk", "plane": "Arcadia", "symbol": "Circle at the center of a starburst of lines" }, { "name": "Cyric", "altNames": [ "The Dark Sun", "The Prince of Lies" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 105, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of lies", "worshipers": "Liars, manipulators, power-hungry folk", "plane": "Pandemonium (Cocytus)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Cyric.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 844 }, "entries": [ "Cyric is the power-hungry god of strife, chaos, and malicious deception. He revels in misleading unwitting individuals to perform acts that ruin their lives, and he will stop at nothing until all peoples are afraid, uneasy, and mired in constant discord.", "A relatively recent arrival to the Faerûnian pantheon, Cyric ascended from mortal life to godhood during the Time of Troubles by killing Bhaal. He went on to slay several other gods, stealing their portfolios. Aided by Shar, Cyric killed Mystra and caused the Spellplague. Today, many of the deities slain by Cyric have returned and wrenched back their portfolios. Ever petty and megalomaniacal, Cyric still believes himself the most powerful being in the universe. He whispers to his followers in haze-filled dreams and sends Undead riding {@creature Nightmare|XMM|Nightmares} as his messengers.", "Cyric's faith is strong in any area where evil plots flourish. Individuals who seek to gain control over others flock to his worship. Cyric's faithful believe he won't hear their prayers unless they first make a blood sacrifice. Good folk don't invoke his name, even when trying to deceive others; they call on Leira instead. \"The Dark Sun\" has become a colloquialism for strife in the Realms.", "Temples to Cyric are forbidden in most nations, although they thrive in {@book Amn|FRHoF|2|Amn}. Cyric's faith fits in well with the nation's culture of ambition, self-reliance, and deception. Priests of Cyric dress in black or dark purple robes trimmed with silver and wear belts or jewelry adorned with the stamped skull-and-starburst symbol of their god. They spend much of their time scheming against each other, with each priest striving to strengthen their personal power.", "The lies of Cyric's Chosen go undetected even by powerful magic, as if the Chosen had cast the {@spell Glibness|XPHB} spell. Spells that would otherwise compel the Chosen to tell the truth, such as {@spell Zone of Truth|XPHB}, have no effect. At any given time, one Chosen of Cyric is tasked with guarding the {@i Cyrinishad}, a magical tome that turns its readers into fanatical devotees of the Prince of Lies." ] }, { "name": "Cyric", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of lies", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "White jawless skull on black or purple sunburst" }, { "name": "Cyric", "altNames": [ "The Prince of Lies", "The Dark Sun" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of lies", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "White jawless skull on black or purple sunburst", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Cyric.webp" } }, "entries": [ "The worship of Cyric derives directly from the story of his ascension to godhood. Cyric was a mortal during the Time of Troubles and the key to how that chaotic period resolved, but he was also a selfish traitor and a murderer. When he became a god, Cyric continued to work various plots of deceit and murder - the most famous of which is that, according to legend, Cyric murdered Mystra and thus caused the Spellplague over a century ago.", "Those who don't worship Cyric see him as a god of madness, strife, and deceit, although his priests consider such claims to be heresy. Their Prince of Lies isn't a twisted madman, but a god of dark majesty who proves that, ultimately, all bonds between folk corrupt and wither away.", "Cyric's church works openly in Amn, where the citizens espouse the principles of ambition, self-reliance, and \"buyer beware.\" Those who take Cyric as their patron tend to be sadists, con artists, power-mad connivers, and worse. Other folk pray to Cyric when they want to do wrong but don't want others to find out about it.", "\"The Dark Sun,\" originally one of Cyric's epithets, has become a metaphor for strife in the Realms. \"A Dark Sun has risen o'er this court\" might be spoken as a warning that intrigues and infighting have gotten out of hand in a noble household; and married couples know to seek advice from others if \"a Dark Sun shines through the window\" in their relationship." ] }, { "name": "Cyrrollalee", "source": "MTF", "page": 104, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "domains": [ "Life", "Peace" ], "province": "Hearth, home", "symbol": "An open door", "entries": [ "Cyrrollalee embodies the spirit of friendship and hospitality that is part of every halfling's makeup and is represented by one's home and hearth. The home is a welcoming place, but it is also sacrosanct. Halflings honor Cyrrollalee by opening their homes to visitors, and by respecting the home of one's host as if it were one's own.", "Every halfling village tells its version of the legendary tale of Cyrrollalee and the troll pies. Long ago, a large human town near Cyrrollalee's village was regularly attacked by a vicious troll. Warriors from the town hacked at the troll, but even its most dire wounds would heal, and the troll would come back again. One day Cyrrollalee presented herself at the town gate in apron and peasant clothes, and she offered to rid the town of the troll. The proud human warriors all scoffed at her, but the desperate mayor asked Cyrrollalee for her help.", "So Cyrrollalee set all the people in the town to baking pies, but not just any pies. They were special troll pies. Into each one she put a pinch of magic to make them irresistible to trolls. While the warriors of the town grumbled and sharpened their steel, Cyrrollalee created an atmosphere of fun, bringing cheer to the frightened people as they worked. When the day was done, she set off with a cart full of pies and laid them in a tasty trail far up into the mountains. When the troll came near the town and found the trail, it began to gobble up pie after pie, following the delightful smells up the mountain path until it walked right into the lair of a young red dragon. The greedy troll was swiftly incinerated.", "Cyrrollalee returned a hero, and from that day forward all the townsfolk remembered her with a word of thanks when baking pies." ] }, { "name": "Cyrrollalee", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of hearth and home", "domains": [ "Life", "Peace" ], "symbol": "An open door" }, { "name": "Darahl Tilvenar", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Forge", "Light" ], "province": "Fire, earth, metalwork", "symbol": "Flame between hands" }, { "name": "Deep Duerra", "source": "MTF", "page": 79, "pantheon": "Duergar", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "domains": [ "Knowledge", "War" ], "province": "Conquest, psionics", "symbol": "Mind flayer skull", "entries": [ "According to legend, Deep Duerra stole the power of psionics from the mind flayers and gifted it to her people. Her command of it was so great that she dominated a mind flayer colony and turned the illithids into her slaves.", "Deep Duerra's followers stand at the forefront of the duergar's attacks on their most hated enemies. Inspired by her mythic deeds, her priests are especially eager to find and annihilate dwarf communities and mind flayer colonies.", "The priests of Deep Duerra maintain a training ground and armory inside each duergar stronghold. All duergar are required to learn the basic skills of combat, and the nobles are obliged to contribute weapons, armor, and followers to the stronghold's defensive force. The priests honor their deity by planning, equipping, and launching holy crusades against their enemies." ] }, { "name": "Deep Duerra", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Duergar goddess of conquest and psionics", "domains": [ "Arcana", "War" ], "symbol": "Mind flayer skull" }, { "name": "Deep Sashelas", "source": "MTF", "page": 48, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Nature", "Tempest" ], "province": "Creativity, knowledge, sea", "symbol": "Dolphin", "entries": [ "Deep Sashelas, sometimes known just as Sashelas, is the elven deity of the sea, seafaring, and knowledge. Sashelas is called the Knowledgeable One. His awareness of all lore, not only that about the sea, is seemingly limitless. He is especially beloved by sea elves, dolphins, and elf sages.", "Most of Sashelas's most devoted followers are sea elves, as are his priests. Many seafarers toss offerings of gold and jewels overboard, beseeching Sashelas to calm storms or provide favorable winds, and he is inclined to aid them even if they aren't fully dedicated to his worship. His sea elf priests often lurk in the water beneath ships when these offerings are made. They catch the treasures as they sink and use them to decorate Sashelas's underwater shrines, to purchase items from coastal merchants that can't be manufactured underwater, and to bribe dragon turtles into their service. Ceremonies honoring Sashelas are held underwater at times of uncommonly high tides or during electrical storms, when flashes of lightning above the waves provide illumination to the calmer realm below the surface.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Sea of Knowledge", "entries": [ "Over time, much of the world sinks to the depths of the oceans and is thought to be lost forever, but it isn't lost to everyone. Sashelas gleans much about the world above the waves from that which sinks beneath them: every shipwreck, every offering, and the wealth and knowledge of every seaside city swallowed by a giant wave are added to Sashelas's ever-expanding library of lore. Knowledge that has disappeared from the surface world might still be known to the priests of Sashelas, gained through communion with their god. Messengers who never reached their destination, ships filled with scrolls from an ancient library, scholars whose works were lost at sea-all of these add to Sashelas's storehouse.", "Away from the open sea, many lagoons, reefs, and grottoes have shrines devoted to Sashelas. Many come in reverence to bathe in the waters in the hope of receiving visions from the god, since it is known that Sashelas is fond of sharing knowledge with those who are true seekers. Scholars, monks, and clerics visit these elaborately decorated seaside temples, immersing themselves in the blessed waters and looking for enlightenment.", "Because the god also dispenses lore through dreams and reveries of memory, many artists and poets worship Sashelas. They seek his creative insight by spending time floating on the waves, then return to shore to write down or sketch out the gifts bequeathed to them." ] } ] }, { "name": "Deep Sashelas", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Elf god of the sea", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Dolphin" }, { "name": "Deep Sashelas", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of the sea", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Dolphin" }, { "name": "Demeter", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of agriculture", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Mare's head" }, { "name": "Dendar", "source": "VGM", "page": 93, "pantheon": "Yuan-ti", "entries": [ "The Night Serpent came into being before recorded history, spawned from the feverish dreams of the first intelligent creatures. She subsists and grows stronger by feeding on the fears that plague the folk of the world. Her followers believe that Dendar is a harbinger of the end of things, which will come when she amasses enough power to consume the world. Another legend concerning her speaks of an iron door to the underworld behind which she lurks; when the time is right, she will tear it down, then eat the sun, plunging the world into darkness before she finally devours it.", "Yuan-ti worshipers of Dendar are led by nightmare speakers, malison warlocks that honor their deity through acts of terror and receive magical power in return. Rather than killing enemies, these followers of the Night Serpent prefer to threaten and torture them, the better to feed and strengthen the goddess." ] }, { "name": "Deneir", "altNames": [ "The First Scribe", "The Lord of All Glyphs and Images", "The Scribe of Oghma" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 105, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of writing", "worshipers": "Sages, scribes, students, teachers", "plane": "Elysium (Amoria)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Deneir.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 1257 }, "entries": [ "Folk across Faerûn enjoy high rates of literacy, thanks primarily to the work of Deneir and his disciples. Deneir is a god of reading and writing. Any visual rendering that attempts to convey information or the truth falls under his domain, whether written or illustrated.", "Deneir is Oghma's scribe and is sometimes thought of as Oghma's right hand. In legends, Deneir is typically portrayed as scatterbrained and out-of-touch with mortal affairs. When Deneir must communicate with mortals, he does so through books. Words on a page rearrange themselves into messages, a quill writes on a blank page of its own accord, or the crease between an open book's pages splits into a papery, whispering mouth.", "It's common practice for someone who writes a letter or records information to pray to Deneir to avoid mistakes. While many artists worship gods of creativity like Lathander or Milil, illustrators who strive to convey concrete information or realism in their work favor Deneir. They acknowledge Deneir before beginning and on completing paintings, particularly illuminated manuscripts, tapestries that relate stories, and any attempt to use visual art to capture the truth.", "Followers of Deneir consider literacy one of the god's most important gifts. His priests teach people how to read and write, free of charge. Deneir's priests tend to be individualists, united by their shared faith but unconcerned with religious hierarchy and protocol. They seldom establish temples of their own, instead operating out of temples of Oghma, schoolhouses, and libraries, or visiting folks in their homes.", "The {@i Tome of Universal Harmony} is the seminal text of Deneir's faith. Deneir's followers have read this thick, two-thousand-page holy book at least once. Many carry it with them wherever they go. Although copies of the tome are nonmagical, Deneir's Chosen can use them to channel powerful magic straight from Deneir himself." ] }, { "name": "Deneir", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of writing", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Lit candle above an open eye" }, { "name": "Deneir", "altNames": [ "The Lord of All Glyphs and Images", "The First Scribe", "The Scribe of Oghma" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of writing", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Lit candle above an open eye", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Deneir.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Deneir is the god of literature and literacy, the patron of the artist and the scribe. His is the power to accurately render and describe, to write and to read, and to pass on information. In legend, Deneir is often portrayed as being a scribe in service to Oghma, and he is sometimes thought of as Oghma's right hand.", "It's common practice for someone who writes a letter or records information to say a prayer to Deneir to avoid mistakes. Similarly, artists acknowledge Deneir before beginning and upon completing paintings, particularly illuminations on manuscripts, tapestries that relate stories, and any such attempt to use art to capture the truth.", "Followers of Deneir believe that information not recorded and saved for later use is information lost. They consider literacy an important gift of the gods, one that should be spread and taught. His followers are scribes and scholars devoted, like their patron, to preserving written works, and also to experiencing them, for they say that Deneir himself is hidden within the lines, shapes, and passages of all written works. Priests of Deneir take an oath of charity as well, compelling them to accept the requests of others to write letters and transcribe information.", "The god's followers tend to be individualists, united by their shared faith but not overly concerned with religious hierarchy and protocol. This behavior is supported by the fact that Deneir's blessings of divine magic are more often bestowed on those who lose themselves in written works than on those who fancy themselves part of any temple or religious order. Contemplation of the faith's most holy book, the Tome of Universal Harmony, is the most effective way to become deserving of Deneir's blessings." ] }, { "name": "Desirat", "source": "EGW", "page": 31, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "the Twilight Phoenix", "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Light", "Trickery" ], "province": "The Fiend, the Undying", "symbol": "Burning purple feather", "entries": [ "Desirat was the companion and mount of Asmodeus during the great wars of the Calamity. Before the Divergence, she was torn from her master by the remnants of the original Cerberus Assembly, who wished to study and harvest the phoenix's fiendish form for their own purposes. After the assembly was destroyed in the war and the pantheon was banished from Exandria, the phoenix remained chained beneath the Cyrios Mountains. Her shadowed flames have scalded and scarred the realm above for centuries, giving birth to the thermal phenomena surrounding Mount Metiri in Western Wynandir.", "Desirat's sanity has fractured in isolation, lending to delusions of divinity, which she perpetuates in the hearts of those who carry a seed of fiery vengeance by reaching out to them through dreams and visions. Though she once amassed a following with the aid of Uk'otoa's worshipers, who nearly dug deep enough to free her, her followers were then subjugated and scattered when the Julous Dominion took power in the Marrow Valley. She now speaks to the minds of those who lie spurned and angry at night, calling them to unlock their inner flame and let Desirat aid them in their vengeance.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Desirat is depicted as a giant phoenix of dark purple down, wreathed in purple-black flames. Her sword-like beak is pointed and smooth, while her three onyx eyes peer from beneath bright, burning lids." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Diancecht", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of medicine and healing", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Crossed oak and mistletoe branches" }, { "name": "Dionysus", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of mirth and wine", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Thyrsus (staff tipped with pine cone)" }, { "name": "Dol Arrah", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Light", "War", "Twilight" ], "province": "Honor, sunlight", "symbol": "Rising sun {@i or} red dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Dol Arrah is the sun that drives away the darkness. She stands for wisdom in war and for those who fight with honor, pursue justice, and make sacrifices for the greater good." ] }, { "name": "Dol Arrah", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of sunlight and honor", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Light", "War", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Rising sun" }, { "name": "Dol Dorn", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Strength at arms", "symbol": "Longsword crossed over a shield {@i or} silver dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Dol Dorn is the Sovereign of Strength and Steel. He is the patron of the common soldier, and he guides the hands of anyone who holds a weapon. He embodies courage, strength, and martial skill." ] }, { "name": "Dol Dorn", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of strength at arms", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Longsword crossed over a shield" }, { "name": "Dugmaren Brightmantle", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "province": "Discovery", "symbol": "Open book" }, { "name": "Dugmaren Brightmantle", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of discovery", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Open book" }, { "name": "Dumathoin", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Grave", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Buried secrets", "symbol": "Gemstone in a mountain" }, { "name": "Dumathoin", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of buried secrets", "domains": [ "Death", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Mountain silhouette with a central gemstone" }, { "name": "Dunatis", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of mountains and peaks", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Red sun-capped mountain peak" }, { "name": "Eadro", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Merfolk deity of the sea", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Spiral design" }, { "name": "Ehlonna", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of woodlands", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Unicorn horn" }, { "name": "Ehlonna", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "of the Forests", "worshipers": "Hunters, foragers", "plane": "Beastlands", "symbol": "Unicorn horn" }, { "name": "Eilistraee", "altNames": [ "The Dark Maiden", "Lady of the Dance", "Lady Silverhair" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 106, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of song and moonlight", "worshipers": "Bladesingers, elves, performing artists", "plane": "Arborea (Arvandor)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Eilistraee.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 1303 }, "entries": [ "In realms such as the Underdark where worship of Lolth is prevalent, drow and other folk who oppose the Spider Queen turn to Eilistraee as a beacon of hope and freedom. She is the drow god of dance, song, beauty, moonlight, swordplay, and hunting.", "Eilistraee was born to the gods Lolth and Corellon Larethian. Melancholy yet defiant, she resents the iron grip her mother has over drow cities such as {@book Menzoberranzan|FRHoF|2|Menzoberranzan}. In response, Eilistraee encourages her followers to pursue their own destinies, which might mean fleeing the Underdark and living on the surface. She communicates with her worshipers through dance-like dreams awash in gentle moonlight. In recent years, Eilistraee's message of freedom and harmony has begun to echo beyond drow society. Folk in regions plagued by conflict or oppression might enter Eilistraee's worship after being inspired by a story of a hopeful future that Eilistraee can provide.", "Followers of Eilistraee show their gratitude to the god by dancing beneath every full moon. Her priests are passionate advocates of the arts, especially song and dance. Temples to Eilistraee are some of the few places willing to teach the elven technique of bladesinging, and travelers visit from afar to learn this ancient skill. Her priests practice a variant known as sword dancing, which blends bladesinging with bardic arts from the College of Dance. Eilistraee's temples in the Underdark are refuges from the region's subterranean perils, concealed with powerful magic and requiring a sword-shaped key to enter.", "Eilistraee inspires two main adventuring orders: the Silverhair Knights and the Darksong Knights. The Silverhair Knights demonstrates the strength that lies in mercy and compassion. The order engages in combat only when absolutely necessary, even then strictly adhering to nonlethal techniques. The Darksong Knights is a smaller order, dedicated to hunting and destroying yochlols and Lolth's other demonic agents.", "Eilistraee's Chosen are diplomats, traversing the surface and the Underdark alike. They put their lives on the line to broker mutual understanding in even the most unlikely places." ] }, { "name": "Eilistraee", "source": "MTF", "page": 56, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "Nature" ], "province": "Freedom, moonlight, song", "symbol": "Sword-wielding, dancing female drow silhouetted against the full moon", "entries": [ "Most drow know nothing of Eilistraee. Matron mothers of the most powerful houses closely guard the scrolls that chronicle her existence. They retain them for the sake of remaining aware of the enemy they describe: a drow god who would spirit away all of Lolth's worshipers to the surface world.", "The matron mothers warn those who go to the surface on raids to retreat if they can see the moon-practical advice, it would seem. But an equally important reason is that Eilistraee is known to work her wiles under the light of the moon, so that drow are more susceptible to her lure at such times. The matrons also direct the raiders to flee back underground if any of their number hear music they find appealing, such as a parent's lullaby or the chorus of a rousing song carried on the mind, because Eilistraee's call to drow who would be free of Lolth's web is often delivered within dulcet tunes that aren't of otherworldly origin.", "Eilistraee is a god of moonlight, song, dance, and, most important, the rejection of the evil ways of Lolth. Drow who feel like outsiders in their society, who react with disgust to the evils perpetrated by their kind, who come to the surface and fall in love with the stars-these are the ones who might be pleased to hear Eilistraee's call. If they respond to it by going to the surface and staying there, Eilistraee offers no guarantee of their safety and no promise of acceptance in the world above. But she opens her followers' hearts to the wonder of the nature in the night, and her songs and signs can show a drow how to persevere in that alien environment.", "The scrolls that the matron mothers guard so closely attest that Eilistraee turned against Lolth but knew better than to seek solace among the Seldarine. Her position among the other drow gods remains uncertain, as is the fate of the souls of those who turn to her worship. Drow who are beloved by Eilistraee sometimes appear to vanish when they die, as the body dissolves into pale light and leaves no clue to where the soul has gone." ] }, { "name": "Eilistraee", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of song and moonlight", "domains": [ "Light", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Sword-wielding dancing drow female silhouetted against the full moon" }, { "name": "Eldath", "altNames": [ "The Guardian of Groves", "The Quiet One", "The Mother of the Waters" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 106, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of peace", "worshipers": "Druids, pacifists, the dying", "plane": "Elysium (Eronia)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Eldath.webp" }, "credit": "Erel Matita", "width": 850, "height": 981 }, "entries": [ "Eldath is a god of comfort, healing, stillness, and peaceful waters. She is thought to be present at waterfalls, springs, pools, and glades, particularly those visited by druids. Her blessed waters heal the sick, ease troubled minds, and comfort the dying. When she speaks to her followers, Eldath appears as a serene humanlike face formed from flowing water in a pool or waterfall, or she sends a {@creature Centaur Warden|XMM} or a {@creature Merfolk Wavebender|XMM} to deliver her instructions.", "Most rural settlements have a pond or a glade that locals ascribe to Eldath. Tradition dictates that the site remain a place of quiet reflection. The body of water serves as a repository of offerings. Within a glade, people tie offerings to a bush or tree. Offerings are broken weapons or items associated with arguments, which the faithful discard while praying for peace. Many who favor Eldath are pacifists or people troubled by violence they have witnessed or experienced.", "Eldath's priests don't organize into large sects. Instead they wander between holy sites and shrines, ensuring locations are cared for and that they remain places of sweet serenity. The faithful of Eldath are close to nature and allied to druids. It is taboo to strike a priest of Eldath, and killing one is said to bring great misfortune. Despite this protection, some priests of Eldath avoid conflict entirely, while others quickly step in to soothe strife and disharmony. Those who serve Eldath preside over peaceful negotiations and certify treaties. Eldath is served by the Yielding Way, an order of monks devoted to peace and protection, and by the Tall Trees, a circle of druids operating in the High Forest.", "Eldath's Chosen are known as Lotuses and wear a lotus blossom blessed never to wilt as long as they have Eldath's favor. Lotuses serve as ambassadors and mediators whose mere presence can extinguish violence and rage." ] }, { "name": "Eldath", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of peace", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature", "Peace" ], "symbol": "Waterfall plunging into still pool" }, { "name": "Eldath", "altNames": [ "The Quiet One", "The Guardian of Groves", "The Mother of the Waters" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of peace", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature", "Peace" ], "symbol": "Waterfall plunging into a still pool", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Eldath.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Eldath is the goddess of waterfalls, springs, pools, stillness, peace, and quiet glades. She is thought to be present at many such places, particularly those that serve as druid groves. Eldath is a goddess of comfort, healing, and calm. Her blessed waters heal the sick, cure madness, and comfort the dying.", "Most rural places have a pond or a glade that locals ascribe to Eldath. Tradition dictates that it be a place of quiet reflection where others are left to their thoughts. A body of water such as a pond or a spring typically serves as a repository of offerings. If the holy site is a glade, a stream one crosses along the way might serve as the repository, or a prominent bush or tree in the glade might be the place where people tie offerings. Typical offerings are broken weapons or items that are remembrances of arguments, which the faithful discard while making a wish for peace in the future. Many of those who favor Eldath are pacifists or people who are troubled by violence they have witnessed or experienced.", "Eldath's priests don't organize into large sects. Indeed, many are itinerant, wandering between various holy sites and shrines, seeing that the locations are cared for and that they remain places of sweet serenity. The faithful of Eldath are usually close to nature, and allied to druids, who count Eldath among the First Circle. It is taboo to strike a priest of Eldath, and killing one is said to bring great misfortune. Despite the measure of protection that this belief affords them, most priests of Eldath avoid conflicts rather than attempting to quell them. Those who serve Eldath are happy to preside over peaceful negotiations and to certify treaties, but they can't force others to engage in harmony." ] }, { "name": "Elebrin Liothiel", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "province": "Abundance, gardens, the harvest", "symbol": "Acorn" }, { "name": "Ephara", "source": "MOT", "page": 40, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of the Polis", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Light" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/026-02-03-ephara.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "As god of the polis, Ephara sees herself as the founder of civilization. She watches over cities, protecting them from outside threats. She is credited with establishing the first code of law, which Meletis has preserved and the other poleis have imitated. Even more important, she helps cities reach their highest potential, becoming centers of scholarship, industry, and art.", "Ephara appears as a huge animated statue wearing a stone crown, resembling the capital of a column. When she chooses to walk about her cities at human scale, she often takes on the form of a human woman. In either form, she is always dressed in blue and white, and her expression is usually serious, but not unkind. She often carries a large urn on one shoulder, with the dark, star-studded sky of Nyx pouring from it and dissolving into mist as it hits the ground.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Ephara's Influence", "entries": [ "Ephara's sphere of influence is the polis. Although worshiped in many places, she is most beloved in Meletis, whose citizens credit her with the city's founding. Many city walls bear Ephara's face, fashioned thus in the belief that each of her images watches over the part of the city it looks upon.", "Ephara is strongly affiliated with the daytime, when cities are awake, alive, and at work. Her followers generally pray at midday, with the sounds of the city forming an appropriate backdrop to their rites, as industry itself is sacred to Ephara. Many aspects of city life and culture fall under Ephara's influence. Scholarship is closely connected to Ephara, as is art\u2014particularly poetry, sculpture, and architecture. Ephara is also highly concerned with civic wisdom and justice, and many politicians and other leaders seek her guidance in how to rule.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Ephara's Goals", "entries": [ "Ephara seeks always to further cities: establishing them, protecting them, and seeing them grow. She supports those who build new cities and those who free others from tyranny. Ephara knows that not all threats to a city come from outside it, and she encourages her followers to watch out for tyranny and injustice from within. She seeks for justice to prevail in civilized lands.", "Ephara seeks far more for her cities than mere safety. She drives every city to aspire toward efforts that help its people thrive. Civic responsibility is essential in Ephara's eyes, and having an engaged citizenry is important. The pursuit of knowledge is also a vital task, and she encourages advances in philosophy and science. As the scholars in her cities obtain or derive new knowledge, Ephara's magic scrolls grow ever longer. Finally, art is of critical importance to a thriving city. Ephara particularly supports architecture, the creation of which often drives industry and sculpture, though she doesn't scorn other varieties of artistic expression." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Ephara and Heliod have aligning interests, since they both value structure and justice. Ephara works toward establishing judicial systems that enforce the laws and uphold the values that Heliod holds dear.", "Ephara is also on good terms with Thassa, the god of the sea, because Ephara recognizes the necessity of water for a thriving polis. She also admires Purphoros's craft, realizing the essential role of the forge and other forms of industry to build a city.", "Ephara and Nylea are almost polar opposites, and there is no shortage of bad blood between the god of the cities and the god of the hunt. Nylea resents the construction of every building in a place that once held plants and animals, and Ephara has no patience for any wild creature that encroaches on a settlement. Ephara looks at the wilderness and sees only wasted potential, while Nylea looks at cities and sees only destruction.", "Ephara has a deep-seated hatred for Phenax. While Ephara can appreciate the perspective of most of her peers, she has no such understanding for those who would deliberately try to undermine a thriving social structure. Ephara opposes Phenax and what she sees as his utter disdain for everything she stands for.", "Her relationship with Karametra is a difficult one from either perspective. Ephara approves of agriculture, a key ingredient for the development of cities, and both gods are concerned with defense of settlements. Even so, Karametra is tied to Setessa and the wild lands, where Ephara is distrusted, and although Karametra and Nylea have their own complicated relationship, Karametra strongly favors Nylea over Ephara." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Ephara", "entries": [ "To an extent, Ephara's devout show their faith by going about their lives and contributing to society. Midday services at Ephara's temples often feature a brief prayer, followed by a longer talk from an industrial or civic leader on a topic of general interest. Attendants often bring meals to eat while on a break from their jobs.", "Ephara's face is a common sight in cities. Marble buildings, stone walls, and similar surfaces usually feature a sculpture or relief of her visage. People often swear oaths or engage in verbal disputes in front of these images, believing she won't let a falsehood told in front of her go unpunished. Whether she actually intervenes is unclear, but conflicts that play out this way are often resolved peacefully, without a need for the justice system to get involved.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/027-02-05.webp" }, "credit": "Eric Deschamps" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Ephara", "entries": [ "Ephara's deeds demonstrate her commitment to the poleis and those who seek their improvement.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Founding of Meletis", "entry": "The city-state of Meletis was once part of the archon Agnomakhos's empire. The archon ruled his territory with absolute cruelty. Ephara bestowed her magic on the subjugated populace to enable them to fight back and overthrow Agnomakhos. The newly freed people then established Meletis, as the settlement on that site is known today. The founding of Ephara's favored city is still celebrated today, both in Meletis and elsewhere among the god's followers, as the summer holiday of Polidrysion, which gives its name to the fourth month in the Meletian calendar." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Earthquake in Meletis", "entry": "The temple of Ephara in Meletis is the god's largest and grandest place of worship on Theros. It is kept in perfect repair, and worn or damaged pieces of the structure are quickly replaced. During an enormous earthquake, many of the structures in Meletis crumbled. Ephara kept her temple standing throughout the mighty quake, making it a place for Meletians to take refuge in the following days during the aftershocks. After the cataclysm, she shared designs from her scrolls of sacred knowledge with the architects of Meletis so they could rebuild the city to be much more resistant to earthquakes." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Library of Glossion", "entry": "The small town of Glossion boasts a remarkable library that according to local legend was a gift from Ephara. Other tales suggest that the library was actually founded by an ancient sage named Anatheia, but then a terrible fire destroyed the place, and along with it generations of collected knowledge. Once the people finished rebuilding the structure to start the library over, Ephara is said to have appeared and restored the books and scrolls the library had lost, copying the information from her personal scrolls of sacred knowledge." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Savior of Altrisos", "entry": "A kraken that escaped its sea lock once threatened the small seaside city of Altrisos. Recently weakened by a triton raid, the city had no defenses left and would be destroyed by an attack. The people prayed to Ephara, and the large image of her face on the city's wall came to life. The walls of the city grew impossibly high and strong, and the kraken could do no more than dash its head against the impassable barrier. The monster soon returned to the ocean to find an easier meal." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Trial of Aristhenes", "entry": "A man named Aristhenes committed many murders, targeting members of the government and some of their family members. When he was arrested and put to trial, he claimed that no one could fairly judge him because every qualified judge was personally affected by the case. Ephara herself came to the city to serve as judge for the trial, since no one could accuse her of anything but perfect impartiality, and she found Aristhenes guilty." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Ephara's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually lawful, often neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Bard, cleric, monk, paladin, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Knowledge, Light" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, athlete, guild artisan, noble, sage, sailor, soldier, urchin", "Most champions of Ephara believe cities represent the pinnacle of achievement and do what they can to uphold the law and keep society functioning. Some of the god's most devout followers work as architects, artists, or philosophers, all striving to serve the public good." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Ephara's Favor", "entries": [ "Ephara seeks champions who will defend her cities fiercely, both from external threats and internal corruption. She asks them to protect not only the people, but also the structures that comprise a polis. The circumstances that led you to worship Ephara most likely involved the polis you call home. The Ephara's Favor table provides just a few possibilities.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Ephara's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You grew up in a polis like Meletis and never feel safe outside one." ], [ "2", "You grew up in a home that was next to a wall or a building with Ephara's face on it, and you felt like she was always looking after you." ], [ "3", "You were part of a revolution to fight off tyrants and establish freedom in your city." ], [ "4", "Your family members have all been architects, going back several generations, and all worshiped Ephara." ], [ "5", "You are a highly skilled poet, scholar, or philosopher, and Ephara took notice of your talent." ], [ "6", "You are a civil servant or a city leader, taking an active role in the welfare of your home." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Ephara", "entries": [ "Followers of Ephara support their cities, protecting them while helping them thrive. As a follower of Ephara, consider the ideals on the Ephara's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Ephara's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Justice. Laws keep society functioning, and I must see to it that they are enforced. (Lawful)" ], [ "3", "Community. We are stronger together, and I must improve and support my community. (Lawful or good)" ], [ "4", "Scholarship. I serve my community and my god by learning new information or creating art. (Any)" ], [ "5", "Civic Duty. It is my responsibility to serve my city. (Lawful)" ], [ "6", "Protection. I must keep my city safe from threats both external and internal. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Ephara when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Defending a city from a major threat", "Defeating a tyrant who threatens a city's freedom", "Creating a masterwork, such as a building or a poem" ] }, "Your piety score to Ephara decreases if you diminish Ephara's influence in the world, contradict her ideals, or let her down through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Betraying one's trust to commit acts of corruption or tyranny", "Destroying a civic institution or sowing chaos within a city", "Willfully breaking just laws for personal gain" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Ephara's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Ephara's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Ephara's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Polis|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Erathis", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of civilization and invention", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Order" ], "symbol": "Upper half of a clockwork gear" }, { "name": "Erathis", "reprintAlias": "The Lawbearer", "source": "EGW", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "the Law Bearer", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Order" ], "province": "Civilization, law, peace", "symbol": "Double-headed axe inset with a pattern of scales", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Erathis.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The inspiration behind many great inventions, the creation of vast cities, and law and order within society, Erathis claims dominion over civilization. Judges and rulers pay respect at her temples, which are central structures in many cities across Exandria. Peace and order through structure and law guides the will of her devout followers. The Law Bearer has a tempestuous romance with Melora the Wild Mother, a furious love that is tempered only when civilization and nature are in balance.", "Erathis resides within the glorious divine metropolis of Hestavar, the Bright City. This glowing oasis coasts through the Astral Plane, as the Law Bearer watches over the denizens bathed in the endless daytime that illuminates the busy streets.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Erathis is shown in most texts and statues as a hooded, armored woman sitting atop a throne of pillars. Her face is generally obscured or depicted without expression, giving her presence an impartial yet imposing nature." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "The Law Bearer's holy day is Civilization's Dawn, which is celebrated on the autumnal equinox, usually the twenty-second day of the ninth month. In the Dwendalian Empire, people celebrate by having feasts in honor of the laws of the Dwendal bloodline. One seat at every table is left open for the king, who eats in spirit with the people he rules." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Erathis", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Utilize the company and aid of others. The efforts of the individual often pale against the capabilities of the community.", "Strive to tame the wilds in the name of civilization, and defend the points of light and order against the chaos of darkness.", "Uphold and revere the spirit of invention. Create new settlements, build where inspiration strikes, and expand the edicts of the Law Bearer." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Erebos", "source": "MOT", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of the Dead", "domains": [ "Death", "Trickery" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/028-02-03-erebos.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Erebos is the god of death and the Underworld, lord of all that has ever lived. He presides over the bitterness, envy, and eventual acceptance of those who suffer misfortune. His hoarding of both souls and the treasures the dead carry into the Underworld see him worshiped by those who desire to collect and keep wealth.", "Erebos's very presence is stifling, and those who come face to face with him often depart in despair. He is jealous and tyrannical within his realm, but unlike his brother Heliod, he neither blusters nor tries to expand his influence. He waits patiently, secure in the knowledge that everything belongs to him in the end.", "Erebos most frequently appears as a slender, gray-skinned humanoid with two large, outward-curving horns, wielding an {@item Mastix, Whip of Erebos|MOT|impossibly long black whip}. He also appears in the form of a black asp, a cloud of choking smoke, or an animated golden idol.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Erebos's Influence", "entries": [ "Born from Heliod's shadow and then banished to the Underworld, Erebos claimed dominion over that desolate realm. He sees it as his duty and his right to ensure that those who enter his realm remain there for all time. Within the Underworld, only the relative paradise of Ilysia is sheltered from his influence. In the other four realms of the dead, his will is law.", "Mortals typically fear death, yet death is the inevitable end of each one's time in the mortal world. Erebos, having long ago come to terms with his own banishment, teaches his followers to accept the inevitability of death and the often unavoidable tragedies of life.", "Although Erebos forbids souls from leaving the Underworld, some escape his clutches. Generally such souls are beneath his notice, but he sometimes sends agents to retrieve those he has particular interest in.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Erebos's Goals", "entries": [ "Erebos wants above all to maintain his position of absolute authority over the realm of the dead. He lashes out at anyone who aids souls in escaping from him or otherwise tries to subvert the inevitability of death.", "Erebos is patient, usually willing to wait for souls to come to him, but he does interfere in the mortal realm on occasion. When the other gods displease him, he sends mortal agents or Nyxborn monsters to kill the worshipers of the offending gods and spread despair.", "Many of Erebos's schemes target those who escape his clutches. He regularly sends agents to retrieve the Returned soul or the wayward eidolon of a hero of great renown who has succeeded in returning to Theros. If any of the dead, renowned or otherwise, escape the Underworld fully intact\u2014without identities erased\u2014Erebos will spare nothing to make an example of the fugitive and any who provided assistance." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Erebos loathes Heliod, who banished him to the Underworld eons ago, forever severing him from the world of life and light. Erebos takes particular delight in profaning Heliod's temples, defiling the raiment of his priests, slaughtering his worshipers, and claiming the souls of his champions. Erebos believes that Heliod will one day challenge him for control of the Underworld. He looks forward to that day, certain that his lesser brother can't possibly prevail within Erebos's own territory.", "Erebos holds a special grudge against Phenax. Phenax readily teaches others how to escape the Underworld as the Returned and even sneaks into the Underworld to assist them, earning him Erebos's undying ire.", "Pharika and Karametra understand, better than many of the other gods, that life and death are closely intertwined. Pharika's tinctures can either extend a life or snuff it out, and Karametra's planters know that reaping follows sowing in turn. Although he appreciates what these gods have in common with him, Erebos occasionally feels the need to remind them that the dead are his, and other gods' acceptance of death's inevitability doesn't make them masters of it.", "Erebos has no true allies but operates closely with Athreos and Klothys. Athreos is one of the few beings Erebos trusts to be as committed as he is to ensuring that the passage into death is a one-way trip. Klothys, too, would see the dead remain dead, concerned as she is with the acceptance of destiny." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Erebos", "entries": [ "To many mortals, Erebos is primarily concerned not with death, but with gold. Most of his followers downplay his association with death and misfortune, instead praying to him for material wealth. Others pray to him because they want to be more accepting of their misfortune. These individuals see themselves as beyond hope of improving their lot in life, asking only that Erebos grant them the strength to endure until they enter his realm at their predestined time.", "A smaller but more dangerous group of Erebos worshipers are those who actively glorify death. These cultists and assassins congregate in secret in communities across Theros, engaging in campaigns of violence.", "The only major festival dedicated to Erebos, called the Katabasion or \"the Descent,\" features a ceremony in which worshipers make a symbolic journey into the Underworld. The supplicants enter a cave, offer prayers and sacrifices to Erebos in utter darkness, and slowly make their way back to the surface just before sunrise.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/029-02-06.webp" }, "credit": "Peter Mohrbacher" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Erebos", "entries": [ "Erebos appears in many god-stories, often as a villain or a foil to the other gods. The stories told by his followers emphasize his power, the wealth of the Underworld, and the inevitability of death.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Kytheon's Escape", "entry": "Many know the story of Kytheon Iora, an Akroan orphan who took up Heliod's spear and attempted to kill Erebos himself. The tale ends in tragedy, as Kytheon was struck down along with his friends. Only the high priests of Erebos, however, know that Kytheon's soul isn't in the Underworld, having somehow escaped right before Erebos's eyes. Suspecting that either Heliod or Kruphix knows where Kytheon's soul went, Erebos will reward anyone who can tell him." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Menelaia's Song", "entry": "Long ago, a master lyrist named Menelaia mourned her lover, Pero. She entered the Winter Nexus, a cave on the edge of Setessa that leads to the Underworld, and played a love song to lure Pero's soul back to the mortal world. When Erebos saw this, he became furious, and he extended his whip to draw both of the lovers back. But Menelaia was beloved of Nylea, and that god blocked Erebos's whip with vines. The two lovers lived long lives together. Erebos had the last word, however, tormenting both of the lovers in the Underworld. To this day, this turn of events plagues Nylea, who seeks a way to bring the lovers peace." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Return of Daxos", "entry": "Daxos of Meletis was a powerful oracle who heard the voices of all the gods. Daxos tragically died at the hands of his lover, the champion of Heliod, Elspeth, through the duplicity of the satyr Xenagos. Daxos's soul passed into the Underworld, and Elspeth sought Erebos's help to travel into Nyx. After passing Erebos's test for admittance, Elspeth demanded an additional reward: she would trade her life for Daxos's. Erebos, always eager to claim a champion of the sun god, agreed. Elspeth died shortly after her triumph over Xenagos, whereupon Erebos kept his word\u2014but in a treacherous fashion, allowing Daxos's body to go back to the mortal world as a Returned. Bereft of memories, he wanders aimlessly." }, { "type": "item", "name": "A Shadowed World", "entry": "Heliod's followers maintain that their god gave rise to Erebos by casting a shadow in the sun's first light. Followers of Erebos say that this tale is self-refuting. Before there ever was a sun, the entire world stood in shadow, and the shadow was Erebos\u2014elder to Heliod. Only with the first dawning was Erebos's form diminished enough that Heliod could overpower him, and the god of the dead has never forgiven his upstart brother. The faithful of both Erebos and Heliod viciously argue the details of their gods' origins, some risking their lives in battle over which of their gods came into being first." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Erebos's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral, often evil" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Cleric, fighter, rogue, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Death, Trickery" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, charlatan, criminal, noble, urchin", "Most worshipers of Erebos seek to enforce the boundary between life and death, whether absolutely or selectively. They often find grim satisfaction in serving the covetous but patient god, knowing that all will ultimately know their patron's embrace." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Erebos's Favor", "entries": [ "As Erebos sees it, he already owns the soul of every living being. For him to bestow special favor or power on a mortal would be an act of generosity, and he expects to be compensated for it. Those who rise to the ranks of true champions of Erebos, though, embrace death and their inescapable destiny in the Underworld. Did you pledge yourself to Erebos by joining his priesthood, or did you come to find his favor through a prayer of quiet desperation? The Erebos's Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Erebos's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You follow Erebos seeking financial success, expecting service to translate into rewards." ], [ "2", "In a moment of anguish, you prayed to Erebos. He granted you acceptance of your fate and his favor." ], [ "3", "You were pledged to another god, but when you lost a loved one, only turning to Erebos could ease your grief." ], [ "4", "After you recovered from a mortal injury, Erebos appeared and claimed your service." ], [ "5", "Ever since the first time you saw someone die, Erebos has whispered in your ear." ], [ "6", "You can't bear to witness suffering, so you serve Erebos to bring peaceful ends to the unfortunate." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Erebos", "entries": [ "Just as every life ends at the same destination, many different paths can lead a worshiper to Erebos. As a follower of Erebos, consider the ideals on the Erebos's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Erebos's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Mortality. I will enforce the most important law: anything that lives must one day die. (Lawful)" ], [ "3", "Consolation. Everyone deserves the solace that comes with accepting their destiny. (Good)" ], [ "4", "Acceptance. Whatever my fate, I will embrace it with Erebos's blessing. (Neutral)" ], [ "5", "Wealth. Death is forever, so I'm going to get rich while I still can. (Neutral)" ], [ "6", "Power. I relish having mastery over life and death. (Evil)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Erebos when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Convincing a group of people to accept misfortune", "Easing someone's death or assisting with funeral arrangements", "Retrieving a prominent figure's eidolon or Returned form", "Thwarting the schemes of Heliod" ] }, "Your piety score to Erebos decreases if you diminish Erebos's influence in the world, weaken his dominion over death, or alleviate misfortune without good cause through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Saving a life without securing compensation for Erebos", "Forsaking your duties for personal gain or pleasure", "Allowing a soul to escape the Underworld" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Erebos's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Erebos's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Erebos's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Dead|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Erevan Ilesere", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Mischief, change", "symbol": "Asymmetrical starburst" }, { "name": "Erevan Ilesere", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of mischief", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Asymmetrical eight-armed star" }, { "name": "Erythnul", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of envy and slaughter", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Blood drop" }, { "name": "Erythnul", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Many", "worshipers": "Raiders, bandits, berserkers", "plane": "Pandemonium", "symbol": "Blood drop" }, { "name": "Ezra", "source": "VRGR", "page": 64, "pantheon": "Unknown", "title": "God of the mists", "category": "Unknown", "domains": [ "Unknown" ], "symbol": "Sprig of belladonna atop a silver kite shield", "entries": [ "The denizens of several domains worship an aloof god known as Ezra. Depicted as a vague, vaporous figure, the god is known for her dark, billowing hair and for her ability to manipulate the Mists. Her holy symbol is a sprig of belladonna atop a silver kite shield. Beyond that, her disparate sects of worshipers view her differently\u2014and contradictorily. For some, Ezra is a goodly guardian, while others perceive her as a soul-stealing embodiment of the Mists. Ultimately, though, her true nature is a mystery. Whether she's a manifestation of the Dark Powers, an aspect of the Plane of Shadow's mysterious Raven Queen, or something else entirely is for you to decide. Whatever the case, Ezra's followers, traditions, alignment, and the domains she grants her clerics vary widely. Collaborate with players who want to create characters devoted to Ezra to define the god's role in their domain of origin." ] }, { "name": "Fenmarel Mestarine", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Solitude, outcasts", "symbol": "Two peering elven eyes" }, { "name": "Fenmarel Mestarine", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of outcasts", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Two peering elven eyes" }, { "name": "Fharlanghn", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of horizons and travel", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Circle crossed by a curved horizon line" }, { "name": "Fharlanghn", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Dweller on the Horizon", "worshipers": "Travelers", "plane": "Outlands", "symbol": "Circle crossed by a curved horizon line" }, { "name": "Flandal Steelskin", "source": "MTF", "page": 111, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Metalwork", "symbol": "Flaming hammer", "entries": [ "The stories that gnomes tell of Flandal Steelskin typically feature some perfect item that he crafted or a misadventure that results from following his enormous nose, which can smell ore more easily than a wolf can scent a skunk. The most often told legend of Flandal includes both elements. Before creating Garl's marvelous axe, Arumdina, Flandal sniffed out the purest source of mithral: the heart of Imix. With the aid of the other gnome gods, he stole the heart and turned it into a mithral forge that now burns with an eternal furious flame.", "The legends of Flandal portray him not only as the god of metalcraft, but also of fire and glass-work and alchemy. Rock gnomes attribute their knack for crafting devices and alchemical objects to Flandal's superlative skills in those areas." ] }, { "name": "Flandal Steelskin", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of metalwork", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Flaming hammer" }, { "name": "Forseti", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of justice and law", "domains": [ "Light", "Order" ], "symbol": "Head of a bearded man" }, { "name": "Frey", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of fertility and the sun", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Ice-blue greatsword" }, { "name": "Freya", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of fertility and love", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Falcon" }, { "name": "Frigga", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of birth and fertility", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Cat" }, { "name": "Gadhelyn", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Independence, outlawry", "symbol": "Leaf-shaped arrowhead" }, { "name": "Gaerdal Ironhand", "source": "MTF", "page": 112, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "domains": [ "War", "Peace" ], "province": "Protection", "symbol": "Iron band", "entries": [ "The Shield of the Golden Hills, Gaerdal Ironhand, has no use for amusements, and she doesn't deign to smile at any prank except those of Garl Glittergold. Gaerdal obsesses about defense and vigilance, and she is an expert in fortification, siege tactics, combat, and traps.", "Instead of bustling about as gnome deities normally do, Gaerdal has a tendency to dig in and hide out, and in many tales Garl finds it difficult to convince her to leave her home to join the others on adventures. Some legends say this reluctance is due in part to an escapade that cost her the loss of her hand. Flandal and Nebelun worked together to replace it with a stronger one made of iron, but her resentment over the mishap lingers.", "Gnomes build their homes in hidden and defensible places because Gaerdal teaches them these techniques. Every secret door, spy hole, and intruder alarm in a gnome warren is a tribute to Gaerdal's principles." ] }, { "name": "Gaerdal Ironhand", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of protection", "domains": [ "War", "Peace" ], "symbol": "Iron band" }, { "name": "Garl Glittergold", "source": "MTF", "page": 111, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Primary god of gnomes", "symbol": "Gold nugget", "entries": [ "When gnome children hear their first stories about the gods, they are introduced to a gold-skinned gnome with a wide grin and glittering gemstone eyes that shift colors like a kaleidoscope. The youngsters quickly learn to recognize that their favorite character, the god of the gnomes, is about to steal the show.", "A joker and a prankster, Garl Glittergold reminds gnomes that life is to be taken lightly, and that a good laugh will serve them better than a grim attitude. When Garl cavorts with mischief on his mind, Moradin's beard might end up woven with giggling flowers, and Gruumsh's axe could sprout braying donkey heads at the most inopportune time.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Cooperation Is Key", "entries": [ "The legends about Garl Glittergold inspire gnomes to work together. Garl knows that many heads and many hands make light work. Although he also plays many pranks on his own, Garl is the one who gathers the heroes together for an enterprise that requires all their talents. To provide specific guidance, Garl might send an omen to nudge a group of gnomes in a certain direction, or even manifest an avatar in the middle of a gnome burrow. When Garl makes one of these rare appearances, it is to resolve a dispute that threatens a community." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Brains over Brawn", "entries": [ "Garl favors trickery and illusion over direct combat, preferring to use his mind to overcome a problem rather than his steel. For gnomes to thrive, they must use their intellect and ingenuity. But when push comes to shove, Garl uses Arumdina, his intelligent two-headed battle axe-capable of cleaving through any substance-to escape a perilous situation." ] } ] }, { "name": "Garl Glittergold", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Gnome god of trickery and wiles", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Gold nugget" }, { "name": "Garl Glittergold", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of trickery and gems", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Gold nugget" }, { "name": "Gelf Darkhearth", "source": "MTF", "page": 110, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Frustration, destruction", "symbol": "Broken anvil" }, { "name": "Ghaunadaur", "source": "MTF", "page": 53, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Oozes, slimes, outcasts", "symbol": "Purple eye with black sclera", "entries": [ "This entity is most often referred to as That Which Lurks, because uttering its real name risks attracting its attention. Its actual form, if it even has one, is unknown; it's most often represented as an ooze-like creature with many tentacles or a purple pupil surrounded by black instead of white. The liquid nature of Ghaunadaur is symbolic of its unpredictable nature, which is what makes attracting its attention so risky. It occasionally rewards its followers with supernatural powers or wealth, but it's equally likely to curse its faithful with hideous torments and afflictions. A subterranean hunter who whispers Ghaunadaur's name might stumble into a forgotten treasure trove, while a devoted priestess who offers long prayers and valuable sacrifices is consumed by a gelatinous cube. The entity's random behavior can be an attraction to drow who lack status and are desperate to achieve it. A small sacrifice and a prayer to That Which Lurks might simply go unnoticed by Ghaunadaur, or it might punish the petitioner, but there is also a chance of receiving a great reward.", "Worship of That Which Lurks is widespread in the Underdark. Not just drow pay respect to it. Even creatures that are considered to be mindless, such as oozes and jellies, sometimes behave in ways that seem consistent with reverence for That Which Lurks.", "Those who are faithful to Lolth often oppose Ghaunadaur's cultists, driving them into hiding or forcing them into open conflict. Some priestesses and scholars believe that this enmity exists because Ghaunadaur betrayed Lolth shortly after she betrayed Corellon. In these legends, Ghaunadaur tried to curry favor with Corellon and recapture his earlier formless nature by turning on Lolth. Ghaunadaur's double act of betrayal brought retribution from both gods, and he was cast down into the world as a skinless, boneless mass. Other stories portray Ghaunadaur as an incredibly ancient and ineffable deity, one of the so-called Great Old Ones. Both claims might have merit, because the truth about the time of the birth of gods can never be known for certain." ] }, { "name": "Gilean", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 16, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Knowledge", "symbol": "Open book", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/013-00-033.neutral-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Gilean, Chislev, and Lunitari", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "The god of knowledge and nominal leader of the neutral gods, Gilean embodies the ideal of neutrality. He stands back and observes, recording all that unfolds. Gilean is keeper of the {@i Tobril}, a book said to contain all the knowledge of the gods, though portions are sealed to all but Gilean. Some people believe the scribe Astinus of Palanthas to be Gilean in human form." ] }, { "name": "Gilean", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of knowledge", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Open book" }, { "name": "Goibhniu", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of smiths and healing", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge", "Life" ], "symbol": "Giant mallet over sword" }, { "name": "Gond", "altNames": [ "The Holy Maker of All Things", "The Inspiration Divine", "Wonderbringer" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 107, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of craft", "worshipers": "Artificers, crafters, engineers, inventors", "plane": "The Outlands", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Gond.webp" }, "credit": "Erel Matita", "width": 850, "height": 852 }, "entries": [ "Whether forging a sword or tinkering with a clockwork contraption, makers of all sorts pray to Gond to guide their work. He is a god of invention and craft, and his followers are responsible for much of Faerûn's industrial and magical innovation.", "Gond is a driven and energetic god. He is the foremost god worshiped on {@book Lantan|FRHoF|2|Lantan}; over a century ago, he appeared on that archipelago in the form of a gnome and granted its islands the secrets of smokepowder. Since then, Gond communicates more subtly with mortals. He appears in dreams, providing inventors with the hint of inspiration they need to get their next big idea off the ground. On dire occasions, the flames of a forge twist into a semblance of his face and speak in his voice.", "Temples of Gond double as workshops and laboratories. Blacksmiths, woodworkers, engineers, and other crafters count themselves among Gond's followers, but inventors carry Gond's spirit of innovation and are most likely to become his priests. Priests of Gond practice experimentation and innovation and encourage these virtues in others. These priests rarely stay in one place for long, believing that to stagnate physically is to stagnate mentally. They wander the land in saffron vestments; belts of large, linked metal medallions; and enormous sunhats. A traveling priest of Gond offers services to distant villages as a tinker and civil engineer. When priests of Gond invent something, they make two copies: one to be stored in a temple and one to be smashed or burned as an offering to Gond.", "Gond's faith has its own units of currency, called Gond bells. These small brass bells are equal in value to 10 GP and vary slightly depending on which temple of Gond constructed them. Priests of Gond delight in discovering Gond bells from faraway temples, understanding them as symbols of the speed at which ideas travel.", "Chosen of Gond are gifted with a knack toward problem-solving and innovation. They can discern how an object works with a mere glance or design never-before-seen clockwork trinkets. It is said that they channel the inspiration of Gond himself.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Gatherers of Gond", "entries": [ "The Gatherers of Gond is a clandestine order that secures materials and intelligence required for new inventions. Gatherers spy on builders or inventors unaffiliated with the faith\u2014not to sabotage them, but to bring back trade secrets they can iterate and improve on.", "The Gatherers of Gond partners with dwarf miners to find valuable metals such as adamantine, and they scour the Underdark alongside svirfneblin guides in search of sturdy zurkhwood bark. Gatherers explore ruins of ancient cities and draw schematics to record architectural techniques from bygone civilizations. Experienced Gatherers seek out magic items so the faith can study how they work.", "To join the Gatherers, an individual must present the order with an original invention. A sword made of a unique metal, an innovative clockwork contraption, a new weaving technique\u2014all are viable submissions. Initiates are welcomed in a \"forging\" ceremony where they step into the heatless fire of a {@spell Continual Flame|XPHB} spell and emerge as official members. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must also have a Renown Score of 5+ with the Gatherers of Gond to join the organization.)", "The Gatherers' ranks include the Lockkeepers, members skilled in tracking and coercion. Gond's priests keep a few ideas proprietary: most notably, the secrets of making smokepowder. Whenever Gond's priests becomes aware of a breach in confidentiality, the Lockkeepers hunt down the suspect and make sure the secret doesn't spread, defusing the situation amicably. When targets are less cooperative, Lockkeepers steer clear of outright assassination, resorting to blackmail or spells such as {@spell Modify Memory|XPHB}.", "The Gatherers of Gond partners with followers of Lathander, Oghma, Tempus, and Waukeen, since the inventions Gond's priests create often relate to creativity, knowledge, profit, or war. The Gatherers of Gond opposes Talos, whose unhindered destruction threatens not only Gond's inventions but also Gond's dominion over devices of destruction." ] } ] }, { "name": "Gond", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of craft", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Toothed cog with four spokes" }, { "name": "Gond", "altNames": [ "The Wonderbringer", "The Inspiration Divine", "The Holy Maker of All Things" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of craft", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Toothed cog with four spokes", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Gond.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Gond is the god of artifice, craft, and construction. He is revered by blacksmiths, woodworkers, engineers, and inventors. Anyone who is crafting something might say a prayer to Gond to guide the work, but folk know that Gond smiles most brightly upon new inventions that others find useful.", "Priests of Gond wander the North dressed in saffron vestments, adorned with sashes that contain within their folds gears, locks, hooks, and bits of steel, tin, and wood that might prove useful in a pinch. They also wear belts of large, linked metal medallions and enormous sun hats. A traveling priest of Gond offers services to distant villages as a tinker, a carpenter, and a civil engineer rolled into one, ready to help build a better paddock gate, dig a new well, or mend pots or furniture that might otherwise go to waste. All priests of Gond keep journals in which they record ideas, inventions, and innovations discovered in their travels, and take great delight in meeting fellow priests and sharing their finds. In large cities, the Gondar construct temples that serve as great workshops and inventors' labs. Wandering priests turn their journals over to the resident scribes at such temples, who then record the priests' observations for posterity and the benefit of all.", "Most who favor Gond practice time-honored crafting professions: they are smiths and engineers, architects and weavers, leatherworkers and jewelers. Even so, this faith has a well-earned reputation as a haven for crackpot inventors and visionaries.", "The center of Gond's worship on the Sword Coast lies in Baldur's Gate, where the faithful have erected two huge structures in honor of the Wonderbringer: a temple called the High House of Wonders and a museum of craft and design called the Hall of Wonders. Lantan had been the preeminent place of Gond's worship in the world until a century ago, when the island nation disappeared, and since its return the few Lantanese merchants seen in Sword Coast ports have said little about the present state of their homeland." ] }, { "name": "Gorm Gulthyn", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Vigilance", "symbol": "Bronze half-mask" }, { "name": "Gorm Gulthyn", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of vigilance", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Bronze half-mask" }, { "name": "Grolantor", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Hill giant god of war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Wooden club" }, { "name": "Grumbar", "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of earth", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Mountain" }, { "name": "Gruumsh", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of destruction", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "Triangular eye with bony protrusions" }, { "name": "Gruumsh", "reprintAlias": "The Ruiner", "source": "EGW", "page": 27, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "the Ruiner", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Death", "Tempest", "War" ], "province": "Slaughter, warfare", "symbol": "Single, unblinking eye that bleeds", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Gruumsh.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Gruumsh commands hordes of barbaric marauders to destroy, pillage, and slaughter for the sheer joy of it. Orderless and without honor, the creeds of the evil hordemaster urge savage creatures to devour the world around them, giving in to the chaotic and selfish nature of the predator. A number of violent clans of humanoids and beasts across Xhorhas pay homage to Gruumsh, asking him to bless their hunts and gift them with spoils worth ruining.", "Gruumsh rules the barren plains of Nishrek in the chaotic realm of Acheron, where he stokes the fury of his twisted armies and prepares to wage a violent war across the planes.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Primitive clay representations in barbaric communities of his followers show the Ruiner as a hulking, bulbous behemoth of an orc. His missing eye has shifted, and the prominent eye is now centered in his face, like a nightmarish cyclops." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "Corellon shot out Gruumsh's right eye during the Calamity, and the god of slaughter longs for the day he can return the favor twofold. Those who serve the Ruiner are sometimes hypnotized by his hateful rage from across the Divine Gate and fall into a strange bloodlust, longing to slaughter elves and those who worship magic at the altar of the Arch Heart." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Gruumsh", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Ruin. Conquer. Kill.", "The weak exist to be crushed by the strong. Be the strong.", "There are no emotions but fury and joy. The rest are weakness." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Gruumsh", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Orc god of storms and war", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "Unblinking eye" }, { "name": "Gruumsh", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Orc", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of storms and war", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "Unblinking eye" }, { "name": "Gruumsh", "source": "VGM", "page": 82, "_copy": { "name": "Gruumsh", "source": "SCAG", "pantheon": "Orc" }, "pantheon": "Orc", "customExtensionOf": "Gruumsh|Orc|SCAG", "title": "He Who Watches", "entries": [ "Gruumsh, the undisputed ruler of the orc pantheon, pushes his children to increase their numbers so they may be his instrument of revenge against the realms of elves, humans, and dwarves. In order to spite the gods who spurned him, Gruumsh leads his orcs on a mission of ceaseless slaughter, fueled by an unending rage that seeks to lay waste to the civilized world and revel in its anguish.", "Orcs are naturally chaotic and unorganized, acting on their emotions and instincts rather than out of reason and logic. Only certain charismatic orcs, those who have been directly touched by the will and might of Gruumsh, have the capacity to control the other orcs in a tribe.", { "type": "entries", "name": "A Chosen Few", "entries": [ "Orcs don't become renowned in their tribes by choosing Gruumsh; he chooses them. An orc might claim its allegiance to Gruumsh, but only those who have proven themselves through feats of strength and ferocity in war are considered worthy of being true worshipers. Gruumsh singles out these individuals by bestowing upon each one a powerful dream or vision that signifies acceptance into his inner circle.", "Those who are visited by Gruumsh are transformed psychologically and often physically by the experience. Some are driven to the brink of madness, reduced to muttering about omens and prophecies, while others become imbued with supernatural power and rise to positions of leadership." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Eyes of Gruumsh", "entries": [ "A few of the orcs touched by the power of Gruumsh are given the ultimate honor of carrying a small part of the god's overwhelming rage into battle, in the form of magic that augments their weapons and helps the tribe succeed. To become an eye of Gruumsh, an orc that has been chosen by Gruumsh must gouge out one of its eyes as a sign of devotion, sacrificing half of its mortal vision in return for divine power. These god-touched orcs are revered as living connections to Gruumsh, and are treated with respect even when they are old and infirm." ] }, { "type": "inset", "name": "Nishrek and the Eternal War", "entries": [ "Orcs believe that if they die with honor, their spirits go to the plane of Acheron, the Infinite Battlefield-specifically the layer of Nishrek, where they join Gruumsh's army and fight on his behalf in the endless war against the goblinoid followers of Maglubiyet. Gruumsh sees this conflict as a chance to pit his people against an eager foe and enable them to prove their worth before their deities. He relishes every short-term triumph and swears revenge for every setback.", "Luthic, though, takes a longer view. She understands the cosmic implications of Maglubiyet's attacks. To prevent the goblinoids from outstripping her people in population, she urges the orcs to have many offspring and teach them the ways of battle not only for survival in the material world, but to keep Maglubiyet at bay in the conflict on the planes. Her children will remain in her care, and if need be she wouldn't hesitate to take to the field herself and claw Maglubiyet's beady eyes from his face to prevent him from taking them from her.", "The cosmic battle between the two pantheons has raged for eons without resolution, leading those who study its ebb and flow to expect the stalemate to continue. A different view is put forth by the archmage Tzunk, who notes that Maglubiyet has never faced a foe as ferocious and protective as Luthic. He predicts that the war will end with Luthic the only deity standing, as the cave mother ascends to rule her warrior children." ] } ] }, { "name": "Gwaeron Windstrom", "altNames": [ "The Mouth of Mielikki", "The Master Tracker", "The Tracker Never Led Astray" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of tracking", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Paw print with a five-pointed star in its center", "entries": [ "Few aside from rangers of the North pray to Gwaeron Windstrom. Said to have been a mortal man elevated to godhood by Mielikki, Gwaeron serves rangers as their intercessor with Mielikki. He is seen as a master ranger, the perfect tracker, a peerless animal handler, and a dedicated foe of rapacious creatures such as trolls and orcs. He is said to look like an old man with a long white beard who is still hale and mighty, and he is believed to take rest and sleep in a stand of trees near Triboar.", "Rangers pray to Gwaeron because he represents much of the work they do, and because he can speak to Mielikki on their behalf. In the North, most rangers view Mielikki as too mysterious, holy, and wild to be addressed directly with their requests, but they consider Gwaeron Windstrom to be one of them and thus understanding of their needs.", "Gwaeron has no temples, but shrines dedicated to him can be found in many places that serve wilderness wanderers as trail markers. Each one is denoted by a carving of Gwaeron's symbol, a paw print with a star on the palm, on a prominent tree or stone." ] }, { "name": "Habbakuk", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 14, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Animal life, natural balance", "symbol": "Blue bird", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/010-00-031.good-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Paladine, Branchala, and Habbakuk", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Habbakuk, known as the Fisher King, oversees animal life, the sea, and the balance of nature. Many sailors, farmers, and hunters revere him. His holy sites are often marked with the image of a blue bird or a phoenix wreathed in blue flames." ] }, { "name": "Habbakuk", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of animal life and the sea", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Blue bird" }, { "name": "Hades", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 } ], "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of the underworld", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave" ], "symbol": "Black ram" }, { "name": "Haela Brightaxe", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Combat prowess, luck in battle", "symbol": "Upright sword with blade sheathed in flame" }, { "name": "Haela Brightaxe", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of war-luck", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Upright sword whose blade is spiraled in flame" }, { "name": "Hanali Celanil", "source": "MTF", "page": 45, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life" ], "province": "Love, beauty, the arts", "symbol": "Golden heart", "entries": [ "Hanali is the elven god of beauty and love. Usually depicted as a beautiful female, in some stories the god appears to mortals as a gorgeous male. Hanali's gender in a story seldom matters, for no matter how much heartache and confusion the stories contain, they end with affairs of the heart properly sorted out and everyone in love with the person, or persons, they were fated to be with. Stories of Hanali's romantic adventures among elves and other mortals are perennial favorites when sung by elf bards and poets.", "In Arvandor, Hanali maintains a hidden pool called Evergold. She bathes in it at least once a day. It's said that the water of Evergold keeps her young and breathtakingly beautiful, but this is certainly a poetic myth, since all the Seldarine appear young and beautiful, with or without having bathed in this fountain. Mortal elves who are invited to join Hanali in the pool are said to retain their youthfulness and to delay the onset of Transcendence by at least a century. More than a few elves claim to have experienced this benefit, and the truth of it is attested by many bards-sometimes in all earnestness, sometimes with a knowing wink.", "Priests of Hanali perform weddings between elves and preside over most other family-related ceremonies. Other than nuptials and a spate of spring celebrations, the priests conduct few observances.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Pools of Beauty", "entries": [ "Those who worship Hanali Celanil build shrines in her honor around natural pools of clear spring water-a representation of the purity and power of Evergold. Her priests often surround such an area with flowers or arrange stones in a way that accentuates the natural beauty of the place. In a shrine dedicated to the worship of several elven deities, an alabaster bowl of water, usually with yellow flowers or petals floating in it, is left in reverence to Hanali.", "Hanali's pool is a symbol of rejuvenation, and its water has significance as well in representing the ever-flowing force of love. To Hanali's followers, love is a living thing that flows like a river, moving around obstacles with ease, and, if it must, carving a path through bedrock to reach the sea of unity where all love gathers to become one with the cosmos. As one would navigate a river, the faithful of Hanali are known for following their hearts, unwilling to deviate from the pursuit of ultimate beauty.", "Devotees of Hanali Celanil are known for taking the initiative in beautifying their surroundings without asking or expecting others to follow suit. If a shrine to the gods is beginning to look somewhat untidy, her followers will straighten things up, bring fresh flowers, and refresh offerings of food, water, and wine. Especially vigilant individuals might even decide to clean up after others who carelessly spill a drink in a tavern or leave their dinner table in a slovenly condition, all in humble service to their god." ] } ] }, { "name": "Hanali Celanil", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of love and beauty", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Golden heart" }, { "name": "Hanseath", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Trickery", "War" ], "province": "Festivity, brewing, song", "symbol": "Beer stein" }, { "name": "Hathor", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of love, music, and motherhood", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Horned cow's head with lunar disk" }, { "name": "Hecate", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of magic and the moon", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Setting moon" }, { "name": "Heimdall", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of watchfulness and loyalty", "domains": [ "Light", "War" ], "symbol": "Curling musical horn" }, { "name": "Heironeous", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of chivalry and valor", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Lightning bolt" }, { "name": "Heironeous", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Invincible", "worshipers": "Knights, soldiers", "plane": "Mount Celestia", "symbol": "Lightning bolt" }, { "name": "Hel", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of the underworld", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Woman's face, rotting on one side" }, { "name": "Heliod", "source": "MOT", "page": 46, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of the Sun", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/030-02-03-heliod.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Heliod is the radiant god of the sun. According to myth, he ensures that the sun rises every day to provide light and warmth to the world. Every inhabitant of Theros acknowledges his dominant presence, and nearly everyone at least pays lip service to the idea of giving him worship and honor.", "Pride and self-assurance radiate from Heliod as light floods from the sun. He is cheerful and sociable, enjoying the company of others and forming bonds easily. His friendship can be as easily lost, though, turning him from ally to enemy as the consequence of a single misstep or perceived betrayal.", "Heliod has appeared to mortals in a variety of forms, but he prefers the appearance of a sun-bronzed male human in his forties, dressed in a flowing tunic of golden cloth. His profile is noble, highlighted by a strong chin and a short beard, and he boasts the broad chest of a perfectly fit athlete. His hair is glossy black, and his head is crowned with a golden wreath. He is also fond of appearing as a brilliant white pegasus or a radiant golden stag. In any guise, he looks lit by the sun, even when he travels across the night sky.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Heliod's Influence", "entries": [ "Heliod personifies the light of day, and by extension, he is associated with many metaphorical aspects of the sun's circuit.", "As the sun rises without fail every morning, so Heliod values faithfulness in oaths and bonds. Courtroom testimony and marriage vows are sworn on his name, for he can't tolerate the breaking of a solemn promise. He is the arbiter of morality, virtue, and honor.", "The sun's nightly descent into darkness symbolizes bravery and self-sacrifice\u2014the willingness to endure the horrors of the dark for the sake of others. Those who protect innocents in his name receive Heliod's favor.", "As sunlight casts out darkness, Heliod's justice casts out chaos and lawlessness. He is the god of the laws that govern society and the laws that punish the wicked. He is interested not only in punitive justice, but also in the establishment of fair and equitable relationships among people and gods, in service to the common good. He also takes an interest in the bonds of family\u2014the relationships that tie people most closely to each other.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Heliod's Goals", "entries": [ "In Heliod's mind, he is the ruler of the gods, and he wants merely for his rightful place to be recognized. He imagines Nyx rebuilt as his personal palace, where all can witness him in his glory. He considers himself a kind and beneficent ruler\u2014a benign autocrat, not a tyrant\u2014and he doesn't expect abject servility from anyone, god or mortal. He just wants everyone to defer to his will and carry out his orders. He believes that his decisions are always just and right, and that if his sovereignty were properly respected, there would be peace and order in Nyx and the mortal world alike." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Heliod's repeated attempts to establish himself as the ruler of the pantheon anger Erebos and Purphoros, who both have a degree of the arrogance he demonstrates.", "Thassa and Nylea, by contrast, aren't bothered by his efforts because they see themselves as being safely outside his reach. He could declare himself the ruler of the pantheon, they reason, but his dictates can't alter the rhythms of the sea and the cycles of nature. Thassa and Nylea will continue as they are, as they always have been, whatever squabbles their brothers might have.", "Ephara, Karametra, and Iroas are closely aligned with Heliod in attitude and philosophy. In some ways, these three gods represent the principles and the abstract nature of Heliod made tangible and concrete through the lives of mortals. Heliod represents a divine, natural, moral law; Ephara gives those laws a concrete manifestation by establishing mortal society in the poleis. Heliod controls the radiant sun that makes the natural world flourish; Karametra brings the interplay of light and nature to life for mortals in the practice of agriculture. And while Heliod stands for justice, Iroas actually fights for it, taking up arms against brutality and injustice in defense of what is good and right.", "Heliod hates and fears Erebos, his dark twin and his shadow. He views the god of the dead as a pathetic liar and coward who wallows in self-pity in his exile.", "Heliod is also plagued by a nagging suspicion that the true ruler of the pantheon is Kruphix, a mysterious being who is capable of sealing the borders between the mortal world and the divine realm of Nyx. Kruphix is perhaps the only being who can impose limits on the other gods' actions, which makes Heliod resent and fear the god of horizons." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Heliod", "entries": [ "The brilliance of Heliod's sun is impossible to ignore. Thus, virtually everyone on Theros pays at least grudging respect to the sun god in forms of worship that range from simple gestures to days-long celebrations.", "Some families, particularly in the polis of Meletis, follow a practice of bowing in the direction of dawn's first light\u2014or winking, in a gesture of respect for the sun god's luminous \"eye.\" More dedicated worshipers offer short litanies at dawn, noon, and dusk, acknowledging the sun's passage across the sky.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/031-02-07.webp" }, "credit": "Jamie Jones" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Heliod", "entries": [ "Many legends about Heliod highlight his mercurial nature, even while acclaiming him as a god of bravery and justice.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Battle with Purphoros", "entries": [ "In his desire to establish himself as the leader of the pantheon, Heliod attempted to commission Purphoros to rebuild Nyx in Heliod's image. Angered by Heliod's claim to rulership, Purphoros forged the sword Godsend to fight Heliod. As their conflict raged, Purphoros's sword cut the fabric of Nyx, opening the boundary between the realms of gods and mortals. As a result, the hydra Polukranos fell to the mortal world, but Heliod and Nylea joined forces to bind the hydra in the Nessian Wood. Years later, the hydra broke free of its bonds, and Heliod chose a mortal, Elspeth Tirel, to slay the hydra as his champion\u2014using a spear called Godsend, forged from Purphoros's sword.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Birth of Erebos", "entry": "Some myths claim that Heliod was the first of the gods, though most people believe that distinction belongs to Kruphix. These myths also say that when the light of Heliod's own sun fell on him, Heliod saw his shadow and feared it. He banished the shadow to the land beyond the Rivers That Ring the World, and it became Erebos, god of the dead and ruler of the Underworld." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Origin of the Catoblepas", "entry": "When a herder boasted that his cattle were the finest in Theros because Heliod and Nylea had created them, the gods grew angry at this falsehood. Heliod persuaded Mogis to curse the cattle, transforming them into the first catoblepases. As a result, many animal breeders prove excessively modest to this day, with humble-boasts being common and well understood among both buyers and sellers. Livestock that are \"as Heliod intended\" or \"praiseless beasts\" might be considered second to none." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Road to the Sun", "entry": "After a life in Heliod's service, the aged oracle Solsemon departed on a final pilgrimage: setting forth to visit the sun. Day after day he journeyed east, seeking the lands from which the sun rose. He journeyed far and was mocked everywhere people learned of his quest. Worse, his sight grew ever weaker as he spent days staring at the sun. Yet still he traveled on. Even when blindness claimed Solsemon's sight, the oracle continued undaunted. Finally, one day, Solsemon found a warm, calm place. There, a powerful voice he'd heard in his dreams welcomed him to his journey's end. Praising Heliod, the oracle took his rest, and after several long, contented hours, peacefully died. Ever since, the tale of Solsemon has been argued as both a parable of determination and a warning not to pursue that which is divine." } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Spear of Heliod", "entries": [ "Heliod wields the spear {@item Khrusor, Spear of Heliod|MOT|Khrusor}, which can strike any point on Theros, even in the depths of the Underworld. One tale describes how a wrathful Heliod used his spear to smite a human polis whose people angered him with their hubris: the entire city of Olantin sunk beneath the sea when Heliod struck it with his spear." ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Heliod's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually lawful, often good" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Cleric, fighter, monk, paladin" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Light" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, athlete, noble, soldier", "Champions of Heliod are typically either exemplars of light, law, and truth or conflicted heroes motivated by revenge and sworn vows. Most can't imagine serving those they consider lesser gods." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Heliod's Favor", "entries": [ "Heliod seeks out champions in the mortal world because he believes that a great champion reflects well on him. The ruler of the gods, as he imagines himself, should have champions who represent the best of mortals.", "That said, the reason for his initial interest in a champion isn't always obvious. What made the sun god turn his attention to you? What sets you apart from the masses of people who offer him prayers and sacrifice? What made him think you would be a good champion? The Heliod's Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.", "Heliod can be a fickle god, but once you have devoted yourself to him as a champion, he will not desert you\u2014as long as you remain faithful and your actions continue to reflect well on him.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Heliod's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born at noon on the summer solstice\u2014perhaps even in the midst of Heliod's great feast." ], [ "2", "One of your parents is also a champion of Heliod." ], [ "3", "You once rescued a pegasus that was trapped in a net, demonstrating your courage and your respect for this sacred creature." ], [ "4", "You proved your mettle in a dramatic contest of strength, charisma, or a similar quality." ], [ "5", "Calling on Heliod to witness you, you swore an oath to end some great evil." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Heliod showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish he hadn't." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Heliod", "entries": [ "Following Heliod means devoting yourself to the cause of law and justice. In fact, champions of Heliod are sometimes more constant in their pursuit of those ideals than the god himself, who can be emotional and short-tempered. As a follower of Heliod, consider the ideals on the Heliod's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Heliod's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Honor. I behave nobly and always keep my promises. (Lawful)" ], [ "3", "Protection. I face the horrors of the darkness so the common people don't have to. (Good)" ], [ "4", "Enforcement. Those who violate the laws that hold civilization together must be punished. (Lawful)" ], [ "5", "Justice. The purpose of law is to establish fair and equitable relationships among people and gods. (Lawful and good)" ], [ "6", "Kinship. It's essential to preserve the bonds of family\u2014my own family first, and others after. (Lawful)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Heliod when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Carrying out punishment on a fugitive from justice", "Exacting vengeance for a significant wrong done to you", "Defending a polis from attacking monsters", "Building or restoring a temple to Heliod" ] }, "Your piety score to Heliod decreases if you diminish his influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Breaking an explicit promise or oath", "Violating any just law", "Putting others at risk through your own cowardice" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Heliod's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Heliod's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Heliod's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Sun|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Helm", "altNames": [ "He of the Unsleeping Eyes", "The Vigilant", "The Watcher" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 108, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of watchfulness", "worshipers": "Explorers, Fighters, guards, Paladins", "plane": "Mechanus", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Helm.webp" }, "credit": "Erel Matita", "width": 850, "height": 1745 }, "entries": [ "Helm is a god of vigilance and protection\u2014the ultimate guardian, watcher, and sentinel. He is venerated by those who must remain watchful for enemies or danger. Helm is a favorite deity of those who make a living by protecting someone or something, such as bodyguards, members of the city watch, and the guards of a treasury vault.", "Helm embodies the spirit of watchfulness without regard for good or evil. In legends, he is honorable and keeps his word to a fault. During the Time of Troubles, he guarded the celestial stairways, preventing the gods from ascending them and ensuring they continued to walk Faerûn. Helm appears as a towering figure in full plate armor with a concealing visor. When he speaks to mortals, he materializes in as a massive armored figure or sends a {@creature Planetar|XMM} to deliver his word.", "Helm's faith has known dark days. He was slain in a duel with Tyr\u2014a tragic injustice some say was arranged by Cyric. But worship of Helm never faded. Most of his followers believe the Watcher can't be vanquished, and his return after the Second Sundering verified that belief.", "Helm's priests teach followers to be vigilant, aware, and prepared for one's enemies. Patience, clear thought, and careful planning will always defeat rushed actions. Those who favor Helm strive to be alert, clearheaded, and true to their word. These traits don't necessarily make them nice people, however, and many consider the faithful of Helm to be inflexible and merciless.", "Chosen of Helm\u2014called Sentinels\u2014arise from any walk of life, as the Watcher chooses those who stand against overwhelming peril for the sake of others. Occasionally, Helm looks into the heart of a mortal in the path of a great calamity and\u2014if he judges them worthy\u2014invests them with his power.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Everwatch Knights", "entries": [ "The Everwatch Knights is a mercenary knighthood formed by Helm's faithful. The Everwatch makes Helm's vigilance readily available and generates income for the greater faith. While battle-savvy characters such as Clerics, Fighters, and Paladins fit among the Everwatch, these knights also prize the cunning of Bards, Rangers, and Rogues.", "Recruits to the Everwatch Knights are called seekers. They train through partnerships with established knights. Contrary to much of Helm's priesthood, the Everwatch Knights keeps a loose rank structure. While traditional knights begin as squires, learning from a single knight for years, Everwatch Knights have no squires, and seekers learn from many knights in succession. Experienced knights support this system by passing on their skills and wisdom.", "For a seeker to be chosen for knighthood, they must establish a reputation for upholding contracts and defend themself in an armed encounter with enemies of Helm. A seeker tapped to ascend to knighthood must hold vigil at a post for a day, taking no food or rest with only water to drink. Once a seeker completes the vigil, they are knighted and join the ranks of the Everwatch. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must also have a Renown Score of 3+ with the Everwatch Knights to be knighted.)", "Everwatch Knights train their martial skills and hone their alertness by studying stealth and infiltration techniques. Knights receive a free Comfortable lifestyle when guarding caravans or ships in service of the Everwatch. They can arrange for the services of a {@creature Knight|XMM} or {@creature Spy|XMM} to assist in defending a charge or to gather information.", "The Everwatch Knights opposes destabilizing deities such as Mask, Shar, and Bane. Despite ideological differences between the followers of Torm and Helm, the Everwatch maintains a close alliance with several Torm-worshiping organizations." ] } ] }, { "name": "Helm", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of protection", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Staring eye on upright left gauntlet" }, { "name": "Helm", "altNames": [ "The Watcher", "He of the Unsleeping Eyes", "The Vigilant One" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of watchfulness", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Staring eye on upright left gauntlet", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Helm.webp" } }, "entries": [ "The god of vigilance and protection, Helm is seen as the epitome of the guardian, the watcher, and the guard. He is venerated by those who need to remain watchful for enemies or danger. Helm is a favorite deity of people who make a living by protecting someone or something, such as bodyguards, members of the city watch, and the guards of a treasury vault.", "Helm embodies the spirit of watchfulness without regard to good or evil. In legends, he is honorable and keeps his word to a fault, such as when he guarded the celestial stairways during the Time of Troubles, preventing the gods from ascending them and continuing the chaos of that period, until the Tablets of Fate were found.", "Although his faith has known dark days, worship of Helm never truly faded away. Most of his followers believe that the Watcher can never be vanquished utterly, and recent events have borne out that assertion.", "Helm's priests teach that one must be ever vigilant, ever aware, ever prepared for one's enemies. Patience, clear thought, and careful planning will always defeat rushed actions in the end. Those who favor Helm strive to be alert, clear-headed, and true to their word. These traits don't necessarily make them nice people, however, and as such many consider the faithful of Helm to be inflexible and merciless." ] }, { "name": "Hephaestus", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of smithing and craft", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Hammer and anvil" }, { "name": "Hera", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of marriage and intrigue", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Fan of peacock feathers" }, { "name": "Hercules", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of strength and adventure", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "Lion's head" }, { "name": "Hermes", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of travel and commerce", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Caduceus (winged staff and serpents)" }, { "name": "Hermod", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of luck", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Winged scroll" }, { "name": "Hestia", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of home and family", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Hearth" }, { "name": "Hextor", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of war and discord", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Six arrows facing downward in a fan" }, { "name": "Hextor", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "Scourge of Battle", "worshipers": "Soldiers, tyrants", "plane": "Acheron", "symbol": "Six down-pointing arrows in a fan" }, { "name": "Hiddukel", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 18, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Greed, lies", "symbol": "Broken merchant's scales", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/016-00-035.evil-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Takhisis, Chemosh, and Hiddukel", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Hiddukel is the god of greed and treachery. He holds domain over all ill-gotten wealth in the world, and criminals and unscrupulous traders worship him in secret. While Hiddukel gladly accepts their worship, his true goal is the acquisition not of riches, but of souls." ] }, { "name": "Hiddukel", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of lies and greed", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Broken merchant's scales" }, { "name": "Hoar", "altNames": [ "The Doombringer", "Poet of Justice" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of revenge and retribution", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "A coin with a two-faced head", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Hoar.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Hoar, known in the lands along the Inner Sea as Assuran, is a god of revenge and retribution. He isn't typically worshiped habitually, but his name is invoked by those who seek vengeance. When a guilty party falls prey to fate - such as when a murderer escapes prosecution, but is then accidentally slain himself - the hand of Hoar is given credit. When one hears three rolls of thunder in succession, it is thought to be a sign from Hoar that some act of vengeance has been performed. Many human societies have the custom of ringing a bell or a gong three times when judgment of a crime is rendered or an execution takes place.", "Folk speak Hoar's name when they want revenge, particularly when they are incapable of avenging themselves. This invocation might be in response to a petty slight or a true injustice, and the acknowledgment of Hoar might be a short prayer said aloud or might be written down somewhere. It's generally believed that the more permanent the form of the prayer, the more likely it is to be fulfilled. For this reason, some etch their prayers in lead and bury it or hide their prayers inside diaries. Aside from bounty hunters and those on crusades of vengeance, few truly revere Hoar, and he is served by fewer still who would call themselves priests. Temples or shrines of Hoar are almost nonexistent except for ancient sites in Chessenta and Unther.", "Hoar became a member of the Faerûnian pantheon when his worship extended beyond the lands that originally revered him. Most consider Tyr to be the arbiter of laws, and Hoar to be the god who metes out punishment that comes as a result of breaking those codes. A judge might favor the worship of Tyr, while a jailor or a headsman is more likely to pray to Hoar." ] }, { "name": "Hruggek", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Bugbear god of violence", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Morningstar" }, { "name": "Ilmater", "altNames": [ "The Crying God", "He Who Endures", "The Rack-Broken Lord" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 109, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of endurance", "worshipers": "Monks, the oppressed, the poor", "plane": "Bytopia (Shurrock)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Ilmater.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 711 }, "entries": [ "Ilmater is a god of suffering, martyrdom, and perseverance, renowned for his compassion and endurance. He offers succor to those who are in pain, victimized, or in great need. He is the willing sufferer who takes the place of another to heft their burden or take their pain. He is a god of the oppressed and the unjustly treated.", "If he had his way, Ilmater would take all the suffering in the world onto himself to spare others. Since he can't, he blesses those who endure on others' behalf, and he alleviates suffering when he can. Martyrs are blessed by Ilmater with a final rest and reward in the god's afterlife. Ilmater speaks to mortals in moments of despair and agony, where his voice soothes their hurt and fear. He sometimes sends a {@creature Shield Guardian|XMM} to protect a mortal in need and shows favor by growing daisies and white roses or sending peaceful animals.", "Ilmater's priests take in the sick, the starving, and the injured, and his temples give away most of what they receive to offset the suffering of the world. His followers provide succor when they can, using force to end torture and the suffering inflicted on others. Ilmater's priests travel to unfortunate places, ministering to the needs of the oppressed, the forgotten, and the poor. They put others ahead of themselves, share all they have, and emphasize the spiritual nature of life over the welfare of the material body.", "Priests of Ilmater wear hair shirts, vests of coarse fur. It is taboo to harm such priests as they go about their duties, including when they administer to the wounded on a battlefield. Even warlike groups avoid attacking a peaceful priest of Ilmater, as long as the priest administers to their fallen warriors.", "Chosen of Ilmater become martyrs eventually, as they're driven to step between victims and the source of their suffering. The divine power coursing through them allows the Chosen to intervene in brutally perilous situations, pushing them closer to the embrace of the Crying God.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Broken Ones", "entries": [ "The Broken Ones is a monastic order of temple and caravan guards dedicated to Ilmater. Monks are foremost members of the order, but others join to save others from suffering. Fighters, particularly Eldritch Knights, join the Broken Ones, as do Paladins who swear the Oath of Devotion. Other members are ascetics who distance themselves from worldly affairs, but some understand they must be active in the world to protect it.", "Those seeking to join the Broken Ones begin as supplicants tasked to defend a temple. Once they understand the basics of Ilmater's faith, they're assigned tasks in the wider world. During this time, they focus on protecting Ilmater's followers; the most trusted track down, punish, or retrieve targets who inflict suffering on others.", "To be inducted into the Broken Ones, a supplicant must endure great personal suffering on behalf of others and in the course of their duties. Superiors evaluate the supplicant for endurance and compassion. A supplicant who passes these trials must then endure a period of fasting and carefully inflicted pain before being welcomed as a full member of the Broken Ones. Many inductees have scars, previously broken bones, and other lingering signs of the suffering they endured during their supplication. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must have Renown Score of 3+ with the Broken Ones to join the order.)", "Broken Ones train their bodies and minds to withstand pain and deprivation and learn techniques to make them better protectors of those who can't escape their suffering alone. Broken Ones receive a free Comfortable lifestyle at temples or monasteries of Ilmater. They can secure {@item Potion of Healing|XDMG|Potions of Healing} and other items that soothe and salve.", "The Broken Ones opposes anyone who oppresses and harms the weak and innocent, especially followers of Loviatar who delight in inflicting suffering. The order finds lasting allies in the faithful of Lathander." ] } ] }, { "name": "Ilmater", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of endurance", "domains": [ "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Hands bound at the wrist with red cord" }, { "name": "Ilmater", "altNames": [ "The Crying God", "The Rack-Broken Lord", "He Who Endures" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of endurance", "domains": [ "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Hands bound at the wrist with red cord", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Ilmater.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Ilmater is the god of suffering, martyrdom, and perseverance, renowned for his compassion and endurance. It is he who offers succor and calming words to those who are in pain, victimized, or in great need. He is the willing sufferer, the one who takes the place of another to heft the other's burden, to take the other's pain. He is the god of the oppressed and the unjustly treated.", "It is said that if he had his way, the Crying God would take all the suffering in the world onto himself, so as to spare others. Since he can't, he blesses those who endure on others' behalf, and he alleviates suffering when he can. Martyrs who die that others may live are always blessed by Ilmater with a final rest and reward in the god's afterlife, should they so choose.", "Ilmater's priests take in the ill, the starving, and the injured, and his temples give most of what they receive to help offset the suffering of the world. His followers provide succor when they can, but also use force to put an end to torture and suffering inflicted on others. Ilmater's priests travel to places where the worst possible conditions exist, ministering to the needs of the oppressed, the deceased, and the poor. They put others ahead of themselves, are sharing of all they have, and emphasize the spiritual nature of life over the welfare of the material body.", "Priests of Ilmater who are on a quest to aid others can be recognized by their hair shirts, vests of coarse fur worn against the bare skin. It is taboo to harm such priests as they go about their duties, such as when they administer to the wounded on a battlefield. The taboo is so strongly felt among humans that other races respect the custom. Even orcs and goblinoids will avoid directly attacking a peaceful priest of Ilmater, as long as the priest administers to their fallen warriors as well.", "Most folk deeply respect the work and the sacrifice of Ilmater's faith, and lend aid to such endeavors where they can. When a temple of Ilmater sends its faithful to help refugees of war or victims of plague, their willingness to sacrifice their own well-being always prompts ordinary people to support them, whether they are inspired or shamed into action." ] }, { "name": "Ilneval", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Orc", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of strategy and hordes", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Upright blood-spattered sword" }, { "name": "Ilneval", "source": "VGM", "page": 83, "_copy": { "name": "Ilneval", "source": "SCAG", "pantheon": "Orc" }, "pantheon": "Orc", "customExtensionOf": "Ilneval|Orc|SCAG", "title": "the War Maker", "entries": [ "Ilneval is the loyal right hand of Gruumsh. He is the god who plans the attacks and devises the strategies that allow the forces of Gruumsh to dominate the battle and fill their war wagons with plunder and severed heads. Ilneval stands with his bloody sword, calling to those who understand the ebb and flow of combat to sit around his council fire and learn the ways of warfare.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Skilled Strategists", "entries": [ "Orcs that show aptitude for the nuances of warfare at an early age are considered chosen by Ilneval and are groomed to serve as blades of Ilneval. These individuals are battle captains that follow the orders of the tribe's chief, leading a portion of the tribe's warriors into the thick of battle and bringing a measure of strategy to the assault. Blades of Ilneval are fearsome opponents, seeming to have an uncanny sense of when to move and when to strike, able to exploit the weakness of their enemy like a pack of hungry wolves." ] } ] }, { "name": "Imhotep", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of crafts and medicine", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Step pyramid" }, { "name": "Incabulos", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of plague and famine", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Reptilian eye with a horizontal diamond" }, { "name": "Incabulos", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Black Rider", "worshipers": "Necromancers, those who seek to ward off illness", "plane": "Hades", "symbol": "Reptilian eye within a horizontal diamond" }, { "name": "Ioun", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of knowledge", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Crook shaped like a stylized eye" }, { "name": "Ioun", "reprintAlias": "The Knowing Mentor", "source": "EGW", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "the Knowing Mentor", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Knowledge, learning, teaching", "symbol": "Pair of open eyes crowned with a third open eye", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Ioun.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Revered by seers, sages, and teachers of all walks of life, Ioun guided the growth of civilization throughout the Age of Arcanum like sunlight guides the branches of a tree. Grievously wounded by the Chained Oblivion during the Calamity, her followers are now hunted by agents of her ancient foes as she recovers. Her devout now worship in private, spreading knowledge, philosophy, and lore anonymously through traceless channels.", "Ioun sits among the infinite library that fills the hidden realm of the Endless Athenaeum, her celestial servants cataloging all known things as she inspires those who pray for her insight and guidance.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Common representations show the Knowing Mentor as a graying, mature woman with a welcoming, matronly smile, swathed in billowing robes and scarves that fan into books and scrolls. Some colloquially refer to Ioun as the Knowing Mistress, revering her as a headmistress of knowledge among the gods." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Ioun has no public holy day, for her public worship was shattered during the Calamity, and she has since fallen into half-remembered myth. Only in the monasteries of the Cobalt Soul has the Knowing Mentor's faith been resurrected\u2014though her worship by the intellectuals of the city bears little resemblance to that of the knowledge-seekers of old." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Ioun", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Unmask those who would destroy Ioun. Learn their secrets and unveil them to the world.", "Uphold and teach the importance of reason, perception, and truth in guiding one's emotions and path.", "Condemn those who lie without moral cause, for evil folk gain power when their followers obscure the truth. Never stoop to the level of selfish liars." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Iroas", "source": "MOT", "page": 49, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of Victory", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/032-02-03-iroas.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Iroas is the steadfast god of honor and victory in war. When soldiers march to battle, his voice is the thunder of their footsteps and the crash of spear on shield. Soldiers, mercenaries, and athletes all pray for Iroas's favor in securing victory. Common folk pray to Iroas for courage and fortitude in times of struggle, for his is the battle nobly fought and won.", "Bold and confident with a soldier's demeanor, Iroas is the pinnacle of martial pride and bearing. He is stoic almost to a fault, but also exhibits a wry sense of humor. Those who honorably shed blood in Iroas's name can count on his support. Cowards and oath breakers are to be despised, and traitors don't deserve mercy in battle.", "Iroas most often appears as a powerfully built centaur with a bull's body rather than a horse's, clad in gleaming armor and wielding a spear and shield. He speaks in a booming baritone that projects power, confidence, and courage. He has been known to appear as a burly soldier or a mighty bull before his followers. Whatever form he chooses, Iroas carries himself with precision and majesty at all times and doesn't tolerate disrespect or undue informality from those who would deal with him.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Iroas's Influence", "entries": [ "Iroas personifies the glory of victory, honorable combat, and physical competition. He is the unspoken bond between soldiers on the eve of battle, the courage of the standard bearer holding colors aloft in the midst of battle, and the exultation that comes after a hard-won victory. Iroas pushes his followers to excel in their chosen fields, particularly war and athletics, and gain honor through superior skill, training, and dedication.", "War is, fundamentally, a terrible experience filled with pain, loss, and fear. Unfortunately, as Iroas sees it, war is also necessary. He sees preparing for and winning life's essential battles as being of paramount importance and the highest calling one can experience.", "The true warrior fights with honor, courage, and dedication, and values training, discipline, strength, and {@i esprit de corps}. In Iroas's eyes, nothing is more valuable or honorable than a honed blade wielded by a trained warrior loyal to a just cause. This message is ingrained in the ethos of Akros, the polis that claims him as its patron. His precepts and codes of conduct are incorporated in the civil and military laws of Akros.", "Iroas values strength and determination in less deadly pursuits, as well. He believes sports are a fine proxy for war, as just as in a battle, superior skill and strength lead to a victory. What Iroas truly loves is a winner.", "Lastly, Iroas urges his followers to blunt the advances of his brother, Mogis. This directive inevitably means combat, since Iroas knows of no other way to solve problems. Diplomacy isn't an act of cowardice per se, but because it isn't an activity Iroas is prepared to engage in, it isn't something he expects of his followers.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Iroas's Goals", "entries": [ "Iroas sees existence as a series of glorious battles to be won by both him and his followers. War is a testing ground from which only the bravest and strongest emerge. Between battles, there are feats of endurance and physical prowess to perform. Iroas exhorts his followers to hone their bodies and minds just as they hone their blades. He is certain that to slacken his vigilance and grow lazy would guarantee his demise at the edge of his brother's blood-soaked axe. Iroas pushes his followers to be ready at all times to meet conflict head-on." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Iroas is defined by his opposition to his twin brother, Mogis. Although both love battle, Iroas holds an honorable and valorous view of warfare, whereas Mogis lusts for carnage and butchery. Iroas firmly believes that mortals will always fight, whether in war or in less consequential pursuits. His charge is to ensure that war is waged with a code of honor and to prevent his brother's depravity from spreading through the world.", "Iroas holds an abiding respect for Purphoros, who girds his warriors in the products of his artifice. Iroas sees finely crafted arms as the highest form of art, sublime and deadly at once. Still, Iroas finds Purphoros's volatile temper and bouts of passion unbecoming of one with such talent at creating weapons of war.", "Iroas champions the cause of justice and thus seeks Heliod's guidance and counsel from time to time. During Heliod's piques of arrogance and temper, Iroas is the one who advocates restraint and calm. More often than not, the two deities agree where matters of justice and honor are concerned." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Iroas", "entries": [ "Iroas is interested not in pretty words, but in great deeds. The faithful of Iroas show their piety by comporting themselves well in contests of athleticism or skill. Swearing an oath to win a battle in Iroas's name and failing to do so is a great shame upon a warrior, thus such a promise is never uttered lightly.", "The fifth month of the Meletian calendar is Thriambion, named for an annual commemoration of the Meletian conquest of Natumbria. This victory cemented Meletis's control over the entire peninsula. But in Akros, the month is called Iroagonion, for the Iroan Games. These games are the grandest display to honor Iroas. To even compete in the Iroan Games is considered noteworthy, as the poleis send only their finest athletes. The grand prize, besides a ceremonial wreath, is the opportunity to be visited by Iroas himself.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/033-02-08.webp" }, "credit": "Slawomir Maniak" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Iroas", "entries": [ "The myths told about Iroas's deeds acclaim his valor and bravery as well as his inflexibility and stubbornness. Countless tales tell of him or his champions besting terrible beasts, enemy armies, or threats to the world. Still other stories rise beyond accounts of his victories.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Bulwark of Brotherhood", "entry": "Iroas carries a battle-worn bronze shield called the Bulwark of Brotherhood. It symbolizes the protective bond shared by all soldiers at war and his determination, ironically, to defeat his own brother. In the myth of Rygyra the Slinger, the soldier never missed when she launched stones from her magic sling. Yet, even so, her every shot bounced off the giant minotaur, Raksolcs Ravage-Soul. As the minotaur terror closed in on her, Rygyra whispered a prayer to Iroas and braced her flimsy wooden shield, knowing it would offer no defense against the giant's strikes. Yet, when the blow came, the shield resounded with the barest metallic clang\u2014like a pin falling on bronze. Opening her eyes, Rygyra discovered that her shield had transformed into a gleaming bulwark\u2014Iroas's own shield. Enraged, Raksolcs beat on the shield, leaving not even a dent. After hours of this, the minotaur collapsed, panting and exhausted. Only then did Rygyra emerge and strangle the brute with his own tongue." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Draught of Glory", "entry": "Followers of Iroas often push their physical and emotional limits, pursuing victory above all things. Even as priests of Iroas coach their followers to be the best, the most experienced religious leaders\u2014particularly those who have retired from athletic competition\u2014warn of growing addicted to triumph. Ultimately, they teach, only Iroas can drink endlessly from the river of glory and suffer no ill effects. Mortals, though, can grow intoxicated by victory and sickened by unattainable ideas of honor or eternal praise. Therefore, wise competitors are encouraged to seek only their draught of glory\u2014a finite amount that they might revel in but that allows them to experience a life beyond grasping for greatness. Those who don't find themselves upon the path to despair, personal harm, and the temptations of Mogis." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas", "entry": "One of the greatest of Iroas's champions, Kalemne is a stone giant sworn to the service of the god of war. A warrior of tremendous strength and tactical skill, she has imposed martial discipline on the most unruly of troops and has led squads of giants and minotaurs to glorious victories. Her devotion to Iroas is absolute, and her commitment to victory is unwavering. Countless petitioners have sought out Kalemne over the years, seeking her aid in righting wrongs or preventing disasters. Though she sympathizes with all who tell her their tragic tales, Kalemne has committed to aiding only those who can defeat her in a contest of athletic skill or a test of speed. Those who do can count on her aid, and possibly that of her troops. Those who can't must seek other answers to their problems." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Iroas's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually chaotic, often good" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Barbarian, cleric, fighter, paladin, sorcerer" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "War" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Athlete, folk hero, soldier", "Many champions of Iroas are warriors for honor and justice. They often seek to embody martial courage and are motivated by strong personal codes of honor." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Iroas's Favor", "entries": [ "Iroas has a soft spot in his heart for underdogs, even if they lack the strength to win the fight. It is easier, he believes, to make a hero from a weakling who has a heroic heart than it is to turn a brute into a defender of justice. What's more, the victory of the strong gives them glory, but the victory of the weak gives glory to Iroas.", "Why did Iroas seek you out as a champion? Perhaps you proved your courage even when victory eluded your grasp, or you demonstrated a willingness to use your strength for good. Occasionally, Iroas's choice of a champion has as much to do with his enmity toward Mogis as it does with the mortal he chooses; is there some connection between you and the god of slaughter? The Iroas's Favor table offers a few suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Iroas's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born on the eve of a major battle." ], [ "2", "Your twin sibling is a champion of Mogis." ], [ "3", "You showed great courage in a losing battle." ], [ "4", "You proved yourself in a contest of strength and skill at the Iroan Games." ], [ "5", "You called upon Iroas to witness an oath of victory in battle, and he took notice." ], [ "6", "Despite having been knocked down repeatedly in life, you show grit and determination in all you do." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Iroas", "entries": [ "Following Iroas means making a commitment to combat in pursuit of righteous aims, not as a way of applying coercion or domination. It also means dedicating yourself to the pursuit of excellence, for the god of victory desires victorious champions. As a follower of Iroas, consider the ideals on the Iroas's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Iroas's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Courage. No fear or pain can turn me away. (Any)" ], [ "3", "Loyalty. War forms bonds that are more real and lasting than the ties of love or family. (Any)" ], [ "4", "Heroism. The powerful must protect the weak. (Good)" ], [ "5", "Liberty. The strong mustn't exploit the weak. (Chaotic)" ], [ "6", "Excellence. People should look to me as an example of the best that mortal folk can be. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Iroas when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Achieving a great victory", "Overcoming long odds honorably", "Defeating a skilled foe in single combat", "Winning a great feat of strength or skill" ] }, "Your piety score to Iroas decreases if you diminish Iroas's influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look weak and cowardly through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Showing cowardice in battle", "Besting an honorable foe through deceit", "Harming innocents or noncombatants" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Iroas's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Iroas's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Iroas's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Victory|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Isis", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of fertility and magic", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Ankh and star" }, { "name": "Istishia", "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of water", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Wave" }, { "name": "Istus", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of fate and destiny", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Weaver's spindle with three strands" }, { "name": "Istus", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "Weaver of Our Fate", "worshipers": "Seers, advisers", "plane": "Mechanus", "symbol": "Spindle with three strands" }, { "name": "Iuz", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of pain and oppression", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Grinning human skull" }, { "name": "Iuz", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Evil", "worshipers": "His subjects and allies", "plane": "Material Plane", "symbol": "Grinning human skull" }, { "name": "Jergal", "altNames": [ "The Final Scribe", "The Pitiless One", "The Bleak Seneschal" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Scribe of the dead", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Death" ], "symbol": "A skull biting a scroll", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Jergal.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Legend has it that Jergal is an ancient deity. The story goes that in the time of Netheril he was worshiped as the god of death, murder, and strife. Yet with the passing of time, he became bored with his position. Then one day three mortals, each a powerful adventurer, met Jergal in the lands of the dead, determined to destroy him and take his power. Instead, Jergal calmly abdicated his throne of bones and allowed each of the three mortals to take part of his divinity. Thus it was that Bane assumed the portfolio of strife, Myrkul the rulership of the dead, and Bhaal the portfolio of murder. Jergal lost his former stature and became a scribe of the dead.", "Jergal is now seen as an uncaring custodian of the dead. He is thought to record the passing of the living and to aid Kelemvor in seeing that souls are properly bound to their appropriate afterlife. He is rarely acknowledged directly, except for being mentioned at funerals and among those who practice the custom of writing the name of the deceased on a sheet of parchment and placing it in the corpse's mouth. This rite is common in places where an individual's grave or tomb isn't marked with the person's name.", "Few people favor Jergal as a deity, and most who do are concerned with the dispensation of the dead in some way. Priests of Jergal serve communities as undertakers and caretakers of gravesites. Jergal has no temples dedicated to him aside from abandoned places devoted to his old, darker incarnation, but his priests are welcome in the temples of Kelemvor, Deneir, and Myrkul. His faithful send their annual recordings of mortality to holy sites where records of that sort are kept.", { "type": "inset", "name": "The Legend of Knucklebones, Skull Bowling, and the Empty Throne", "entries": [ "Long ago there was but one god of strife, death, and the dead, and he was known as Jergal, Lord of the End of Everything. Jergal fomented and fed on the discord among mortals and deific entities alike. When beings slew each other in their quest for power or in their hatred, he welcomed them into his shadowy kingdom of eternal gloom. As all things died, everything came to him eventually, and over time he built a kingdom unchallenged by any other god. But he grew tired of his duties, for he knew them too well, and without challenge there is nothing - and in nothingness there is only gloom. In such a state, the difference between absolute power and absolute powerlessness is undetectable.", "During this dark era arose three powerful mortals - Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul - who lusted after the power Jergal possessed. The trio forged an unholy pact that they would gain such ultimate power or die in the attempt. Over the length and breadth of the world they strode, seeking powerful magic and spells and defying death at every turn. No matter what monster they confronted or what spells they braved, the three mortals emerged unscathed at every turn. Eventually, the trio journeyed into the Gray Waste and sought out the Castle of Bone. Through armies of skeletons, legions of zombies, hordes of wraiths, and a gauntlet of liches they battled. Eventually they reached the object of their lifelong quest - the Bone Throne.", "\"I claim this throne of evil,\" Bane the tyrant shouted to Jergal.", "\"I'll destroy you before you can raise a finger,\" threatened Bhaal the assassin.", "\"And I shall imprison your essence for eternity,\" promised Myrkul the necromancer.", "Jergal arose from his throne with a weary expression and said, \"The throne is yours. I have grown weary of this empty power. Take it if you wish - l promise to serve and guide you as your seneschal until you grow comfortable with the position.\" Then, before the stunned trio could react, the Lord of the Dead asked, \"Who among you shall rule?\"", "The trio immediately fell to fighting among themselves while Jergal looked on with indifference. When eventually it appeared that either they would all die of exhaustion or battle on for an eternity, the Lord of the End of Everything intervened.", "\"After all you have sacrificed, would you come away with nothing? Why don't you divide the portfolios of the office by engaging in a game of skill for them?\" asked Jergal.", "Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul considered the god's offer and agreed to it. So Jergal took the skulls of his three most powerful liches and gave them to the trio so they could compete in skull bowling. Each mortal rolled a skull across the Gray Waste, having agreed that the winner would be he who bowled the farthest.", "Malar the Beastlord arrived to visit Jergal at this moment. After quickly ascertaining that the winner of the contest would receive all of Jergal's power, he chased off after the three skulls to make sure that the contest would be halted until he had a chance to participate for part of the prize. Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul again fell to fighting, as it was obvious their sport had been ruined, but again Jergal intervened. \"Why don't you allow Lady Luck to decide, so you don't have to share with the Beast?\"", "The trio agreed to this alternative, and Jergal broke off his skeletal finger bones and gave them to the contestants. When Malar returned from chasing the skulls, he found that the trio had just finished a game of knucklebones.", "Bane cried out triumphantly, \"As winner, I choose to rule for all eternity as the ultimate tyrant. I can induce hatred and strife at my whim, and all will bow down before me while in my kingdom.\"", "Myrkul, who had won second place, declared, \"But I choose the dead, and by doing so I truly win, because all that you are lord over, Bane, will eventually be mine. All things must die - even gods.\"", "Bhaal, who finished third, proclaimed, \"I choose death, and it is by my hand that all that you rule, Lord Bane, will eventually pass to Lord Myrkul. Both of you must pay honor to me and obey my wishes, since I can destroy your kingdom, Bane, by murdering your subjects, and I can starve your kingdom, Myrkul, by staying my hand.\"", "Malar growled in frustration, but could do nothing, and so yet again only the beasts were left for him.", "And Jergal merely smiled, for he had been delivered." ] } ] }, { "name": "Karametra", "source": "MOT", "page": 52, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of Harvests", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/034-02-03-karametra.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Karametra is recognized as the serene, maternal god of the harvest, her arms spread wide as she offers bounty to her worshipers or cradles communities in her embrace. Almost every human settlement contains at least a modest shrine to solicit her favor, and she is closely associated with Setessa, the center of her worship.", "Wise and even-tempered, Karametra values community, stability, and the balance of nature. She is the god of maternity, family, orphans, domestication, and agriculture, as well as defense of the home and territory.", "Karametra appears to mortals as a motherly figure with hair made of ordered rows of leaves that shroud her eyes from view. She is always shown in art (and often seen in Nyx) seated on her throne, which is formed from a tangle of grape vines growing out of a collection of jugs and amphorae that surround her. An elaborately carved wooden canopy extends above her, and a giant sable\u2014her faithful companion\u2014curls around the base of the throne at her feet. In one hand, she holds a harvester's scythe.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Karametra's Influence", "entries": [ "Karametra governs nature as it comes into play in the lives of mortals, representing domesticated nature\u2014a bounteous, nurturing provider. But she also reminds mortals that they are part of the natural world; they are animals that eat and digest and reproduce and sleep, and Karametra is influential in all of that, as well.", "Mortals seek her favor because the fertility of nature is necessary for their existence. It isn't her wrath they fear\u2014she is not a god of storms or plagues\u2014but her withdrawal. Without her, plants, livestock, families, and communities simply fail to thrive. Her goodwill is a bulwark against both physical starvation and starvation of the spirit: despair, loneliness, and moral weakness.", "Karametra promises that spring will always come again, trees will always bear fruit, and flocks will always bear young. Children will always be born, parents will always care for them and be cared for in their turn. Great fortune or adventure might not be at hand, but the little joys of life\u2014the smell of spring blossoms, the sweetness of ripe fruit, the flaming beauty of autumn leaves, the fellowship of community\u2014can be savored.", "In many ways, Karametra represents the essence of the divine relationship with mortals: fertility and protection are the nucleus of the aid mortals have always sought from gods, and Karametra doesn't complicate these basic needs by couching them in terms of abstract ideals of honor or law or justice. She is the distillation of an ancient and primal exchange: mortal devotion in return for divine blessing.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Karametra's Goals", "entries": [ "Karametra doesn't engage in underhanded politicking or petty disputes. She seems to stand above the quarrels and tumultuous rivalries of other deities, and equally aloof from the machinations of the mortal world. Her fundamental concern is for the well-being of mortal folk, starting with their physical health but also including their need for security, love, and belonging." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Karametra might not want to wield power over other gods, but her position of detached compassion lends her significant influence to wield as she chooses. The other gods trust her to be impartial in their disputes and honest about her motivations, and they look to her for wisdom and even sometimes comfort.", "Karametra's closest relationship is with Heliod. He respects her civilized demeanor, and she recognizes the vital role the sun's brilliance plays in nurturing life.", "The relationship between Karametra and Nylea is respectful but strained. Nylea is disappointed by Karametra's decision, as a nature deity, to subordinate nature to the needs of mortals. Karametra is frustrated by what she sees as Nylea's refusal to recognize mortal folk\u2014and all their civilizations\u2014as part of the natural world. Despite this tension, both gods encourage their worshipers to leave offerings at each other's shrines.", "The gods who provoke Karametra's sharpest disdain are Iroas and Mogis, who seem devoted to the idea of preventing mortal life from fully flourishing. War\u2014even if it's couched in noble terms, as Iroas's followers like to do\u2014is fundamentally an instrument of death, bringing a premature and pointless end to mortal life. That said, Karametra does recognize the need to fight in defense of one's life, family, and community when they come under attack, so she and Iroas are able to find some common ground in that matter\u2014and in their shared hatred of Mogis." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Karametra", "entries": [ "The earth's fertility is essential for mortal life to continue. Those who live in the modern poleis might not be as aware of that fact as those who farm their own food, but even they long for children, know the pinch of hunger, and feel the turn of the seasons.", "Prayers to Karametra focus on asserting Karametra's constancy and bounty, praising the god's love and generosity. Worshipers of Karametra gather for a feast once a month, on the evening of the full moon, that celebrates the god's role in parenthood and community. New parents receive gifts and blessings, and young couples sneak away into the woods in hopes of finding sweet berries and sweeter kisses.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/035-02-09.webp" }, "credit": "Eric Deschamps" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Karametra", "entries": [ "Karametra rarely engages in legendary undertakings. It is her unshakable reliability that makes her a popular deity.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The Miraculous Field", "entry": "Outside Setessa is a farm that produces incredible fruits and grains that can heal illnesses, increase fertility, and stave off hunger for days. The field is said to be Karametra's tribute to her beloved human priest, Thamuzus, who died there. While many seek the farm, it is said that the vineyard around it is so labyrinthine that few have ever reached its center." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Old Harvest", "entry": "In rare, remote settlements, high summer ceremonies acknowledge ancient rural practices devoted to a less merciful vision of Karametra. These communities offer abundant sacrifices to the god, but also guard their ancient rituals from outsiders, as Karametra's organized clergy harshly forbids discussion of abandoned religious practices. However, occasionally, a centuries-old depiction of the goddess breaks, revealing an ancient icon inside, typically a primitive mud idol of a woman bearing a sheaf of grain in one hand and a skull in the other." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Partners in Possibility", "entry": "The fall holiday known as the Blessing of the Beasts (or, in Meletis, the Therimakarion) celebrates humans' partnership with domestic animals. The horses and oxen that pull plows, the cats that guard the granaries, and the roosters that wake families and call them to their work are given blessings, special treats, and a day of rest. Stories say that strays found on this day are servants of Karametra and destined for great things. Others claim that on this day domestic animals can speak\u2014that is, if they have anything they care to say to their supposed owners." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Striving for Perfection", "entry": "Although Karametra delights in nature's bounty, she ever strives to tap its greater potential. Her followers recount legends of breeders and horticulturalists who cultivated remarkable new types of plants and animals\u2014such as the everfruit of Dakra or the storied Oraniad dragon-hens. Yet, while Karametra looks on such innovations with delight, some other gods see them as blasphemies." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Years of Rage", "entry": "The tales about Karametra don't specify what ignited the god's rage in ancient times, but they do record that for a year, she tore down her own temples and refused to let any plants grow. The mortals of the world, threatened with starvation, beseeched her to curb her wrath. In an effort led by Karametra's priests, nearly all of humanity prayed for a week, neither eating nor sleeping, praising Karametra for her serenity and generosity. After that time, she relented and produced a miraculous crop of grapes that cured illness and fed the people. Ever since then, her statues have been adorned with twining grape vines around their left wrists in commemoration of that event." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Karametra's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral, often good" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Life, Nature" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, folk hero, guild artisan, soldier, urchin", "Most champions of Karametra are advocates of community and family. They typically form tight-knit squads or surrogate families and take care of their people." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Karametra's Favor", "entries": [ "Karametra grants her favor to champions in the mortal world who advance the cause of civilization and community. She nurtures the power and influence of those who provide food and care to others and has little patience for those who display arrogance and self-centeredness, instead elevating those who seek to elevate others.", "Although Karametra's demeanor is gentle, her call to service is nonnegotiable. She lavishes fortune and prosperity on those who serve her, but she will not be ignored. It is rare for her to abandon a champion, but neither will she allow a champion to abandon their service. The Karametra's Favor table offers suggestions for what might make the god of the harvest take notice of you.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Karametra's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were an orphan who wandered into one of Karametra's temples seeking a meal and a safe place to spend the night." ], [ "2", "You are a village leader who sees caring for your neighbors as your most important job." ], [ "3", "You pioneered an agricultural innovation." ], [ "4", "Though you have no children of your own, you have assembled a tight-knit chosen family." ], [ "5", "You nearly bled to death in a farm field." ], [ "6", "You sought Karametra's help on behalf of your community during a drought or natural disaster." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Karametra", "entries": [ "Following Karametra means dedicating yourself to caring for others, promoting civilization and community, and putting the needs of others above your own. After all, Karametra asks nothing for herself. As a follower of Karametra, consider the ideals on the Karametra's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Karametra's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Civilization. Nature achieves its highest calling when human communities make use of it. (Lawful)" ], [ "3", "Humility. I put the needs of others above my own and strive to lead through service. (Any)" ], [ "4", "Protection. I devote myself to ensuring that the vulnerable and the innocent can live in safety. (Good)" ], [ "5", "Bounty. I am generous and share what I have, hoping to improve the well-being of all around me. (Good)" ], [ "6", "Community. I strive to deepen the bonds of my family, companions, and neighbors. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Karametra when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Turning a wild field into fertile cropland", "Feeding those who are starving", "Defending a farm from monsters", "Building or restoring a temple to Karametra" ] }, "Your piety score to Karametra decreases if you diminish her influence in the world, contradict her ideals, or undermine her civilizing influence through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Destroying a settlement's food source", "Releasing and scattering domestic animals", "Diverting a water source needed for irrigation", "Starting a fire that threatens a settlement" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Karametra's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Karametra's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Karametra's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Harvests|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Kelemvor", "altNames": [ "The Judge of the Damned", "The Lord of the Dead" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 110, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of the dead", "worshipers": "Funeral workers, the dying", "plane": "Astral Plane (Fugue Plane)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Kelemvor.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 761 }, "entries": [ "Kelemvor is the just, fair, and comforting god of death. When death occurs, Kelemvor takes a soul by the hand and leads it to the proper afterlife. Death isn't a thing to be feared in Kelemvor's eyes, but a natural part of life that must be accepted in its time. When Kelemvor speaks to his worshipers, he does so in dreams appearing as a silver-haired man wearing black, hooded robes and a silver funeral mask, or he speaks through the body of a person who recently died.", "Priests of Kelemvor\u2014the most elite of whom are known as doomguides\u2014provide people with peaceful transitions into death. Priests sort the dying's affairs, counsel bereaved mourners, and officiate funeral rites. The tenets of Kelemvor's faith compel his followers to forestall or prevent untimely deaths whenever possible, and to eliminate the scourge of the undead. Several organizations outside the formal priesthood focus on these tenets in different ways. The Vital Breath concentrates on stopping the spread of plagues and magical contagions, the Judge's Vigil focuses on the prevention of murder, and the Knights of the Eternal Order search for and destroy powerful undead.", "Their vehement opposition to undead puts Kelemvor's followers at odds with necromancers, priests of Myrkul, and others who create undead, but it also causes conflict in unexpected ways. For instance, priests of Kelemvor routinely destroy writings about the creation of undead\u2014an act that offends those who value knowledge for its own sake, such as the faithful of Oghma and Deneir. Undead of good alignment exist, but Kelemvor's devotees seek even their destruction.", "Chosen of Kelemvor embody the natural course of death and are optimistic and jubilant. They rejoice in the thriving of life in its time and can resurrect the victims of improper deaths.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Knights of the Eternal Order", "entries": [ "The Knights of the Eternal Order hunts undead in the name of Kelemvor and in defense of the natural order of life and death. While most members of the Eternal Order are battle-skilled warriors or priests, anyone with the courage to oppose undead is welcome.", "Prospective knights join the order as aspirants and serve an established knight as a squire or warrior at arms. The knight oversees the aspirant's training and measures their suitability over time, leading them on quests in Kelemvor's name or sending the aspirant forth to serve. Adventurers might prove their worth on such endeavors.", "To be knighted, the aspirant must show courage by destroying a dangerous undead. Those who are found worthy swear an oath to the order and receive a suit of black armor (as Kelemvor wore in his mortal days) or a silver-trimmed black tabard or robe marked with Kelemvor's holy symbol. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must also have a Renown Score of 3+ with the Knights of the Eternal Order to be knighted.)", "Knights of the Eternal Order learn to identify and destroy Undead creatures, and they study divine magic and fighting prowess. Knights receive a free Comfortable lifestyle at any temple of Kelemvor. Knights can call on the aid of a {@creature Priest|XMM} of Kelemvor during a quest in service to the order.", "The Knights of the Eternal Order allies with followers of Helm, Lathander, and Mystra to oppose undead. Its chief foe is Cyric and his followers, although the Knights of the Undying Dragon (an order of {@creature Death Knight|XMM|Death Knights}) draws the Eternal Order's ire and attention." ] } ] }, { "name": "Kelemvor", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of the dead", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave" ], "symbol": "Upright skeletal arm holding balanced scales" }, { "name": "Kelemvor", "altNames": [ "The Lord of the Dead", "The Judge of the Damned" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of the dead", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave" ], "symbol": "Upright skeletal arm holding balanced scales", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Kelemvor.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Kelemvor is seen as a just, fair, and comforting god of death. Death comes to all, and when it occurs Kelemvor is there to take each soul by the hand and lead it to the proper afterlife. Kelemvor's priests teach that those who revere the gods according to the rites of their religion have done their proper service and will be offered the afterlife they seek.", "The faithful of Kelemvor provide people with peaceful transitions into the care of the Lord of the Dead. They help the dying put their affairs in order, and they officiate at funeral rites for those who can't afford the lavish ceremonies of their faith. The tenets of Kelemvor's faithful compel them to forestall or prevent untimely deaths whenever possible. Different sects and worshipers define \"untimely\" in different ways. One group might concentrate on stopping the spread of disease, another on the prevention of murder, and yet another on eliminating the scourge of the undead. In fact, all the faithful of Kelemvor despise the undead and work to some degree to eliminate them, for undead of any sort are seen as an abomination of the natural order. This belief obviously puts Kelemvor's faithful at odds with necromancers, priests of Myrkul, and others who promote the creation of the undead, and it also causes conflict from unexpected sources. For instance, priests of Kelemvor routinely destroy any writings about the creation of the undead that they find - an act that offends those who value knowledge for its own sake, such as the faithful of Oghma and Deneir. And there also exist undead that aren't evil, such as the baelnorn, which the elves consider holy. Kelemvor's devotees seek the end of such beings regardless of that fact." ] }, { "name": "Keptolo", "source": "MTF", "page": 54, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Beauty, hedonism, fertility", "symbol": "Mushroom", "entries": [ { "type": "quote", "entries": [ "Keptolo shows the way. Feed the vanity of your mistress, and all her treasures shall be yours. Be careful whom you offend, and keep an expendable companion nearby to hold culpable for your crimes. Gossip can be as deadly as the venom on an assassin's blade. Use the poison of words to destroy your rivals, that you may claim for yourself all they once presumed was theirs." ], "by": "Tezzeryn, Head Consort of House Bhaerynden, instructing his son" }, "The ideal of what a male drow can become, Keptolo is handsome, stylish, witty, hedonistic, an outrageous flatterer, and sought after as a lover. He is also dangerous in his aspects as a subtle assassin and a whisperer of rumors. For those attributes, he is worshiped by ambitious males who hope to emulate him. Some succeed admirably and achieve great things beyond the reach of most males, but many more succumb to excesses of the flesh, dissipation, and disease, or they are ruined or murdered by a rival-who is also a true disciple of Keptolo.", "In most myths, Keptolo resides in the Demonweb Pits alongside Lolth, whom he serves as consort, more than a plaything but much less than an equal. Keptolo is a bitter enemy of Zinzerena, who deceives and uses him as a tool in many of the stories about the Dark Seldarine." ] }, { "name": "Keranos", "source": "MOT", "page": 55, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of Storms", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Tempest" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/036-02-03-keranos.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Keranos is the god of storms and wisdom. Merciless and impatient, Keranos is equally likely to strike out at mortals with a bolt of inspiration or a blast of lightning. To revere Keranos is to exult in the power of wisdom, clarity of purpose, and the fury of the storm. He is favored by tinkerers, inventors, and sailors as well as those seeking solutions to intractable problems. He doesn't tolerate the company (or the worship) of fools, and he despises vapidity and indecision.", "Keranos rarely appears directly to mortals, preferring to communicate through an epiphany or a crashing bolt of lightning. When he does deign to manifest in the mortal world, Keranos prefers the form of a stout, bearded, male human wearing a purple loincloth girdled in a mithral chain belt with a clasp in the form of a dragon's skull. His bearing is upright and stern, with a clipped, brusque way of speaking. Particularly clever plans and observations bring a hint of a smile to his face. When interacting with mortals, Keranos sometimes appears in the form of a great horned owl with lightning strikes flashing in its eyes.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Keranos's Influence", "entries": [ "Keranos is the embodiment of wisdom and insight unhindered by compassion or patience. Just as the storm vents its fury unpredictably and without warning, so does Keranos deliver the wisdom he chooses to impart.", "A storm, for all its unpredictability, can still be weathered by those who apply foresight and knowledge. So it is when dealing with Keranos. He rewards those who act with forethought and decisiveness and punishes the reckless for their stupidity.", "Those who seek to solve enigmas and create wonders of art and science often invoke his name. The creative process is fraught with frustration, and his insights make short work of such hindrances as easily as the lightning parts a mighty oak.", "Keranos dispenses inspiration without regard for the morality of its application. He is just as likely to reward the shrewd general seeking to topple a polis as a gentle healer searching for a cure for a malady. Good and evil don't color his thinking, only action and the thrill of birthing new ideas into the world. Furthering the act of creating\u2014be it ideas, weapons, art, or magic\u2014is what matters most.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Keranos's Goals", "entries": [ "For good or ill, Keranos exists as a disruptive force. He doesn't desire authority over other gods and, in fact, doesn't particularly enjoy their company. Keranos finds satisfaction in investing bright mortals with prescient visions to see how they adapt. Those who prove themselves decisive and intelligent, such as the missing Queen Cymede of Akros, earn his grudging respect and continued blessings of precognition. He finds satisfaction not only in granting insight, but also in expressing the awesome fury of the storm. Where others see only chaos and destruction in storms, he sees them as shaping the firmament in ways that challenge and engage mortals. His blasts of lightning set house and forest ablaze, thus rendering the soil clear for new life and new creations. His is a vision he alone is equipped to see. He is content to watch his divine kinfolk scheme and plot while he looks on, stern and inscrutable." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Keranos is neither friendly nor sociable, so his dealings with most of the rest of the pantheon tend to be terse, formal, and brief. This doesn't mean that no interactions of note take place, however.", "Of all the gods, Thassa has the most cordial relationship with Keranos. He enjoys the sea god's love of ancient lore, introspection, and complex patterns. The two sometimes talk for days at a time debating the flaws in ancient sophistries and discussing the meaning of the stars. Thassa, imperturbable and constant, makes the ideal counter to the wise yet temperamental Keranos.", "Another interesting relationship exists with Purphoros. The passions of the divine blacksmith run hot, as does the need to create. The melding of Keranos's inspiration with Purphoros's passion is a formidable combination. This partnership resulted in the creation of Epiphany, Keranos's mighty javelin." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Keranos", "entries": [ "Keranos's name is often invoked by those amid a storm who seek safety, or by someone who is faced with a particularly difficult problem. Only the foolhardy call out to Keranos frivolously or in jest, since he might well smite the offender with a bolt from the blue.", "In Akros, where Queen Cymede actively promoted the worship of Keranos, elaborate ceremonies are conducted beginning just before the first summer thunderstorm. Intricate, open-framed sand paintings with complex geometric shapes are created by dancers in flowing blue silken wraps. Then, as the rains fall, the paintings are washed away, symbolizing the impermanence of genius and the power of change. Akroan oracles strive to predict the exact time of the first storm in hopes of allowing enough time to stage the celebration. A similar festival in Meletis, called the Lightning Festival, gives its name (Astrapion) to the third month of the year.", "On the last day of every month, Keranos's priests and laity bring offerings of fish and distilled spirits to his temples. The fish are cooked under a skylight open to the stars, with a shot of spirits thrown on the fire.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/037-02-10.webp" }, "credit": "Daarken" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Keranos", "entries": [ "The myths and legends told of Keranos's deeds demonstrate his wisdom and wrath, dispensed in equal measure.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Epiphany", "entry": "The lightning bolt is a symbol of both Keranos's fury and his ability to inspire. Pondering this combination, he entreated Purphoros to create a mighty weapon, a javelin that strikes with the force of the storm. Keranos channeled his anger into a furious storm, which Purphoros then captured and smithed into a gleaming javelin that hummed with power. When Keranos wants to send a message, of either destruction or enlightenment, Epiphany is his tool of choice." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Font of Fortunes", "entry": "In ages past, Keranos created a bronze font fed by a pure mountain stream that would grant great oracular power if one drank deeply from it. As Keranos wanted only the wisest and most clever mortals to gain his favor, the font lies at the end of a series of fierce traps and riddles. It exists both in and out of Nyx, hidden to all but the most diligent of seekers." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Lightning Diadem", "entry": "Years ago, Keranos received an exquisitely cut sapphire set in a delicate silver diadem as an offering. Deeply appreciative of the skill and craftsmanship required to create it, Keranos imbued the gem with a spark of divine genius. Inventors and philosophers coveted the diadem, for it conferred a fraction of Keranos's inspiration to the wearer\u2014granting incredible insights or fracturing the wearer's sanity. Its last owner, the tormented genius Zexso the Unblinking, is said to have created a massive contraption to assure that the lightning diadem wouldn't shatter the mind of any other mortal. The inventor's machine launched the diadem into the heavens, where it's said to have landed upon a griffin-inhabited island floating in the clouds." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Riddle of Lightning", "entry": "Once, an arrogant oracle boasted of her infallible insight, which flowed from Keranos himself. Bemused, the storm lord arranged for the oracle to meet a particularly cunning sphinx and engage in an epic battle of wits. The objective set forth by Keranos was to solve the Riddle of Lightning, an enigma devised by Keranos himself. After days of deliberation, the oracle realized the answer, only to be struck down by a bolt from the heavens. Among the faithful nowadays, the term \"Riddle of Lightning\" is used to denote a question that one is better off not knowing the answer to." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Silent Storm", "entry": "Occasionally, Keranos seeks to make his will known with all the subtlety of the master of storms. Should lightning strike the same point multiple times yet never echo with thunder, followers of Keranos claim that is the way their god draws attention to secrets he wishes to share. While repeat lightning strikes would normally cause considerable damage, strikes that convey the god's will often leave a scorch in the shape of Keranos's symbol or no mark at all." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Keranos's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually chaotic, often neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Knowledge, Tempest" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, entertainer, guild artisan, noble, sage, sailor", "Most champions of Keranos are calm under pressure, creative, and clever. They often seek to challenge the status quo and thrill at wielding the power of the storm." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Keranos's Favor", "entries": [ "Keranos chooses champions who are deliberate and wise, yet able to bring the storm's fury when needed. He expects his champions to be aggressive and self-reliant and disdains the lazy and the foolish, who deserve whatever ill fortune befalls them.", "The god of storms is inscrutable at the best of times; thus, it can be difficult to discern why you've earned his favor. What prompted him to gift you with foreknowledge of important events? How have you demonstrated your potential? The Keranos's Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Keranos's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born amid a great storm that destroyed most of your village." ], [ "2", "One of your parents was struck by lightning." ], [ "3", "As a child, you were favored by an oracle of great power who saw Keranos's spark within you." ], [ "4", "You solved a riddle, puzzle, or cipher that was previously thought unsolvable." ], [ "5", "You were born under auspicious stars." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Keranos grants you visions, and the burden weighs heavily on your soul." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Keranos", "entries": [ "Just as the storm is unpredictable and often dangerous, so is service to the lord of storms. Keranos's devotees hatch their grand designs always with an eye on the darkening sky. As a follower of Keranos, consider the ideals on the Keranos's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Keranos's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Wisdom. The pursuit of knowledge and insight is the highest aspiration one can achieve. (Any)" ], [ "3", "Foresight. Fortune favors the prepared, not so much the bold. (Neutral or lawful)" ], [ "4", "Fury. I am the storm and will not be denied. (Chaotic)" ], [ "5", "Impatience. Whatever it takes to reach an epiphany, I will do it. (Chaotic)" ], [ "6", "Change. There are no constants in this life. If we don't innovate and adapt, we are doomed. (Chaotic)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Keranos when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Solving a challenging riddle or puzzle", "Smiting the unwise and foolish in Keranos's name", "Helping a polis successfully plan for or adapt to a threat", "Building or restoring a temple to Keranos" ] }, "Your piety score to Keranos decreases if you diminish Keranos's influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Jeopardizing others through rash or foolish actions", "Willingly subverting or impeding a wise course of action", "Failing to plan appropriately for a challenge", "Giving in to wanton fury and destruction" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Keranos's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Keranos's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Keranos's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Storms|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Kiaransalee", "source": "MTF", "page": 54, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Death" ], "province": "Necromancy", "symbol": "Drow hand wearing many silver rings", "entries": [ "The drow god of vengeance and undeath, called the Revenancer, is portrayed in some legends as a fierce female clad in silver and translucent veils, and in others as a banshee. In either version, her hands bear many glittering silver rings, and this image is recognized as her symbol.", "Drow see Kiaransalee as the patron of vengeance because she is said to have died and returned from death to get her revenge, bringing an army of the dead back with her. Various communities of her worshipers have differing ideas about who killed her and why, but typically the murderer is portrayed as having the features of some kind of creature the drow have great hatred for. Followers of Kiaransalee don't trouble themselves greatly over these details, because all the stories could be true: the Revenancer is believed to have returned from death over and over again.", "Vengeance is the aspect of Kiaransalee that appeals to most drow, because it becomes a necessity in every ambitious drow's life-usually more than once. The state of undeath is of less concern to them, but those who practice necromancy turn to Kiaransalee for guidance and for protection from undead.", "Some of her most fervent followers seek out the secret of attaining undeath for themselves. Kiaransalee favors them by bringing them back as undead, but unlike other gods of similar sort, Kiaransalee doesn't offer the undeath of lichdom but a lowly existence as a banshee, a revenant, or a wight.", "Drow believe that Kiaransalee was driven mad by returning from death as a god so many times, but her followers aren't discouraged by this assessment. Despite her madness, her actions are guided by a deep and devious cunning-a trait that drow attach more importance to than they do to sanity." ] }, { "name": "Kiaransalee", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of necromancy", "domains": [ "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Female drow hand wearing many silver rings" }, { "name": "Kiri-Jolith", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 14, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Honor, war", "symbol": "Bison's horns", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/011-00-038.o-good-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Kiri-Jolith, Majere, and Mishakal", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Kiri-Jolith is the god of righteous war. He blesses all who fight in the name of good and scorns those who delight in slaughter and lust for battle. He is particularly revered by the Knights of the Sword, an order of the Knights of Solamnia that seeks to root out evil wherever it dwells." ] }, { "name": "Kiri-Jolith", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of honor and war", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Bison's horns" }, { "name": "Kirith Sotheril", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "province": "Divination, illusion", "symbol": "Rainbow sphere" }, { "name": "Klothys", "source": "MOT", "page": 58, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of Destiny", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "War" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/038-02-03-klothys.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Believed to have sprung into existence during Theros's earliest days, Klothys is the god of destiny and, along with Kruphix, one of the plane's original deities. She oversees the order of the cosmos, ensuring that all things remain in their proper place, knowing how easily the cosmic balance could be undone if she were not vigilant. On the heels of a near-catastrophic upset of the cosmic order\u2014the rise to godhood and subsequent defeat of the satyr Xenagos\u2014Klothys has emerged from the Underworld for the first time in mortal memory to untangle the strands of destiny and set the world right.", "Klothys typically appears as a woman with six curling horns and an impossibly long mane of pale hair that cascades around her horns, drapes over her eyes, and spools into her spear-like weapon and the various other spindles she carries.", "Beneath her outward calm, Klothys seethes at the way mortals and gods alike have pulled apart and rearranged the threads of destiny to feed their petty ambitions. Her peaceful mien falls away in the presence of such villains. In her rage, her red-glowing eyes come into view through the veil of her hair, and she wields burning strands of hair as a devastating weapon.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Klothys's Influence", "entries": [ "Klothys is the embodiment and enforcer of destiny. Largely forgotten after ages spent in the Underworld, Klothys has only recently emerged, brimming with silent frustration at the state of Theros.", "Each strand of Klothys's hair is part of the fabric of destiny, the natural order that underpins all existence. Her followers claim to see these strands woven into all things, granting them understanding of cosmic truths and insights into how the future should unfold.", "Klothys withdrew to the Underworld ages ago to keep watch over the imprisoned titans and ensure they couldn't escape and destroy the order she had established. Due to this undertaking, she is also the god of secrets best kept quiet and powers best untouched.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Klothys's Goals", "entries": [ "Once content to oversee and preserve destiny from the Underworld, Klothys now endeavors to undo the cosmic damage caused by Heliod, Xenagos, and ambitious mortals in recent years. The ways in which they ravaged reality to realize their selfish dreams has threatened Theros, and only by untangling the strands of destiny can Klothys set things right. The status quo she seeks to restore, however, comes with a cost in mortal casualties and societal upheaval that would accompany this process. She intends to humble the same institutions that condoned or committed these crimes against Theros. When her efforts have laid low the proud, the defiant, and the exploitative, then Klothys will have restored the natural order and ensured the world's survival." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Klothys views many of the gods with disdain, considering them to be complicit in Xenagos's theogenesis, Heliod's acts of arrogance, or both. She reserves special contempt for Heliod and his champions, relishing every opportunity to teach them humility.", "Klothys also clashes with other gods associated with order and progress, seeing their defiance of the natural order as a dangerous affront. Ephara's ravenous colonization, Iroas's passion for overcoming insurmountable odds, and Karametra's taming of nature all run the risk of inspiring ambitious mortals who lust for ever more power and strain to break away from their proper place in the cosmos.", "Klothys respects the other gods whose interests balance creation and destruction, such as Thassa, Purphoros, and Nylea, considering them better attuned to Theros's needs and destiny's myriad outcomes. Nylea shares Klothys's delight in the world's natural cycles. Purphoros's willingness to build and demolish appeases Klothys\u2014as well as the fact that he despises Heliod as much as she does.", "Klothys's relationships with Erebos and Athreos are complicated. Ages spent in the Underworld with Erebos have driven home for her how arrogant and tyrannical he is, as ready to commit the same sins as Heliod if given the opportunity. Even so, Erebos and Klothys maintain a level of mutual respect. Until recently, Klothys and Athreos were unflappable allies. But now her emergence from the Underworld has blurred the borders between the realms, as she draws horrors into the mortal realm with her and thereby raises Athreos's ire.", "Of course, Klothys trusts no other god as much as she does Kruphix, who also recalls Theros's earliest hours. The two have a deep respect for one another." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Klothys", "entries": [ "Klothys doesn't trace her origins to mortal devotion, and she has languished in obscurity for almost the whole of human history. Unlike the other gods (except Kruphix), she doesn't need worship to sustain or empower her, and she doesn't seek out reverence or demand it. By and large, mortals are irrelevant to her, except insofar as they have played a role in tangling the strands of destiny by defying nature's order.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/039-02-11.webp" }, "credit": "Magali Villeneuve" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Klothys", "entries": [ "Klothys is barely remembered in the mortal world, having sequestered herself in the Underworld while human civilization was in its infancy. Some surviving myths speak of a personified \"destiny\" in a way that vaguely suggests the possibility of an actual god's involvement.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Rage of Titans", "entry": "The greatest threat to the young world of Theros was the godlike race of titans, born from the same swirling chaos as the world itself. Before any order could be imposed on the world, the titans had to be contained. Kruphix and Klothys worked together to imprison the titans in the deepest pits of the Underworld. Klothys voluntarily bound herself in the Underworld to keep the titans imprisoned, but that is, after all, the nature of destiny: once the natural order of the world had been put in place and preserved, no further action should have been required on her part to maintain it." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Smoking Strand", "entry": "Hidden far from civilized coasts lies a strand of Klothys's hair that she purposefully plucked. Knotted in on itself, the strand appears as a seething ball of dense smoke. Any who touch the strand risk having it invade them, infecting them with a pernicious destiny that Klothys herself tore from the natural order. None can say what terrible destiny the Smoking Strand drives its possessor toward, but the ruins within which it lies might give some hint\u2014caverns burrowed deep into a mountain of petrified bodies, the twisted obsidian corpses of humanoids and animals alike." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Twins at War", "entry": "The newly formed gods Kruphix and Klothys emerged from opposite sides of the roiling tangle of possibilities that eventually gave birth to Theros. At first the two battled for supremacy, but they soon realized their conflict left their young world vulnerable to dangers from both inside and out. Putting their rivalry aside, the pair agreed it was better to share and have something than let their struggles destroy all creation." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Walkers of Woe", "entry": "The nightmarish creatures known as woe striders are said to be products of Klothys's punishment. These beings descend from an age when some mortals learned to unshackle themselves from the strands of destiny. To what end is a question lost to time, but Klothys put a quick end to these blasphemers and eradicated nearly all knowledge of their methods. Ever since, the shades of these accursed mortals have walked the Underworld as woe striders, monstrosities endlessly seeking strands of destiny that they might use to replace their own discarded lots." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Klothys's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Barbarian, cleric, ranger, warlock" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Knowledge, War" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Folk hero, hermit, outlander, sage", "Most champions of Klothys believe it is their destiny to fulfill a particular role or seek answers to omens they struggle to understand. They are passionate about punishing those who violate the cosmological order." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Klothys's Favor", "entries": [ "Klothys hasn't had a mortal champion before. Upon emerging from the Underworld, she created a host of Nyxborn agents to help her restore Theros to its proper path. You might be one of these so-called Agents of Destiny (if you choose the Nyxborn supernatural gift, described in chapter 1), single-minded in the purpose for which you were made. Or you might be among the first of a new cadre of followers of Klothys. The Klothys's Favor table suggests some possible connections between the god and a mortal follower.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Klothys's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Your family suffered during the rise of Xenagos, leaving you with unresolved rage." ], [ "2", "You swore yourself to Klothys, offering your service in exchange for reprieve from a mundane destiny." ], [ "3", "Born under an ill omen, you were victimized by your neighbors' superstitions before realizing that you were destined to serve Klothys." ], [ "4", "You lost a loved one to the upheaval that followed Klothys from the Underworld. You planned revenge, but were awed at the sight of her and devoted yourself to her service." ], [ "5", "You were a champion of Heliod until the emergence of Klothys showed you the danger of Heliod's hubris." ], [ "6", "You don't know why Klothys has shown interest in you." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Klothys", "entries": [ "To follow Klothys is to accept the natural order of the cosmos and your place in it. It means accepting your destiny even as you strive against the bonds of fate. As a follower of Klothys, consider the ideals on the Klothys's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Klothys's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Stewardship. Preservation of the natural order supersedes the needs of civilization. (Neutral)" ], [ "3", "Humility. It is hubris to aspire to a higher place in the natural order than we are given. (Lawful)" ], [ "4", "Vigilance. Those who defy or manipulate destiny are menaces that must be stopped. (Neutral)" ], [ "5", "Fury. The world must be cleansed to make way for a new start. (Chaotic)" ], [ "6", "Protection. When gods or mortals go mad with power, it's the powerless who suffer, and I mean to keep them safe. (Good)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Klothys when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Defeating a creature that has stepped out of its place", "Repairing a significant wound dealt to destiny by the gods' ambitions", "Teaching people about Klothys, her nature, and her return" ] }, "Your piety score to Klothys decreases if you diminish her influence in the world, contradict her ideals, or threaten the integrity of destiny through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Undoing a deserved punishment or curse suffered by another creature", "Willfully destroying a natural wonder", "Assisting a creature in undermining the natural order or exploiting destiny" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Klothys's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Klothys's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Klothys's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Destiny|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Kol Korran", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Trade, travel", "symbol": "Nine-sided gold coin {@i or} white dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Kol Korran is the Sovereign of World and Wealth. He guards travelers and guides traders. Although the Trickery domain is suggested for his clerics, Kol Korran guides fair negotiation; those driven solely by greed prefer the Keeper of the Dark Six." ] }, { "name": "Kol Korran", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of trade and wealth", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Nine-sided gold coin" }, { "name": "Kord", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of strength and storms", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Sword with a lightning bolt cross guard" }, { "name": "Kord", "reprintAlias": "The Stormlord", "source": "EGW", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "the Storm Lord", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "province": "Battle, competition, storms", "symbol": "Four bolts of lightning radiating from the center of a shield", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Kord.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Where thunder booms and conflict rises, prayers to the Storm Lord are shouted into the maelstrom. Reveling in all tests of strength, Kord blesses those who prove themselves on the battlefield. Worshiped by athletes and warriors all across Exandria, he exalts those whose force of spirit and desire for victory call his attention. He brings tumultuous storms over land and sea, and those who wish for clearer skies offer their praises and prayers to appease him.", "Kord dwells among the roving settlements and battlefields within the rugged and glorious realm of Ysgard, where struggle, victory, and celebration shape the landscape and those who reside there.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Within his temples, Kord is shown as a quintessential warrior, often nude with a beard and short, curled hair. As the epitome of muscle and strength, most art depicts the Storm Lord in a stance of dominance, and perhaps wrestling a terrible beast." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Kord's holy day is the Day of Challenging, which is celebrated on the seventh day of the second month. The Day of Challenging is one of the most raucous holidays in Port Damali, and thousands of spectators attend the annual Godsbrawl held in the Temple of Kord to root for their favored deity's champion, particularly the chosen champions of the Storm Lord and the All-Hammer." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Kord", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Bravery above all. There is no glory in cowardice.", "Strength is the path to greatness, but greatness is the responsible use of strength.", "The glory of the Storm Lord lives through your own glory on the battlefield." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Kord", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of athletics and sport", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "Four spears and four maces radiating out from a central point" }, { "name": "Kord", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Brawler", "worshipers": "Athletes, berserkers", "plane": "Ysgard", "symbol": "Spears and maces radiating from a point" }, { "name": "Kossuth", "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of fire", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Flame" }, { "name": "Kruphix", "source": "MOT", "page": 61, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of Horizons", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/040-02-03-kruphix.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Kruphix is the enigmatic god of mysteries, horizons, and the passage of time. His followers claim that he knows not only everything that is known at present, but everything that has ever been known by anyone.", "Quiet surrounds Kruphix like a shroud. Standing apart from the other gods, he speaks rarely, even to his most favored followers. When he does communicate, it is often as a barely audible whisper. Kruphix can speak with a booming voice directly into the minds of all the other gods simultaneously, though, doing so when something threatens the cosmic order.", "Kruphix's true form is more abstract than that of any of the other gods. He appears only in star-filled silhouette, usually as a hooded, four-armed figure of indeterminate species and gender. Two of the stars in his \"body\" often shine brightly, suggesting eyes. Kruphix's starry silhouette sometimes takes the form of a bird or a whale.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Kruphix's Influence", "entries": [ "Kruphix holds dominion over everything unseen or unknown. He is associated with the horizon\u2014the brink of the unknown\u2014and with navigation. His followers include scholars, sages, and a handful of sailors who have an inclination toward the mystical.", "Perfect understanding is like the horizon: easy to move toward, but impossible to reach. Kruphix knows everything that has ever been known on Theros, so he and only he decides which secrets should be loosed upon the world, and which must be kept forever hidden. He has existed since before mortals occupied Theros and numbers among the few who understand the role of mortal belief in shaping the younger gods\u2014a concept even most gods don't fully comprehend.", "Kruphix is the only being who has the ability to seal the borders between the mortal realm and Nyx. He uses this power to safeguard the mortal world from reckless divine meddling and enforce the balance of power among the gods and their faithful.", "Because of his lack of followers, many mortals consider Kruphix a minor god, even obscure. To the other gods, however, he is a force within the pantheon, worthy of both respect and wariness.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Kruphix's Goals", "entries": [ "More than any other god, Kruphix simply {@i is}. He seeks nothing but to oversee the acquisition of knowledge, maintain the cycles of time, and uphold the divine order. He views his fellow gods as petty and vengeful, and he opposes anyone who tries to obtain power that would upset the delicate balance of the pantheon.", "Kruphix is the eldest of the gods and sees it as his responsibility to rein in the excesses of his younger siblings. Unlike Heliod, Kruphix knows that he isn't powerful enough to impose his will unilaterally. Instead, he plays the other gods against one another and serves as a mediator in their endless disputes. He takes care to ensure that the other gods view him as impartial, which he considers essential to maintaining his authority." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Kruphix strives to hold himself above the disputes of the gods, but like any other god, he has both rivals and allies. Chief among the former is the sun god Heliod, whom Kruphix sees as an arrogant, dangerous threat to the balance of power among the gods. He seldom acts against Heliod openly, preferring to warn others about the sun god's efforts to seize power at their expense.", "Since every mortal soul must eventually pass beyond the horizon and into death, Kruphix respects both Erebos and Athreos. He sees Erebos as a necessary check on Heliod's power, and he even allowed Athreos to continue his vital work on the fringes of the mortal world when he bound all the other gods within the fabric of Nyx. Erebos and Kruphix blame one another for Klothys's recent emergence from the Underworld, a situation neither seems able to control.", "Purphoros loathes Kruphix for temporarily hobbling his mind following an attack against Heliod, but Kruphix holds no grudge against Purphoros. That particular punishment upset the balance too far in the other direction, and Kruphix is more likely to side with Purphoros than Heliod in the future.", "Of all the gods, only Klothys truly concerns Kruphix. He hoped that she would remain secret and secluded in the Underworld, and he doesn't know what her emergence portends. She is the only other god whose existence predates mortal belief, and though he is unlikely to draw her ire by manipulating destiny, he doesn't know how her return will affect the pantheon." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Kruphix", "entries": [ "Many pray to Kruphix when they need to find something lost, but few dedicate themselves to his worship. Cults devoted to Kruphix fiercely guard their secrets, and their initiates refrain from drawing attention to themselves. Some followers and champions of Kruphix travel the world in secret, searching for hidden truths. Many use secret signals to enable them to find safe lodging with other worshipers nearly anywhere.", "Rituals honoring Kruphix are usually performed at boundaries, both temporal and spatial: shorelines, riverbanks, equinoxes, and sunsets. One of the god's greatest festivals is the Agrypnion (\"the Watching\"), which marks the end of winter and the close of the year.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/041-02-12.webp" }, "credit": "Daarken" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Kruphix", "entries": [ "Kruphix appears in stories in an ancillary role, often as the impartial judge who ends a conflict between gods. Initiates in Kruphix's mystery cult know other stories in which he plays a more active role, including special versions of well-known legends, but they seldom share these tales with others.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The First Nyxborn", "entry": "According to one tale, it was Kruphix, not Purphoros, who was the first to fashion living Nyxborn creatures from the fabric of Nyx. Kruphix created the divine artisan Nykthos and ordered him to build altars to the gods. Nykthos's story isn't widely known among mortals, but the Shrine to Nyx is still called Nykthos in his honor." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Kruphix's Warning", "entry": "When Purphoros attacked Heliod in a destructive rage, Heliod demanded that Kruphix intervene. Kruphix constrained the forge-god's mind and memory in punishment for his attack. He warned all the gods that if they threatened the mortal realm with their disruptive quarrels, he would bind them to Nyx for as long as he saw fit. As of yet, no god has dared to test Kruphix's threat, but there are certainly those among them who might try if they could see a way to retain their own powers." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Silence", "entry": "When the squabbling of the gods threatened the world once more despite Kruphix's warning, he etched all their names\u2014including his own\u2014in the bark of his great tree at the edge of the world. Immediately, the gods' oracles could no longer hear them, their blessings faded, and the night sky held only unmoving stars. The great Silence of the gods serves as the backdrop for numerous tales of heroism and sacrifice. Many alive today witnessed the sky go dark and the temples grow quiet. Most consider the Silence a terrible mistake that led to the rise of the usurper god Xenagos, but followers of Kruphix know that it was a grim necessity to prevent far worse calamity." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Theophilian Mysteries", "entry": "Some of Kruphix's worshipers don't identify with their inscrutable deity, but with Theophilia, a legendary naiad who entered Nyx and whose transcendent encounter with Kruphix each initiate strives to duplicate. The naiad's journey is celebrated in hushed chants as blindfolded initiates are led across a boundary\u2014often stepping into a river or over a low stone wall, an act that symbolizes crossing the horizon. Then the blindfolds are removed as the faithful intone a paean to Kruphix. The hope is that Kruphix will choose to reveal himself at the climax of the ritual, whether by the appearance of some omen or in a personal epiphany. Such a revelation isn't always positive, though, as Kruphix often imparts a glimpse of cosmic truths for which mortals have no possible context." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Kruphix's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Bard, cleric, druid, monk, ranger, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Knowledge, Trickery" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Hermit, outlander, sage, sailor", "Most champions of Kruphix seek to learn the secrets of the universe and maintain the balance of the world. They largely view the other gods as petty and seek to separate themselves from divine squabbles." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Kruphix's Favor", "entries": [ "Kruphix's champions are less his agents than his charges, and he is loath to release them. Even those who leave his service often find themselves unwittingly aiding his agenda for years to come. How did you initially attract the god's attention? The Kruphix's Favor table offers a few suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Kruphix's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Followers of Kruphix claim you were born under a bizarre omen, but will not explain what it means." ], [ "2", "You were secretly instructed in the worship of Kruphix by a parent or a mentor." ], [ "3", "You uncovered a dangerous secret during your studies, and followers of Kruphix sought you out and recruited you to keep the knowledge within their ranks." ], [ "4", "Beset by strange dreams, you consulted an oracle of Kruphix. Since then, they've only gotten stranger." ], [ "5", "You wanted to learn truths that only Kruphix knows. Now you're starting to wonder if you know too much." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Kruphix showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish he hadn't." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Kruphix", "entries": [ "Kruphix doesn't demand adherence to any philosophy, and the reasons to follow him are as numberless as the stars. As a follower of Kruphix, consider the options on the Kruphix's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Kruphix's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Balance. Too much power in any one place is a threat to us all. (Lawful)" ], [ "3", "Selflessness. I accept the burden of knowledge so that others don't have to. (Good)" ], [ "4", "Knowledge. I seek out dangerous secrets so that I can know the nature of reality. (Neutral)" ], [ "5", "Power. The best thing about knowing a secret is getting to use it against everyone else. (Evil)" ], [ "6", "Mystery. The cosmos is more beautiful if its greatest truths remain unknown. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Kruphix when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Keeping a dangerous secret despite personal cost", "Revealing a critical truth at an important moment", "Mediating a major dispute or conflict", "Aiding the weak or impeding the strong" ] }, "Your piety score to Kruphix decreases if you diminish Kruphix's influence in the world, upset the balance of power, or make him look biased or petty through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Revealing a secret that should remain unknown", "Selfishly refusing to share information", "Showing favoritism toward any other god or group", "Furthering the aims of another god in defiance of Kruphix's will" ] }, "Kruphix doesn't care about the righteousness of a cause, only about upholding impartiality in both appearance and action. This sometimes means that his followers stay out of situations that seem morally straightforward, such as refusing to help a squad of hoplites finish off a band of vicious raiders." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Kruphix's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Kruphix's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Kruphix's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Horizons|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Kurtulmak", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Kobold god of war and mining", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Gnome skull" }, { "name": "Labelas Enoreth", "source": "MTF", "page": 45, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge", "Life" ], "province": "Time, history, memory", "symbol": "Setting sun", "entries": [ "Even though elves live far longer than most other humanoids, they show few physical signs of aging until they become very old. By the time an elf's hair turns to silver and wrinkles appear around the eyes, the elf has lived for centuries and probably has only a few decades remaining. For this longevity and long-lasting vitality, they thank and revere Labelas Enoreth.", "Labelas is portrayed as an elderly elf with silver hair, still-active eyes that once were bright blue but now are clouded and gray, fine wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, and a right hand slightly impaired by the effects of age. If anything, these symptoms of mortality make the god even more handsome and stately in the eyes of his followers than he was in his youth.", "Elves tend to give Labelas little regard until they experience Remembrance. Like Corellon and Hanali, Labelas makes few demands on his followers. A few minutes each day spent thanking him for his gift of long life and good health, and occasionally placing a fresh flower in one of his shrines, is generally all that's expected. When an elf develops unusual ailments in old age and appears headed for decrepitude, other elves might wonder if these are the repercussions for not paying Labelas his due.", "Most settlements have only one or two priests of Labelas. These individuals are elves well past their prime but who have not yet begun to withdraw into themselves. Their duties involve guiding elves who have recently experienced Remembrance, and are thus beginning the journey into introversion in the waning days of one's mortal life. The priests also preside over funeral celebrations, since Labelas is also honored for his role in seeing that elves experience beneficial reincarnations.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Eternal Witness", "entries": [ "Shrines and temples to Labelas Enoreth are mostly made of or decorated with ephemeral things. Patterns and images made with colored sand, cut flowers, precariously stacked stones, and images made from thin paper are all commonly found there. These places of veneration are usually located in desolate, high places where the ever-changing sky and the setting sun can be seen and contemplated. Along with the setting sun, images of clouds are a major motif for followers of Labelas, who often tattoo such designs on their bodies or embroider them on their robes to signify the ephemeral nature of the physical world.", "Labelas Enoreth is the custodian of time, monitoring its passing and making sure that the warp and weft of history isn't torn asunder by powerful maniacs and errant demigods. He is also the eternal witness, watching the souls of the elves as they dance from incarnation to incarnation, each mortal lifetime representing a role an actor would take in a play. From his cosmic perspective, Labelas looks on each elven life as a story to be written, nudging wayward souls toward incarnations that he deems suitable for their overall development, and thus weaving the life of each elven soul into a tapestry that spans the ages. In acknowledgment of this gift, priests and devotees of Labelas often weave modest tapestries of their own and donate them to shines in his honor.", "Despite Labelas's influence in the Seldarine, elves can become psychologically immersed in their mortal incarnations, forgetting about the tick of time and the eventual end of their physical forms. Even Labelas's appearance, with his obvious signs of aging, isn't enough to dissuade some elves from growing attached to their youthful features, long life, and worldly treasures. But all such naive behavior is brought to heel when the Remembrance occurs, and an elf's inward examination begins as one journeys toward death and a new beginning. Priests of Labelas smile with compassion when these wide-eyed elves show up at their temples, suddenly full of contrition and offerings for Labelas, still shaken from the vision of their Remembrance and the gravity of its meaning.", "To enhance an elf's Remembrance, the priests of Labelas use a special mirror made of polished black onyx. Small versions of these can be seen at many shrines dedicated to the Seldarine, as a reminder to the passing faithful of the importance of Remembrance. The priests advise those in their care to look into the mirror in order to deepen the trance of Remembrance. In the black void of the mirror, they see the faces of their former selves and scenes from their past lives-a glimpse into the grand tapestry of the each soul's existence as Labelas begins to weave yet another incarnation." ] } ] }, { "name": "Labelas Enoreth", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of time, history, and philosophy", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Setting sun" }, { "name": "Laduguer", "source": "MTF", "page": 79, "pantheon": "Duergar", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "domains": [ "Death", "Forge" ], "province": "Labor, slavery", "symbol": "Broken arrow", "entries": [ "Also known as the Grim One, Laduguer was a mighty duergar warrior who liberated his people from the illithids. Laduguer entered into a pact with Asmodeus, pledging the duergar to an alliance against Lolth and the demons of the Abyss in exchange for which Laduguer received a spark of divinity from Abbathor himself.", "Laduguer's teachings stand in direct opposition to everything Moradin represents. He is the dwarf god's dark opposite, a shadow that seeks to rise up and consume its original creator.", "Duergar don't worship Laduguer in any traditional way; their communities include no temples or formal services. They honor their deity by acquiring more power and wealth through any means possible. Priests of Laduguer maintain the internal functions of duergar society but have no role that is expressly religious." ] }, { "name": "Laduguer", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Duergar god of magic and slavery", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Death" ], "symbol": "Broken arrow" }, { "name": "Laogzed", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Troglodyte god of hunger", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Image of the lizard/toad god" }, { "name": "Lathander", "altNames": [ "Inspiration's Dawn", "The Morninglord", "The Rose-And-Gold God" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 111, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of dawn and renewal", "worshipers": "Aristocrats, athletes, merchants, youths", "plane": "Elysium (Eronia)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Lathander.webp" }, "credit": "Alex V. Ngo", "width": 850, "height": 831 }, "entries": [ "When the folk of Faerûn gaze at the pastel hues of the morning sky, they thank Lathander. He is a god of dawn and the potential that comes with new beginnings. Spring, birth, youth, creativity, and renewal fall under his domain.", "Although occasionally given to excess, abundant enthusiasm, and vanity, Lathander is above all an optimistic deity. An early morning visit from an exuberant songbird might be a good omen from the god. He also sends pixies with iridescent wings the colors of sunrise.", "Since Lathander is a god of beginnings, people pray to him before undertaking journeys or endeavors. His priests officiate weddings and births, and his name is invoked to seal alliances and launch new ventures or companies. As a result, Lathander is popular among merchants, and his faith has benefited accordingly. Temples to Lathander are wealthy and unafraid to show it\u2014sometimes to the point of gaudiness. Some feature elaborate stained-glass windows on every wall, while others have parapets designed to look like the spread wings of a rising phoenix. Lathander's temples pay Faerûn's best artists handsome amounts to create colorful statues and murals within their walls. Temples of Lathander hold a special ceremony called the Song of Dawn on {@book Midsummer|FRHoF|2|Midsummer} morning and at the equinoxes. During this event, priests and the faithful sing praises to the Morninglord.", "Lathander's followers include athletes, nobles, artists, and the young, all of whom often dress in flamboyant fashions. The Morninglord's priests wear shades of rose pink, orange, and gold\u2014the colors of the dawn. They teach others not to wallow in negativity, that life comes from death and every morning offers a chance to turn a setback into a success. Priests and followers of Lathander despise undead, seeing them as both a corruption of the natural order and a disavowal of new beginnings because undead cling to their old existence rather than move on.", "Chosen of Lathander wield powerful magic of light and life and spend their time lending these services to other good deities on Lathander's behalf. Some theorize that these acts of benevolence are Lathander's way of apologizing to the gods for the Dawn Cataclysm\u2014an eons-old incident in which", "Lathander foolishly attempted to remake all deities in his image, leading to the deaths of several gods whose names have been nearly forgotten.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Dawnbringers", "entries": [ "When the destructive forces of Faerûn bring a town or village to its knees, Dawnbringers help the survivors rise from the ashes. This order of Lathander dedicates itself to helping people start anew. That often means finding refugees new homes and teaching them the skills they'll need to thrive.", "Dawnbringers find folk who need their help through word of mouth, divination magic, or omens from Lathander. When necessary, Dawnbringers recruit adventurers or mercenaries to help them reach people in need.", "Dawnbringers wear distinctive tabards. The back of each tabard is dark gray, and the front is dyed any combination of sunrise-hued colors, as a symbolic reassurance that people's worst days are behind them. To become a Dawnbringer, one must be trusted by Lathander's followers. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must have a Renown Score of 5+ with the Dawnbringers to join the organization.) The typical Dawnbringer is gentle yet courageous, grounded yet optimistic. People who demonstrate these qualities are welcomed into the order. Many initiates undergo a renewal of their own by shedding their old name and picking a new one.", "When they aren't helping displaced people, Dawnbringers connect with town leaders. By strengthening these connections, finding out which leaders are receptive to outsiders, and gently encouraging those that aren't amenable to change, they lay the groundwork for future refugees to find homes. High-ranking Dawnbringers attend dinners and meetings with town mayors and city councils, although this glamorous perk can distract members from their order's goals. In realms such as {@book Thay|FRHoF|2|Thay} where Dawnbringers don't have a foothold, they usher folk across long distances to safer lands.", "Dawnbringers count Selûne's followers among their staunchest allies, which pits them against the forces of Shar. Dawnbringers despise Bane and Talos for the destruction those gods' faithful wreak on innocent folk." ] } ] }, { "name": "Lathander", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of birth and renewal", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Road traveling into a sunrise" }, { "name": "Lathander", "altNames": [ "The Morninglord", "Inspiration's Dawn", "The Rose-and-Gold God" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of dawn and renewal", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Road traveling into a sunrise", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Lathander.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Lathander is the god of the spring, birth, and renewal, a deity of conception, vitality, youth, renewal, and self-perfection. He is god not of the sun but of the dawn, which represents the start of a new day filled with potential.", "Lathander is a god of beginnings. People commonly offer a prayer to him before undertaking any journey or endeavor. Lathander's name is invoked to seal alliances and christen new ventures or companies. As a result, the god is very popular among the merchant classes, and the church has benefited accordingly.", "The rising sun is his symbol, and his colors are the rose, gold, and violet of the dawn. Lathander's temples and shrines host a wide range of functions both municipal and personal. At such places folk get married in dawn ceremonies, announce the start of civic projects, and even give birth when possible, to provide the baby good fortune.", "The faithful of Lathander embrace the founding of new communities and the growth of civilization, as long as that civilization gives everyone the potential to succeed. They despise the undead, seeing them as both a corruption of the natural order and a disavowal of new beginnings, because undead cling to their old existence rather than moving on." ] }, { "name": "Leira", "altNames": [ "The Lady of Deception", "The Lady of the Mists", "Mistshadow" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 112, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of illusion", "worshipers": "Actors, con artists, Illusionists, Rogues", "plane": "Limbo", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Leira.webp" }, "credit": "Alex V. Ngo", "width": 850, "height": 784 }, "entries": [ "Rogues, con artists, illusionist mages, and actors hold Leira in high regard, though none can identify specifics about the god or her intentions. She is an enigmatic deity of illusions, disguises, and deception.", "Shortly after the Time of Troubles, Cyric slew Leira and became the god of lies in her stead. On her return, Leira reclaimed most of her portfolio, but not all of it. The folk of Faerûn now attribute everyday dishonesty to Leira, categorizing particularly heinous deception as the work of Cyric\u2014though the boundary between such types of falsehood is rarely clear cut. Leira isn't viewed as malicious or a trickster, but instead as a mysterious recluse. She seldom communicates with her followers or manifests on the Material Plane. Nevertheless, {@creature Displacer Beast|XMM|Displacer Beasts} are sometimes seen as omens of her will, especially when encountered in places beyond the ordinary reach of fey influence.", "Some folk perform a swirling motion with a finger behind their backs when telling a lie as a way of beseeching Leira for aid.Her faithful keep their secrets close and refrain from telling the truth when falsehoods or half-truths would serve them better. Only among fellow worshipers of Leira do they feel comfortable enough to speak plainly.", "No images or statues of Leira grace her temples, since her priests know it is useless to presume the true appearance of a god of illusion. Her temples are disguised as other sites, marked with signs that only the faithful recognize. Leira's temples are filled with a white mist that normally remains low but can rise to fill the room and thicken to obscure vision if the temple's high priest desires. Her priests wear vestments of white and mist gray, and their faces are covered by smooth, featureless masks. They are loath to reveal their faces to the unfaithful and sometimes wield sleep-inducing poisons.", "Leira's Chosen can alter their appearance at will. Little else is known about them, which is how they like it." ] }, { "name": "Leira", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of illusion", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Point-down triangle containing a swirl of mist" }, { "name": "Leira", "altNames": [ "The Lady of the Mists", "Mistshadow", "The Lady of Deception" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of illusion", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Point-down triangle containing a swirl of mist", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Leira.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Leira has worn many masks, and more than once has been thought to be dead or to be another deity altogether. Perhaps such a reputation is only natural for the goddess of illusion and deception. Her faithful agree that whatever the \"truth\" might be, their Lady takes great delight in the confusion sown by her various incarnations. Even the faithful of Cyric once taught that their god killed Leira, but now they espouse the strange idea that somehow she is his daughter.", "Leira isn't viewed as malicious or as a trickster but is seen as enigmatic, quiet, and retiring. She is credited with inventing Ruathlek, the language of illusionists and the spoken tongue of Nimbral.", "The faithful of Leira seem to be scarce, although it is difficult to know this for certain, because those who favor her rarely make their inclinations known. Leira is the patron of illusionists and liars. She receives little regular worship except from illusionists, who pray to the Mistshadow for potency in their magic, and con artists, for whom she is a kind of champion. Most people pray to her when they hope to keep something secret, or placate her with a prayer before making an important decision when they fear being deceived. Some folk perform a swirling motion with a finger behind their backs when telling a lie as a way of beseeching her for aid.", "Her priests wear vestments of white and mist-gray, and their faces are covered by smooth, featureless masks. Only in Nimbral do temples to Leira exist, and shrines dedicated to her found across the continent are usually disguised as other kinds of sites, marked with signs that only the faithful would recognize." ] }, { "name": "Lliira", "altNames": [ "Mistress of Revels", "Our Lady of Joy" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 112, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of joy", "worshipers": "Bards, dancers, poets, revelers, singers", "plane": "Arborea (Arvandor)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Lliira.webp" }, "credit": "Alex V. Ngo", "width": 850, "height": 726 }, "entries": [ "Lliira is ever-changing, constantly moving, vibrantly alive. She embodies joy, contentment, dance, and freedom, and is beloved by many. As the patron of festivals, she is honored at celebrations and primarily worshiped in dance.", "Artists depict Lliira as a woman soaring through the sky in elated dance. She manifests on the Material Plane as a cluster of brightly whirling lights, a single light that leaves a glittering trail, or peals of joyous laughter. {@creature Will-o'-Wisp|XMM|Will-o'-Wisps} and the {@spell Dancing Lights|XPHB} spell are easily mistaken as signs of her presence to the untrained eye, and necromancers and charlatans take advantage of these similarities to fool unwitting victims. Joyful {@b Empyrean Iotas} or dancing pixies are Lliira's messengers of choice. Lliira is especially popular with satyrs. Several of the songs, dances, and prayers associated with her can be traced back to communities of these fun-loving fey.", "Dancers and hedonists are among the Lliira's most devoted worshipers. Some of her followers train in bardic techniques of the College of Dance to better express their devotion. Her followers wear at least one item of clothing in a bright, cheerful color. They aren't frivolous, however. To them, divine joy is a greatly needed gift to the world of mortals.", "Lliira's priests, known as joybringers, spread joy wherever possible. They throw excellent parties and are among the most beloved clergy in Faerûn. Joybringers' vestments more resemble festival attire than somber ecclesiastical garments. Joybringers are folk of whimsy and light spirits, prone to jokes but never pranks. Fighting or drawing weapons (except in ceremony) is strictly forbidden at joybringer celebrations.", "Lliira's Chosen fight those who bring misery to others. These Chosen master mirthful spells such as {@spell Tasha's Hideous Laughter|XPHB} and {@spell Otto's Irresistible Dance|XPHB}, wielding them against evil forces like sharpened weapons. They battle fiercely against their foes and joyously revel when their work is done." ] }, { "name": "Lliira", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of joy", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Triangle of three six-pointed stars" }, { "name": "Lliira", "altNames": [ "Our Lady of Joy", "Joybringer", "The Mistress of Revels" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of joy", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Triangle of three six-pointed stars", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Lliira.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Lliira is a beloved goddess, a deity of contentment, release, joy, happiness, dance, and freedom. As the patron of festivals, she is honored at any celebration, and dance is the primary way to worship her. The Mistress of Revels is said to abhor violence, and any fighting or drawing of weapons (except in ceremony) at a celebration will cause her to withhold her favor. Her priests and priestesses, known as joybringers, take it as their mission to make other people happy, even if just for a moment.", "Her faithful always wear at least one clothing item of a bright, cheerful color, and her priests' vestments have more in common with festival attire than with somber ecclesial garments. Rubies and sapphires are sacred to Our Lady of Joy, and her priests bless anyone they see wearing such adornments.", "Lliira's followers aren't frivolous, however. To them, divine joy is a very real gift to the world of mortals, and one much needed. To that end, they fight those who would bring misery to others. They are fierce against their foes, and joyous revelers when their work is done." ] }, { "name": "Loki", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of thieves and trickery", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Flame" }, { "name": "Lolth", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of spiders and lies", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Eight-pointed star with a web motif" }, { "name": "Lolth", "reprintAlias": "The Spider Queen", "source": "EGW", "page": 27, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "the Spider Queen", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "province": "Deceit, spiders", "symbol": "Jeweled spider", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Lolth.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The evil god of deceit, shadows, and spiders, Lolth weaves a complicated web of schemes and treachery through her worshipers, deceiving allies and enemies alike to gain power. It is said that the Spider Queen can see through the eyes of all spiders, and that she is truly all-knowing. Lolth's worship is entwined with the society of dark elves across much of Exandria, but she has lost her influence in Wildemount since the Calamity, when her drow rejected her in favor of the ancient entity known as the Luxon. This slight has drawn her venomous hatred, and she now seeks vengeance against those who betrayed her.", "Lolth sends forth her corrupting poisons and whispers from her realm of the Demonweb, which is tethered to the Abyss and home to her many spider children.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Many Lolthite icons and idols show an alluring woman with dark purple skin and silver hair, her abdomen swelling into the terrifying body of a monstrous spider." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "Lolth holds a searing grudge against Kord, the Storm Lord, for with one throw of his mighty thunderspear he impaled her against a cliffside, leaving her drow armies leaderless during the Calamity. Lolth and Gruumsh also share a burning hatred for Corellon, whom she claims drove her children below the earth, and Lolth often manipulates Gruumsh's followers into attacking her enemies so that the drow may remain safe. While Lolth cannot sense the will or power of the Luxon, the entity that is now worshiped by the dark elves of Xhorhas, she is bent entirely toward the destruction of its followers and their memory." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Lolth", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "It is better to be loved than feared, but you may certainly try to be both.", "Misdirection, slander, and shadowed steps have more function than direct conflict.", "Death to the elves who live under the sun, and death to all their allies!" ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Lolth", "altNames": [ "Queen of Spiders", "Queen of the Demonweb Pits" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 113, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of spiders", "worshipers": "Evil drow, folk who travel the Underdark", "plane": "The Abyss (Demonweb Pits)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Lolth.webp" }, "credit": "Rafael Zanchetin", "width": 850, "height": 1516 }, "entries": [ "Much of the Underdark is ensnared in the figurative web of Lolth, god of spiders. Lolth considers herself the true god of drow, though other members of the drow pantheon disagree. Lolth is a cruel god who encourages her followers to backstab and betray each other, reveling in their treachery.", "Lolth was once known as Araushnee, spouse of the elven deity Corellon Larethian. After attempting to overthrow Corellon with an army of spirits, Araushnee was banished to the Abyss. There, she fashioned an arachnid form for herself and took her current name. Spiders of all kinds are seen as omens of Lolth, especially in the Underdark. Lolth often sends {@creature Yochlol|XMM|Yochlols}, her signature demons, as messengers or spies.", "Lolth's worship has an iron grip on the social structure of many drow cities in the Underdark. Recently folk unassociated with the Underdark have heard the spider god's call, guided by trails of spiders to join aboveground cults dedicated to Lolth. Disciples of Lolth proudly wear web-patterned clothing and practice blood sacrifice, preferring unwilling creatures. Their doctrine teaches them to find and kill non-worshipers. Lolth's followers aren't permitted to pray to other gods apart from Kiaransalee and Selvetarm, Lolth's two allies in the drow pantheon.", "The stone walls of Lolth's grandest temples are adorned with floor-to-ceiling bas-reliefs of webbing. As a reflection of the matriarchy of spiders, Lolth's faith permits only women to rise to the priesthood. In the Underdark, drow priests of Lolth rule the noble houses of drow cities like {@book Menzoberranzan|FRHoF|2|Menzoberranzan}, where they wield absolute power. Some of these cities' residents despise the tyranny of Lolth's organization, fleeing to the surface or to drow communities that serve more lenient gods of the drow pantheon.", "When one of Lolth's worshipers shows great promise, Lolth summons them to the Demonweb Pits for a test of faith and strength. Those who fail the test are transformed into {@creature Drider|XMM|Driders}, but those who succeed become Yor'thae, Chosen of Lolth. Yor'thae exercise divine mastery over spiders and carry out Lolth's machinations.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Silken Stewards", "entries": [ "Certain disciples of Lolth don't always kill their victims, instead putting them to sleep with Lolth's Sting (see {@book chapter 3|XDMG|2} of the {@book Dungeon Master's Guide|XDMG}). The victim awakes cocooned in sticky webs, suspended from the ceiling of a dark temple or underground room. In a matter of hours, a swarm of tiny creatures begins to wriggle in the victim's chest. The last feeling the victim experiences is a hair-raising, tickling sensation that quickly turns to agony as baby spiders chew their way out of the ribcage, killing the host.", "Lolth's worshipers who practice this method of spider-egg incubation call themselves the Silken Stewards. The practice was pioneered by House Auvryndar, one of {@book Menzoberranzan's|FRHoF|2|Menzoberranzan} ruling noble houses. The drow of this house found that implanting spider eggs into Humanoid hosts and performing a ritual to Lolth over the body caused the eggs to hatch in mere hours, rather than weeks. A {@spell Lesser Restoration|XPHB} spell cast on the host kills the spider eggs, ending the threat.", "Silken Stewards provide other disciples of Lolth with a steady supply of spiders used as mounts, trackers, sentries, and front-line forces in service to the Spider Queen. The Stewards raise all sorts of arachnids: {@creature Spider|XMM|Spiders}, {@creature Giant Spider|XMM|Giant Spiders}, and even {@creature Phase Spider|XMM|Phase Spiders}. Silken Stewards wear gloves made of the finest spider silk, and their clothes bear brooches depicting the stylized image of a curled-up spider inside a white spider egg. High-ranking members oversee the implantation of eggs and the accompanying rituals. Middle-ranking members capture Humanoids to use as hosts. Lesser-ranking members rear the hatched spiders and train them.", "Followers of Eilistraee are among the Stewards' greatest foes, particularly Eilistraee's militant orders. They lead raids into the Stewards' hatcheries, killing spiders, freeing captives, and curing infested hosts. Silken Stewards are ever vigilant for Eilistraee's adherents infiltrating their ranks. Underdark-dwelling followers of Silvanus also oppose the Stewards, viewing the Stewards' methods of spider incubation and domestication as a blasphemous affront to the creatures' natural life cycles." ] } ] }, { "name": "Lolth", "source": "MTF", "page": 53, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Trickery", "War" ], "province": "Primary god of drow, spiders", "symbol": "Spider", "entries": [ "Unlike Corellon, who asks very little of his followers, Lolth is a demanding mistress. What she demands most of all are sacrifices of treasure and blood. Time and time again, the screams of sacrificial victims echo through Lolth's lightless temples as they fall under the knives of her priestesses. Her altars are piled with skulls picked clean of flesh by the giant spiders that lurk in the web-draped stalactites overhead.", "In return for victims and adoration, Lolth grants signs of her favor, such as great success during a slave raid on the surface, the matron of a rival house being struck down by an inexplicable illness, or an heiress to the house being born under propitious omens.", { "type": "inset", "name": "Holes in Lolth's Web", "entries": [ "Lolth is far from omniscient, despite what her priestesses say. There are drow who live without bending to the tyranny of her worship. Communities of renegades who dispute Lolth's primacy often raise another of the Dark Seldarine up as their patron. Although this amounts to exchanging one evil oppressor for another, any escape from Lolth's web can feel like freedom.", "The Acropolis of Thanatos, erected in the ruins of a drow city wiped out by plague in the Underdark of Faerûn, was home to a drow settlement of a few thousand ruled by necromancer clerics of Kiaransalee. It existed for a few decades before worshipers of Lolth and worshipers of Eilistraee teamed up to eliminate its leaders." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Vulkoor", "entries": [ "Drow of the world of Eberron worship a scorpion-god named Vulkoor, which is their world's equivalent of Lolth. Vulkoor is often portrayed or envisioned as a giant scorpion or as a hybrid creature with the head, arms, and upper torso of a strong male drow and the lower body of a scorpion. The dark elves of Eberron revere scorpions, seeing spiders and other arachnids to be lesser servitors of Vulkoor. Many drow believe that Vulkoor and the Mockery (one of the group of evil deities known as the Dark Six) are one and the same. Drow from the jungle continent of Xen'drik ritually tattoo themselves using scorpion venom, leaving white scars etched into their skin.", "Drow of other worlds rarely know of Vulkoor. Those who are familiar with his name consider him one of the weakest of the Dark Seldarine, a subordinate of Lolth who is disregarded by the other gods. Both visions of Vulkoor might be accurate, since Lolth seems to have little influence in Khyber but the drow there bear many similarities to the Lolth-worshiping drow of other realms throughout the multiverse." ] } ] }, { "name": "Lolth", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Drow goddess of spiders", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Spider" }, { "name": "Lolth", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of spiders", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Spider" }, { "name": "Loviatar", "altNames": [ "The Maiden of Pain", "The Scourge Mistress", "The Willing Whip" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 114, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of pain", "worshipers": "Those suffering from pain or betrayal", "plane": "Gehenna (Mungoth)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Loviatar.webp" }, "credit": "Luca Bancone", "width": 850, "height": 842 }, "entries": [ "Loviatar is a god of agony, the mistress of physical and psychological suffering. Coldhearted and calculatingly cruel, Loviatar is an aggressive and domineering despot, and she deeply enjoys her divine remit. Pain isn't a means to an end for Loviatar, but an end unto itself. That quality endears her to the tyrant god Bane.", "Loviatar takes the form of a slender woman, like a whip in her movement and aspect. She speaks to her followers during extended sessions of enduring or inflicting pain, intruding on their perceptions in the delirium of agony or ecstasy. When she dispatches an emissary, she usually sends a {@creature Chain Devil|XMM}, an {@creature Incubus|XMM}, or a {@creature Succubus|XMM}.", "To the followers of Loviatar, nothing is as transcendent as suffering. All pain is holy, from the crudest brutality to the emotional suffering of the heartbroken or the betrayed, and is proof of Loviatar's attention. Pain\u2014the ability both to inflict it and to endure it\u2014is a path to power. Loviatar's followers consider a cold, cruel demeanor ideal because that best emulates Loviatar herself, and for the same reason her faithful appreciate beauty, cultural refinement, and skill at manipulation.", "Though temples to Loviatar are rare, her faithful are numerous. Loviatar is a preferred deity of those who inflict pain as a matter of course, including torturers and others who need to break the will of their victims. Her followers form cells of secret adherents led by someone who takes pleasure in administering pain and dominating others, supported and bolstered by submissive sycophants.", "Worshipers of Loviatar rarely gather in numbers except in populous cities, and never openly. When small cadres of the faithful operate quietly, few citizens take notice or raise a fuss when they witness cult activity. Loviatar's cults sometimes kidnap and keep prisoners, which can draw the attention of the authorities.", "The Chosen of Loviatar are paragons of inflicting and receiving pain. They delight in insinuating themselves into the fabric of society and then tearing through it like a barbed whip." ] }, { "name": "Loviatar", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of pain", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Nine-tailed barbed scourge" }, { "name": "Loviatar", "altNames": [ "The Maiden of Pain", "The Scourge Mistress", "The Willing Whip" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of pain", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Nine-tailed barbed scourge", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Loviatar.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Pain isn't a means to an end for Loviatar's faithful, but an end unto itself. To them, nothing is as transcendent as suffering, and all pain is holy, from the crudest barbarism, to the most sublime torture, to the emotional suffering of the heartbroken or the betrayed.", "The pain that one feels is proof of the Lady's attention, and so her faithful are notorious self-flagellants. Pain is also a path to power, in terms of both one's ability to inflict it and one's ability to endure it. A cold, cruel demeanor is considered ideal because it best emulates the Scourge Mistress, and for the same reason her faithful appreciate beauty, cultural refinement, and a certain adeptness at manipulation.", "Though temples to Loviatar are rare, her faithful are more numerous than might be expected. Loviatar is the chosen deity of those who inflict pain as a matter of course, including torturers and others who need to break the will of their victims. She is favored by sadists and masochists, and some of her followers form cultish cells of secret adherents. Each of these groups is led by someone who takes pleasure in administering pain and dominating others, supported and backed up by a number of submissive sycophants.", "Worshipers of Loviatar rarely gather in numbers except in the more populous cities. When small cadres of faithful operate quietly in such places, few citizens take notice or raise a fuss if they do witness cult activity. The sufferers who endure the lash, however, aren't always willing participants, and Lovatar's cults sometimes operate secret slavery rings, which can draw the attention of the authorities. The open worship of Loviatar and temples clearly dedicated to her are rarely seen except in lands where slavery is an accepted practice." ] }, { "name": "Lugh", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of arts, travel, and commerce", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life" ], "symbol": "Pair of long hands" }, { "name": "Lunitari", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 16, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Neutral magic", "symbol": "Red circle or sphere", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/013-00-033.neutral-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Gilean, Chislev, and Lunitari", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Lunitari, the god of neutral magic and illusions, is patron of the Mages of High Sorcery's Order of the Red Robes and other neutral mages. With her cousins Solinari and Nuitari, she watches over the people of Krynn from the heavens, conveying her power through the red moon that shares her name. She appears as a trickster figure in mythology, using her mastery of illusions to fool gods and heroes alike." ] }, { "name": "Lunitari", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of neutral magic", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Red circle or sphere" }, { "name": "Luthic", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Orc", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Mother-goddess of fertility and healing", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Orcish rune meaning \"cave entrance\"" }, { "name": "Luthic", "source": "VGM", "page": 84, "_copy": { "name": "Luthic", "source": "SCAG", "pantheon": "Orc" }, "pantheon": "Orc", "customExtensionOf": "Luthic|Orc|SCAG", "title": "the Cave Mother", "entries": [ "While Gruumsh is the external force that pushes the orcs to victory over their enemies, it is the influence of Luthic, his wife, that binds them together and makes the orcs internally cohesive. She is the force that keeps the explosive rage of Gruumsh from bursting the orcs apart. If it was not for the followers of Luthic, it is possible that the race of orcs would be no more than small bands of warrior-nomads, scratching out a meager existence, rather than a force capable of great destruction.", "Far from the den's war hearth, within the protective depths of the caves, the followers of Luthic tend the orc brood, raising them to be strong and cruel like their progenitors. By invoking the power of superstitions, omens, and traditions, these claws of Luthic hold the tribe together through ritual, fear and, if necessary, force.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Talons of the Bear", "entries": [ "Luthic is often thought to take the guise of an enormous cave bear. Her followers honor this aspect of her by keeping cave bears as pets to guard the whelping pens that are filled with squabbling young. Luthic's devoted also grow their claws long and paint them black to mimic the fearsome talons of their goddess. Luthic rewards them by making their claws as strong and tough as iron." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holding the Fort", "entries": [ "Along with protecting the young and the tribe's food stores, the worshipers of Luthic also serve as the crafters, engineers, and builders of an orc tribe. They fashion crude weapons, armor, and the few manufactured items that the orcs need for daily life. When the tribe is away on raids, they are expected to dig deeper into the caverns of the den to create more living space for the ever-increasing population." ] } ] }, { "name": "Maglubiyet", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Goblinoid god of war", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Bloody axe" }, { "name": "Majere", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 15, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Meditation, order", "symbol": "Copper spider", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/011-00-038.o-good-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Kiri-Jolith, Majere, and Mishakal", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Austere and aloof, Majere is the god of meditation and discipline. Monks, his most devoted followers, honor him by leading lives of quiet contemplation in remote monasteries. Many orphans are raised in the monasteries of Majere; some become monks themselves, while those who leave the monastic life often take the surname Majere out of respect." ] }, { "name": "Majere", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of meditation and order", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Order" ], "symbol": "Copper spider" }, { "name": "Malar", "altNames": [ "The Beastlord", "The Bloodgod", "The Wild Hunter" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 114, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of the hunt", "worshipers": "Barbarians, hunters, lycanthropes", "plane": "Carceri (Colothys)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Malar.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 1031 }, "entries": [ "Malar inspires the thrill of adrenaline experienced by a predator chasing its next meal. He epitomizes the bloody, sadistic side of nature, the world that is red in tooth and claw. He is the god of those who delight in the hunt, don't shy from bloodshed, and savor the fear of their prey.", "Malar is a bestial deity, depicted in paintings and murals as a feline monster. When he needs to make his will known on the Material Plane, he sends a ferocious predator drenched in blood, such as a {@creature Displacer Beast|XMM}, an {@creature Owlbear|XMM}, or a {@creature Peryton|XMM}. Malar's intentions rumble and snarl in the minds of those experiencing the delights of savage violence, urging them on and basking in their bloodlust.", "Foolish mortals attempt to propitiate Malar with offerings or prayers, hoping to avoid attacks by wild animals. These efforts are in vain, for Malar shows no mercy. Those who worship him instead attempt to embody his peerless hunting skill. Berserkers scream prayers to Malar as they rage, and hunters whisper a prayer before closing in for the kill. Lycanthropes see themselves in Malar's uncontrollable savagery. Malar's followers wear or carry trinkets from the fearsome creatures they've slain. Teeth, pelts, wings, claws\u2014the more ferocious, the better.", "Priests of Malar believe in the survival of the fittest, and none are allowed to enter the priesthood without first demonstrating prowess in hunting and combat. Malar has no temples in Faerûn's major cities, but villages on the edges of the wilderness might house a temple. During the tenday leading up to {@book Highharvestide|FRHoF|2|Highharvestide}, priests of Malar hunt tirelessly for as much game as they can find. They then invite members of the community to join them at a great feast on Highharvestide called the Feast of the Stags. They keep quiet the dreaded High Hunt ritual, in which priests of Malar choose someone to become their prey for a day and a night. If the prey survives, they gain a favor from the priests of Malar, but death is a far more likely outcome.", "Malar's Chosen are gifted trackers, sometimes blessed with lycanthropy. It is said that the Chosen of Malar can smell their quarry from miles away." ] }, { "name": "Malar", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of the hunt", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Clawed paw" }, { "name": "Malar", "altNames": [ "The Beastlord", "The Black-Blooded One" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of the hunt", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Clawed paw", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Malar.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Malar epitomizes the dark side of nature, the world that is red in tooth and claw. His faithful believe the hunt is the center point between life and death - the facing off of hunter and prey, forcing the issue of who lives and who dies. People believe that Malar can't be propitiated and knows no mercy, so he receives prayers only from those engaging in a hunt. Such supplicants pray to Malar for two reasons: to beg the aid of his peerless skill as a hunter, or to adopt his fearsome mantle and thus ward off other predators. Malar is the god of those who delight in the hunt, don't shy from bloodshed, and savor the fear of their prey.", "Many lycanthropes consider Malar to be their divine father, as do some other intelligent predators. He has many devotees who are druids and rangers of particularly savage inclination, and many barbarians take Malar as a patron for his ferocity and cruelty. His priests use claw bracers, impressive gauntlets bedecked with stylized claws that jut out from the ends of the fists, as ceremonial weapons." ] }, { "name": "Malyk", "source": "MTF", "page": 54, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Tempest", "Trickery" ], "province": "Chaos, rebellion, wild magic", "symbol": "A flame in a tear or a multihued vortex", "entries": [ "Malyk embodies rebellion and chaos. Drow know of his influence from the appearance of wild mages among their number. Such an individual, possessed of sorcerous powers seemingly bestowed at random, is often seen as a threat to the established order. Many drow, especially males and even females of low station, try to attract Malyk's attention by secretly making sacrifices to him. Meanwhile, house matrons and others steeped in the faith of Lolth attempt to purge Malyk's worship from drow society-at the same time that some of them pray to him for power.", "Malyk is associated with rebellion because when a wild mage's true nature is revealed, the individual often has no recourse but to openly attack others and create chaos. Most other drow vie to receive Lolth's blessing by being the one to bring such a blasphemer to justice. In order to survive, a wild mage must defeat or elude all attackers and forge an alliance with those who can be threatened or bribed to provide a safe haven. Most wild mages who are discovered are put to death, some survive as outcasts, and a rare few rise to positions of status, declaring their allegiance to Lolth-or at least pretending to." ] }, { "name": "Manannan mac Lir", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of oceans and sea creatures", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Wave of white water on green" }, { "name": "Marthammor Duin", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Explorers, wanderers, the lost", "symbol": "Upright mace in front of a tall boot" }, { "name": "Marthammor Duin", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of wanderers", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Upright mace in front of a tall boot" }, { "name": "Mask", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Shadows", "The Master of All Thieves" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 115, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of thieves", "worshipers": "Assassins, Rogues, thieves, tricksters", "plane": "Hades (Niflheim)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Mask.webp" }, "credit": "Conceptopolis", "width": 850, "height": 1019 }, "entries": [ "Mask is a trickster god, the patron of ne'er-do-wells, spies, and thieves. All that occurs within shadow is in the purview of Mask. People whisper a prayer to Mask whenever stealth is required or intrigue is afoot. Courtiers and diplomats invoke Mask's name in hope of a smooth negotiation.", "Mask takes the form of a quick masculine being wielding two shadowy blades, his identity hidden by a mask. Sometimes he takes the form of masks that others might wear. When he speaks to his followers, he does so by claiming a mask as his temporary face, or he sends a living shadow (Neutral Evil {@creature Shadow Demon|XMM}).", "Those who favor Mask practice thievery and try to acquire what belongs to others, engaging in pickpocketing, burglary, mugging, and con games. Ordinary folk pray to him so he'll avert his eyes from their valuables, but cautious individuals employ \"Mask's purse,\" a small, cheap cloth pouch worn in plain sight containing a small offering of coin. By convention, a pickpocket pilfers Mask's purse when encountering another person wearing one and considers it a gift from the god, while the one who lost the purse is grateful to Mask for accepting this respectful sacrifice. Of course, nothing prevents another pickpocket from targeting someone who has lost Mask's purse, and anyone with the ill luck to attract multiple pickpockets in a single outing has probably earned Mask's ire anyway.", "Priests of Mask are thieves by profession and serve as higher-ups in the local underworld or a criminal syndicate. They go by the title of demarche and wear veil-masks when acting in their priestly capacity.", "The foremost organization serving Mask is the Shadowmasters of Telflamm, a criminal syndicate in the land of {@book Thesk|FRHoF|2|Thesk}. The Shadowmasters are based at Mask's largest temple, the House of Shadow, in Telflamm, but they also maintain safe houses throughout Thesk.", "Chosen of Mask are master thieves, manipulative spies, and assassins who rarely walk in the light." ] }, { "name": "Mask", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of thieves", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black mask" }, { "name": "Mask", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Shadows", "The Master of All Thieves" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of thieves", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black mask", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Mask.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Mask is a trickster god, the patron of ne'er-do-wells, spies, and thieves. All that occurs within shadow is in the purview of Mask. People whisper a prayer to Mask whenever stealth is required or intrigue is afoot. Courtiers and diplomats invoke the god's name in hopes of a smooth negotiation.", "Those who favor Mask usually pursue thievery and other forms of acquisition of what belongs to others, such as pickpocketing, burglary, mugging, and con games. Ordinary folk pray to him to avert his eyes from their valuables, but the cautious sometimes employ \"Mask's purse,\" a small, cheap cloth pouch worn in plain sight (thus easily cut or lifted) containing a small offering of coin. By convention, a pickpocket pilfers Mask's purse when encountering another person wearing one, and considers the gain a gift from the god, while the one who lost the purse is grateful to the Lord of Shadows for accepting a respectful sacrifice of a small portion of his goods. Of course, nothing prevents another pickpocket from targeting someone who has lost Mask's purse, but anyone with the ill luck to attract multiple pickpockets in a single outing has probably earned Mask's ire anyway.", "Priests of Mask are usually thieves by profession, and often serve as higher-ups in the local underworld or criminal syndicate. They go by the title of demarche or demarchess, and wear veil-masks when acting in their priestly capacity." ] }, { "name": "Math Mathonwy", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of magic", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Staff" }, { "name": "Melira Taralen", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Trickery" ], "province": "Poetry, songs", "symbol": "Lute" }, { "name": "Melora", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of wilderness and the sea", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Wavelike swirl" }, { "name": "Melora", "reprintAlias": "The Wildmother", "source": "EGW", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "the Wild Mother", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature", "Tempest" ], "province": "Seas, wilderness", "symbol": "Wreath of grass and grain affixed to a crook", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Melora.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The realm of Melora extends to wherever the seas shift and the land grows wild. As the keeper of the wilderness, Melora represents the wild creatures of nature, the rush of the angry rapids, and the heat-heavy stillness of the desert. Elves worship her, as do hunters, accepting her guidance to exist harmoniously within savage lands. Those seeking safe passage across dangerous waters pray to her to guide them.", "Followers of the Raven Queen also show respect to the Wild Mother as the caretaker of what remains when the Matron of Death's work is done. Those of Ki'Nau descent often make offerings to Melora, considering her a collective entity that represents their ancient nature gods within a singular feminine form. Druids of Melora the Wild Mother and clerics of her lover, Erathis the Law Bearer, work together to preserve the balance of nature and civilization. However, worship of Melora was outlawed in the Dwendalian Empire, causing disagreement between clerics of Erathis within Western Wynandir, where many blame poor weather and natural disasters on the ire of their deity's partner.", "Eschewing a permanent realm, Melora prefers to wander the planes to oversee natural life. She is often found among the unearthly beauty of Arvandor's infinite expanse of deep woods, hunting unnatural things that corrupt the wilds.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Immortalized through wooden reliefs and carved idols in hidden, overgrown groves and rural shrines, the Wild Mother is shown as a beautiful woman with green skin nearly swallowed by a wild, tangled wreath of hair, leaves, and vines that dwarf her lithe form." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Melora's holy day is Wild's Grandeur, which is celebrated on the vernal equinox, usually the twentieth day of the third month. The people of the Menagerie Coast set aside this day to sail for no reason other than the pleasure of observing the natural beauty of their surroundings. Those who still partake in elements of Ki'Nau culture take this day to appreciate the fruits and foods granted by the sea, leaving offerings of delicacies and small handmade crafts at temporary altars of twisted roots and grasses." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Melora", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Protect the untamed wilderness from exploitation and destruction.", "Slay abominations and other mockeries of nature.", "Embrace and respect the savage nature of the world. Exist in harmony with it." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Merrshaulk", "source": "VGM", "page": 94, "pantheon": "Yuan-ti", "entries": [ "Though the Master of the Pit is not conscious, neither is he entirely dormant. Mirroring the fate of yuan-ti in the world, Merrshaulk entered a deep slumber when the serpent folk left the surface and went into hiding in ages past. It is unclear if declining worship caused him to fall asleep, or if his prolonged torpor caused his worshipers to abandon him. Even in his compromised state, Merrshaulk grants spells to his clergy in response to their invocations. Rousing him for advice or direct intervention is possible, but requires many ritual murders to be performed in his name, and his return to consciousness lasts only a short time.", "The leaders of Merrshaulk's worshipers, called pit masters, are malison warlocks that uphold and advance the age-old yuan-ti traditions. They sense that it has become easier to wake him in recent decades, and believe this to be a sign that he will soon fully awaken, shed his skin, and-renewed by transformation-restore the yuan-ti to their rightful place as masters of the mortal world." ] }, { "name": "Mielikki", "altNames": [ "Our Lady of the Forest", "The Forest Queen" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 115, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of forests", "worshipers": "Fey, foresters, Rangers", "plane": "The Beastlands (Krigala)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Mielikki.webp" }, "credit": "Rafael Zanchetin", "width": 850, "height": 880 }, "entries": [ "Good natured, confident, and fiercely loyal to her allies, Mielikki is a god of the woods and the creatures who live within them. She is also a god of Rangers. When she makes her will known on the Material Plane, Mielikki manifests as a confident voice in a forest glade. Alternatively, she sends a {@creature Dryad|XMM}, {@creature Hawk|XMM}, or {@creature Unicorn|XMM} as a messenger.", "Mielikki's followers don't organize into official temples. Instead, they assemble in peaceful wooded glades to worship her or create shrines in her honor. A typical shrine to Mielikki is a dead tree trunk into which has been carved the likeness of her holy symbol: a unicorn or unicorn's head. Such a shrine marks a point in the forest beyond which locals know not to cut timber or hunt; in this way, followers thank Mielikki for the forest's bounty.", "Priests of Mielikki protect the forests of Faerûn, using magic to communicate with and protect the animals and plants within. Mielikki's priests wear capes of leaves to match the seasons: verdant green in the summer, burnt orange in autumn, and dotted with flowers in the spring. In winter, they forgo the capes and wear crowns of twigs. Whatever the garb, they wear Mielikki's holy symbol over the heart, carved of ivory or bone or stitched in silver thread.", "Mielikki is allied with Silvanus but she takes pity on hurt creatures Silvanus ignores. Mielikki has a close bond with Lurue, god of unicorns, and Lurue serves as her mount when Mielikki goes hunting in the Beastlands. Rangers of Mielikki serve as a line of defense against marauders and followers of the god Malar.", "On {@book Greengrass|FRHoF|2|Greengrass} and {@book Midsummer|FRHoF|2|Midsummer}, Mielikki blesses her followers with an event called the Wild Ride. She causes unicorns to gather in herds and gallop through the woods. Mielikki's followers ride the unicorns through the night, covering astonishing distances and enjoying nature's beauty.", "Mielikki gifts her Chosen with an undying unicorn that serves them as a mount and companion. Some Chosen transcend their physical forms to become disembodied manifestations of natural spaces\u2014such as Jeryth Phaulkon, a woman from {@book Cormyr|FRHoF|2|Cormyr} who now inhabits an expansive garden estate in {@book Waterdeep|FRHoF|2|Waterdeep} as a disembodied spirit." ] }, { "name": "Mielikki", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of forests", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Unicorn's head" }, { "name": "Mielikki", "altNames": [ "Our Lady of the Forest", "The Forest Queen" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of forests", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Unicorn's head", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Mielikki.webp" } }, "entries": [ "People rarely speak of Mielikki except in quiet forest spaces. Woodlands that evoke wonder are where she reigns supreme, but she is said to keep watch over good folk in any forest, not matter how dark or cruel. When children are lost in the woods, people beseech Mielikki to protect them until they are found.", "Mielikki is the goddess of the forest and the creatures that live within it. She is seen as a remote and spiritual deity - less human-like than many other gods. She's not unmindful of people, but her attention and favor are difficult to attract. She is the patron of rangers in the same way that Milil is the patron of bards, but even rangers rarely pray to her directly. They instead pray to Gwaeron Windstrom, who they believe will carry their words to the goddess by tracking her to whichever forest she hides in.", "Mielikki's symbol is a unicorn, which prompts some to think of her as such and conflate her with Lurue, Queen of the Unicorns and the actual goddess of their kind. But most tales depict Mielikki as a beautiful woman whom Lurue allows upon her back as a rider, and the two are thought to be boon companions. Mielikki's relationships with other deities of the natural world are more complex. Silvanus is sometimes thought of as her father and Eldath is considered her sister, but Mielikki walks her own path through the wilds.", "She has many shrines, particularly in the Savage Frontier. Most consist of a dead tree trunk into which has been carved a likeness of her holy symbol, a unicorn's head. Alternatively, the likeness might be carved on a separate piece of wood and tacked to a living tree. These shrines typically mark the point in a forest beyond which locals know not to cut timber or hunt. Often these tributes are created by loggers at the end of a logging excursion as a mark of thanks to the goddess for providing the wood and for keeping the timber cutters safe during the work." ] }, { "name": "Milil", "altNames": [ "The Lord of All Songs", "The First Poet", "The Bard of Oghma" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 116, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of poetry and song", "worshipers": "Bards, orators, poets, singers", "plane": "Elysium (Amoria)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Milil.webp" }, "credit": "Conceptopolis", "width": 850, "height": 1144 }, "entries": [ "Milil is a god of poetry, eloquence, and song. He is also a god of creativity and inspiration, of the essence of song beyond the lyrics or the music.", "Like Deneir, Milil defers to Oghma's will, and he is sometimes thought of as Oghma's left hand. Milil is the ideal to which performers aspire: poised and confident, winningly charismatic, and a source of inspiration. Songbirds are heralds of Milil. He manifests to mortals as a beautiful, haunting voice echoing through open spaces or through visions that appear to entertainers during performances.", "Milil is venerated by bards, troubadours, and other entertainers, but anyone preparing to entertain or speak before a crowd might pray to Milil for a successful performance. Milil's followers need not be entertainers themselves, but simply appreciate good music. His followers tend to be hedonistic in comparison to those of other gods. Milil's most daring followers become tuneservants, traveling with adventuring parties and composing ballads detailing the group's heroics. Fanciful gold netting is a hallmark of tuneservant attire; tuneservants drape this netting around their shoulders or use it to hold up their hair.", "Worshipers dedicate holy sites to Milil in performance venues and music schools. Whether the site is a vast concert hall or a small choral chamber, it must have excellent acoustic qualities. Milil's priests are patrons of the arts, performers, and tutors. Each year on {@book Midsummer|FRHoF|2|Midsummer}, priests of Milil hold a holiday called the Grand Revel. In this ceremony, clergy and other followers of Milil dance, feast, act out parodies, and join in wickedly satirical song. Though it isn't an expressly political event, those in power are the revel's biggest targets. For this reason, tyrannical rulers outlaw the Grand Revel\u2014though priests of Milil still conduct it in small, private ceremonies.", "Milil's Chosen have angelic voices that resonate far beyond those of most mortals. Their passionate words can crack the hardest of hearts, whether through song or oration." ] }, { "name": "Milil", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of poetry and song", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Five-stringed harp made of leaves" }, { "name": "Milil", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Song", "The One True Hand of All-Wise Oghma" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of poetry and song", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Five-stringed harp made of leaves", "entries": [ "Milil is the god of poetry, eloquence, and song. He is a god of creativity and inspiration, of the entire song more than just the lyrics or the music. He represents the finished thought, the result of the process that takes an idea from conception to realization. Milil is most venerated by bards, troubadours, and other entertainers, but anyone preparing to entertain or speak before a crowd might offer Milil a brief prayer for a successful performance. Those who seek inspiration in a creative endeavor also pray to Milil.", "His icons depict him as a handsome male, sometimes a human, sometimes an elf, and even a half-elf in places (such as Aglarond) that have a large half-elf population. He is variously depicted as young or old, but his identity is always apparent because of his five-stringed harp made of silvery leaves, which he carries constantly. He is the ideal to which all performers aspire: poised and confident, winningly charismatic, and a source of inspiration for those who listen to him. He is said to have total recall of anything he hears or that is spoken while music plays, as well as utmost skill at improvisation.", "Holy sites dedicated to Milil are often found in performance venues and schools of music. Whether the site is a vast concert hall or a small choral chamber, it must have excellent acoustic qualities. Milil's priests are patrons of the arts in addition to being performers themselves, and they frequently act as tutors in the arts of performance at his shrines and temples.", "Like Deneir, Milil is sometimes thought of as being in service to Oghma. In these portrayals of the deity, Milil is the god's left hand, also referred to as the One True Hand. This expression isn't meant to denigrate the right hand (Deneir); rather, it stems from the fact that left-handedness is more often associated with great artistic ability and the belief that the greatest art comes from the acceptance of truth." ] }, { "name": "Mishakal", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 15, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Healing", "symbol": "Blue infinity sign", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/011-00-038.o-good-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Kiri-Jolith, Majere, and Mishakal", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "God of compassion, healing, and love, Mishakal is widely worshiped by healers and community guardians. Throughout history, she has reached out to chosen heroes to soothe others' suffering. Her faithful offer healing and solace to all\u2014even enemies." ] }, { "name": "Mishakal", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of healing", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Blue infinity sign" }, { "name": "Mogis", "source": "MOT", "page": 64, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of Slaughter", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/042-02-03-mogis.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Mogis is the god of slaughter, violence, and war. He is hatred unrestrained, empathy denied, and mercy forgotten, an entity whose very presence incites mortals to violence. Soldiers fear succumbing to his blood lust lest they dishonor themselves, but the vengeful and forsaken call to him for the gift of his rage. He is the brother of Iroas, god of victory, and his antithesis in matters of warfare.", "The anger and malice radiating from Mogis is almost palpable. He exercises no control over his temper or his urges and lashes out at subordinates at the slightest provocation. Akroan soldiers are warned that to give in to his seductive battle rage is to risk becoming an {@i androphage}\u2014a bloodthirsty killer wholly consumed by Mogis's fury.", "Mogis cuts a terrifying figure, appearing as a four-horned minotaur of incredible size clad in spiked bronze armor and wielding a massive ebon greataxe. He doesn't debase himself by appearing in other guises to mortals\u2014to behold him is to behold the cruelty of war personified. He hungers endlessly to defeat his brother Iroas in combat and thus become the sole avatar of war among mortals.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Mogis's Influence", "entries": [ "Mogis, like his brother, governs the sphere of warfare. But while Iroas thrives on the glory of honorable victory, Mogis revels in sadism, destruction, and the utter humiliation of the vanquished. He drives warriors to acts of cruelty and malice in their pursuit of victory. Only those who have experienced the terror and violence of war truly understand the seductive nature of Mogis's power. To feel rage, to be an instrument of wrath\u2014these emotions override the fear of battle. In hatred there is strength, and Mogis revels in this fact. But mortals must beware, for the price he exacts in exchange for this strength is the sacrifice of decency, honor, and compassion.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Mogis's Goals", "entries": [ "To Mogis, the world is a canvas upon which he paints in blood. His goals are easy to understand, thus easily fulfilled by his minions. Mogis wants to unmake the world through savagery. Let every polis fall and the works of mortals burn\u2014everything comes to ruin in time, and Mogis believes that time should be now. Only the most brutal and savage among the mortals should survive\u2014his chosen few. Once the world lies in ruin with his brother dead at his feet, Mogis's goals will be achieved." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Mogis's existence is defined by his eternal struggle against his twin brother, Iroas. (Only a handful of contradictory myths address the parentage of these gods, but they are universally described as twins.) Any of Mogis's actions and endeavors contribute to undermining and ultimately destroying Iroas. Any divine relationships Mogis might enter into are born of convenience and as a means to the end. Mogis is incapable of loyalty and should be expected to break any pact or agreement once it has outlived its usefulness.", "Erebos appreciates Mogis's single-minded desire to destroy because it serves as a means to bring ever more souls into his realm. Also, Erebos occasionally steers Mogis's rampages in directions that inconvenience Heliod. This disruption inevitably leads to Heliod calling on Iroas to battle his brother, perpetuating the endless cycle of conflict between the twins.", "Of all his fellow gods, Mogis holds the most respect for Phenax. Mogis can't help but smile at the chaos Phenax is able to cause and the carnage the Returned wreak on the world. Phenax has a talent for inciting conflict, which allows Mogis to revel in the resulting strife.", "Mogis harbors an abiding disrespect, verging on hatred, for Ephara and Karametra. Ephara's neat, orderly cities are a delight to destroy, especially given her fussy, precise adherence to rules. Likewise, Ephara's close relationships with Iroas and Heliod provoke Mogis's disgust. Mogis disdains Karametra because she aids mortals and provides succor to the weak. These are acts of foolishness because the weak don't deserve aid\u2014they are fodder for the strong. Setting fertile fields ablaze and witnessing the resulting famine is a source of enjoyment for Mogis, though he has been surprised more than once by the ferocity of Karametra's reprisals." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Mogis", "entries": [ "Mogis exhorts his followers to channel their hatred and rage into ever greater acts of cruelty and violence. He demands actions over words, making his followers an active and dangerous lot. From the spurned lover thirsting for revenge to the blood-drenched warrior on the battlefield, all honor Mogis with the shedding of blood in anger.", "Minotaurs are the most ardent worshipers of Mogis and regularly hold bloody rites in his honor. Warchanters, the minotaur clergy of Mogis, whip their marauders into a near-mindless frenzy before battle; the ensuing slaughter gives glory to Mogis's name.", "The appearance of the blood moon is a most holy occasion for the faithful of Mogis, since the moon represents his hateful crimson eye. At such times, his followers prepare and consume a feast of meat, either raw or barely cooked, along with copious amounts of intoxicants, followed by ritual self-mutilation\u2014scarring themselves to demonstrate their devotion to Mogis.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/043-02-13.webp" }, "credit": "Peter Mohrbacher" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Mogis", "entries": [ "The tales of Mogis's deeds exemplify his need to unmake, his brutality, and his desire to destroy his hated brother.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The Endless Feud", "entry": "One legend claims that Mogis and Iroas were once a single being, the act of war personified. But the inherent tension between honor and brutality in combat led to a dichotomy of purpose too great for a single god to reconcile. Ripping himself apart, the god split in two, and so did Mogis and Iroas come into existence, embodiments of the two aspects of war that are forever in conflict. Though no tales of either Mogis or Iroas's faith speak of such, whispers among the servants of other gods claim that there might be a way to piece the fractured god back together. Doing so would require an incredible feat, though, likely involving the cooperation of both Mogis and Iroas themselves." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Mogis's Warhound", "entry": "Mogis generally fights alone, because he often loses control of his temper and strikes allies as well as foes in the heat of battle. Still, Mogis sought a creature that would go before him, instilling fear in his foes before his mighty axe fell upon them. Mogis took a ferocious cerberus and bound it together with the fires of his eternal rage. This terrible new creation became his personal harbinger and battle companion. The god of slaughter didn't name his pet, refusing to do so until the beast had claimed a hundred thousand lives and so proved itself truly worthy of his esteem." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Origin of the Minotaur", "entry": "In ages past, a warrior of tremendous strength stalked the battlefield. As a lone combatant, he was unbeatable, but he suffered when groups rose to oppose him. After one such defeat, the warrior was so filled with wrath that he murdered his entire village in Mogis's name. The god, delighted by this display, gifted the warrior with his own ferocity, remaking him as a reflection of Mogis's wrath and an engine of destruction in combat. This warrior became the first minotaur, and many minotaurs still worship Mogis, as he is their creator and they were made in his image." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Revel in Ruin", "entry": "The summer festival of the Megasphagion is a domesticated version of Mogis's typical rites. It involves the sacrifice of many cattle to avert Mogis's wrath. The meat is then cooked and distributed among all who attend the festival. The grand feast that follows tends to devolve into a drunken revel. In some tales, individuals or communities with long-held grudges find themselves incensed during the festival, leading them to seek violent ends to their rivalries." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Wrathbringer", "entry": "Shortly after his birth, Mogis decided to create a weapon with which to kill his brother. Mogis assembled his champions and sent them out to battlefields, where they collected the essences of rage, hatred, and bloodlust. Under a blood-red moon, Mogis used those ingredients to forge a black iron greataxe of manifest violence, Wrathbringer." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Mogis's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually chaotic, often evil" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Barbarian, cleric, druid, fighter, warlock" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "War" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Athlete, criminal, outlander, soldier", "Most champions of Mogis are antiheroes motivated by rage and a thirst for war. Many are tortured souls with a thirst for vengeance." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Mogis's Favor", "entries": [ "Mogis's favor isn't difficult to earn for someone who lacks a moral compass. Mogis demands that blood be spilled in his service, preferably the blood of Iroas's followers. Would-be champions should realize, though, that the god of slaughter invests in his followers with the expectation of receiving great returns. Those who disappoint, proving themselves incapable of sufficient cruelty or bloodshed, might find themselves on the wrong end of his blade.", "To Mogis, the ideal follower is one who sheds all moral compunctions in the course of bringing suffering to the world. He also cultivates grievances and bitterness in those not ordinarily disposed to acts of wanton violence. Over the eons, he has found that the betrayed, the disgusted, and the disfavored are readily turned to a life of murderous service, to be discarded just as easily if they don't satisfy him. The Mogis's Favor table suggests a few ways that a mortal might come to Mogis's attention, or vice versa.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Mogis's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born under a sanguine moon, the symbol of Mogis's red eye." ], [ "2", "Your twin sibling is a champion of Iroas." ], [ "3", "You successfully carried out a brutal vendetta against a rival family." ], [ "4", "You proved yourself dramatically (and perhaps violently) worthy in a contest of strength, a feat of endurance, or a similar accomplishment." ], [ "5", "You called on Mogis's power to settle old scores by becoming an instrument of his wrath." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Mogis chose you, but his hate seeps into your being day by day nonetheless." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Mogis", "entries": [ "Following Mogis is a definitive rejection of ethical codes and adoption of bloodlust and rage. As a follower of Mogis, consider the ideals on the Mogis's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Mogis's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Savagery. I express my rage through combat. (Chaotic)" ], [ "3", "Hate. Hatred of my foes warms my heart and gives me power. (Any)" ], [ "4", "Fury. My only release from life's endless grind is surrendering to my inner beast. (Evil)" ], [ "5", "Ruthlessness. The ends justify the means and victory is to be obtained at any cost. (Evil)" ], [ "6", "Pride. No one can best me in my chosen endeavor and woe to those who try. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Mogis when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Defeating a champion of Iroas", "Taking vengeance against a powerful foe", "Burning a polis or a settlement to the ground", "Desecrating a temple to Iroas as an offering to Mogis" ] }, "Your piety score to Mogis decreases if you diminish Mogis's influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look weak or ineffectual through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Failing to carry out a sworn vendetta", "Publicly displaying weakness or compassion", "Rejecting a duel or a challenge out of fear" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Mogis's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Mogis's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Mogis's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Slaughter|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Moradin", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of creation", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge", "War" ], "symbol": "Flaming anvil" }, { "name": "Moradin", "reprintAlias": "The All-Hammer", "source": "EGW", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "the All-Hammer", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge", "War" ], "province": "Craft, creation", "symbol": "Hammer with ends carved in the likeness of dwarven heads", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Moradin.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Moradin is worshiped by smiths, artisans, and miners alike, granting inspiration in exchange for respect and prayer. He shaped the mountains from the chaos of the Founding, and stands as the patron protector of home and family. The devotion to the All-Hammer is strongest in dwarven communities, and many temples to Moradin mark the center of a mighty dwarven stronghold.", "Moradin lords over the soul forges within the massive tunneled mansion of Erackinor, deep beneath the slopes of Solania on the plane of Celestia.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Many guild halls and workshops contain images of Moradin, a faceless, stout dwarven being of immense strength, hunched over a flaming heart clasped within his massive hands." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Moradin's holy day is Deep Solace, which is celebrated on the eighteenth day of the fifth month. Especially devout followers of the All-Hammer spend the day in isolation, meditating on the meaning of family and how they may be better mothers, fathers, siblings, and children. The dwarven community in Grimgolir celebrates with a full day of feasting and drinking." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Moradin", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Remain stoic and tenacious in the face of catastrophe.", "Uphold and promote loyalty to your family, loyalty to your clan, and loyalty to your people.", "Legacy is paramount. To create something that lasts is to change the world for the better." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Moradin", "source": "MTF", "page": 72, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Primary deity of dwarves", "symbol": "Hammer and anvil", "entries": [ "The father of the dwarves crafted his children from metal and gems and imbued them with souls as he cooled them with his breath.", "Moradin is the master of every craft practiced by the dwarves and the patron of artisans. He expects his children to follow in his footsteps, studying his techniques and aspiring to one day match his expertise.", "Priests of Moradin are responsible for judging and assessing the work of a stronghold's artisans. They keep great volumes that describe various crafting techniques in detail, and use the guidelines in them to judge the quality of individual works.", "The priests also evaluate young dwarves to determine the youths' vocations. The decisions of the priests are accepted without question." ] }, { "name": "Moradin", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Dwarf god of creation", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Hammer and anvil" }, { "name": "Moradin", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of creation", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Hammer and anvil" }, { "name": "Morgion", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 18, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Disease, secrecy", "symbol": "Hood with two red eyes", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/017-00-040.o-evil-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Morgion, Nuitari, and Sargonnas", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Solitary and secretive, Morgion is the god of disease and decay. He doesn't consult or act in accord with the other gods, preferring to brood in his otherworldly fortress, the Bronze Tower, and pursue his own schemes. His worshipers follow his example, meeting in the dark and maintaining secrecy in all things." ] }, { "name": "Morgion", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of disease and secrecy", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Hood with two red eyes" }, { "name": "Morrigan", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of battle", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Two crossed spears" }, { "name": "Muamman Duathal", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "province": "Storms, travel", "symbol": "Mace held in gauntlets" }, { "name": "Mya", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life" ], "province": "Clan, family, wisdom", "symbol": "A faceless mother figure" }, { "name": "Myrkul", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Bones", "Old Lord Skull", "The Reaper" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 116, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of death", "worshipers": "Necromancers, undead", "plane": "Hades (Oinos)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Myrkul.webp" }, "credit": "Conceptopolis", "width": 850, "height": 1003 }, "entries": [ "Myrkul is a god of death, decay, old age, exhaustion, dusk, and autumn. He claims power over corpses and souls and cares only for the acquisition of knowledge. Myrkul's faithful call him the Reaper. He is one of the Dead Three with Bane and Bhaal, former mortals who took the divine portfolio of the death god Jergal and were slain during the Time of Troubles.", "Myrkul can call forth the soul of any slain creature and bind it into a wax skull. To exercise this power, he grinds up a piece of the creature's body, working the powder into the wax skull. As long as the soul remains inside the skull, the eye sockets burn with cold blue flames, and Myrkul can compel the trapped soul to answer his questions and share its knowledge. The skull melts a little with each service the soul renders until it collapses and the soul is freed. When he speaks to his followers, Myrkul sends a {@creature Wraith|XMM} or the {@creature Ghost|XMM} of someone known to the mortal.", "Mortals fear Myrkul as the ending of things and as a symbol of hopelessness. Individuals don't pray to him but rather dread him and blame him for aching bones and fading vision. Myrkul is passionless and uncaring even to his most devout worshipers. Those who venerate Myrkul tend to be morose, taciturn, and obsessed with death and the undead. Wizards and other spellcasters who wish to master the necromantic arts follow Myrkul's teachings, as do undertakers and morticians.", "Shrines to Myrkul or engravings of his holy symbol appear where people bury their dead, but full-fledged temples are rare. The few that exist are hallowed places where the dead from hundreds of miles around are brought for interment, even if they were not of Myrkul's faith. There is little space set aside for the living in such a location, usually only a single modest shrine, but the surrounding catacombs and ossuaries might be vast. Wicked cults of Myrkul haunt {@book Baldur's Gate|FRHoF|2|Baldur's Gate}, plaguing the city alongside other followers of the Dead Three.", "Myrkul's Chosen are imbued with terrifying necromantic might. He teaches them the secret of binding souls, as well as ways to siphon life from others to render themselves immortal." ] }, { "name": "Myrkul", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of death", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "White human skull" }, { "name": "Myrkul", "altNames": [ "The Lord of Bones", "Old Lord Skull", "The Reaper" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of death", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "White human skull", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Myrkul.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Myrkul is an ancient god, one of three former mortals who were raised to deityhood when Jergal grew weary of his divine duties and distributed his influence between them. Myrkul became the god of death and the dead, and ruled over the City of the Dead for centuries until he, in turn, was slain. In time Myrkul returned, for can death itself truly ever die? Myrkul's faithful see him as the Reaper, who lays claim to souls and brings them to Kelemvor to be judged.", "Myrkul is a deity of death, decay, old age, exhaustion, dusk, and autumn. He's the god of the ending of things and hopelessness, as much as Lathander is the god of beginnings and hope. Folk don't pray to Myrkul so much as dread him and blame him for aching bones and fading vision. Myrkul is thought to be passionless and uncaring even of his most devout worshipers. Those who take Myrkul as a patron tend to be morose, taciturn, and obsessed with the dead and the undead. Like many followers of Kelemvor and Jergal, priests of Myrkul serve as undertakers and typically keep their patron's identity secret.", "Shrines to Myrkul or engravings of his holy symbol appear in many places where humans bury their dead, but full-fledged temples are rare. The few that exist are hallowed places where the dead from hundreds of miles around are brought for internment, even if they were not of Myrkul's faith. There is little space set aside for the living in such a location, usually a single modest shrine, but its catacombs and ossuaries are vast. In the deepest chamber of each temple rests a throne, and upon that throne sits the doomwarden - the preserved corpse of the most revered saint in the history of the temple (often its founder). Initiates to the faith are brought to kneel before a temple's doomwarden, where they must spend a night and a day fasting and meditating in complete darkness." ] }, { "name": "Mystra", "altNames": [ "The Lady of Mysteries", "The Mother of All Magic", "Our Lady of Spells" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 117, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of magic", "worshipers": "Anyone who uses magic", "plane": "Elysium (Eronia)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Mystra.webp" }, "credit": "Conceptopolis", "width": 850, "height": 839 }, "entries": [ "The Lady of Mysteries is a god of tremendous power, even among other deities. Her dominion is {@book the Weave|FRHoF|5|The Weave}, the sum total of magic, from which spells are drawn. Like magic itself, Mystra has undergone many changes over the millennia, including two known passings of her mantle.", "The faith of Mystra is pervasive throughout Faerûn, which is unsurprising in a land so touched by magic. Her worshipers include those who use magic or work closely with it, such as alchemists and sages. The goals of her faithful are simple: to preserve and promulgate magic throughout the Realms. Mystra's faithful watch for those who demonstrate magical potential, and they help such people find tutelage with a suitable mentor. She communicates through her Chosen, by sending a {@creature Animal Lord|XMM|Beast Lord} or pixie, or through animals that are blue, white, or multicolored.", "The blue-clad priests of Mystran temples, called dweomerkeepers, wield both arcane and divine magic. Mystra inspires magic-centric organizations such as the Knights of the Mystic Fire, her foremost martial champions. In cities and towns, the Children of the Starry Quill serves as an information and spy network, while the Order of the Shooting Star pursues her interests in the wilderness. The secretive Sisterhood of the Silver Fire opposes the {@book Cult of the Dragon|FRHoF|6|Cult of the Dragon}, tracking down and destroying copies of the {@item Tome of the Dragon|FRAiF}, the book that details how to turn a dragon into a dracolich.", "Mystra relies on Chosen more than most deities, and the ranks of her Chosen include the Seven Sisters (the daughters of Mystra, including Alustriel Silverhand, Laeral Silverhand, and the Simbul), Elminster Aumar, and other legendary spellcasters. She gives her Chosen the ability to call on silver fire, a destructive manifestation of pure magic that can also restore magic to places that have been cut off from the Weave.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Knights of the Mystic Fire", "entries": [ "Elite warriors in service to Mystra can join the Knights of the Mystic Fire. These knights lead Mystra's martial efforts and command lesser soldiers. With sword and spell, they protect her temples, defend sacred sites, and attack her enemies. Eldritch Knights, Bladesingers, Paladins, Rangers, and other characters who combine fighting skill with magic make excellent Knights of the Mystic Fire.", "Individuals who seek to become a Knight of the Mystic Fire must prove themselves in service to Mystra. This service lasts several years and includes garrison duty guarding Mystra's temples, or it might involve membership in one of Mystra's lesser orders (such as the Order of the Shooting Star). Adventurers might prove themselves by questing on Mystra's behalf or defending the faithful from violent assaults.", "To be made a knight, a candidate must display three qualities: they must be trusted by Mystra's priests, they must be an exemplary warrior, and they must display leadership. The candidate must hold an all-night vigil under the stars and swear an oath of loyalty to Mystra before being invested with the order's distinctive blue tabard marked with a fiery silver star. They often use a knightly honorific before their name, such as \"Sir,\" \"Lady,\" \"Dame,\" and the like.", "Knights of the Mystic Fire receive training in arcane and divine magic as well as fighting techniques. Knights are supported with a free Comfortable lifestyle at any temple of Mystra. With sufficient notice and cause, they can call on a task force of lesser warriors such as {@creature Guard|XMM|Guards}, {@creature Knight|XMM|Knights}, {@creature Scout|XMM|Scouts}, or {@creature Warrior Infantry|XMM}.", "In addition to serving Mystra's priests, Knights of the Mystic Fire work alongside followers of Azuth, Kelemvor, and Selûne, traditional allies of Mystra. Their foremost enemy is Cyric and his followers; they defend against Cyric's plots and aggressively seek out his temples and shrines to destroy them." ] } ] }, { "name": "Mystra", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of magic", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Circle of seven stars, or nine stars encircling a flowing red mist, or a single star" }, { "name": "Mystra", "altNames": [ "The Lady of Mysteries", "Our Lady of Spells", "The Mother of All Magic" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of magic", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Circle of seven stars, nine stars encircling a flowing red mist, or a single star", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Mystra.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Mystra is the goddess of magic, and with that the goddess of possibilities. She is venerated by mages and by those who use magic or magical objects in their daily lives. She also receives the prayers of those who find magic wondrous or encounter magic they fear. Mystra is the goddess of the essential force that makes all spellcasting possible. She provides and tends the Weave, the conduit through which mortal spellcasters and magical crafters can safely access the raw force of magic.", "The faith of Mystra is pervasive in Faerûn, which is to be expected for a land as touched by magic as it is. Her worshipers include those who use magic or work closely with it, such as alchemists and sages. The blue-clad priests of Mystran temples count wizards and sorcerers among their numbers, as well as the occasional bard. The goal of Mystra's faithful is simple: that magic be preserved and promulgated throughout the Realms. It isn't unusual for her followers to keep an eye out for those who demonstrate high potential for using magic and help arrange for such persons to find tutelage with a suitable mentor." ] }, { "name": "Mythrien Sarath", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Abjuration, mythals", "symbol": "Row of three intertwined rings" }, { "name": "Naralis Analor", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life", "Grave" ], "province": "Healing, suffering, death", "symbol": "White dove" }, { "name": "Naviask", "source": "EGW", "page": 32, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Life", "Nature" ], "province": "The Archfey", "symbol": "Wreath of flowers shaped into demon horns", "entries": [ "Once a powerful balor pursuing total annihilation of the Feywild, Naviask was transformed into a fey spirit by Queen Titania of the Summer Court after falling into one of her traps. Titania's magic changed Naviask's mission to destroy into a quest to heal scarred lands with nature. After the Calamity, Naviask was drawn to Exandria, where he currently remains, seeking to heal the devastation and ruin that still plague the world.", "Naviask's followers say that the strange demon-turned-fey wanders the wastes of Xhorhas but is only glimpsed by those he wishes to see him. He aims to heal the land, but the magics that destroyed Ghor Dranas do not easily fade. He searches for those of similar heart and offers to share his power, so that the land might finally be healed.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Naviask retains his balor shape, but his demonic profile is softened by a verdant hue, and the flowers and vines that adorn his body. The former demon's inner fire has been replaced with sunlight, and he wields a whip made of pure radiance." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Nebelun", "source": "MTF", "page": 112, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "province": "Invention, luck", "symbol": "Bellows and lizard tail", "entries": [ "Nebelun, also known as the Meddler, is fearless, perhaps foolishly so. Every invention of Nebelun's starts with a wild idea, nothing goes entirely according to plan, and her greatest exploits often spring from mistakes. Who else would stroll in and steal Semuanya's tail as the lizardfolk god splashed in his favorite pool? Who else would use Thor's hammer to pound a nail and thus be inspired to invent the lightning rod? Garl never needs to persuade Nebelun to join an excursion, but he and the rest of the pantheon do have to focus her attention on the task at hand, so that her madcap inventiveness doesn't derail the effort.", "All gnomes see Nebelun as the delightful spirit of invention and discovery, even those whose livelihoods have nothing to do with the construction of odd devices. Any accident that fortuitously results in a new discovery might be credited to Nebelun's benevolent meddling in the affairs of mortal gnomes." ] }, { "name": "Nebelun", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of invention and luck", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Bellows and a lizard tail" }, { "name": "Nephthys", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of death and grief", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Horns around a lunar disk" }, { "name": "Nerull", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of death", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Skull with either a sickle or a scythe" }, { "name": "Nerull", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Reaper", "worshipers": "Murderers, necromancers", "plane": "Carceri", "symbol": "Skull with a scythe" }, { "name": "Nike", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of victory", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Winged woman" }, { "name": "Njord", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of sea and wind", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Gold coin" }, { "name": "Nuada", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of war and warriors", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Silver hand on black background" }, { "name": "Nuitari", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 19, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Evil magic", "symbol": "Black circle or sphere", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/017-00-040.o-evil-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Morgion, Nuitari, and Sargonnas", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Nuitari, the god of evil magic and darkness, is patron of the Mages of High Sorcery's Order of the Black Robes and other wicked mages. He encourages selfish and destructive magic. His power flows through the black moon that shares his name, which is visible only due to the stars it blocks in the sky." ] }, { "name": "Nuitari", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of evil magic", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Black circle or sphere" }, { "name": "Nylea", "source": "MOT", "page": 67, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of the Hunt", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/044-02-03-nylea.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Nylea is the wild, carefree god of the hunt. She claims dominion over the whole of the natural world, particularly hunger and predation, the seasons, metamorphosis and rebirth, and the forest.", "Nylea is among the most gregarious of the gods, and can be spotted frolicking joyfully with her Nyxborn lynx, Halma, or her favorite nymph, Theophilia. But she also savors solitude, and on the hunt she is deadly serious, almost animalistic, in her mood. She is nearly as quick to anger as her brother Purphoros, enacting swift revenge on those who harm the natural realm.", "Nylea usually appears as a green-skinned dryad with woody extremities. Her hair is made of vines and leaves that change with the seasons. She might also appear as a majestic specimen of any animal, most frequently a lynx or a wolf. When she desires stealth or solitude, she might take the form of a tree, usually an oak or an olive.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Nylea's Influence", "entries": [ "Nylea is worshiped by hunters, but her concerns go far beyond humanity's ability to subsist on the bounty of the natural world. She controls the turning of the seasons. Usually, she ushers each one in and out on schedule, but when angered, she might refuse to change to the next season, or even call upon one out of its proper time. Mortals pray to her to ward off unseasonable weather, both natural and supernatural in origin.", "Nylea is the best archer in the world, and contests of archery are often held in her name. Those who hunt their own food pray to Nylea for success, and Nylea blesses their natural predation. Poachers and those who kill for sport, however, know that she loathes such activity, and they try to stay hidden from her at all costs. Nylea has personally slain many of those who killed wantonly in her sacred Nessian Wood.", "Nylea's association with metamorphosis makes her the target of prayers from those who seek to dramatically change their own nature or identity. She is worshiped by those who want to reform or transform society in ways less violent than those favored by gods such as Purphoros and Mogis. She is also revered by those who cherish the solitude and serenity of the forest.", "Birth falls under Nylea's influence as well, and her priests often double as midwives in their communities, blessing babies as they come into the world.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Nylea's Goals", "entries": [ "Compared to the other gods, Nylea's goals are modest. She wants only to keep the natural world free and healthy, shepherd the seasons through their yearly cycle, and enjoy the beauty of the land. But in her darker moments, she realizes that the very existence of civilization on Theros is a mounting threat to nature\u2014perhaps even an effort by the rest of the pantheon to destroy her. If it were up to her, she might well wipe away all the poleis and larger communities, leaving only scattered tribes of mortals to live in an enforced balance with nature. She isn't out to eradicate sapient beings, blaming her fellow gods for the spread of civilization rather than the mortals themselves." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Nylea seldom comes into open conflict with the other gods, and she would say that all her clashes with them result from their encroachment on her territory. The most frequent targets of her irritation are the gods who encourage the spread of civilization. Heliod and Ephara brought law and ambition to mortals, persuading them to congregate in stone-walled cities and consider themselves separate from her realm.", "Purphoros oversees some of the natural processes of earth and fire that help Nylea's realm flourish, but he also gave mortals the gift of bronze, enabling them to make axes and spears. In both his destructive and creative guises, Purphoros might threaten what Nylea holds dear. As a result, she remains wary of his designs.", "Nylea is disappointed in Karametra, precisely because of the overlap in their spheres of influence. Karametra insists on transforming nature into a mockery of itself, yoking once-wild beasts and contorting plants through agriculture to feed the ever-swelling population centers.", "Iroas and Mogis are harbingers of warfare, which is always devastating to the natural world. Nylea is virtually incapable of distinguishing between the \"noble\" and \"brutal\" aspects of their shared bailiwick, considering all forms of war a senseless waste of life and energy.", "Nylea acknowledges death as a crucial part of the life cycle, but scorns Erebos's obsession with the afterlife. What matters is that nature takes nourishment from the bodies of the deceased, not from the disposition of their intangible souls. She blames Erebos, Athreos, and Phenax in equal measure for the existence of the Returned, which she considers abominations." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Nylea", "entries": [ "Mortals all over Theros pray to Nylea when they rely on hunting or nature's whims for their livelihood. Her most ardent followers are satyrs, centaurs, humans (particularly those who live in Setessa and in the wilds), and nymphs of all kinds, especially dryads. Few leonin worship any of the gods, but of those who do, many favor Nylea with their prayers.", "Nylea blesses those who are kind to animals, considering such acts as wordless prayers. Those who must kill a dangerous natural animal or cut down trees often pray to Nylea for forgiveness, sometimes leaving food for other animals or planting new trees as atonement.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/045-02-14.webp" }, "credit": "Chris Rahn" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Nylea", "entries": [ "Most of the myths about Nylea are cautionary tales about the fate of mortals who profane her sacred forests.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The First Hunt", "entry": "Each spring, communities observe the festival of the First Hunt, the Protokynion. In ancient times, the festival involved hunting, but in the modern form of observance, it is a day of picnics, outdoor games, and frolicking that has little to do with Nylea except that it celebrates the full flowering of spring. Tales tell of Nylea being passingly bitter about the celebration and, annually, visiting a First Hunt celebration in disguise. If she finds herself duly honored during the revelry, she blesses the event and might personally participate. If she finds no mention of her works, she curses those in attendance, sometimes sending rampaging beasts to disrupt the event or turning participants into game animals for true hunters to stalk." } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Origin of the Catoblepas, Another Perspective", "entries": [ "When a herder boasted that his cattle were Theros's finest because Heliod and Nylea had created them, Heliod persuaded Mogis to curse the cattle, transforming them into the first {@creature Catoblepas|VGM|catoblepases}. Heliod had hoped to win Nylea's favor by defending her honor in this way, but she was outraged to be associated with the creation of these abominations. To this day, Nylea offers a boon to anyone who hunts down a catoblepas and brings its head to her sacred grove.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The Three Hunters", "entry": "Three young men from wealthy families were hunting for sport in the Nessian Wood. Nylea accosted them before they had taken any prey and gave each man a chance to bring her a gift that would atone for his intentions. The first man killed a stag and made an offering of it in her name, so she turned him into a stag to compensate for the one he had killed. The second offered wealth from his family coffers, so she turned him into a tree clinging to a cliff face by one root. The third, remorseful, threw himself on a bed of moss, and a cerulean butterfly came to rest on his hand. Carefully, he carried the butterfly back to Nylea. She not only spared him, but blessed his house and all his descendants." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Tragedy of Arasta", "entry": "In ages long past, Nylea loved her dryad companion, Arasta, as a sister and the two spread wonders across Theros. One day, Phenax, envious of the pair and stung by some forgotten slight, transformed Arasta into a terrible monster to prove that the goddess's love was based on beauty, not true kinship. Seeing the unfamiliar creature, Nylea was horrified and drove her away. Shattered, Arasta retreated and has terrorized the gods' servants ever since. To this day, Nylea remains deeply pained by Arasta's loss. Knowing that only Phenax can undo the curse he laid upon the dryad, Nylea often sends her champions to learn the secret of what might restore her friend." } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Nylea's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral, often good" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Barbarian, cleric, druid, ranger" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Nature" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Folk hero, hermit, outlander", "Most champions of Nylea understand the cycles of nature\u2014embracing life, death, and rebirth. They might commit violence when necessary but never revel in it, advocating for the proper treatment of animals, plants, and the natural world." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Nylea's Favor", "entries": [ "Nylea chooses champions who will tirelessly defend the natural world, regardless of their mortal ties and associations. She cares more for consistency of actions than for vows of loyalty and expressions of devotion. Whether you are silently devoted to her or vociferous in your praise, it is your actions in her name that will prompt her to continue her support\u2014or withdraw it.", "Because her interests are often tied to natural forces, Nylea's attentions can be unpredictable. What made the god turn her attention to you? What act of charity or feat of skill made her think you would be a good champion? The Nylea's Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Nylea's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born at dawn on the spring equinox, a sign of Nylea's favor." ], [ "2", "You healed an injured wolf, which then revealed itself to be Nylea in disguise." ], [ "3", "You won an archery contest with a truly stunning shot, but afterward chastised onlookers who compared your skill to Nylea's." ], [ "4", "Lost in the forest as a child, you were raised by wolves. Nylea intervened to teach you language and enable you to one day take your place in society as one of her champions." ], [ "5", "A unicorn has appeared to you several times in your life, often after protecting animals or nature." ], [ "6", "You lived alone in the wilderness for a year. In all that time you never heard another mortal's voice, but Nylea spoke to you regularly." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Nylea", "entries": [ "Nylea calls upon her followers to defend the natural world and oppose those who would bring it harm through cruelty or greed. As a follower of Nylea, consider the ideals on the Nylea's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Nylea's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Nature. The beauty of the natural world fills me with serenity. (Neutral)" ], [ "3", "Freedom. I yearn to run wild. (Chaotic)" ], [ "4", "Stewardship. We must care for the natural world as it cares for us. (Good)" ], [ "5", "Savagery. It's eat or be eaten, and I plan to be the one with the full belly. (Evil)" ], [ "6", "Purity. I won't sully my body or my soul with the taint of civilization. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Nylea when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Healing a sick or injured wild animal", "Stopping those who hunt for sport or profit", "Proving your worth in a contest of archery", "Slaying an aberration, a fiend, or an undead" ] }, "Your piety score to Nylea decreases if you diminish Nylea's influence in the world, fail to defend nature, or offend her sensibilities through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Killing an animal for any reason other than necessity", "Dedicating a building or making a sacrifice to any god, including Nylea", "Protecting a city or farm from natural dangers" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Nylea's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Nylea's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Nylea's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Hunt|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Obad-Hai", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "god of nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Oak leaf and acorn" }, { "name": "Obad-Hai", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Shalm", "worshipers": "Hunters, gatherers, hermits", "plane": "Outlands", "symbol": "Oak leaf and acorn" }, { "name": "Odin", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of knowledge and war", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "War" ], "symbol": "Watching blue eye" }, { "name": "Odur", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of light and the sun", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Solar disk" }, { "name": "Oghma", "altNames": [ "The Binder of What Is Known", "The Lord of Knowledge" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 118, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of knowledge", "worshipers": "Archivists, cartographers, sages", "plane": "The Outlands", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Oghma.webp" }, "credit": "Conceptopolis", "width": 850, "height": 897 }, "entries": [ "Oghma is a god of knowledge, thought, and ideas. His holy symbol, a blank scroll, is ubiquitous in places of learning. Oghma has an unbridled enthusiasm for knowledge, and he shares it with the people of Faerûn.", "Oghma carries a great deal of wisdom behind his carefree demeanor. Should an existential threat to knowledge arise, he doesn't intervene immediately. Instead, he mulls and puzzles over complex plots before taking action, consulting his associated deities\u2014Deneir, Milil, and Gond. If Oghma needs to interact with mortals, he sends an {@creature Owl|XMM}. On rare occasions, he speaks directly into a mortal's mind while they're deep in thought.", "Oghma's followers include sages and academics. Students pray for him to fill their minds, and teachers pray that he might guide their instruction. People in Faerûn casually invoke Oghma's name while trying to remember something, and they curse him when something in their memory is just out of reach. Oghma's passionate followers believe he vets every new idea that enters someone's mind. Since criminals use this as an excuse for their actions, this way of thinking has fallen out of favor.", "Oghma's temples accumulate and distribute books, scrolls, knowledge, and lore. His clergy includes cloistered sages and archivists who analyze, file, and copy the temple's archives, as well as traveling scholars who seek out new learnings. Oghma's priests believe knowledge is the greatest tool of the mortal mind, and they oppose those who try to keep people ignorant.", "Most temples of Oghma double as public libraries. These temples hold a daily evening service called the Covenant, during which clergy and laypeople read works of wisdom, songs, and new knowledge aloud for the sake of Oghma and all others present. Temples financially support themselves by selling maps, {@item Spell Scroll|XDMG|Spell Scrolls}, and other works of scribes. They partner with priests of Deneir to provide these services, since Deneir has few temples of his own.", "Chosen of Oghma have supernatural memories that allow them to memorize vast quantities of lore. In communities with oral histories or in places where libraries have burned down, Oghma's Chosen serve as living fonts of knowledge." ] }, { "name": "Oghma", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of speech and writing", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Unfurled scroll" }, { "name": "Oghma", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "srd": true, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of knowledge", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Blank scroll" }, { "name": "Oghma", "altNames": [ "The Binder", "The Lord of Knowledge" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of knowledge", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Blank scroll", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Oghma.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Oghma is the god of inspiration, invention, and knowledge. Above all else, Oghma represents knowledge in its most supreme, raw form - the idea. An aphorism cited by his faithful about this concept serves them as a prayer when it is repeated aloud: \"An idea has no heft but it can move mountains. An idea has no authority but it can dominate people. An idea has no strength but it can push aside empires. Knowledge is the greatest tool of the mortal mind, outweighing anything made by mortal hands. Before anything else can exist, the idea must exist.\"", "Oghma's faithful spread knowledge and literacy as widely as possible, believing that minds ought never to be shackled by ignorance and thus not be able to bequeath the benefit they might otherwise provide their fellows. Not surprisingly, those who follow Oghma oppose those who foster deceit, trickery, and ignorance.", "Folk of many professions favor the Binder: wizards, cartographers, artists, bards, clerks, inventors, sages, scribes, and all manner of others who uncover, preserve, and create knowledge and learning. The worship of Oghma was, at one point, one of the few organized faiths in Faerûn that had an established orthodoxy and a complete network of temples that adhered to that orthodoxy. Schisms during the Time of Troubles shattered that network, and now the structures that house the faith are individual temples or small networks of allied temples, much in the manner of other faiths." ] }, { "name": "Olidammara", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of revelry", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Laughing mask" }, { "name": "Olidammara", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Laughing Rogue", "worshipers": "Revelers, gamblers, pranksters", "plane": "Ysgard", "symbol": "Laughing mask" }, { "name": "Olladra", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Trickery" ], "province": "Good fortune", "symbol": "Domino {@i or} black dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Olladra is the Sovereign of Feast and Fortune. She is the giver of joy and the granter of luck, patron to entertainers, gamblers, and anyone who takes a chance." ] }, { "name": "Olladra", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of good fortune", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Life", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Domino" }, { "name": "Onatar", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Artifice, the forge", "symbol": "Crossed hammer and tongs {@i or} brass dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Sovereign Host.webp" }, "title": "The Sovereign Host" }, "entries": [ "Onatar is the Sovereign of Fire and Forge. He guides both mundane smiths and artificers, inspiring anyone who performs an act of creation" ] }, { "name": "Onatar", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of craft", "category": "The Sovereign Host", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Crossed hammer and tongs" }, { "name": "Osiris", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 } ], "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of nature and the underworld", "domains": [ "Grave", "Life", "Nature" ], "symbol": "Crook and flail" }, { "name": "Paladine", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 14, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Good dragons, guardians, rulers", "symbol": "Silver triangle", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/010-00-031.good-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Paladine, Branchala, and Habbakuk", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Paladine is known as the Father of Good, the Master of Law, the Platinum Dragon, and\u2014on other worlds of the multiverse\u2014Bahamut. He leads the gods of good and watches over the world with an eye toward order, justice, and mercy. He teaches that wise and just laws are the basis of a functioning society, and his clerics often aid in crafting and upholding such laws. Paladine sometimes appears on Krynn in the guise of Fizban, a befuddled old human mage in faded robes." ] }, { "name": "Paladine", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of rulers and guardians", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "War", "Peace" ], "symbol": "Silver triangle" }, { "name": "Pan", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Syrinx (pan pipes)" }, { "name": "Pelor", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of the sun and agriculture", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Circle with six outwardly radiating points" }, { "name": "Pelor", "reprintAlias": "The Dawnfather", "source": "EGW", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "the Dawn Father", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "Nature" ], "province": "Healing, sun", "symbol": "Bright, eight-pointed star", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Pelor.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Pelor rules over sun and summer, his vigil encircling the ages as the keeper of time. As lord of agriculture and harbinger of the harvest, he is worshiped by farmers and most common folk, and his priests are welcomed in many lands. Supporter of the needy and destroyer of evil, the Dawn Father is often the patron of paladins and rangers who follow a similar creed. He is also known for his defeat of the Chained Oblivion and is revered by those who hunt aberrations.", "Pelor is often found within the Fortress of the Sun, a shining, golden citadel that brings vibrant life to the limitless orchards of the Blessed Fields of Elysium.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depictions", "entries": [ "Tapestries of old match early texts describing Pelor as a paternal figure in silver and gold armor, his head a beacon of light and fire so bright that his face can barely be seen. Many statues in holy places use the head as a brazier, lit with each dawn and extinguished at dusk." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Pelor's holy day is called Highsummer, and takes place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. While other parts of Exandria feast, the Dwendalian Empire uses this day as an opportunity to enlist more soldiers in its army. The military holds great feasts and hands out toy soldiers and other propaganda, encouraging people to enlist and help fight against the evil that threatens the king." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Pelor", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Be ever vigilant for evil. People are quick to forget the lessons of the past.", "Help relieve the suffering of the innocent.", "Deliver the light of Pelor where darkness dwells, with kindness, compassion, and mercy." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Pelor", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of the sun and healing", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Sun" }, { "name": "Pelor", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Radiant Sun", "worshipers": "Healers, the compassionate", "plane": "Elysium", "symbol": "Sun" }, { "name": "Pharika", "source": "MOT", "page": 70, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of Affliction", "domains": [ "Death", "Knowledge", "Life" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/046-02-03-pharika.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Pharika is a god of affliction and medicine, alchemy and aging. In the earliest days of Theros, Pharika seeded the world with countless secret truths\u2014mysteries of medicine, minerals with strange properties, nexuses of magic, and the like\u2014which she hid among Nylea's wilds and the shadows of Erebos's Underworld, leaving clues where mortals might find them. It isn't altruism that drives her; she studies the innovation and suffering of mortals, deciphering in them ever greater mysteries as she treats Theros as her personal laboratory.", "Pharika typically takes the form of a green-skinned human woman with the lower body of a snake. Her hands are thickly scaled and a pair of bronze-scaled vipers seamlessly emerge from her chest. She is never without her kylix, a drinking cup within which she can produce virtually any medicine or toxin. When her aims require subtlety, Pharika often takes the form of a serpent or a medusa, or sometimes an aged human.", "Little escapes Pharika's cool gaze. Even when outwardly friendly, she is cunning and calculating, watching for the slightest sign of weakness or desire that she can exploit later. Those who offend her rarely recognize their misstep until she strikes.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Pharika's Influence", "entries": [ "Pharika represents the duality of life and death distilled into a single draught that can serve as tonic or toxin, depending on the dosage. She is most associated with affliction, whether that phenomenon takes the form of a disease, a venom, a drug, or the passage of years. Her cures are reliable but come at a cost. In some cases, that cost is pain as the medicine courses through the imbiber's body. In other cases, she demands years of life, either from the patient's lifetime or the researcher's labor.", "In her oversight of life and death, Pharika acts as a patron of alchemists. Pharmacists offer prayers to her while crafting potions, as do the ill or infirm before imbibing a supposed remedy. Likewise, a body's slow transformation is sacred to her, whether it be the inevitable effects of aging or the petrification of her medusa children's victims.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Pharika's Goals", "entries": [ "To Pharika, Theros is an ongoing experiment and mortals are her agents in carrying it out. Rather than limit her knowledge to what her own insights yield, she revels in watching mortals decipher the world's wisdom and unearth its hidden knowledge, and she delights in seeing each sage interpret their findings in novel ways. She is willing to do anything to perpetuate experimentation and discovery, even at the cost of turning her less devout followers into specimens." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Despite her venomous reputation, Pharika has provided nearly every god with a cure or an otherwise essential tonic at a crucial moment. As a result, she's rarely in outright conflict with her fellow gods, yet she's always willing to jeopardize peace with her peers if it means indulging some audacious new experiment.", "The gods of the Underworld have cordial relations with Pharika. She and Athreos enjoy each other's silent company, and Erebos appreciates her agenda, which ultimately bolsters his realm. Pharika rankles somewhat at the attention Erebos gets from dying mortals, chafing at their tendency to appeal to him when they could beg her for healing or for a painless death.", "Pharika and the gods of civilization cautiously maneuver around one another's territory, with Ephara and Karametra recognizing Pharika's medicinal virtues, and she is always seeking subtle ways to use city-states in her experiments without provoking her peers. She disdains Ephara's and Karametra's desire to tame the world rather than understand it.", "Pharika has her most complex relationships with the gods of knowledge. Pharika loathes that Keranos gifts wisdom to the undeserving, while Kruphix represents mysteries even she has yet to fathom.", "No god is more precious to Pharika than Nylea. She adores Nylea as the source of nature's abundant bounty and delights in Nylea's warmth. Anyone who threatens or offends Nylea is likely to also earn Pharika's enmity." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Pharika", "entries": [ "The diseased and the dying alike often make written entreaties to Pharika for a remedy. Prayers are written on scraps of paper or shards of pottery, sealed in small pots, and buried in bogs, leaving them as secrets for others to exhume years later. Many people pray to her before undergoing a medical procedure, picking herbs, or confronting a venomous animal. Nights of a waxing crescent moon (roughly the first week of each month, when a sliver of moon lingers in the early evening) are sacred to Pharika and are thought to be an auspicious time to harvest medicinal plants.", "Pharika's followers include members of several small mystery cults, which embrace varying aspects of her divine nature. The most infamous of these is the Cult of Frozen Faith, led by a medusa. Initiates receive a lethal dose of poison, become {@condition petrified}, and then are restored to flesh one year later. Petitioners who have Pharika's favor emerge alive and healthy; those she doesn't care for fail to survive the transformation.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/047-02-15.webp" }, "credit": "Peter Mohrbacher" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Pharika", "entries": [ "Tales of Pharika emphasize her secret knowledge, with many legends hinting at apocrypha that a listener might track down to discover the god's most exalted lore.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Aestraste's Reward", "entry": "So impressed was she with the deeds of her champion Aestraste that Pharika offered to fill her kylix with any draught for Aestraste to imbibe. The champion asked to taste the nectar of pure joy, and the god obliged. But when Aestraste took a sip, passion took hold of her, and she quaffed the entire elixir. Overwhelmed with ecstasy, the champion perished, having forgotten that too much of anything\u2014even happiness\u2014can be fatal." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Basilisk's Greed", "entry": "In Pharika's earliest days, her mind overflowed with knowledge, and she retreated to a secret, verdant glen. There, she set to scribing her secrets into the garden's fruits, hiding within each a dozen deaths and their cures. When she retired wearily to bathe, a lizard crept into her grove and gobbled up much of the fruit. It's said that this original basilisk and its progeny are still heavy with undigested secrets, and that if basilisk blood is distilled into ink, it can be used to write out forgotten lore." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Day of Affliction", "entry": "During the first week of the eleventh month, Meletis observes Pharika's winter festival, the Cheimazion. The sick and infirm sleep in the god's temples during this festival in hopes of receiving a miraculous cure, and the truly devout imbibe near-lethal doses of poison, trusting Pharika to oversee their recovery. In some tales, a cobra with rainbow scales appears in Pharika's temple and bites some incurable soul. The envenomed victim pitches and babbles for three days, but their disjointed words prove to be a font of alchemical truths, sometimes bearing the secrets to healing others around them. In most of these myths, the victim expires at the end of these three days\u2014Pharika's price for sharing her secrets\u2014but in some, the patient recovers, thereafter exhibiting remarkable resistance to illness and poisons." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Dragon Balm", "entry": "Some texts of Pharika claim that within the chemical makeup of each individual dragon lies the cure to one specific disease or venom. Those desperate for a cure to a rare affliction often pray to the goddess to reveal the monster that embodies the malady tormenting them. Such insight, though, rarely decreases the danger of dragon hunting." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Medusa's Curse", "entry": "To seed the world with knowledge, Pharika gathered her medusa children and granted a hundred secrets to each, bidding them to hide their revelations throughout the mortal realm. Selfishly, the medusas each kept secrets for themselves, using these as currency to bargain with mortals. Angered that her children would hoard any of her secrets, Pharika cursed them, so that they could never after behold their own reflections without risking death." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Pharika's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral, often evil" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Cleric, druid, ranger, rogue, warlock, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Death, Knowledge, Life" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Criminal, guild artisan, hermit, outlander, sage", "Most champions of Pharika seek to uncover the world's greatest secrets through science, alchemy, and magic. They are often enamored with the mysteries of life and death, along with snakes or other venomous creatures." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Pharika's Favor", "entries": [ "Pharika craves champions who support her ongoing experiments, torment her enemies, and deliver cutting-edge aid to the suffering. Yet, just because someone serves Pharika doesn't mean they are immune to her whims. Why did Pharika turn her gaze upon you, and how did you survive long enough to earn her approval? The Pharika's Favor table provides several suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Pharika's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born in a plague-struck village's final days, ultimately being the only survivor." ], [ "2", "Exposure to a rare toxin granted you visions of Pharika, and you have sought her wisdom ever since." ], [ "3", "Your medical attention proved crucial to a stranger's survival, and now your acquaintances periodically fall ill, as though Pharika is testing you again and again." ], [ "4", "A sagacious serpent once offered you guidance and has influenced your studies ever since." ], [ "5", "You are dying. As death grows nearer, you are increasingly adept at deciphering nature's mysteries." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Pharika showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish she hadn't." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Pharika", "entries": [ "In accepting Pharika as your patron, you entrust your health and your knowledge to her. As her follower, consider the ideals on the Pharika's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Pharika's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Scholarship. Unlocking the natural world's secrets is a challenge I welcome. (Neutral)" ], [ "3", "Balance. My work shall save as many lives as it takes, balancing the deserving and the insufferable. (Neutral)" ], [ "4", "Immortality. Those who discover nature's darkest and direst secrets earn the right to live forever. (Evil)" ], [ "5", "Fatalism. Everyone dies. As a result, I may employ their brief lives to further my agendas. (Evil)" ], [ "6", "Tutelage. The world is a deadly classroom, and students need an expert guide to survive. (Neutral)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Pharika when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Creating a cure for a dangerous affliction", "Defeating a powerful foe by using poison", "Discovering or documenting an unknown people or a poorly understood creature", "Building or restoring a temple to Pharika, or a site that glorifies serpentine creatures" ] }, "Your piety score to Pharika decreases if you diminish Pharika's influence in the world, contradict her ideals, or make her look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Destroying alchemical, medical, pathological, or similar research", "Performing a notable act of healing without exacting a significant price", "Slaying a medusa or serpent" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Pharika's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Pharika's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Pharika's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Affliction|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Phenax", "source": "MOT", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of Deception", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/048-02-03-phenax.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Phenax is the masked patron of lies and cheats. He is Heliod's ethical antithesis, governing the spheres of gambling, deception, and betrayal. Phenax was once a mortal who was trapped in the Underworld, but he learned how to forsake his identity to prevent Erebos from detecting what he was doing. He crossed back over the Rivers That Ring the World wrapped in the tattered cloak of Athreos, the River Guide, who ushers the dead to their final rest. Hidden by illusion as he was, neither Athreos nor Erebos could find Phenax and bring him back.", "Able to play whatever role the situation calls for, Phenax is a consummate actor. His incisive wit and cunning enable him to read the desires of his marks, adjusting his approach to suit the moment. In his rare moments of candor, Phenax is calm and calculating, always looking toward his next scheme.", "Phenax is a shadowy and mysterious figure. When appearing before mortals, he prefers the form of a willowy humanoid with ashen gray skin, clad in elegant robes. He has also been known to appear in a variety of animal forms, including the shapes of asps, mockingbirds, or rats. Regardless of his shape, a mask forever conceals the blank face of the first Returned.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Phenax's Influence", "entries": [ "Subtlety and manipulation\u2014of mind, word, and deed\u2014are the cornerstones of Phenax's power and his influence over mortals and immortals alike. Even gods enjoy hearing what they prefer to hear instead of the truth, and Phenax is happy to give them what they want.", "He takes pleasure in finding ways to subvert or corrupt champions of law, order, and justice, turning them to his cause. Whether by feeding the hubris of a champion of Heliod or subverting the moral code of a stalwart of Iroas, he tempts mortals by confronting them with seemingly inconsequential decisions, each of which offers an opportunity for the person to compromise their principles. One by one, these acts move the needle of a person's moral gauge by a small amount. Over time, these choices accumulate until the individual's fall from grace is complete.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Phenax's Goals", "entries": [ "Phenax doesn't want to rule Nyx. He is the perennial outsider, existing only to disrupt the plans of his fellow gods. Every lie, every betrayal, delights him as it sows discord in the world. He respects a well-planned and executed grift or heist, sometimes rewarding able followers with opportunities to serve as his champions.", "As the metaphorical progenitor of the Returned, Phenax also takes time to provide shelter and opportunities for his children to disrupt the mortal world." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "It stands to reason that the god of secrets, deception, and betrayal isn't close with the rest of the pantheon. This is not to say that Phenax doesn't have active relationships with others in the pantheon, but his position as the patron of lies doesn't lead to close, lasting friendships.", "Erebos and Athreos despise Phenax, which delights him to no end. Phenax revels in the fact that, as a lowly mortal, he was able to outwit both the Lord of the Underworld and the River Guide. Still bitter over Phenax's deception, Erebos concocts ways to torment the upstart god. Were he to discover a method to slay Phenax and return him to the Underworld, the god of the dead would pursue it over all other goals.", "Phenax finds Heliod and Iroas overbearing and insufferable. Both represent ideologies diametrically opposed to Phenax's, and both have followers who regularly try to foil his schemes. In turn, Phenax does his best to upend their plans through lies and deception. After all, a fair fight isn't worth fighting.", "Nowhere is Phenax's commitment to upending the status quo and angering his fellow gods more evident than in his role in the rise of Xenagos, the now destroyed god of revels. Xenagos's attacks left many of the gods disconnected from their followers, inciting a panic in Nyx. Phenax, basking in the chaos of Xenagos's plot, found myriad ways to covertly aid him until the satyr's apotheosis. Helping another mortal ascend to godhood was, to Phenax, the ultimate subversion of authority." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Phenax", "entries": [ "Every lie is an homage to Phenax. Because his most devout followers are criminals and gamblers, his influence is keenly felt in gambling halls and dens of thieves. But everyone has their own reasons to stray from the truth at times, and thus, they also find small ways to seek Phenax's favor as they go about their daily lives.", "Formal services to Phenax are conducted at night, with the most sacred rituals performed on nights of the new moon. Offerings are made to attract Phenax's favor, with valuables from successful robberies, parchment filled with lies, or loaded dice being thrown into deep crags or buried at crossroads. Such sacrifices often vanish soon after, claimed by the god or his servants. Devout criminals often offer Phenax stolen goods as part of their preparations for premeditated crimes.", "Phenax is worshiped openly in the necropoleis of Asphodel and Odunos, though the Returned who are loyal to Erebos's agent, Tymaret, refuse to worship the god they're hunting (see {@book chapter 3|MOT|3|Odunos}). Somber ceremonies are intoned to bless the golden funeral masks the Returned wear.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/049-02-16.webp" }, "credit": "Ryan Barger" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Phenax", "entries": [ "The tales told of Phenax's deeds speak of his duplicity, cunning, and wit.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The Path of Phenax", "entry": "Phenax was once a mortal who, like all mortals, passed on to Erebos's care in the Underworld when his time among the living came to an end. But Phenax found a way to escape the Underworld by sacrificing his identity to the memory-draining waters therein. He was able to cross the Rivers That Ring the World wrapped in a shred of Athreos's cloak. Since he had no identity, Athreos couldn't detect him, and thus Erebos couldn't use his great lash to pull Phenax back. When he emerged back into the realm of mortals, he did so as the first of the Returned. In time, others discovered this quandary of metaphysics, which is now known as the Path of Phenax." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Black Oak of Odunos", "entry": "Before Odunos became a necropolis, it was a thriving city akin to Akros or Meletis. When the city fell before Phenax's assembled forces, some of the populace begged the god of lies to spare them the touch of Erebos's dread lash. Never one to miss an opportunity to cheat Erebos, Phenax made a solemn promise to those asking for his mercy, assuring them that they wouldn't be forced into the Underworld, on his honor. Soon afterward, the Returned that had invaded the city murdered these people to the last one\u2014whereupon Phenax, true to his word, bound their bodies and souls to a great oak, making a terrifying amalgam of undeath to guard Odunos and haunt the living for eternity." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Feud with Nylea", "entry": "A pair of accomplished hunters, both fervent followers of Nylea, had a bet with one another to prove who was better with a bow. After countless tests found them equally matched, the hunters' rivalry drew Phenax's attention. Assuming the form of a dryad, Phenax goaded and taunted the hunters. Though amusing at first, Phenax's words cut deep, making the hunters careless. Thus, when the dryad suggested a blindfolded test of marksmanship, the hunters agreed. Once blinded, Phenax positioned the hunters to shoot one another. In the moment they fired, though, Nylea noticed Phenax's trick. She curved her hunters' arrows mid-flight and multiplied their number. Phenax's disguise shattered as he was riddled with arrows that pinned him to a great tree. Nylea appeared to the trapped god, mocked his pointless duplicity, and warned him never to threaten her followers again. She then left him to struggle free from the deeply embedded arrows, an escape that took him over a week. During that time, the god concocted plot after plot to have his revenge on Nylea. Some tales claim that this embarrassment directly led to tragedy for Nylea's favorite dryad companion, while others warn that Phenax's revenge has only just begun." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Phenax's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually chaotic, often neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Bard, cleric, monk, rogue, warlock" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Trickery" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Charlatan, criminal, entertainer, sailor (pirate), urchin", "Most champions of Phenax are exemplars of deceit, motivated by greed, revenge, or a good swindle. They have chosen to serve a mortal who ascended to godhood, possibly because they want to emulate him." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Phenax's Favor", "entries": [ "Phenax expects his champions to be cunning and self-sufficient, much as he was when he escaped the Underworld. He has great respect for a sound plan that is craftily executed and might offer all manner of clever assistance to mortals he deems worthy.", "What did you do to garner his attention? What set you apart in his eyes from petty schemers, grifters, and criminals? What made him think you would be a good champion? The Phenax's Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Phenax's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You were born at midnight under the new moon." ], [ "2", "One of your parents is a champion of Phenax." ], [ "3", "You pulled off a daring theft or escaped from confinement at a young age." ], [ "4", "You have proven yourself a capable liar and teller of tall tales." ], [ "5", "You dedicated your life to upsetting the balance of power in a corrupt polis." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Phenax showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish he hadn't." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Phenax", "entries": [ "Following Phenax means devoting yourself to a life of trickery and guile. To a champion of Phenax, a life without risk is no life at all. Some rules are meant to be broken, some secrets meant to be shared, and order must be upended from time to time. As a follower of Phenax, consider the ideals on the Phenax's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Phenax's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Pragmatism. The ends justify the means; I do whatever it takes to win. (Evil)" ], [ "3", "Duplicity. I lie when it suits me, which makes things so much easier. (Chaotic)" ], [ "4", "Secrecy. All deception requires secrecy, but not all secrets are meant to deceive. (Any)" ], [ "5", "Luck. Want more luck? Take more chances! (Chaotic)" ], [ "6", "Adaptability. Plans change, circumstances go awry. I must bend in response to changes, not break. (Any)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Phenax when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Helping a fugitive escape justice", "Pulling off a daring robbery", "Obstruct champions of other gods", "Building or restoring a temple to Phenax" ] }, "Your piety score to Phenax decreases if you diminish Phenax's influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Forthrightly assisting lawgivers in their duties", "Swearing and then honoring an oath", "Bringing order in times of chaos" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Phenax's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Phenax's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Phenax's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of Deception|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Pholtus", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of light and law", "domains": [ "Light", "Order" ], "symbol": "Silver sun or full moon partially eclipsed by a smaller crescent moon" }, { "name": "Pholtus", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "of the Blinding Light", "worshipers": "Judges, lawyers, arbiters", "plane": "Arcadia", "symbol": "Silver sun partially eclipsed by a crescent moon" }, { "name": "Poseidon", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of the sea and earthquakes", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Trident" }, { "name": "Procan", "source": "GoS", "page": 18, "pantheon": "Unknown", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "Sailor of Sea and Sky", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "entries": [ "Procan is a chaotic neutral deity of the sea and weather. He offers his clerics access to the Tempest domain. He is embodied in the sudden storm that overtakes a ship, battering it with monstrous waves and howling winds that give way to peaceful waters and calm weather in the space of a moment.", "Procan's domain is the sea, and whatever the oceans touch, he bears witness to. His mood shifts to darkness as he witnesses a brutal murder on the docks of a squalid port, then lifts in pride as he watches a brave mariner leap into the sea and save a drowning child. Every story of the oceans courses through his mind, and he in each moment curses and blesses mortals for their endless follies, heroism, and hatreds.", "When the sea reaches its limit at the shore, so too does Procan's power. His clerics and priests rarely venture inland, and he cares little for what happens beyond his waters. At sea, he expects sacrifices in the form of fine food, potent alcohol, or valuable treasures thrown overboard at the start of a voyage. Due to this ritual, Procan holds all treasures lost at sea as part of his domain. He curses those who plunder shipwrecks without the blessings of his clerics, dogging their steps with wretched weather until his attention is drawn elsewhere.", "Procan's clerics reflect their deity's chaotic nature. They seek omens of his moods in the weather and sky, and mirror their own demeanor to match their deity's." ] }, { "name": "Ptah", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of crafts, knowledge, and secrets", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Bull" }, { "name": "Purphoros", "source": "MOT", "page": 76, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of the Forge", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/050-02-03-purphoros.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Purphoros is the god of the forge, the restless earth, and fire. He rules the raw creative force that infuses sapient minds. Purphoros is also the god of artisans, obsession, and the cycle of creation and destruction.", "As a forge radiates heat in the area around it, Purphoros's influence provides inspiration to mortals. He makes exquisitely crafted objects almost constantly, sometimes absentmindedly working while he holds conversations with the other gods, only to destroy the finished product and begin again. Impulsive and mercurial, Purphoros is prone to bouts of either joyous productivity or frustrated anger. He often feels constrained by the limits of imagination, yearning to realize ideas that seem just out of reach.", "Purphoros's preferred form is that of a muscular man whose coal-hued skin is mostly covered in mutable organic bronze. He might also appear in the form of a fiery phoenix or a bull made of cooling lava, and for that reason, both of those creatures are associated with him. When angered, he might appear as an enormous mass of lava, a blazing fire, or a volcanic eruption. Mortals who see Purphoros in one of those forms seldom live to tell about it.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Purphoros's Influence", "entries": [ "The raw creative force that Purphoros embodies is chaotic, but Purphoros isn't a god of unbridled chaos. Rather, he shows mortals how to harness that primal energy, shaping it through passion and labor into something usable.", "Purphoros is primarily associated with forging, metallurgy, and related activities. It was his followers who first brought bronze to Theros, and a few of his most favored have begun working with a new metal\u2014iron\u2014said to come directly from their god's forge-fires.", "Though Purphoros is largely interested in physical craft, he has influence over all forms of creation. Keranos also inspires new ideas, but it is Purphoros who oversees the advancement of the craft that brings these ideas to life in the world.", "Purphoros is always ready to obliterate what is to make room for what could be, and to start the cycle again when what could be becomes what is. When he is inspired, the night sky glitters with new constellations, and anvilwrought creatures appear in the countryside. When he is wrathful, stars vanish in molten rain, and his hammer blows annihilate whole mountaintops.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Purphoros's Goals", "entries": [ "Purphoros acts not because of grand plans or high ideals, but on the whims of his restless, creative mind. On the rare occasions when he contemplates what he would do if he were ascendant in the pantheon, his most fervent wish is to be left alone. To Purphoros, that would mean spending time by himself in his forge, creating anything he desires. But it also would mean being free to uproot mountains, topple cities, and reroute rivers without any of the other gods interfering." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Purphoros has few strong relationships with his fellow gods, considering most of them arrogant ingrates. According to legend, it was he who created the weapons of the gods, asking nothing in return. But his infrequent though memorable bouts of destructive fury have earned him more ill will in the pantheon than he realizes.", "Heliod despises Purphoros's unpredictable impulses even as he envies the forge god's ability to create grand works. Purphoros resents Heliod's attempts to impose laws that constrain the passion of creation. In many ways, the two gods represent opposing approaches to the contradictions and challenges of mortal life, and they have more than once fought titanic battles in Nyx.", "Thassa is Purphoros's closest ally in the pantheon. Imbued as she is with the malleable, quenching power of water, she knows that he can neither destroy her waves nor reforge them. Because she has no fear of him, she treats him as a friend. Purphoros frequently makes wondrous gifts for Thassa, and her underwater palace holds countless unique creations of the god of the forge.", "Purphoros holds Kruphix in contempt for hobbling his mind after he engaged in a particularly destructive battle with Heliod. The forge god spent years addled and incomplete. He has since recovered his faculties, but he mourns the things he might have made during that lost time. Taking revenge on Kruphix would require careful planning, however, and Purphoros is unlikely to undertake such an effort unless another god goads him into it.", "Ephara and Karametra are, like Purphoros, deeply involved in the project of civilization. Purphoros's desire to overturn the established order with violence stands in stark contrast to their measured ways. As a result, Purphoros stands aloof from them." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Purphoros", "entries": [ "Purphoros holds dominion over everything that springs from mortal ingenuity. Most artisans say a small prayer to him upon beginning or completing the construction of nearly anything, from swords to fortresses to ships.", "Naturally, Purphoros is strongly associated with the forge, and nearly every smithy on Theros is a sort of ad hoc temple to him. Charms and idols of Purphoros hang from the walls in such places, intended both to inspire the artisans and protect them against accidents. Regardless of their professions, worshipers of Purphoros often light small fires in the god's honor, burning wooden crafts or drawings of their inventions to gain his favor.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/051-02-17.webp" }, "credit": "Eric Deschamps" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Purphoros", "entries": [ "The myths about Purphoros revolve around one of two themes: his wonderful creations or his explosive anger.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "The Gift of Bronze", "entry": "Long ago, mortals on Theros fought and hunted using weapons made of stone and wood. According to legend, it was a satyr smith named Tecton who discovered how to refine copper ore and work it into tools and weapons. Purphoros, delighted, saw this as the mortals' first tentative steps toward true craft. Some smiths, hastily copying Tecton's methods, devised a way to blend copper and arsenic into a crude form of bronze, but the forging method was dangerous and often yielded defective results." } ] }, "To reward the smith who took the first steps, Purphoros appeared to Tecton and granted the satyr the secret of smelting copper and tin into true bronze. The manufacture and use of bronze weapons spread across Theros, launching an age in which heroes conquered the wilds and founded great civilizations. Bronze is still the most used metal on Theros\u2014and will remain so, at least until Purphoros decides that more than a few are ready for the secret of iron.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Purphoros's Twin", "entry": "When the world was young, Purphoros was jealous of Iroas and Mogis and wanted a twin of his own. He created Petros, a Nyxborn double of himself crafted of divine bronze with a touch of mortal flesh. Petros aged as the eons passed, and Purphoros was forced to patch cracks with strips of bronze and refill the vessel of his Nyxborn twin. Petros lacks the spark of true life, though, and can't speak. He toils day and night in Purphoros's forge, making wonders that would shame any mortal smith but can never match Purphoros's work in beauty or originality." }, { "type": "item", "name": "The Stone Winter", "entry": "In Theros's earliest days, the people vociferously honored Heliod, Nylea, and Thassa for the comforts of nature. Gradually, Purphoros grew bitter that mortals never acknowledged his flames, which kept the earth warm and fertile. So, Purphoros quenched the world's core. For a year, a lifeless winter gripped the world, with neither the sun nor the seasons warming the corpse-chill earth. Ultimately, it was the mortal engineer Chersio who brought about the winter's end. Instead of cursing the situation, Chersio sought a solution, creating a hypocaust system to bring warmth to her community. Delighted with the innovation, Purphoros waited until Chersio completed and lit her substructure furnace. When she did, the god returned warmth to the entire world. Today, an autumnal festival called the Kindling or the Forge-Lighting (the Chalcanapsion) lends its name to the seventh month in the Meletian calendar. During this festival, worshipers keep a bonfire burning from sundown to sunrise, acknowledging that Purphoros warms the earth and makes the harvest possible." } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Purphoros's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually chaotic, often neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Barbarian, bard, cleric, fighter, sorcerer" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Forge (described in {@book Xanathar's Guide to Everything|XGE}), Knowledge" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, entertainer, guild artisan", "Most champions of Purphoros are unswerving advocates of passion and creativity who change the world by doing what they believe is right in the moment." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Purphoros's Favor", "entries": [ "Purphoros is notoriously impulsive, often selecting champions based on momentary whims. Despite this seemingly blasé attitude, he is dedicated to all his champions, no matter how they came into his service.", "What made the forge god turn his attention to you? What set you apart from the masses of people who offer him prayers and sacrifice? What whim came over him that made you the perfect choice in the moment he tapped you? The Purphoros's Favor table offers a handful of suggestions.", "Purphoros's mood is highly changeable, and having his favor doesn't always mean having his attention. But if you follow your passions and do what you believe is right, he will stay true to you as well.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Purphoros's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Mount Velus erupted at the moment of your birth, signifying Purphoros's blessing of the event." ], [ "2", "As a young artist, you breathed the intoxicating fumes of a volcano and found mystical inspiration." ], [ "3", "You are an artisan who crafted a work of such high quality that Purphoros took notice." ], [ "4", "After you were orphaned by a fire at your parents' forge, Purphoros took you under his protection." ], [ "5", "Your parent or mentor was a master artisan, and you also yearn to create something worthy of a god's attention." ], [ "6", "As a reckless youth, you joined a group of young artists and rabble-rousers who sought to tear down the established order in Purphoros's name." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Purphoros", "entries": [ "Purphoros encourages freedom and self-expression, so it is only natural that his champions follow him for many different reasons. As a follower of Purphoros, consider the ideals on the Purphoros's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Purphoros's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Passion. I will follow my heart and help others do the same. (Chaotic)" ], [ "3", "Aspiration. With Purphoros's blessing, I will create something magnificent. (Any)" ], [ "4", "Change. The old must be swept away to make room for the new. (Chaotic)" ], [ "5", "Generosity. I want to create things that will enrich the world. (Good)" ], [ "6", "Rage. I follow my passions, no matter how dark they might seem to others. (Evil)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Purphoros when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Fighting against those who would rule over others", "Taking decisive action on impulse", "Destroying something that has outlived its usefulness", "Creating something wondrous in Purphoros's name" ] }, "Your piety score to Purphoros decreases if you diminish Purphoros's influence in the world, work against freedom or self-expression, or allow tyranny to take hold through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Following an unjust law despite your misgivings", "Creating something shoddy or flawed", "Backing down from a fight or a contest" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Purphoros's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Purphoros's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Purphoros's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Forge|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Quajath", "source": "EGW", "page": 32, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "the Undermaw", "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Nature", "War" ], "province": "The Fiend, the Great Old One", "symbol": "Ring of teeth", "entries": [ "The mystery of whether Quajath is a creation or the direct progeny of Torog is unknown, but the deranged, gargantuan worm creature that scouted the Crawling King's advances in the Calamity was thought to have been slain in the ferocious final battles. Leaving a sizable portion of its wounded body behind, a slimy fragment of Quajath burrowed deep beneath the surface and slumbered in the cold earth beneath Eiselcross to recover and regrow. When the Undermaw attempted to rise once more, the elemental ice of Eiselcross proved too strong, and Quajath remains entombed within the frozen north to this day.", "Some of the wildfolk of Eiselcross have discovered an exposed segment of the Tomb of the Worm, and after generations of feeding on its eternally regrowing flesh, the will of the Undermaw has suffused their minds. Some of these wormkin now wander the world as vessels of Quajath's primal drive and alien mind, helping him psychically reach those whose shattered minds can find purpose in following Quajath, taking its gifts of raw magic and fractured secrets. They seek to one day return and free it from its icy prison.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Quajath's recovered body resembles a monstrous, muscular worm of folded, bulbous skin covered in tooth-like scales. Its jagged mouth is surrounded by a ring of pointed teeth, with a thrice-forked tongue bearing its three ivory eyes." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Raei", "source": "EGW", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "the Everlight", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "province": "Atonement, compassion", "symbol": "Humanoid, feminine phoenix", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Raei.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "God of atonement and compassion, Raei spreads the message of understanding and optimism in even the darkest of places. She believes that the corrupt can be redeemed, a mindset that led to a betrayal by the Lord of the Nine Hells, who decimated her followers during the Calamity. This misplaced trust caused many priests to strike her name from historical records, leaving her title and faith scattered to obscurity for much of the recent age. Only recently has her faith been rediscovered and her temples returned to prominence. The Everlight's followers are often rural healers and community philosophers, offering a voice of reason and empathy in angry and cynical times.", "Raei guides her people from within her temple beside the crystal beaches of the Island of Renewal, a hidden sanctuary of flame alongside the Blessed Fields of Elysium.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Those who bring the Everlight's words back to the light unearth her image from ruined temples, or create new art to inspire others with her message. Raei is represented as a beautiful, strong woman with dark skin and light hair, rising betwixt a set of angelic ivory wings." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "The Everlight's holy day has been long forgotten, and her followers have yet to decide when her festival should be held and what the festivities should be. The debate has gone on for years, and no great miracles have yet been performed to unify the squabbling clerics." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Raei", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Lead with mercy, patience, and compassion. Inspire others to unite in fellowship.", "Aid those who are without guidance. Heal those who are without hope.", "Those who are beyond redemption, who revel in slaughter and remorseless evil, must be dispatched with swift justice." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Ralishaz", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of ill luck and insanity", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Three bone fate-casting sticks" }, { "name": "Ralishaz", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Unlooked For", "worshipers": "Gamblers", "plane": "Limbo", "symbol": "Three bone fate-casting sticks" }, { "name": "Rao", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 33 } ], "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of peace and reason", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Peace" ], "symbol": "White heart" }, { "name": "Rao", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Mediator", "worshipers": "Mediators, sages, scientists", "plane": "Mount Celestia", "symbol": "White heart" }, { "name": "Raven Queen", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of death", "domains": [ "Life", "Death" ], "symbol": "Raven's head, in profile, facing left" }, { "name": "Re-Horakhty", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of the sun, ruler of the gods", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Solar disk encircled by serpent" }, { "name": "Rellavar Danuvien", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "province": "Winter, harsh weather", "symbol": "Spear between two circles" }, { "name": "Reorx", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 16, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Craft", "symbol": "Forging hammer", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/014-00-039.o-neutral-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Reorx, Shinare, and Sirrion", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Reorx is the god of creation, inspiration, and artisanship, credited with creating the gnomes, dwarves, kender, and even Krynn itself. He invents new things that alter the world and spur its people to action." ] }, { "name": "Reorx", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 18 } ], "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of craft", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Forging hammer" }, { "name": "Rill Cleverthrush", "source": "MTF", "page": 110, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "province": "Law, thought", "symbol": "Interlocking gears" }, { "name": "Rillifane Rallathil", "source": "MTF", "page": 46, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "province": "Nature, beasts, the seasons", "symbol": "Oak", "entries": [ "Like the other elven deities, Rillifane Rallathil was once a primal elf sprung from droplets of Corellon's blood. The original primal elves-and indeed, Corellon himself-have no \"true form.\" Their common, elf-like portrayals are a convenience adopted after the elves took on permanent humanoid form.", "When the other elven deities decided on humanoid forms, Rillifane took a different approach. He took as his principal form that of an enormous oak tree, taller and wider than any other. Its roots are so deep and far-reaching that they touch the roots of every other plant in the world, or so it's said. Through this network of tendrils, Rillifane remains aware of everything that happens in the forest.", "When he chooses to travel to other planes and worlds, Rillifane takes the appearance of an uncommonly tall and strong wood elf with dark skin, handsome features, and twigs and leaves protruding from his hair.", "In either guise, his main concerns are the welfare of forests and prairies, the passing of the seasons, and the lives of beasts. Most of his followers and priests are elf druids. They're just as insular and secretive as any other druids, which means their motives are often not clear to those around them.", "Energetic debates have been held over whether Rillifane's oak tree exists only on Arvandor; has roots that extend to all worlds; is duplicated fully on every world that has plant life; or is only a metaphor for Rillifane's deep connection to nature. A growing sentiment among Rillifane's druids holds that the correct answer is \"All of the above or none of the above, depending on Rillifane's mood.\"", { "type": "entries", "name": "Roots Run Deep", "entries": [ "Ancient trees are almost always incorporated into shrines to Rillifane Rallathil. Many forests in elven lands have sacred groves where such trees stand as silent witnesses to the events of the world. At the base of such a tree, amid its immense, gnarled roots, the druids of Rillifane place their offerings. Carvings of animals, golden acorns, snowdrops, and sprigs of holly or witch hazel are all common offerings to the god of the passing seasons and the beasts of the forest. Often a shrine to Rillifane contains resting places where one can bend knee and meditate at the base of the great tree." ] }, "The druids of Rillifane consider trees to be symbolic of the connection between the mental and the physical, between what is illuminated and what remains mysterious. Trunks and branches reach high into the expanse of the mind and the realm of revelation, while roots sink deep, anchoring themselves in the known and enwrapping what remains hidden. When Rillifane's druids meditate at the site of a great tree, they can receive visions that afford them a new way of seeing the world. Often these flashes compel the devotee to undertake a quest to bring balance to the natural order by delivering a vital message or completing some other task." ] }, { "name": "Rillifane Rallathil", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Wood elf god of nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Oak" }, { "name": "Rillifane Rallathil", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Oak" }, { "name": "Roknar", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Lies, intrigue", "symbol": "Hands filled with coins" }, { "name": "Sargonnas", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 19, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Fire, vengeance", "symbol": "Stylized red condor", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/017-00-040.o-evil-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Morgion, Nuitari, and Sargonnas", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Sargonnas is the unpredictable god of flame, vengeance, and wrath. Though he's a consort to Takhisis, he schemes against her as often as he fights on her behalf. He is worshiped by those who seek retribution. His true form is that of a monstrous minotaur, and many minotaurs revere him under the name Sargas." ] }, { "name": "Sargonnas", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of vengeance and fire", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Stylized red condor" }, { "name": "Sarula Iliene", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Tempest", "Trickery" ], "province": "Lakes, streams", "symbol": "Three lines symbolizing waves" }, { "name": "Savras", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of divination and fate", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Crystal ball containing many kinds of eyes" }, { "name": "Savras", "altNames": [ "The All-Seeing", "The Third Eye", "Divination's Lord" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of divination and fate", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Crystal ball containing many kinds of eyes", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Savras.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Savras is a god of divination and fortunetelling. Few people worship him, but many pray to him when performing small rituals of foresight. For example, young men and women sometimes attempt to divine the names of their future spouses by saying a rhyming chant that calls upon Savras while gazing in a mirror.", "Savras has no currently active temples in Faerûn, and his shrines are few and far between, tucked away in the corners of libraries and scriptoria. Despite this lack of prominence, certain folk pay regular homage to Savras, including investigators, diviners, judges, and others who have a need to uncover the truth. Such individuals can sometimes be identified by the elaborate staffs they carry in homage to Savras. According to legend, Savras was trapped in Azuth's staff for ages. Azuth eventually freed Savras so long as Savras swore fealty, and today the staff is a potent symbol for those who revere Savras. Devout worshipers take great pains to decorate and embellish their staffs, each hoping that Savras might find it a welcoming place to stop for a time." ] }, { "name": "Segojan Earthcaller", "source": "MTF", "page": 112, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "domains": [ "Grave", "Light" ], "province": "Earth, the dead", "symbol": "Glowing gemstone", "entries": [ "The gnomes know Segojan Earthcaller as a kind, modest hero. He is said to be the best cook among the gnome gods and to have the power to heal any sickness, because he knows the medicinal and culinary uses of every creature and plant that lives underground. During the misadventures of the gnome pantheon, Segojan contributes to the group through his healing abilities and the restorative power of his meals, and on many occasions the other gnome gods call upon him to use his ability to burrow through any substance.", "Forest gnomes believe that their ability to speak with burrowing animals comes from Segojan. All gnomes see Segojan as a healer of the sick and a protector of the hearth. He is also revered in his role as a guide for gnomish souls after death, as long as the body is buried before worms claim it. If a gnome's body isn't entrusted to Segojan by interring it, the soul is forced to find its own way to the afterlife." ] }, { "name": "Segojan Earthcaller", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "God of earth and the dead", "domains": [ "Light" ], "symbol": "Glowing gemstone" }, { "name": "Sehanine", "reprintAlias": "Sehanine Moonbow", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of the moon", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Crescent moon" }, { "name": "Sehanine", "reprintAlias": "The Moonweaver", "source": "EGW", "page": 25, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "the Moon Weaver", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Illusion, moonlight, night", "symbol": "Crescent moon turned upward, strung like a bow", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Sehanine.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Sehanine is the god of moonlight and the autumn season, as well as the patron of illusions and misdirection. Widely worshiped in halfling and elven cultures, she is considered to be the deity of love, protecting the trysts of lovers with shadows of her own making. Those who work in darkness and trickery often ask for her blessing.", "Sehanine is found among the verdant tangles of the realm of Arborea, watching over the elven courts, or wandering among the colorful fields of the Feywild.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "The Moon Weaver's depictions are as numerous as the myths and stories of her meddling with the unions of mortals. She is most often painted as a young girl with light-blue skin and white hair, her body and limbs merely wavy silk strands of silver moonlight that caress and create the edges of the shadows around her." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "Sehanine has no holy day but is celebrated by the elves on the night of the decade's largest full moon. Elven astronomers track the moon's phases and how it grows closer and farther to Exandria to predict these days with great accuracy. Many haughty elves use this festival as an excuse to be sly and mischievous, while younger elves use costumes and illusions to prank their peers. Some elves of Bysaes Tyl hold a secret festival in the Pearlbow Wilderness during the full moon, since the Dwendalian Empire doesn't allow worship of the Moon Weaver." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Sehanine", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Seize your own destiny by pursuing your passions.", "Let the shadows protect you from the burning light of fanatical good and the absolute darkness of evil.", "Walk unbridled and untethered, forging new memories and experiences." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Sehanine Moonbow", "source": "MTF", "page": 46, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Grave", "Knowledge", "Light" ], "province": "Dreams, death, travel", "symbol": "Full moon under a moonbow", "entries": [ "Sehanine is Corellon's beloved; Corellon is Sehanine's creator. Sehanine is Corellon's shadow; Corellon is Sehanine's reflection. Sehanine is the moon; Corellon is the moon's crescent. Sehanine is the night sky; Corellon is the sun and all the stars.", "No god of the Seldarine is as intertwined with Corellon or presents so many paradoxes for worshipers to unravel, but this role befits Sehanine, for she is a god of mysteries as much as anything else. Many non-elves find it easiest to think of Sehanine as the companion of Corellon and the god of the moon, but to elves she is much more than that. The moon passes from one phase to the next, and Sehanine watches over all such cycles, be it from season to season or cradle to grave. She is midwife to elf mothers, ushering souls into the world. She is also thought to stand beside dying elves, to greet their departing spirits and set them on the path to Arvandor. Sehanine serves as patron of the lost and any who travel, as well as those who seek meaning. Elves beseech her to provide relief from madness, and they mark her symbol on graves and tombs to invoke her protection of the dead. In these comforting aspects, Sehanine is often imagined as a willowy, gentle male elf with shining eyes that reveal both melancholy and tenderness in their gaze when depicted alongside his beloved Corellon.", "In stories of the Seldarine, Sehanine is Corellon's steadfast companion, the one being who can persuade Corellon to pause and reflect rather than allow his emotions to rule him. Corellon can be resplendent with joy or shaking with anger, but a word or a look from Sehanine is enough to check or subtly alter Corellon's mood and behavior, redirecting the god to a less extreme course of action. Some elven legends treat Sehanine as Corellon's spouse or as a favored child, but other stories hint at a deeper truth. They say Sehanine was formed from the first drop of blood spilled from Corellon's body, and so she reminds Corellon that even as a divine being, he can be harmed.", "Sehanine's priests often seek her guidance by entering into a state of true sleep and sifting through their dreams for signs. But Sehanine has another way of sending messages to the elves of the world. The crescent-shaped cataracts that appear in the eyes of an elderly elf at Transcendence are symbolic of the moonbow, an astronomical phenomenon with which she is associated. It appears in the night sky above the moon as a luminous arc of refracted light, no brighter than the moon itself. Only elves and some half-elves can perceive this sign, for it is meant only for Corellon's people. What it signifies depends on the phase of the moon. Above a full moon, when it is most often detected, it means that an elf of great importance and advanced age will soon journey to Arvandor. Elves who see the sign might be compelled to seek out this individual to commune with and learn from before the elder departs the world. The moonbow appearing above the moon during its other phases can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the season and the timing of its appearance. A moonbow appearing above a new moon is the most dreaded sign, for it is said to signal a coming period of great upheaval and many deaths.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Lunar Worship", "entries": [ "Temples to Sehanine Moonbow are almost always aligned with the heavens to enable the priests to track the motion and phases of the moon. The sleeping quarters of the priests are positioned such that a shaft of light from the full moon falls on them while they are sleeping, and this silver light of Sehanine can influence their dreams and impart messages to them.", "Offerings to Sehanine are mostly made from silver, often shaped in a way that is reminiscent of the full moon. Cups, bowls, cloak pins, and plates of silver are found at her shrines, as well as those dedicated to the Seldarine collectively. The weapons and gear used by her followers, such as silver arrowheads, knife blades, and wooden shields, are often decorated with a stylized image of Sehanine's eye with rays coming out of it-a warning to the elves' enemies that Sehanine's gaze has fallen upon them." ] } ] }, { "name": "Sehanine Moonbow", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Elf goddess of the moon", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Crescent moon" }, { "name": "Sehanine Moonbow", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of divination, dreams, travel, and death", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Full moon under a moonbow" }, { "name": "Sekolah", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Sahuagin god of the hunt", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Shark" }, { "name": "Selvetarm", "source": "MTF", "page": 54, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Warriors, slaughter", "symbol": "Spider over crossed sword and mace", "entries": [ "Drow regard Selvetarm as the Champion of Lolth and the patron of drow warriors. He is portrayed as an eight-armed drow that represents the epitome of fighting prowess. But Lolth rarely looses her champion to do her bidding, keeping him snared by unbreakable webs that she removes only in times of direst need.", "The dark elves believe that Selvetarm walked in solitude for many centuries, spurning both Lolth and Corellon, for he was not wholly given over to evil but neither was he fully aligned with the forces of light. Eventually his path crossed that of Eilistraee, and he began to appreciate the goodness of the Dark Maiden, as exhibited in her teachings and deeds. By aiding in Selvetarm's redemption, Eilistraee hoped to begin to heal the breach between drow and the Seldarine. That hope was dashed, however, by the insidious plotting of Lolth.", "The Queen of Spiders had long resented the existence of Zanassu, a minor demon lord that competed with her for divine authority over spiders. She hated almost as much the possibility of Eilistraee's winning an ally among the drow pantheon. A prime opportunity arose when the spider demon lost much of its power in a conflict on the Material Plane. Lolth convinced Selvetarm to destroy Zanassu in its depleted state and seize the spider demon's burgeoning divine power. She did so by suggesting to Selvetarm that a victory would win him favor in the eyes of Eilistraee, whom he greatly admired. But when Selvetarm prevailed in battle over the spider demon, the wholly evil and chaotic nature of the divine power he absorbed overwhelmed Selvetarm's innate goodness and weakened him enough that the Spider Queen could bound his will tightly to her own.", "Enraged by Lolth's duplicity, Selvetarm is an engine of destruction, an eight-limbed maestro of slaughter. If allowed to operate unchecked, he could rend his way through an entire drow city in a berserk rage. Keeping him restrained is one of the few acts of Lolth that can be described as merciful.", "Because of his status as a captive, Selvetarm draws little attention from drow of high status. Low-caste drow warriors who are themselves slaves or indentured servants, or who have no chance to rise in rank, can beseech Selvetarm for prowess in battle without suffering any shame. Anyone of high standing or who hopes to attain high standing shies away from openly expressing reverence for Selvetarm, though such an individual might still beg his aid privately." ] }, { "name": "Selvetarm", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of warriors", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Spider over crossed sword-and-mace" }, { "name": "Selûne", "altNames": [ "The Moonmaiden", "The Night White Lady", "Our Lady of Silver" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 119, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of the moon", "worshipers": "Lycanthropes, sailors, spellcasters", "plane": "Ysgard (Ysgard)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Selune.webp" }, "credit": "Swatches Studio", "width": 850, "height": 769 }, "entries": [ "Selûne is a god of the moon, and she is among the most ancient of Faerûn's deities. People in Faerûn consider the moon to literally be the god gazing down on the world, and the trailing motes of light behind it her tears. She is also a god of stars, navigation, and motherhood.", "Selûne appears as a woman of varying ages. She sometimes changes slowly before an onlooker's gaze, passing through the phases of aging as the moon transitions through its cycle. In any form, she emits the silvery-blue glow of the brightest full moon. When she sends an emissary to mortals, she sends an {@creature Owl|XMM} or other night bird, a moonlight-hued {@creature Planetar|XMM}, or a benevolent lycanthrope, commonly a {@creature Werebear|XMM}. Lycanthropes are said to be blessed by Selûne.", "The principal legend about Selûne recounts the battle at the beginning of time between Selûne and her sister, Shar. The Tears of Selûne, the cluster of starry lights that follow the moon around the sky, are said to be the result of her joy, sorrow, or both.", "Selûne is venerated by navigators, sailors, those who work at night, those seeking protection in the dark, the lost, and the questing. Temples to the Moonmaiden include a series of windows that reveal the moon in the night sky at various positions and in different phases throughout the year.", "Selûne's rites include trances and meditation. Those who favor her set a bowl of milk outside on each night of the full moon.", "Chosen of Selûne step into danger to light the way through darkness. A select few of her Chosen can create moonfire, a mysterious substance that grants magical power to objects or people.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Swords of the Lady", "entries": [ "The Swords of the Lady is an order of knights devoted to Selûne. Swords are known for an incongruously jovial, even joking, nature, as well as for their unpredictable tactics in battle. The order welcomes those who contemplate the moon and her lessons. The Swords of the Lady eagerly seeks out and recruit arcane spellcasters who were born under a full moon.", "Individuals seeking to join the Swords of the Lady are welcomed as Slivers, referring to the first glint of light following the dark of a new moon. Slivers learn the unorthodox manner in which Swords carry out their duty and are encouraged to improvise, use their surroundings, and otherwise employ change and surprise when facing enemies of the Lady.", "Once a Sliver has proven worthy in the eyes of their comrades and superiors, the initiate undergoes a vigil held under a waxing half-moon, symbolizing the way in which the new knight's commitment and responsibility has grown. The knight receives their vestments: a tabard, cloak, and cloth mask of gleaming white fabric stitched with silver. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must also have a Renown Score of 3+ with the Swords of the Lady to be knighted.)", "Thereafter, the new Sword trains in battle skills, learning a smattering of divine or arcane magic. Swords of the Lady wield both magic and steel to confound their enemies and glorify the Moonmaiden. Swords receive a free Comfortable lifestyle at the organization's holdings. If they demonstrate legitimate need, Swords can secure silvered weaponry on loan or buy these weapons for half their normal price. In times of crisis, a knight can call on a friendly lycanthrope to aid the fight against Selûne's enemies.", "The Swords of the Lady sets itself against the children of Shar. The order also finds bitter enemies in the followers of Mask, god of thieves, as well as Umberlee for her callous endangerment of sailors on night seas. They find allies in the followers of Lathander, Mystra, and Sune." ] } ] }, { "name": "Selûne", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of the moon", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Pair of eyes surrounded by seven stars" }, { "name": "Selûne", "altNames": [ "Our Lady of Silver", "The Moonmaiden", "The Night White Lady" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of the moon", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Pair of eyes surrounded by seven stars", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Selune.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Selûne is thought to be among the most ancient of Faerûn's deities. Most humans in Faerûn consider the moon in the sky to literally be the goddess gazing down on the world, and the trailing motes of light behind it her tears. She is also a goddess of stars and navigation as well as motherhood and reproductive cycles. She is seen as a calm power, frequently venerated by female humans as well as by a mix of other folk: navigators and sailors, those who work honestly at night, those seeking protection in the dark, the lost, and the questing.", "There are many legends about Selûne, chief among them being the tale of the battle at the beginning of time between Selûne and her sister, Shar. The Tears of Selûne, the cluster of starry lights that follow the moon around the sky, are thought to be brought about by the goddess's joy, sorrow, or both.", "Milk, a symbol of motherhood, is used in many rites performed by the worshipers of Selûne, as are trances and meditation. Those who favor her typically set a bowl of milk outside on each night of the full moon." ] }, { "name": "Semuanya", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Lizardfolk deity of survival", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Egg" }, { "name": "Set", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of darkness and desert storms", "domains": [ "Death", "Tempest", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Coiled cobra" }, { "name": "Shar", "altNames": [ "The Mistress of the Night", "The Dark Lady", "Our Lady of Loss" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 120, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of darkness and loss", "worshipers": "Anyone suffering pain or loss", "plane": "Hades (Niflheim)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Shar.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 850 }, "entries": [ "The dark twin of Selûne, Shar is a god of darkness, both in its physical form and as it exists in the minds and souls of mortals. People worship Shar as the god of night, secrets, loss, and forgetfulness. She represents hidden pain and vengeances hidden from the light. She has the power to make individuals forget their pain or become inured to a loss, and people in distress pray to Shar for this blessing.", "Shar appears as a lithe dancer with skin like a black night set with glittering stars, or as a mysterious woman clad in swirling, black robes. In her guise as the dancer, she is charismatic and magnetic, and in her dark-robed form foreboding and haunting. Rarely, she appears as a black sphere limned in swaying, purple flames, like a strange solar eclipse. She appears to mortals in dreams, or she sends a {@creature Death Tyrant|XMM} or {@creature Shadow|XMM} as an emissary.", "Shar is revered by those who venture into dark places, such as miners, as well as by those who fall into melancholy and despair, who wish to forget something, or who wish to recover something lost. Priests who serve Shar nurture their own deep wounds or dark secrets, which in their minds makes them best suited to console those who suffer from a similar ill. Followers of Shar have carried out many dark deeds in her name, and the Shadovar of {@book Anauroch|FRHoF|2|Anauroch} is an entire society dedicated to her. The tragedies and losses brought about by her followers have caused realms to outlaw her worship, driving her priests into secrecy. Such prohibitions only heighten the priests' umbrage toward authorities and make the faithful a focal point for rebellion and revenge against whoever rules.", "Chosen of Shar forget who they once were and know only who Shar has made them into. She delights in taking followers from her rivals or from otherwise happy lives and breaking them down until they forget their past, remembering only devotion to the Mistress of the Night.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Order of the Dark Moon", "entries": [ "Shar's Order of the Dark Moon studies darkness, deception, stealth, assassination, and espionage. Monks, Rogues, Sorcerers, grim Rangers, and other characters who seek to cast away their grief into Shar's blissful forgetfulness are welcomed into the order.", "Prospective members don't approach the Dark Moon; instead, the order notes a candidate's reputations and deeds, then approaches the potential initiate, offering them succor for their anguish or a way to indulge their darker impulses. Once inducted, the initiate is called a Wanderer\u2014one who searches the darkness. Wanderers are subjected to lessons woven with enchantment magic designed to mold them into spies and weapons. These enchantments cause a Wanderer to doubt their memories and their identity, replacing the candidate's fractured bits of self with a new personality befitting Shar's service.", "Once a Wanderer has proved their loyalty and devotion to the cause, they undergo a midnight ceremony and are anointed a Dark Sibling. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must also have a Renown Score of 3+ with the Order of the Dark Moon to be inducted.)", "The Dark Sibling learns the crafts of subtle strikes, deception, and ambush through skill and magic. Dark Siblings receive a free Comfortable lifestyle at any holding of Shar's faith. Those ordained into the Dark Moon secure assistance hiding their identity, such as disguises, magical assistance, or forged or stolen credentials useful for travels and on missions.", "Despite the enveloping nature of the Order of the Dark Moon, a Wanderer can reclaim bits of who they once were. Such a soul is faced with a difficult path to rebuild their true self or forge a new identity of their own devising while struggling to avoid Shar's clutches.", "Selûne is the bitter rival of Shar, and the Order of the Dark Moon frequently works against Selûne's militant orders and priests. The order finds allies in the cult of the death god Myrkul." ] } ] }, { "name": "Shar", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of darkness and loss", "domains": [ "Death", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black disk encircled with a border" }, { "name": "Shar", "altNames": [ "The Mistress of the Night", "The Dark Lady", "Our Lady of Loss" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of darkness and loss", "domains": [ "Death", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black disk encircled with a purple border", "entries": [ "The dark twin of Selûne, Shar is the goddess of darkness, both in its physical form and as it exists in the minds and souls of mortals. People worship Shar as the goddess of night, secrets, loss, and forgetfulness. She represents pains hidden but not forgotten, and vengeances carefully nurtured away from the light. She is said to have the power to make folk forget their pain or become inured to a loss, and many people in distress pray to Shar for such a blessing.", "Shar is revered by those who must venture into dark places and so pray to her for protection, such as miners, as well as by those who have fallen into melancholy and despair, who wish to forget something, or who have lost something and wish to recover it. Priests drawn to serve Shar often nurture their own deep wounds or dark secrets, which in their minds makes them best suited to console those who suffer from a similar ill. Throughout the world's history, many followers of Shar have done dark deeds in her name - most notably the shadovar of Netheril, an entire society dedicated to Shar. The tragedies and losses brought about by the fanaticism of her followers have caused many places to outlaw her worship and thus driven most of her priests into secrecy, but such prohibitions only heighten the priests' umbrage at authorities and make the faithful a focal point for rebellion and revenge against whoever rules." ] }, { "name": "Shargaas", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Orc", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of stealth and darkness", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Red crescent moon with a skull between the moon's horns" }, { "name": "Shargaas", "source": "VGM", "page": 84, "_copy": { "name": "Shargaas", "source": "SCAG", "pantheon": "Orc" }, "pantheon": "Orc", "customExtensionOf": "Shargaas|Orc|SCAG", "title": "the Night Lord", "entries": [ "Shargaas is a god of darkness and the unknown. He is a secretive and murderous deity, dangerous to all except Gruumsh. His realm is the darkness that no creatures but those devoted to him can see through.", "To other orcs, the followers of Shargaas are depraved and twisted creatures that have no honor and skulk in the shadows. Rejected by Yurtrus as too unsuitable to serve as custodians of the dead, these orcs live even deeper inside the lair, close to where the entrance to Shargaas's realm is located. There in the darkness, orcs exiled to meet their fate are either brought into the fold as members of the tribe's Shargaas cult, or are torn to pieces and devoured as sacrificial tributes by the worshipers of the Night Lord.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Culling the Weak", "entries": [ "Although most followers of Shargaas are exiles, living in the farthest reaches of the lair away from the rest of the tribe, others remain within the main body, posing as ordinary warriors. These agents single out the weakest members of the fighting force, because removing these weak links strengthens the rest of the group. Soon after being born, an orc must be able to show that it will grow into a capable warrior, or else it will be visited by the cultists of Shargaas. The cultists also waylay orcs that have proved themselves ineffectual in leadership or combat, then drag them into Shargaas's dark caverns to be ritually murdered and devoured.", "This culling of the weak and the unworthy is accepted as necessary by the tribe, but speaking about it is taboo. Those that disappear are simply said to be \"with Shargaas\" and are spoken of no more." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Alliance of Convenience", "entries": [ "When faced with a particularly skilled foe able to withstand direct assaults, a war chief might call upon the cultists of Shargaas to assassinate an enemy leader, kidnap an influential hostage, or steal a valuable item.", "Gruumsh doesn't always look kindly on acts of subterfuge and indirectness, because orcs are meant to take and do what they want through straightforward assault and brutality. Nonetheless, when the chief seeks the aid of Shargaas to accomplish such a task, the leader of the cult is willing to comply-for a price. In exchange for its less than honorable services, the leader will strike a deal with the war chief to provide food, tools, slaves, or some other commodity that the cult prizes." ] } ] }, { "name": "Sharindlar", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Life" ], "province": "Healing, love", "symbol": "Burning needle" }, { "name": "Sharindlar", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of healing", "domains": [ "Life" ], "symbol": "Burning needle" }, { "name": "Shaundakul", "altNames": [ "The Rider of the Winds", "The Helping Hand" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 121, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of travel", "worshipers": "Guides, explorers, Rangers, travelers", "plane": "Ysgard (Ysgard)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Shaundakul.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 1565 }, "entries": [ "Shaundakul is a god of journeys and travelers. Both mundane and magical means of travel fall under his sphere of influence. Though the heyday of his worship has long since passed, the Rider of the Winds still leaves his mark on Faerûn via rare portal-shrines dotted across the continent.", "Shaundakul is an ancient deity, but his worship dwindled in the aftermath of the fall of Myth Drannor, where his chief temple was located. A small but dedicated contingent of scattered priests carries on his faith. Shaundakul communicates with these remaining followers by manifesting as an elderly voice carried on a crisp zephyr.", "Travelers pray to Shaundakul before embarking on long treks. Spellcasters invoke his name while casting the {@spell Teleport|XPHB} spell in the hope that he will take them safely to their desired destination. Apart from such brief invocations, lay worship of Shaundakul is rare in the Realms.", "Shaundakul's priests wear garb appropriate for arduous treks. Each wears a gauntlet or glove on their left hand: silken lace, gauze, or other diaphanous material trails at the wrist. His only remaining temple is Shaundakul's Throne in the ruins of Myth Drannor. The ruins are infamously perilous, so priests seldom congregate there. Instead, they aim to unearth and protect other shrines to Shaundakul left from long-gone eras. These stone shrines bear the chiseled holy symbol of Shaundakul: a humanlike figure walking on the wind. Each shrine of Shaundakul is linked to another somewhere in Faerûn. When a hopeful traveler stands before the shrine and uses the appropriate command word, a two-way portal of swirling air materializes to connect the two locations. Unless these command words are displayed at the shrine, Shaundakul's priests must sift through ancient dungeons to find them or beseech adventurers to do so.", "Chosen of Shaundakul take to the skies through spells like {@spell Fly|XPHB} and {@spell Wind Walk|XPHB}. These Chosen help Shaundakul's lesser priests make the dangerous pilgrimage through Myth Drannor to Shaundakul's Throne. Some take vows to cleanse the ruins of Myth Drannor of the monsters that lurk therein." ] }, { "name": "Sheela Peryroyl", "source": "MTF", "page": 103, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "province": "Agriculture, nature, weather", "symbol": "A flower", "entries": [ "Every halfling village sets aside a place for paying respects to Sheela Peryroyl. In a grove of trees, a raspberry patch, or a swath of wildflowers, villagers leave a small offering whenever they walk by, or tip their caps, or whisper a blessing in her honor. A village counts itself lucky if this place is cared for by a druid. Creatures that attack a village under the protection of the god's druids soon learn the error of their ways when all manner of plants lash out to grapple and sting the intruders, as though nature herself were aiding the halflings' cause.", "On nights when the moon is full, especially during the planting and harvesting seasons, the elders tell stories about Sheela Peryroyl. After becoming a hero though her glorious adventures, Sheela joined with the earth, fusing her spirit with the flowers, plants, and trees so she could better provide for her kin. A halfling who accidentally steps on a flower often says, \"Begging your pardon, Sheela.\" Before halflings cut down a tree to use its wood for a new house, it is customary for them to stand before the tree with their caps doffed, humbly asking permission from Sheela to continue." ] }, { "name": "Sheela Peryroyl", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of agriculture and weather", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Flower" }, { "name": "Shevarash", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Vengeance, loss, hatred", "symbol": "Broken arrow over a tear" }, { "name": "Shevarash", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of vengeance", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Broken arrow over a tear" }, { "name": "Sheyanna Flaxenstrand", "source": "MTF", "page": 110, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "domains": [ "Light" ], "province": "love, beauty, passion", "symbol": "Two silver goblets" }, { "name": "Shinare", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 17, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Trade, wealth", "symbol": "Griffon's wing", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/014-00-039.o-neutral-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Reorx, Shinare, and Sirrion", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Shinare is the god of wealth, industry, and commerce. Though many of her followers are merchants, her influence spans legitimate and underhanded commerce alike, and she receives occasional worship from thieves. Despite this, most consider her a god of fair dealing; supplicants pray she favors them as they bargain." ] }, { "name": "Shinare", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of wealth and trade", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Griffon's wing" }, { "name": "Sif", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Upraised sword" }, { "name": "Silvanus", "altNames": [ "Oak Father", "The Old Oak", "Old Father Tree" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 121, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of wild nature", "worshipers": "Barbarians, Druids, Rangers, wood elves", "plane": "The Outlands", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Silvanus.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 1197 }, "entries": [ "Silvanus, god of wild nature, is closely associated with forests, mountains, and plains. In truth, Silvanus represents the entirety of nature: deserts as well as forests, sharks as much as deer. In legends he commands other nature deities, dealing out rewards and punishments to them as he sees fit.", "Interpretations of Silvanus's personality vary wildly. Many see him as a vengeful god, looking with aloof disgust on the inhabitants of Faerûn as a shopkeeper regards an infestation of rats. However, worshipers of Silvanus believe that Silvanus doesn't hold people in disdain but rather wishes to maintain the balance of nature. Wilderness is brutally fair when it comes to matters of life and death, and so is the Oak Father.", "Whenever he wishes, Silvanus can bring the natural world to sentient life, with streams finding their own courses and trees uprooting to walk around. When he needs to communicate directly with his followers, he sends a {@creature Dryad|XMM}, {@creature Treant|XMM}, or {@creature Twig Blight|XMM} as a divine messenger.", "Druids make up most of Silvanus's following. His creed dictates that nature's glory must be preserved not merely because nature is beautiful, but because wild nature is the true state of the world. {@skill Nature|XPHB} refreshes and revitalizes the mortal soul, giving breath to the world. His faithful oppose the expansion of settlements into wild places and consider the excessive consumption of natural resources to be not only wasteful but blasphemous.", "The oak leaf is Silvanus's symbol, and villagers might dedicate a grove of oaks nearby as a shrine to him. In places where oak trees don't grow, an oak leaf etched into the bark of another kind of tree signifies a sacred site. Official temples to Silvanus are few and far between and likely to be hidden away in the depths of a forest rather than in a bustling urban center.", "Silvanus tasks his Chosen with presiding over a forest, a desert, a lake, or another natural region. Some develop spiritual relationships with their assigned domain, not unlike a dryad's link to its sanctuary. When their domain flourishes, these Chosen become invigorated; when it suffers or comes under attack, they feel the pain." ] }, { "name": "Silvanus", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of nature and forests", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Summer oak tree" }, { "name": "Silvanus", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "srd": true, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of wild nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Oak leaf" }, { "name": "Silvanus", "altNames": [ "Oak Father", "The Old Oak", "Old Father Tree" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of wild nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Oak leaf", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Silvanus.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Silvanus represents the entirety of nature, deserts as well as forests, sharks as much as deer. But folk in the North, who contend with the dangers of forests, mountains, and plains, see Silvanus more as a god of those places. Silvanus is thought of as a grim and severe father figure who metes out flood and drought, fire and ice, and life and death in the wilderness. In legends he often commands other nature deities, dealing out rewards and punishments to them as is fitting.", "Nature and its impartial fairness is central to the dogma of Silvanus's faith. His priests seek to know the total situation, to view the macrocosm; their viewpoint isn't confined to one person's or one nation's idea of what is best. The loss of a farming community to goblin raids is a tragedy for some, but the event provides an opportunity for the wilderness to grow up and make the land fertile again, which in turn provides new challenges for those who would return to tame it.", "The creed of Silvanus dictates that nature's glory must be preserved not merely because nature is beautiful, but because wild nature is the true state of the world. Its expanses refresh and revitalize the mortal soul, and give breath to all the world. Many of his faithful oppose the expansion of settlements into wild places, and consider excessive consumption of natural resources to be not only wasteful but blasphemous.", "Silvanus often receives veneration from travelers in wild lands, explorers, and residents of rural communities far from the protection of a local lord or a great city. The oak leaf is Silvanus's symbol, and a grove of oak trees within a village or on its outskirts is often dedicated as a shrine to him. In rural places where oak trees don't grow, an oak leaf etched into the bark of another kind of tree signifies a sacred site." ] }, { "name": "Sirrion", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 17, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Change, fire", "symbol": "Multicolored fire", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/014-00-039.o-neutral-trio.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Reorx, Shinare, and Sirrion", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Passionate and impulsive, Sirrion is the god of alchemy, transformation, serendipitous creation, and flames. He embodies momentary excitement, flaring quickly into fiery passion and smoldering long afterward. Sirrion's followers embrace extremes of emotion as forms of divine expression." ] }, { "name": "Sirrion", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of fire and change", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Multi-colored fire" }, { "name": "Skadi", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of earth and mountains", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Mountain peak" }, { "name": "Skerrit", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Centaur and satyr god of nature", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Oak growing from acorn" }, { "name": "Skoraeus Stonebones", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of stone giants and art", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Stalactite" }, { "name": "Sobek", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of water and crocodiles", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Crocodile head with horns and plumes" }, { "name": "Solinari", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 15, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "Good", "province": "Good magic", "symbol": "White circle or sphere", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/012-00-016.symbol-solinari.webp" }, "title": "Symbol of Solinari", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Solinari, the god of good magic, is patron of the Mages of High Sorcery's Order of the White Robes and other benevolent mages. His power manifests through the white moon of Krynn, the brightest of its three moons. Along with his cousins Lunitari and Nuitari, he watches Krynn from the heavens and encourages magic that aids, heals, and protects." ] }, { "name": "Solinari", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of good magic", "category": "The Gods of Good", "domains": [ "Arcana" ], "symbol": "White circle or sphere" }, { "name": "Solonor Thelandira", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Nature", "War" ], "province": "Archery, hunting, survival", "symbol": "Silver arrow with green fletching" }, { "name": "Solonor Thelandira", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of archery", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Silver arrow with green fletching" }, { "name": "Sseth", "source": "VGM", "page": 94, "pantheon": "Yuan-ti", "entries": [ "In the last years before the yuan-ti empire collapsed, Sseth appeared to the serpent folk in the form of a winged yuan-ti. He promised to lead the yuan-ti away from the brink of defeat and back to the pinnacle of world domination in return for their veneration. Many of Merrshaulk's devout turned to the worship of the Sibilant Death, believing him to be an avatar of their deity. They granted him enough power to mount a brief recovery, but those actions were too little and too late to prevent the collapse of the empire. Sseth chose to rest and gather strength during the years of decline, as more and more of the yuan-ti adopted his worship.", "His most devout followers, known as mind whisperers, use their god-given magic to emulate Sseth's tactics and principles. They strive to succeed by offering an alternative choice to contesting viewpoints or plans, and in so doing they exude an air of self-importance that gives them a less than savory reputation among yuan-ti that follow other gods." ] }, { "name": "St. Cuthbert", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of common sense and zeal", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Circle at the center of a starburst of lines" }, { "name": "Sune", "altNames": [ "Lady Firehair", "The Lady of Love", "The Princess of Passion" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 122, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of love and beauty", "worshipers": "Artists, hedonists, lovers", "plane": "Arborea (Arvandor)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Sune.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 1345 }, "entries": [ "Sune Firehair is a deity of passion and the delights of the senses. She is the god of beauty in all its forms\u2014not just pleasing sights, but also enchanting sounds, luxurious tastes and scents, and exquisite sensual pleasures, from a lover's caress to the whispering brush of silk on the skin. Her worshipers seek out these pleasures in life, not out of mere decadence, but because the experience of pleasure is an act of worship.", "Sune appears as a woman of unearthly beauty. Regardless of what features she takes on, her hair is always impossibly long and fiery red. When she doesn't speak in dreams or visions, she sends a {@creature Couatl|XMM} or {@creature Deva|XMM} to act as muse on her behalf.", "The followers of Sune have a reputation as hedonists. Her priests foster beauty in the world by creating art or acting as patrons for promising talents. Her priests consider loveliness to be one of their greatest callings and train in comportment, fashion, and cosmetics.", "But beauty is more than skin deep, say Sune's followers; it issues from the core of one's being and shows one's true face to the world. The followers of Sune believe in romance, true love winning over all, and following the heart to its true destination. Fated matches, impossible loves, and embracing beauty beyond the physical are the purview of Sune.", "Temples dedicated to Sune serve as public baths and places of relaxation. A temple features a mirrored and well-lit salon where individuals can enhance their appearance, as well as see others and be seen. In remote locales or in parts of sprawling cities far from a temple, small, roofed shrines to Sune provide her followers convenient access to beautification resources. Each shrine bears a mirror and is stocked with free perfumes and cosmetics.", "Sune's Chosen exemplify some aspect of beauty. For some, this is physical loveliness, but others create beauty through art, music, writing, or other creative endeavors. They inspire through expression and show that beauty exists in all facets of the world.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Sodality of the Ruby Rose", "entries": [ "The Sodality of the Ruby Rose is a knightly order dedicated to Lady Firehair and tasked with guarding Sune's temples and holy sites. The Sodality also accompanies Sune's priests and those questing on the Lady's behalf. Anyone with a drive to protect beauty and oppose those who seek to tear it down find acceptance in the Ruby Rose.", "Prospective members are called Hopefuls. A Hopeful who demonstrates adherence to Sune's ideals accompanies knights on simple assignments. When the Hopeful wishes to pursue initiation, they keep vigil in a temple of Sune for one night. If the god shows her favor by granting a vision or other boon, the Hopeful is accepted as a Sodalis, also known as a Companion.", "To win Sune's acceptance, a Hopeful must have protected a meaningful aspect of beauty from something that would destroy it, whether through ignorance or malice. Once inducted, the Companion is granted an enameled red rose brooch and joins the order. Members of special distinction bear brooches with ruby petals. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must have a Renown Score of 3+ with the Sodality of the Ruby Rose to join the organization.)", "Companions of the Ruby Rose are trained in battle, presentation, and poise. Companions receive a free Comfortable lifestyle when staying at holdings of Sune's faithful. When need arises, Companions can requisition the aid of a {@creature Mage|XMM} or {@creature Priest|XMM} of Sune.", "The Sodality of the Ruby Rose strives against creatures that are corrupt and eager to destroy beauty. Sune's nature ensures that most people, even followers of other gods, are unlikely to remain in conflict with her for long, though the Ruby Rose occasionally clashes with the faithful of Talona, Talos, Tempus, and Umberlee." ] } ] }, { "name": "Sune", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of love and beauty", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Face of a beautiful red-haired woman" }, { "name": "Sune", "altNames": [ "Lady Firehair", "The Lady of Love", "The Princess of Passion" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of love and beauty", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Face of a beautiful red-haired woman", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Sune.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Sune Firehair is a deity of passion and the delights of the senses. She is the goddess of beauty in all its forms - not just pleasing sights, but also enchanting sounds, luxurious tastes and scents, and the exquisite pleasures of the flesh, from a lover's caress to the brush of silk on the skin. Her worshipers seek out these pleasures in life, not out of mere decadence, but because the experience of pleasure is the touch of Sune herself.", "The followers of Sune have a reputation as hedonists, and so they are, to a degree. More than that, her priests foster beauty in the world. They do so by creating art, by acting as patrons for promising talents, and by investing in merchants who bring luxuries to far-off places that have never seen satin or tasted a luscious wine.", "Her priests consider loveliness to be one of their greatest callings, and all are trained in comportment, fashion, and cosmetics. Indeed, so talented are Sune's priests in the creation of beautiful appearances that many take pride in their ability to present themselves as stunningly attractive examples of either gender.", "But beauty is more than skin deep, say the Sunites; it issues from the core of one's being and shows one's true face to the world, whether fair or foul. The followers of Sune are believers in romance, true love winning over all, and following one's heart to one's true destination. Fated matches, impossible loves, and ugly ducklings becoming swans are all in the purview of Sune.", "Temples dedicated to Sune are common in human lands, and they frequently serve as public baths and places of relaxation. A temple usually features a mirrored and well-lit salon where folks can primp, as well as see others and be seen. Where a temple doesn't exist, or in a large city where the nearest temple might be too far to walk to, a small shrine to Sune often stands near a street corner. These sites consist of a mirror hung beneath a small roof where one can say a prayer while checking one's appearance. The spot might feature a shelf or a cupboard holding various perfumes and cosmetics so that those without the funds to purchase such items can still make themselves feel beautiful." ] }, { "name": "Surtur", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of fire giants and craft", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "War" ], "symbol": "Flaming sword" }, { "name": "Surtur", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "God of fire giants and war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Flaming sword" }, { "name": "Syrul", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "Oathbreaker", "worshipers": "Liars, charlatans, traitors", "plane": "Gehenna", "symbol": "Forked tongue" }, { "name": "Takhisis", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 18, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Evil dragons, hatred, night", "symbol": "Spiral of five dragon claws", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/016-00-035.evil-god-symbols.webp" }, "title": "Symbols Left to Right: Takhisis, Chemosh, and Hiddukel", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Takhisis, leader of Krynn's evil gods, is known as the Dragon Queen, the Queen of Darkness, and\u2014on other worlds\u2014Tiamat. She is the god of power, pride, and control, as well as the queen of chromatic dragons. She tempts mortals to her service with offers of dominance over others. Barred from Krynn since before the Cataclysm, she found her chance to return in the centuries that followed. She sometimes appears as a powerful human warrior with gleaming armor and long black hair, but her true form is a five-headed dragon." ] }, { "name": "Takhisis", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of night and hatred", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Black crescent" }, { "name": "Talona", "altNames": [ "Lady of Poison", "Mistress of Disease", "The Plague Crone" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 123, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of poison and disease", "worshipers": "Those suffering from plague", "plane": "Carceri (Cathrys)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Talona.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 739 }, "entries": [ "One of Faerûn's most feared deities, Talona is a god of plague and poison, blamed for everything from common illnesses to crop failure, from brackish wells to plague. She craves propitiation from mortals and pursues it by any means necessary.", "Talona is a fickle god. She is more petulant than conniving, more reactive than active. Though she receives many prayers, Talona has almost no temples or cults dedicated to her, and she resents the neglect. When she lashes out with plagues, blights, and magical contagions, victims desperately pray to her for respite, placating her for a time. But once the contagion ends, prayers dwindle, and it isn't long before the neglected god lashes out again.", "When Talona communicates with mortals\u2014usually to demand some sort of propitiation\u2014she sends a {@creature Vulture|XMM}, a {@creature Giant Rat|XMM}, or the corpse of a creature infested by insects. Whatever method she chooses, her messenger is shrouded in a sickly yellow-brown glow.", "Rituals to placate Talona involve three drops of blood or three tears dropped into a well that has gone bad, dripped into the handkerchief of someone beset by coughing, dropped into a fire made by burning a withered crop, dripped into the mouth of a plague sufferer, and so on. It's common practice to mark a container of poison with her holy symbol, three droplets in a triangle. During epidemics, this image is painted on the homes of the infected.", "Talona's priests rarely enter into her service willingly. Some are forced into the role by their communities, while other individuals simply have nothing else to live for. This latter category includes the sole survivors of harrowing magical contagions, or people who have lost loved ones to Talona's whims. They dedicate their lives to the priesthood to make sure the same fate doesn't befall others. A priest of Talona maintains a small shrine instead of a temple. Despite the priest's best efforts, people often lavish these shrines with offerings during tough times while neglecting them in times of health and abundance.", "Devoted followers of Talona brew poisons in her name and summon magical contagions to unleash on the people of Faerûn as punishments for neglecting the Mistress of Disease. Among these fanatics, her Chosen are gifted with immunity to poisons and magical maladies." ] }, { "name": "Talona", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of disease and poison", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Three teardrops on a triangle" }, { "name": "Talona", "altNames": [ "Lady of Poison", "Mistress of Disease", "The Plague-crone" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of poison and disease", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Three teardrops in a triangle", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Talona.webp" } }, "entries": [ "One of the most often beseeched of Faerûn's deities, Talona is the goddess of disease and poison, blamed for everything from common illnesses to crop failure to brackish wells to plague. Depicted in temple iconography as a withered crone with a cup or a vase that holds all the varieties of disease and poison, Talona is a fearsome goddess, and many are the prayers that beg her for protection from illness and poison. Various rituals to placate her involve the use of three drops of blood or three tears - to be dropped into a well that has gone bad, dripped into the handkerchief of someone beset by coughing, dropped into a fire made by burning a withered crop, dripped into the mouth of a plague sufferer, and so on. It's common practice to mark a container of poison with her holy symbol, three droplets in a triangle, and during epidemics folk paint the same image on the homes of the infected.", "Though she is often the recipient of prayers, Talona has almost no temples and few cults dedicated to her. A cult or a shrine to her might arise in an area after it suffers from pestilence, when some of those who survived decide to revere her or even become priests." ] }, { "name": "Talos", "altNames": [ "The Destroyer", "Storm Lord", "The Raging One" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 123, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of storms", "worshipers": "Barbarians, Druids, raiders", "plane": "Pandemonium (Pandesmos)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Talos.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 848 }, "entries": [ "Talos personifies the destructive aspects of nature. He is best known as a god of storms, but he is also associated with forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, and general destruction. Raiders, looters, and brigands flock to his worship.", "The Storm Lord's actions seem petty and vengeful, motivated by rage, anger, and the need to posture among other gods. Talos is an ancient god who sprang up from the wreckage of the first battle between Selûne and Shar. Religious art often depicts him as a broad-shouldered, bearded man with an eye patch, but the folk of {@book Calimshan|FRHoF|2|Calimshan} know him by the name Bhaelros and depict him with a genie-like appearance. Talos rules over the gods of fury\u2014Auril, Malar, and Umberlee\u2014though it's said Malar would kill him if he could. The Raging One manifests to mortals as bellowing laughter in the heart of strong winds or as red lightning strikes in a storm.", "Day-to-day worship of the Storm Lord is outlawed in most of Faerûn, though folk make desperate offerings to save themselves from natural disasters. Talos's faithful love destruction, and they call storms on towns and cities in the name of their deity. Many become brigands, wandering from place to place demanding loot and threatening destruction. Sometimes Talos's faithful forgo any ultimatum, causing wanton destruction for destruction's sake. They are taught that life is chaos and that each person should seize what they can when they can\u2014after all, who can say when Talos will strike and bring them to the afterlife?", "Priests of Talos have few temples, instead traveling like a wayward storm.They wear ragged robes and cloaks shot through with jagged lines of gold and silver. Many wear an eye patch in deference to their god. Priests and other devout worshipers of Talos make pilgrimages to a canyon called the Gulf of Storms in eastern {@book Amn|FRHoF|2|Amn}. The peculiar iron ore in the canyon's walls attracts electrical charges, making the chasm prone to spectacular, deadly arrays of crisscrossing, leaping lightning bolts. This energy develops into storms that race down the valley to lash across Amn and {@book Tethyr|FRHoF|2|Tethyr}.", "Talos's Chosen bring terror to Faerûn. They wield incredibly powerful destructive spells such as {@spell Storm of Vengeance|XPHB}, {@spell Earthquake|XPHB}, and {@spell Meteor Swarm|XPHB}, unleashing annihilation on cities and villages that don't bend to the Storm Lord's will." ] }, { "name": "Talos", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of storms", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Three lightning bolts radiating from a central point" }, { "name": "Talos", "altNames": [ "Stormlord", "The Destroyer" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of storms", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Three lightning bolts radiating from a point", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Talos.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Talos is the dark side of nature, the uncaring and destructive force that might strike at any time. He is the god of storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, and general destruction. He counts the ravager, the raider, the looter, and the brigand among his followers. Those who favor him see life as a succession of random effects in a sea of chaos, so the devout should grab what they can, when they can - for who can say when Talos will strike and send them into the afterlife?", "Talos is portrayed as a broad-shouldered, bearded young man with a single good eye, the other covered by a dark patch. He is said to carry a collection of three staffs, made from the first tree cut down in the world, the first silver smelted, and the first iron forged. He uses these staffs to raise destructive winds, cause terrible storms, and split the land in acts of rage. The three lightning bolts of his holy symbol represent these staffs, and when he vents his wrath on the world, he is thought to hurl them down from the sky as lightning strikes.", "Although Talos is a popular deity, his name is invoked more often out of fear than out of reverence. He does have priests, mostly traveling doomsayers, who warn of disasters to come and accept charity in exchange for blessings of protection. Many of his faithful wear a black eyepatch, even if both eyes are intact." ] }, { "name": "Tarsellis Meunniduin", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Nature", "Tempest" ], "province": "Mountains, rivers, wild places", "symbol": "Mountain with a river" }, { "name": "Tempus", "altNames": [ "The Foehammer", "The Lord of Battles" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 124, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of war", "worshipers": "Fighters, mercenaries, warriors", "plane": "Limbo", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Tempus.webp" }, "credit": "Rafael Zanchetin", "width": 850, "height": 2881 }, "entries": [ "Tempus is a war god concerned with brave conduct, using force to settle disputes, and encouraging bloodshed. The Foehammer is friendly with Gond for his war machines and was once Beshaba's lover. Tempus sponsored the Red Knight's ascension to divinity.", "This god of war is random in his favors, meaning his chaotic nature favors all sides equally. Tempus might be an army's ally one day and its enemy the next. When he manifests before a battle, he can appear to either side in the conflict. If he rides Veiros, his white mare, the army will succeed. If he rides Deiros, his black stallion, defeat is certain. Most often, he rides with one foot in each mount's stirrup, signifying the unpredictable nature of battle.", "In such visions, Tempus is a powerfully built warrior dressed for battle in the style of those who see him. When he speaks to mortals directly, his voice reverberates in a clash of weapons, or he sends a Celestial {@creature Berserker|XMM} to carry his will.", "Over the centuries, Tempus's priests have spread and enforced a common code that encourages rules of war, respect for reputation, and professional behavior on the battlefield. This code, called Tempus's Honor, encourages conflicts to be brief, decisive, and as safe as possible for bystanders. The rules in the code include the following: arm anyone who has need of a weapon, disparage no foe, acquit yourself with bravery, train all for battle, and don't engage in feuds. Those who poison wells, taint fields, kill noncombatants, or engage in torture in the name of war are considered enemies.", "Worshipers of Tempus are a legion, and soldiers carry his name in their hearts. His priests are tacticians skilled in the art of war. Many of his priests serve as battlefield chaplains with armies and mercenary companies, encouraging fellow soldiers with word and blade. Priests of Tempus teach that war conducted properly is fair because it impacts all sides equally, with each soldier poised for both death and glory. Mortals shouldn't fear war but should see it as a natural force\u2014the storm that civilization brings about by its existence.", "The Chosen of Tempus are masterful tacticians, fearsome warriors, and powerful leaders. They find their way to battlefields with such certainty that many suspect the Chosen's presence causes battles to break out.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Stormknives", "entries": [ "Mercenaries loyal to Tempus have long identified themselves through the symbol of a rusty dagger dripping four drops of blood. In recent years, these mercenaries have organized around a common code of conduct beyond Tempus's Honor. These individuals call themselves Stormknives.", "A warrior who wishes to become a Stormknife simply declares themself to be one. They carry a dagger at all times\u2014even while sleeping or bathing\u2014and wear a patch bearing four drops of blood. When these individuals sign a mercenary contract, or any other binding agreement related to war or conflict, they add four red marks to their signature, signifying the commitments of a Stormknife.", "Each of the four drops of blood in the Stormknives' symbol represents a commitment, ranked in ascending order of importance. The first of these represents loyalty to the sword and signifies the Stormknife's obligation to seek out battle at every opportunity. Whenever a Stormknife is given a choice between violent and nonviolent methods to solve a problem, they should choose violence.", "The second drop represents loyalty to the client. A Stormknife respects the wishes of the individual they're working for, obeying them whenever possible. A client, for example, might order a Stormknife to put away their weapons and retreat from battle, and the Stormknife is obliged to obey.", "The third drop represents loyalty to the contract, emphasizing the letter of the contract over the client's wishes. If, for example, a client instructs a Stormknife not to loot a body, but the contract includes such plunder as the Stormknife's right, the mercenary can disobey the client in favor of the contract.", "And finally, the fourth drop represents loyalty to Tempus. The wishes and whims of the Lord of Battles supersede other rules, even a written contract. But it's up to individual Stormknives to determine what Tempus's will might be, leading to corruption and abuse. Some Stormknives use this part of their code as an excuse to break a contract or disobey a client's wishes, claiming such deeds are the will of Tempus and thus unavoidable." ] } ] }, { "name": "Tempus", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Upright flaming sword" }, { "name": "Tempus", "altNames": [ "The Foehammer", "The Lord of Battles" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of war", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Upright flaming sword", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Tempus.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Tempus is a war god concerned with brave conduct during war, using force of arms over talk for settling disputes, and encouraging bloodshed. The god of war is random in his favors, meaning that his chaotic nature favors all sides equally. Lord Tempus might be an army's ally one day, and its enemy the next. He might seem to manifest before a battle, appearing to one side or the other. If he is seen riding a white mare (Veiros), then the army will succeed. If he rides a black stallion (Deiros), then defeat is certain. Most often he appears to be riding with one foot in each mount's stirrup, signifying the unpredictable nature of battle. In such visions, Tempus is always a powerfully built warrior dressed for battle in the style of those who envision him.", "Tempus's favor might be randomly distributed, but over the centuries his priests have made an effort to spread and enforce a common code of warfare - to make war a thing of rules, respect for reputations, and professional behavior. This code, called Tempus's Honor, has the purpose of making conflicts brief, decisive, and as safe as possible for those not directly involved. The rules in the code include the following: arm anyone who has need of a weapon; disparage no foe; acquit oneself with bravery; train all for battle; and don't engage in feuds. Those who poison wells, taint fields, kill noncombatants, or engage in torture in the name of war are all considered sinners.", "Worshipers of Tempus are legion, and his name is often on the lips of soldiers. His priests are tacticians, often skilled in the art of war. Many of his ordained don't serve in temples, but as battlefield chaplains with armies and mercenary companies, encouraging their fellow soldiers with both word and blade. Priests of Tempus teach that war conducted properly is fair in that it oppresses all sides equally, and that in any given battle, a mortal might be slain or might become a great leader among his or her companions. Mortals shouldn't fear war but should see it as a natural force, the storm that civilization brings about by its very existence." ] }, { "name": "Tethrin Veraldé", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Battle, sword fighting", "symbol": "Crossed swords beneath a quarter moon and above a full moon" }, { "name": "Thard Harr", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "province": "Wilderness, hunting", "symbol": "Two clawed gauntlets" }, { "name": "Tharizdun", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of madness", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Jagged counter-clockwise spiral" }, { "name": "Tharizdun", "reprintAlias": "The Chained Oblivion", "source": "EGW", "page": 28, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "the Chained Oblivion", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave", "Trickery" ], "province": "Darkness, destruction", "symbol": "Crooked, seven-pointed star made of chains", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Tharizdun.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "It is darkness unending, less like a god and more like another world. Life and death do not exist within Tharizdun, only utter destruction and madness. Even the other Betrayer Gods treat this mad god with caution. In its endless imprisonment, Tharizdun dreams the infinite depths of the Abyss into reality, along with all its demonic legions. The Prime Deities had thought it locked away during the Founding until it nearly returned to ruin the world during the conflicts of the Calamity.", "Now, its chaotic mind has fallen into more frightful dreams, imagining nightmarish aberrations into existence deep beneath Exandria. The Chained Oblivion's demented cultists work without word from their twisted patron, awaiting the Epoch of Ends, when its freedom will be attained and all beings shall be consumed in deathlessness unending.", "Tharizdun is believed to be chained in the deepest pits of the Abyss, bound by divine shackles that slowly weaken, leaking its madness into the planes.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Few visual attempts to depict Tharizdun exist, but the texts speak of a creature of rolling, hungry ink and darkness, a spreading cloud of lightless destruction born from a thousand ravenous mouths. Current references show the nightmare constrained by chains of gold and black, barely keeping the dark at bay." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "The few remaining followers of Ioun are dedicated to ensuring that Tharizdun is never again unchained. Ioun led the charge against the all-consuming destroyer god's reemergence, and her bravery allowed the other Prime Deities to shackle their enemy, though the victory nearly cost her immortal life. Some say Ioun can only be fully restored if the Chained Oblivion is destroyed for good." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Tharizdun", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Offer and siphon power to Tharizdun until his liberation comes.", "Uncover, restore, and exalt forgotten shrines and relics in his honor.", "Ruin and raze the realms to prepare for the Epoch of Ends." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Tharizdun", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of eternal darkness", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Dark spiral or inverted ziggurat" }, { "name": "Tharizdun", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Eater of Worlds", "worshipers": "Nihilistic cultists", "plane": "Imprisoned in a demiplane", "symbol": "Spiral rune" }, { "name": "Tharmekhûl", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Forge", "Light" ], "province": "Fire, forges, molten rock", "symbol": "Fiery axe" }, { "name": "Thassa", "source": "MOT", "page": 79, "pantheon": "Theros", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of the Sea", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Tempest" ], "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/052-02-03-Thassa.webp" } }, "piety": true, "entries": [ { "type": "section", "entries": [ "Thassa is the god of the sea, aquatic creatures, and the unknown depths. She also holds sway over less tangible concepts such as ancient knowledge, long voyages, and gradual change.", "Impassive and slow to anger, Thassa is secure in the knowledge that there are no mortals and few gods who can threaten her status. Once her ire is aroused, however, it is as unstoppable as a cresting wave. She often speaks in the future tense, referring to what tomorrow will bring. She seldom laughs, and when she does, it is usually out of smugness rather than genuine mirth.", "Thassa usually appears to mortals in the form of a female triton-like being with octopus-tentacle hair and a crown of crab legs. She seldom adopts the same size as her followers, preferring to be seen from a distance as she towers over the ocean. When she moves closer to the view of mortals, she takes many other forms, often shifting from one to another: a giant squid, an ocean storm, a school of sharks, a fog bank, or a crab, her favored animal. She sometimes speaks out of the ocean itself, in droplets hissing across the surface of the waves.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Thassa's Influence", "entries": [ "To most mortals, Thassa is the sea, and the sea is Thassa. The wind and waves, the tides, and the ocean's bounty, ranging from small fish to the enormous krakens\u2014all these are Thassa's dominion. The sea has many metaphorical aspects that Thassa oversees as well: ancient knowledge, long-term change, introspection, voyaging, and repetitive patterns such as the tides.", "Thassa governs the slow changes wrought by the passage of time, such as the weathering of rocks and the erosion of beaches. Where Nylea controls the eternal cycle of the seasons and Kruphix monitors the flow of time, Thassa holds sway over the slow-acting but irresistible forces that alter the world over hundreds or thousands of years.", "Krakens and other behemoths of the deepest oceans move at Thassa's command. She is protective of what she calls the greatest of her children, and she usually keeps them out of harm's way in the darkest depths. A mighty kraken sighted close to shore is a sure sign of Thassa's displeasure.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Thassa's Goals", "entries": [ "Thassa is never satisfied with the status quo, and she also never advocates hasty, uncontrolled change. She constantly resculpts the physical world, altering coastlines and upending familiar trade routes. There is no ultimate goal to this ongoing transformation; the purpose is change itself. Thassa believes that change is essential to existence, and she opposes anyone who tries to establish or maintain a permanent order to the universe. She aids and inspires forces of change, the rivers that wear down mountains and the tides that claim whole continents. She sometimes seems disinterested in the intrigues of the present, even in her own current schemes, as her thoughts drift toward what the future holds." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Divine Relationships", "entries": [ "Thassa disdains the shortsightedness of her fellow gods, most of whom have convinced themselves that they can impose lasting order on the cosmos. At the same time, her realm is unassailable, and she believes that the changes she advocates are inevitable in the long term. So although Thassa frequently disagrees with the other gods, she doesn't fear them.", "Heliod considers Thassa his favorite sibling, despite her unwillingness to agree with his plan for a permanent order. Thassa, who rules depths that have never seen the sun, considers most of Heliod's schemes pointless and opposes them if they seem to threaten harm.", "Thassa took pity on Purphoros and aided him when Kruphix hobbled his mind, and Purphoros has not forgotten it. The two of them agree that old things must make way for new things, but Purphoros's bursts of destructive energy stand in sharp opposition to Thassa's gradual alterations. Purphoros regularly makes gifts for Thassa, most recently gifting her a new spear to replace her lost weapon.", "Thassa has little use for the gods who oversee work she believes best left to mortals: Ephara with her cities, Karametra with her fields, Pharika with her tinctures, Mogis and Iroas with their armies. To Thassa's mind, her peers are building castles in the sand, unaware or unmindful that the tide will sweep them away." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Worshiping Thassa", "entries": [ "Most of Thassa's dedicated worshipers are tritons, and the vast majority of tritons are wholly devoted to Thassa. Tritons spend much of their lives in Thassa's realm, with their god omnipresent. They weave prayers to Thassa into nearly everything they do.", "Among humans, Thassa is worshiped by those who rely on bountiful seas for sustenance or calm waters for safety. Sailors, fishers, and residents of Theros's coasts and islands all pay her at least nominal respect and sacrifice. Her center of worship on land is in the coastal polis of Meletis, where sailors and philosophers pray to her for guidance. The week-long Lyokymion festival (the Feast of the Melting Swell) marks the start of the new year by celebrating the bounty of the sea.", "Thassa's most fervent human worshipers offer prayers at high and low tide. If possible, they do so at the water's edge. At low tide they walk barefoot out onto the tidal flats, relishing the touch of Thassa's seabed.", { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/MOT/053-02-18.webp" }, "credit": "Jason Chan" }, { "type": "insetReadaloud", "name": "Myths of Thassa", "entries": [ "Tales about Thassa typically demonstrate that she is often patient, but never kind.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Callaphe the False", "entries": [ "During the last great Silence of the gods, a triton appeared, impersonated a mariner named Callaphe, and traveled the waves aboard Callaphe's living ship,The Monsoon. This false Callaphe misled the tritons with false prophecies and pulled a kraken from the depths, hoping to harness his power. When the Silence was lifted and Thassa returned to the world, she struck the impostor down with such fury that she shattered her {@item Dekella, Bident of Thassa|MOT|bident}. Purphoros, remembering Thassa's kindness to him on many occasions, replaced her sacred weapon.", { "type": "list", "style": "list-hang-notitle", "items": [ { "type": "item", "name": "Dreams in the Deep", "entry": "While Purphoros is renowned for his endless creations and desires to bring new ideas into being, Thassa secretly shares similar creative desires. Endlessly bored with the predictable denizens of the land and sky, in the deepest ocean trenches, Thassa wills immortal dreams and nightmares into being. Delicate beauty, undulating grace, and tentacular terrors are birthed in the absolute dark, iterate for generations, and suffer swift extinctions at the god's whim, never knowing the sun's touch. Sapient mortals aren't welcome in these maddening ateliers; Thassa remains bitterly unwilling to reveal her work until her creations\u2014and the time\u2014are absolutely perfect." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Every Tear the Sea", "entry": "Few myths tell of those who escaped Thassa's wrath. This isn't one of them. When the infamous explorer Rasiao failed to steal one of Thassa's Tidelock Pearls, wave-controlling treasures protected by vicious mollusks, she spent years avoiding the waves before finding her way back to the mainland. Although she'd failed to abscond with one of Thassa's treasures, she'd avoided the sea god's wrath, a claim she valued more preciously than gold. For years, Rasiao lived far from ocean or river, making her home in the driest reaches of Theros. She lived a long life, but on one trip to Akros to resupply and brag, she drowned in a bowl of ox stew. Those who found Rasiao discovered a pearl, too large to pass her lips, lodged in her mouth. Fearing further reprisal, Rasiao's daughters committed their mother's body to the Deyda River and Thassa's clutches. The explorer's daughters never forgot that just as countless drops make the sea, so too is every raindrop, tear, and cup part of Thassa's domain." }, { "type": "item", "name": "Thief's Fate", "entry": "According to legend, a mortal sailor once stole Thassa's bident and used it to sink an enemy fleet. Thassa cared nothing for the vanquished fleet, but punished the sailor for his thievery by turning his family into eels. The sailor tried to care for the eels, but they blamed him for their fate and disappeared into the sea, leaving the sailor weeping on the shore." } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Thassa's Champions", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Alignment", "entries": [ "Usually neutral" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Classes", "entries": [ "Cleric, fighter, rogue, wizard" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Cleric Domains", "entries": [ "Knowledge, Tempest" ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Suggested Backgrounds", "entries": [ "Acolyte, outlander, sage, sailor", "Thassa's champions typically work on behalf of change, embrace new ideas, don't automatically defend the status quo, and wish to serve the god who controls pounding waves and massive krakens." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Thassa's Favor", "entries": [ "In much the same way that the sea and its secrets simply exist, Thassa trusts that the lives and actions of her champions will serve her long-term goals because of their connection to her. What made the god of the sea turn her attention to you or how did she show her interest? The Thassa's Favor table offers a few possibilities.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Thassa's Favor", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Circumstance" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "You nearly drowned in a shipwreck, but Thassa answered your prayers for deliverance." ], [ "2", "You were found on the shore as a newborn, in a basket woven of ocean grasses." ], [ "3", "You dreamed of a great kraken. When you followed your dreams to the sea, the kraken appeared to you and gave you Thassa's blessing." ], [ "4", "You grew up on a fishing boat, and your parents taught you Thassa's rites." ], [ "5", "You were born with a pearl in your mouth, an obvious sign of Thassa's favor. You still have the pearl." ], [ "6", "You have no idea why Thassa showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish she hadn't." ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Devotion to Thassa", "entries": [ "Following Thassa means devoting yourself to a particular way of perceiving the world. Thassa herself seldom takes a stand on moral issues, preferring to let matters play out, but her mortal champions can't usually afford to be so patient. As a follower of Thassa, consider the ideals on the Thassa's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.", { "type": "table", "caption": "Thassa's Ideals", "colLabels": [ "d6", "Ideal" ], "colStyles": [ "col-2 text-center", "col-10" ], "rows": [ [ "1", "Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)" ], [ "2", "Knowledge. I will learn the secrets of the hidden depths. (Any)" ], [ "3", "Freedom. The sea can take me anywhere, and I'm not going to tie myself down. (Chaotic)" ], [ "4", "Bounty. The ocean always provides, and I will share its gifts with those less fortunate. (Good)" ], [ "5", "Change. Everything's just waiting to be something else, including me. (Chaotic)" ], [ "6", "Power. Like the waves, I answer only to Thassa. (Evil)" ] ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Earning and Losing Piety", "entries": [ "You increase your piety score to Thassa when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Supporting those who would reform or overturn institutions", "Preventing cataclysmic change", "Offering a treasure to the sea", "Defending or maintaining a temple to Thassa" ] }, "Your piety score to Thassa decreases if you diminish Thassa's influence in the world, contradict her ideal of gradual change, or attempt to impose artificial order through acts such as these:", { "type": "list", "items": [ "Trying to keep a secret from Thassa", "Using magic to calm the sea's fury", "Upholding an institution not devoted to Thassa", "Bowing to the desires or demands of another god" ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Benefits of Piety", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "columns": 2, "items": [ "{@reward Thassa's Devotee|MOT}", "{@reward Thassa's Votary|MOT}", "{@reward Thassa's Disciple|MOT}", "{@reward Champion of the Sea|MOT}" ] } ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Thautam", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "province": "Mysteries, darkness, lost treasures", "symbol": "Blindfold" }, { "name": "The Blood of Vol", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Death", "Life" ], "province": "Immortality", "symbol": "Red teardrop gem", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Blood of Vol.webp" } } }, { "name": "The Blood of Vol", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Philosophy of immortality and undeath", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Death", "Life" ], "symbol": "Stylized dragon skull on red teardrop gem" }, { "name": "The Daghdha", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Celtic", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of weather and crops", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Bubbling cauldron or shield" }, { "name": "The Devourer", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "province": "Nature's wrath", "symbol": "Bundle of five sharpened bones {@i or} dragon turtle", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Dark Six.webp" }, "title": "The Dark Six" }, "entries": [ "The Devourer governs the destructive power of nature, both pure elemental force and savagery in beasts." ] }, { "name": "The Devourer", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of nature's wrath", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Bundle of five sharpened bones" }, { "name": "The Fury", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "War" ], "province": "Passion, revenge", "symbol": "Winged wyrm with woman's head and arms", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Dark Six.webp" }, "title": "The Dark Six" }, "entries": [ "The Fury governs both passion and revenge, rage and despair. She offers revenge to those who have been wronged, but her vengeance often leads to suffering." ] }, { "name": "The Fury", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of wrath and madness", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Winged wyrm with woman's head and upper body" }, { "name": "The Hag Mother", "source": "EGW", "page": 32, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "province": "The Fiend", "symbol": "Single red horn", "entries": [ "Rumored to be the oldest hag and progenitor of all other hags in Exandria, the Hag Mother arrived in the world just after the Founding. She has a soft spot for humanoids in peril that caused her original coven to exile and bind her to Exandria with a magical curse. She wanders the land, making deals with people in dire straits, offering the power to save themselves in return for their service. The tasks the Hag Mother asks of those who accept her deals are always dangerous and sometimes grotesque and cruel. Some of these quests save lives, while others end them. Others still result in the creation of more hags. Many of the missions seem to serve no purpose, but the Hag Mother always has a plan. Whether her endgame is to destroy her enemies, break her curse, or rule Exandria is known only to the Hag Mother herself.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "The Hag Mother can take any female humanoid form she chooses and often travels in disguise, but her true form is that of a gnarled, purple-skinned crone with stringy black hair, yellow eyes, and red ram's horns that curl back from her forehead." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "The Keeper", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Death" ], "province": "Death, greed", "symbol": "Dragonshard in the shape of a fang {@i or} dracolich", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Dark Six.webp" }, "title": "The Dark Six" }, "entries": [ "The Keeper snatches souls before they can reach Dolurrh and hoards them along with his vast wealth. Those driven by greed call him their patron, and his priests often act as criminal fixers." ] }, { "name": "The Keeper", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of greed and death", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "Dragonshard stone in the shape of a fang" }, { "name": "The Luxon", "source": "EGW", "page": 32, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "the First Radiance", "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Light" ], "symbol": "Hollow dodecahedron", "entries": [ "Very few throughout Exandria have heard of the Luxon, and fewer still believe they even exist. The Luxon is the central deity of the Kryn Dynasty and their way of life, but study of the Luxon beyond the borders of Xhorhas has only recently begun\u2014and such study is mostly motivated by the Dwendalian Empire's desire to gain an advantage in the war.", "The Luxon doesn't have an active consciousness or personality. The worship of them is largely a system of pure faith, backed by scientific and metaphysical truths that stem from the discovery of the beacons and the Umavi who interpret their meaning (see \"{@book Kryn Dynasty|EGW|3|Kryn Dynasty}\" in chapter 2). Priests of the Luxon often study dunamis and its primal arcane nature, while others are born with dunamantic gifts granted by the reality-bending powers of the beacons. Those that do call on the rarer threads of divinity use the beacons themselves as a source of magic.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "By all accounts, the Luxon's original form is believed to be a colossal, shapeless body of impossibly bright light, like a burning star. Followers of the Luxon carry small, often hollow, dodecahedrons as a symbol of their faith.", { "type": "inset", "name": "Origins of the Luxon", "entries": [ "According to the teachings of the Kryn and the Umavi who scribe their faith, it is believed that long before the gods of Exandria came to shape this world, there was a time when a single Light came from the dark nothingness. Other lights came into being around them, settling as the stars in the cosmos. This one Light, however, resisted the force that beckoned them to burn like their star-fated brethren. This one Light wanted to understand what they were and chose to wander alone, choosing a different path. This choice led to endless stretches of lonely dark, the voices of the stars silent to the Light that walked away. Lonely, they wandered until they found a cold, dark rock: a world. The Light grew fond of this rock, seeing it as lonely as they were, and embraced it. They sparked a fire within, cracking the surface and giving fiery life to the cold world.", "From within the fiery core, the Light began to watch the world change and turn, the chaos giving birth to the first souls: the Primordials. Amazed with their children, the Light wanted to guide them to learn of themselves, which in turn would help the Light discover their own purpose\u2014but the children warred amongst themselves and killed one another, their souls born of the Light becoming lost to the dark beyond. Confused but determined, the Light decided that a time of learning was required, and that a cycle of trial and error must be enacted for their children of chaos to better themselves. Sacrificing a majority of their own essence, the Light created beacons of their own self, crystals of great power that enacted a cycle of rebirth for those who were bound to the Light.", "This act exhausted the Light, and they fell into a deep slumber within the core of the world, awaiting a time where the children of their own mind would learn from life to life, through eons of struggle and self-reflection, until the knowledge had matured enough to reassemble them, awaken them, and the children could grant the answer to the question the Light had sought from the very beginning: what are they and what was their purpose? This Light is now referred to by the mortal followers of the Kryn as the Luxon." ] } ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "The Mockery", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Trickery", "War" ], "province": "Betrayal, bloodshed", "symbol": "Five blood-spattered blades {@i or} flayed dragon", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Dark Six.webp" }, "title": "The Dark Six" }, "entries": [ "The Mockery is the patron of treachery and of terror in battle. He guides those who seek victory through guile, both warriors and assassins. He was once the brother of Dol Dorn and Dol Arrah, but he was stripped of his skin and his name after betraying them." ] }, { "name": "The Mockery", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of violence and treachery", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Five blood-spattered tools" }, { "name": "The Path of Light", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "province": "Light, self-improvement", "symbol": "Brilliant crystal", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Path of Light.webp" } } }, { "name": "The Path of Light", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Philosophy of light and self-improvement", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "symbol": "Brilliant crystal" }, { "name": "The Raven Queen", "reprintAlias": "The Matron of Ravens", "source": "EGW", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Matron of Death", "category": "Prime Deities", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave" ], "province": "Death, fate, winter", "symbol": "White, humanoid mask framed in black feathers", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of The Raven Queen.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "Master of the skein of fate and the mistress of winter, the Raven Queen is the god of death. Her gaze follows and marks the end of each mortal life, watching over the border between life and death and ensuring the natural transition is undefiled. Many funerals ask her blessing to protect the deceased from the terrible curse of undeath. Those who study ancient lore believe that the Matron of Death was once mortal herself and is the only known mortal to have ascended to godhood. Her rise instantly obliterated the previous, now-forgotten god of death, and the other gods quickly and fearfully destroyed the secrets to the rites of ascension.", "The Raven Queen tugs at the threads of fate from her stronghold of black ice within the frozen realm of Letherna, nestled in a frigid corner of the Shadowfell.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Few existing visual depictions of the Raven Queen exist; many temples merely use the raven as a symbol of her blessing. The few illustrations of her portray a tall, pale woman wrapped in dangling black linens, with her face obscured by a white porcelain mask and her onyx-black hair straight and never-ending." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Holy Day", "entries": [ "The Raven Queen's holy day is called the Night of Ascension, celebrating her apotheosis. The actual date of the her rise to divinity is unclear, but the Night of Ascension is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the tenth month. What was once a night of cheery celebration of the dead in the Dwendalian Empire has recently become an occasion to burn effigies and decry the Kryn Dynasty for their unnatural relationship with death." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of the Raven Queen", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Death is the natural end of life. There is no pity for those who have fallen.", "The path of Fate is sacrosanct. Those who pridefully attempt to cast off their destiny must be punished.", "Undeath is an atrocity. Those who would pervert the transition of the soul must be brought down." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "The Red Knight", "altNames": [ "The Crimson General", "The Grandmaster of the Lanceboard", "The Lady of Strategy" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 118, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of strategy", "worshipers": "Fighters, game players, strategists", "plane": "Arcadia (Buxenus)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/The Red Knight.webp" }, "credit": "Swatches Studio", "width": 850, "height": 920 }, "entries": [ "Where other war gods focus on the bravery, duty, or pain of battle, the Red Knight is concerned solely with the art of tactics. She is a god of planning and strategy. Her military genius allows her and her followers to see the greater picture in any war, rather than a series of battles won and lost.", "In spite of her calm and logical demeanor, the Lady of Strategy isn't without compassion. Faerûn's myths and legends depict her as a wise, daughter-like figure to the god Tempus, advising him in times of need. She aids mortal tacticians by fashioning boulders into red-veined {@creature Stone Golem|XMM|Stone Golems} shaped like lanceboard pieces, sending crimson {@b Pegasi} from the heavens above, or animating lanceboard pieces to demonstrate tactical maneuvers.", "Devotees of the Red Knight are rare in the general population. Her name is seldom invoked outside of battle, except perhaps in games of strategy such as lanceboard. High-ranking commanders of armies, instructors in colleges of war, quartermasters, and authors of tomes of tactics revere her.", "Worship of the Red Knight arose among a hero-venerating monastic order of Tempus in {@book Tethyr|FRHoF|2|Tethyr} shortly after the Time of Troubles. The Lady of Strategy visited these monks in a dream and delivered to them the Great Stratagem: an imperative to travel to places of warfare to educate generals and monarchs in the arts of strategy and battlefield tactics. Known as the Red Fellowship, her priests traveled throughout southwestern Faerûn sharing their wisdom. Many leaders they approached turned them away at first, but it soon became apparent that those who accepted the counsel of the Lady of Strategy gained a distinct tactical edge. Grateful victors built temples to the Red Knight, and gradually her faith spread. Today, her followers appear in nearly any land that has seen warfare in the past century. The Red Knight's greatest temples include an enchanted war table that visiting generals can rent out to visualize their tactics.", "The Red Knight's Chosen ride the god's crimson pegasi into combat. However, their most crucial work takes place in war rooms far from the front lines. These Chosen act as trusted advisers to powerful military forces in Faerûn, predicting their foes' next moves with eerie accuracy." ] }, { "name": "The Red Knight", "altNames": [ "The Lady of Strategy", "The Crimson General", "The Grandmaster of the Lanceboard" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of strategy", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Red knight lanceboard piece with stars for eyes", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of The Red Knight.webp" } }, "entries": [ "The Red Knight is the goddess of planning and strategy. Those who favor her call themselves the Red Fellowship. They believe wars are won by the best planning, strategy, and tactics. The worship of the Red Knight is filled with doctrine about strategy, such as: \"Every war is a series of battles. Losing one doesn't mean losing the war.\" \"In war, plan for peace. In peace, plan for war.\" \"Seek allies among your enemy's enemies.\"", "Worship of the Red Knight arose among a hero-venerating monastic order of Tempus in Tethyr shortly after the Time of Troubles. The Red Knight has since grown in popularity because of what her followers call the Great Stratagem: for decades, her priests have been traveling to places of warfare to educate generals and kings in the arts of strategy and battlefield tactics. Many of the leaders they approached turned them away at first, but it soon became apparent that those who accepted the counsel of the Crimson General's followers gained a distinct benefit. Grateful victors built temples to the Lady of Strategy, and gradually her faith spread.", "Today, followers of the Red Knight can be found in nearly any land that has seen warfare in the past century. Worshipers of the Red Knight are rare in the general population, but those who revere her can frequently be found among high-ranking commanders of armies, instructors in colleges of war, quartermasters, and the authors of tomes of strategy. Each temple to the Red Knight includes an altar dedicated to Tempus, and so such a place is likely to be frequented by mercenaries and soldiers. A temple is surrounded by a vast pavilion and courtyard, which can be rented by companies of soldiers and mercenaries for practice and training. Her priests believe that drilling one's troops in a temple courtyard is a form of propitiation that the Red Knight looks upon with special favor." ] }, { "name": "The Shadow", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "province": "Ambition, dark magic", "symbol": "Obsidian tower", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Dark Six.webp" }, "title": "The Dark Six" }, "entries": [ "The Shadow is the dark side of knowledge and ambition. It's said to be Aureon's shadow, given malign life when Aureon mastered magic. The Shadow is the maker of monsters and the keeper of forbidden secrets, and it offers malevolent spells to warlocks and wizards." ] }, { "name": "The Shadow", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of dark magic", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Obsidian tower" }, { "name": "The Silver Flame", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "War" ], "province": "Good, protection", "symbol": "Flame drawn on silver or molded from silver", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Silver Flame.webp" } } }, { "name": "The Silver Flame", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Deity of protection and good", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Life", "Light", "War" ], "symbol": "Flame drawn on silver or molded from silver" }, { "name": "The Spirits of the Past", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Nature", "War" ], "province": "Elven ancestors", "symbol": "Varies" }, { "name": "The Spirits of the Past", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Elven ancestors", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Varies" }, { "name": "The Traveler", "source": "EGW", "page": 32, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "The Archfey", "symbol": "Arched doorway over a road that vanishes into the distance", "entries": [ "This powerful archfey of selfish and anarchic intent, who was once known by the name Artagan, drew the ire of Corellon a millennium ago when his prank-like dabblings on the Material Plane left an entire nascent elven culture worshipping a whale carcass. Banished to the Feywild and barred from the mortal realm, Artagan wandered his home plane for hundreds of years, sowing chaos for his own enjoyment\u2014until he struck a deal with the heroes of Vox Machina that enabled him to return to the Material Plane. There, he embarked on his latest plot of dubious divinity under a new identity: the Traveler.", "Eccentric, fickle, and prone to whimsy and impulse, the Traveler wanders Exandria, seeking allies and followers who entertain him. Lending his powerful fey magics in the guise of divine boons and weaving a spreading myth surrounding his secretive purpose, the Traveler appears when least expected and leaves when least preferred. Those who hear of his tenets are prone to disbelief, but the occasional \"miracle\" serves to reinforce his influence. Does he wish to become a new god, or is this all still just a game?", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "The Traveler is often depicted as a tall elf man hidden within a billowing green cloak, the hood obscuring his face except for his knowing grin." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "The Traveler", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Forge", "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "province": "Change, chaos", "symbol": "Four crossed, rune-inscribed bones", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Dark Six.webp" }, "title": "The Dark Six" }, "entries": [ "The Traveler asserts that chaos drives evolution and that change makes us stronger. The Traveler is a trickster and the giver of dangerous gifts. Some artificers worship the Traveler, seeing it as the lord of innovation, but the gifts of the Traveler always have unexpected consequences." ] }, { "name": "The Traveler", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "Deity of chaos and change", "category": "The Dark Six", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Four crossed, rune-inscribed bones" }, { "name": "The Undying Court", "source": "ERLW", "page": 141, "pantheon": "Eberron", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Grave", "Knowledge", "Life" ], "province": "Elven ancestors", "symbol": "Golden mask", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/ERLW/The Undying Court.webp" } } }, { "name": "The Undying Court", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 } ], "pantheon": "Eberron", "alignment": [ "N", "G" ], "title": "Elven ancestors", "category": "Other Faiths of Eberron", "domains": [ "Grave", "Knowledge", "Life" ], "symbol": "Varies" }, { "name": "Thor", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of storms and thunder", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "Hammer" }, { "name": "Thoth", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Egyptian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of knowledge and wisdom", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Ibis" }, { "name": "Thrym", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of frost giants and strength", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "White double-bladed axe" }, { "name": "Thrym", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of frost giants and cold", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "White double-bladed axe" }, { "name": "Tiamat", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of wealth, greed, and vengeance", "domains": [ "Trickery", "War" ], "symbol": "Five-pointed star with curved points" }, { "name": "Tiamat", "reprintAlias": "The Scaled Tyrant", "source": "EGW", "page": 28, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "the Scaled Tyrant", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Order", "Trickery", "War" ], "province": "Dragon god of evil", "symbol": "Taloned dragon claw", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Tiamat.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The evil queen of dragons is a fearsome god of greed, envy, and hoarded wealth. While chromatic dragons are her foremost worshipers, Tiamat accepts the worship of any who crave wealth. All chromatic dragons have a fearful reverence for their tyrannical queen, but many dragons of near-deific power and ambition chafe under her rule.", "Tiamat remains imprisoned in Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells, influencing the souls of chromatic dragons across the planes and seeking the means to free herself.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Most representations of Tiamat exist as warnings within sanctuaries of the Platinum Dragon Bahamut. She is shown as a drake of frightful size, with massive leathery wings spreading clouds of poisonous mist, while she shouts from five vicious dragon heads, each one a chromatic color of her evil children." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "The Scaled Tyrant's hatred for Bahamut is as old as the Founding, and her cults are ever hunted by his justice. For centuries, the zealous paladins of Bahamut have limited her worship to the chromatic dragons, but a rise in cult activity in the underbelly of Dwendalian society has priests of the Platinum Dragon on edge." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Tiamat", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Amass wealth, but spend little. The gold\u2014and the power that comes with it\u2014is sufficient reward in itself.", "Do not forgive nor forget an indignity to yourself. Let no affront go unpunished.", "Take what you covet. Those without the strength to defend their dominion are not worthy to have one." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Tiamat", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "E" ], "title": "Dragon goddess of evil", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Dragon head with five claw marks" }, { "name": "Torm", "altNames": [ "The Hand of Righteousness", "The Loyal Fury", "Torm the True" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 125, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of courage and self-sacrifice", "worshipers": "Guardians, knights, Paladins", "plane": "Mount Celestia (Mercuria)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Torm.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 1423 }, "entries": [ "Those who favor Torm believe salvation is found through service. He is a god of courage and self-sacrifice, an unyielding deity who dutifully puts himself on the front line of the fight against evil and injustice. He is a patron god of many Paladins, embodying the tenets of the Oath of Devotion.", "Torm's name carries gravitas and strikes fear into treacherous hearts, but his heart is filled with goodness. In legends, he is kind and gentle when dealing with faithful friends, the weak, and the defenseless. But he is stern and righteous against the forces of evil and injustice. When Torm appears in dreams, he takes the form of an enormous, flying metal gauntlet surrounded by arcs of lightning. He might send a golden {@creature Lion|XMM} or, in extreme cases, a {@creature Deva|XMM} clad in gleaming armor to make his will known.", "Torm's faithful believe that brave acts of service please their god. They strive to maintain peace and order while opposing unjust laws and standing alert against corruption. Though many of Torm's followers are warriors, skill in combat isn't required to uphold Torm's ideals. For instance, a council member who worships Torm advocates for what is just, even if this puts their position at risk. Torm's followers believe every failure of duty diminishes Torm and every success adds to his luster. The faithful know everyone stumbles from time to time, but they never cease aspiring to Torm's standards.", "Followers construct fortress-temples dedicated to Torm on defensible heights. These structures offer drilling grounds, stables, and austere quarters for residents and visiting knights. Lion statues and armored figures feature in these temples' decor, with the coats of arms of fallen heroes decorating the white-granite walls. The priesthood of Torm is friendly with the priesthoods of Tyr and Ilmater: together with Torm, these gods make up a trio of deities called the Triad. Torm's priests are also allied with the Red Knight and Lathander.", "Chosen of Torm dedicate themselves to the fight against evil, especially against the forces of Bane. Torm and Bane battled each other to their mutual destruction during the Time of Troubles\u2014both gods have since returned, and the animosity between them still seethes.", { "type": "entries", "name": "Order of the Golden Lion", "entries": [ "East of the {@book Dalelands|FRHoF|2|Dalelands}, the city of Tantras is home to the greatest concentration of Torm worshipers in Faerûn. There, Torm manifested and slew Bane during the Time of Troubles. While this era was a time of great pride for Torm's followers, it also became one of great shame. After returning to his godly state, Torm was disgusted to find that Tantras's priests had been persecuting believers of other gods, and that this practice had spread throughout the Dalelands and along the Sea of Fallen Stars. As punishment, Torm dictated a series of responsibilities and obligations\u2014the Penance of Duty\u2014for his followers to perform as atonement. Over a century has passed since this decree, and Torm's followers have regained trust in the regions around Tantras. Still, a select group of Torm's faithful vowed to continue the atonement of the Penance of Duty, and those people are known as the Order of the Golden Lion.", "The Order of the Golden Lion involves righting three Debts: Persecution, Dereliction, and Destruction. Typically knights of the Golden Lion devote themselves to righting a single debt. Those who choose the Debt of Persecution aid good religions wherever possible. Followers of the Debt of Dereliction atone for abdications of duty by seeking out and eliminating cults of Bane, as well as routing the {@book Zhentarim|FRHoF|6|Zhentarim}. Adherents to the Debt of Destruction are obliged to report and repair areas of dead magic and wild magic throughout Faerûn as penance for the destruction to {@book the Weave|FRHoF|5|The Weave} caused by Torm's battle against Bane.", "The Order of the Golden Lion is most active in the Dalelands and the region around Tantras, but faithful as far as the {@book Sword Coast|FRHoF|2|Sword Coast} have picked up the mantle. The order is largely composed of warriors, and members wear the order's signature article of clothing: a pair of golden pauldrons, each carved in the shape of a lion's head. To become a member of the Order of the Golden Lion, an individual must prove their dedication by completing a holy quest for a temple of Torm. (If your campaign uses renown, a character must also have a Renown Score of 5+ with the Order of the Golden Lion to join the organization.)" ] } ] }, { "name": "Torm", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of courage and self-sacrifice", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "White right gauntlet" }, { "name": "Torm", "altNames": [ "The Loyal Fury", "The True", "The Hand of Righteousness" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of courage and self-sacrifice", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "White right gauntlet", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Torm.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Torm is the god of duty and loyalty, revered by those who face danger to bring about a greater good. Those who favor Torm believe that one's salvation can be found through service, that every failure to perform one's duty diminishes Torm, and that every success adds to his luster. Those who take Torm to heart must strive to fulfill his commandment to go out into the world and be an active force for good, to right wrongs, and to help the hopeless. They must strive to maintain peace and order while opposing unjust laws. Followers of Torm stand ever alert against corruption and are expected to strike quickly and hard against any evidence of rot in the hearts of mortals. As the sword arm of justice, Torm's faithful are expected to bring quick deaths to betrayers. Considering these tenets, it should be no surprise that most human paladins have Torm as their patron.", "Most temples dedicated to Torm are fortresses built on heights. These structures offer austere quarters for residents and visiting knights, drilling grounds, and stables. White granite, lion statues, and armored figures predominate in the architecture, with the coats of arms of fallen heroes decorating the walls of the great halls.", "Torm is seen as the good right hand of Tyr, and as such his symbol is a white gauntlet made for the right hand. It represents Tyr's sword hand, but it is also a symbol of forbearance. Torm is frequently depicted with his right gauntlet extended palm forward, which worshipers call the Hand Resolute. It signifies the principle that the just and true must pause before acting to judge whether their intentions uphold Torm's ideals. Temples, civic structures, and the homes of the faithful are often decorated with images of the Hand Resolute as a constant reminder of this principle.", "Worshipers of Torm come from most walks of life, for he welcomes any who seek the best in themselves and others, who uphold his tenets of loyalty, responsibility, duty, and kindness, or who are willing to sacrifice to keep evil from gaining ascendancy in the world. The faithful know that all of them will stumble from time to time while following in Torm's footsteps, but Torm's priests teach that the shame of a minor fall from grace is far less severe than declining to rise oneself up to Torm's standards." ] }, { "name": "Torog", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of the Underdark", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "T attached to a circular shackle" }, { "name": "Torog", "reprintAlias": "The Crawling King", "source": "EGW", "page": 28, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "the Crawling King", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Death", "Trickery" ], "province": "Enslavement, torture", "symbol": "Three pale arms clawing from a dark void", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Torog.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The dark god of the endless tunnels and caverns beneath Exandria, Torog is the patron of torturers, slavers, and jailers across the realms. His violent tears carved the pathways under the world, and his realm of imprisonment is a network of deadly caves and manacles from which few return. Creatures that wander the desolation of Carceri often construct prisons in his image. Those who rob others of their freedom offer prayers to him in cellars and other subterranean domains, and many creatures who live in the darkness below worship him and seek his guidance.", "Torog remains banished within an unknown sliver of the Far Realm that now borders the deepest pits of the Underdark, where the boundaries between worlds grow thin and birth terrible abominations bent on subjugation.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "The Crawling King is rendered as a swollen, malformed worm that slithers through the dark below, with a screaming, hairless human head at the helm and three arms carving through the lightless rock." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "Pelor and Raei defeated Torog during the Calamity by luring their nemesis above ground. Pelor pierced Torog's tenebrous body with ten thousand lances of sunlight, and the Everlight imprisoned him beyond the boundaries of Exandria. The tears of pain and anger the Crawling King shed burned through Exandria, and his faithful fled into these tunnels to escape their enemies' holy light." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Torog", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Seek and exalt places where no light touches.", "Revel in the pain you inflict on others, and relish the pain you suffer yourself as an offering to Torog.", "Imprison those who cannot resist you, and drag all life into the darkness." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Trithereon", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "God of liberty and retribution", "domains": [ "War" ], "symbol": "Triskelion" }, { "name": "Trithereon", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Summoner", "worshipers": "Rebels, individualists", "plane": "Arborea", "symbol": "Triskelion" }, { "name": "Tyche", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of good fortune", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Red pentagram" }, { "name": "Tymora", "altNames": [ "Lady Luck", "Our Smiling Lady" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 126, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of good fortune", "worshipers": "Gamblers, Harpers, merchants, Rogues", "plane": "Arborea (Arvandor)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Tymora.webp" }, "credit": "Helder Almeida", "width": 850, "height": 850 }, "entries": [ "Tymora is a bright-faced god of fortune, the patron deity of game players and gamblers. Our Smiling Lady loves those who gamble with skill and daring. She watches over all who take risks to better their fortunes. Tymora takes the form of a tall, graceful young woman with flowing platinum-blond or silver hair. She might send a faerie dragon as an emissary.", "Tymora is Beshaba's sister. Long ago, the Netherese revered Tyche, the god of luck, whose influence extended over both good luck and bad. Tyche perished, but Beshaba and Tymora manifested soon after, each commanding half of Tyche's portfolio.", "The battle cry of Tymora is \"Fortune favors the bold.\" Folk pray to Tymora before any endeavor in which a little good luck would help. One common method of divining the future is to toss a coin to a stranger and ask if it's heads. If it is, the coin is left with the stranger as payment for Tymora's favor. If it's not, the stranger can keep it (and the bad luck that comes with it) or return it.", "Those who favor Tymora\u2014as distinct from those who merely invoke her name whenever they roll dice\u2014are daring sorts. Many of her followers are adventurers and gamblers. They believe that the good in their lives results from having both good luck and the bravery to seek it out. Tymora draws all sorts of worshipers: the dashing noble, the risk-taking merchant, the daydreaming field hand, and the scheming ne'er-do-well.", "Priests of Tymora and temples devoted to Lady Luck are scarce, since her faith doesn't stress a need for intermediaries: \"Let the lucky man and the Smiling Lady suss it out,\" as the old saying goes. Shrines to Tymora at gambling parlors aren't unusual, however, and such establishments might attract a priest and effectively become temples.", "Tymora's Chosen become infused with her extraordinary luck. Some never realize they are Chosen, ascribing their luck to mere chance. The Smiling Lady chooses individuals who embrace her tenets and dive boldly into action and risk, rolling the dice and betting big." ] }, { "name": "Tymora", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of good fortune", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Face-up coin" }, { "name": "Tymora", "altNames": [ "Lady Luck", "Our Smiling Lady" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of good fortune", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Face-up coin", "entries": [ "Tymora is the bright-faced goddess of fortune, the one to whom gamblers and game-players pray in Faerûn. Our Smiling Lady is said to love none so much as those who gamble with the utmost skill and daring. Yet she is thought to watch over all who take risks to better their fortunes.", "The battle cry of the followers of Tymora is \"Fortune favors the bold.\" Someone might say words to Tymora before any endeavor in which a little good luck would help, but not when an incidence of bad luck might occur. (On such occasions folk pray to Beshaba to spare them from bad luck; praying to both is thought to anger both goddesses.) One common method of divining the future is to toss a coin to a stranger (typically a beggar) and ask if it's heads. If it is, the coin is left with the stranger as payment for Tymora's favor. If it's not, the stranger can choose to keep it (and the bad luck) or return it.", "Those who favor Tymora - as distinct from folk who invoke her name by mumbling over the dice - tend to be daring sorts. Adventurers and gamblers make up much of their ranks. They all have the belief that what is good about their lives is the result of having both good luck and the bravery to seek it out. Tymora has worshipers among all sorts of folk: the dashing young noble, the risk-taking merchant, the daydreaming field hand, and the scheming ne'er-do-well.", "Priests of Tymora and temples devoted to Lady Luck are scarce, since her faith tends not to stress a need for intermediaries: \"Let the lucky man and the Smiling Lady suss it out,\" as the old saying goes. Shrines to Tymora at gambling parlors aren't unusual, however, and sometimes such establishments attract a priest and effectively become temples.", { "type": "inset", "name": "The Legend of Tyche and Her Twin Daughters", "entries": [ "Before the Dawn Cataclysm, there was but one goddess of luck, Tyche. Ever flirting with fortune and disaster, Lady Luck bestowed and withdrew her favor at a whim. When her current paramour, Lathander, started a fight among the gods, Tyche kissed the Morninglord with misfortune and wandered off to explore the world.", "During her travels, Lady Luck discovered a budding rose of unequaled beauty. Delighted with this fortuitous happenstance, Tyche reached to pluck this delightful token, which she assumed was a peace overture from Lathander, who sought to regain her good graces. Much to her amazement, Lady Luck couldn't pluck the rose from its bush no matter how hard she tried. Frustrated, she cursed the rose with bad luck, and the flower's stem broke in her hands. Tyche put the plucked rose behind her ear and continued on her way. Unknown to Tyche, the rose was a manifestation of Moander, god of corruption and decay. The severed rose stem crept into Tyche's ear and subtly began to rot her from the inside out.", "When Tyche returned home, she came across her dear friend, the goddess Selûne, waiting to speak with her. Also waiting for her were Lathander, who wished to regain her affections, and Azuth, who had come to mediate the dispute between the two. Selûne wept great tears as she saw the corruption destroying her friend from within, and before Tyche could discern her intent, Selûne lashed out with a bolt of purifying light. Tyche's rotted core split down the middle and a smaller, brighter version of the goddess of luck stepped out, allowing the goddess of the moon to save that which was good and pure in her friend. However, following this first figure out of the rotten shell was another form stunning to behold, but full of dark malice and capricious ill will. As the two forms emerged, they immediately fell upon each other in hate, struggling madly, and were separated only by the combined efforts of all three visitors.", "It is said that Tymora, Tyche's Fair-Haired Daughter, embodies all the grace and kindness of her mother, while Beshaba, Tyche's Unpleasant Daughter, got only her looks. Since their birth, the twin aspects of Tyche - Tymora, Lady Luck, and Beshaba, Maid of Misfortune - have battled each other, contesting matters as great as the fate of nations and as small as the flip of a coin." ] } ] }, { "name": "Tyr", "altNames": [ "The Evenhanded", "Grimjaws", "The Maimed God" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 126, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of justice", "worshipers": "Judges, law enforcers, lawyers, Paladins", "plane": "Mount Celestia (Lunia)", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Tyr.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 1016 }, "entries": [ "Tyr Grimjaws, Tyr the Evenhanded, Wounded Tyr, the Maimed God, the Lord of Justice\u2014all these names speak to the nature of the god of justice.", "Tyr appears as a noble warrior without his right hand, which he lost to Kezef the Chaos Hound in an act of bravery and sacrifice. His eyes are wrapped in cloth, his blindness signifying that justice applies evenly to all. Weary of the foolishness of mortals, Tyr seldom appears or speaks directly to mortals, instead sending an awakened {@creature Mastiff|XMM} as an emissary or sending the sound of a war gong or a choir.", "Tyr's followers devote themselves to achieving justice, righting wrongs, and delivering vengeance. This devotion isn't concerned with equality or fairness, but rather discovering the truth and punishing the guilty. Those who favor Tyr are stiff necked about theology and laws, evaluating actions according to a rigid moral code.", "Tyr's credo of lawfulness and honesty is demanding, and his priests remind the faithful not to judge too harshly those who fail to live up to Tyr's standards. If Tyr's commands were easily followed, they wouldn't be worth obeying.", "Many orders of knighthood devote their lives to Tyr, including the Knights of Holy Judgment and the Knights of the Merciful Sword. Such knights\u2014as well as judges, priests, and others who worship Tyr\u2014wear thin strips of diaphanous cloth over their eyes as a symbol of their faith.", "Tyr's Chosen have suffered in their commitment to pursuing justice, but Tyr's power strengthens them, helping them remain true to Tyr's strict code." ] }, { "name": "Tyr", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of justice", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Balanced scales resting on a warhammer" }, { "name": "Tyr", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of courage and strategy", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Sword" }, { "name": "Tyr", "altNames": [ "Grimjaws", "The Maimed God", "The Evenhanded" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "God of justice", "domains": [ "War", "Order" ], "symbol": "Balanced scales resting on a warhammer", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Tyr.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Tyr Grimjaws, Tyr the Evenhanded, Wounded Tyr, the Maimed God, the Blind, Blind Tyr, the Lord of Justice - all of these names speak to the nature of the Faerûnian god of justice. Tyr appears as a noble warrior missing his right hand, which he lost to Kezef the Chaos Hound in an act of bravery and sacrifice, and with his eyes wrapped in cloth to signify his blindness, caused by a wound dealt to him by Ao when he questioned the justice of the Overgod's actions.", "Tyr's followers devote themselves to the cause of justice, to the righting of wrongs and the deliverance of vengeance. This devotion isn't necessarily concerned with equality or fairness, but rather the discovery of truth and the punishment of the guilty. Those who favor Tyr tend to be stiff-necked about matters of theology and laws, seeing things in terms of black and white. Tyr's credo of lawfulness and honesty is a demanding one, and his priests remind the faithful not to hold in contempt others who can't live by it - it wouldn't be an honorable calling if everyone could muster the strength of will to follow it.", "Many orders of knighthood are devoted to Tyr, including the Knights of Holy Judgment and the Knights of the Merciful Sword. Such knights-as well as judges and priests, clerics, and paladins who worship Tyr - sometimes wear thin strips of diaphanous cloth over their eyes to remind others of the blindness of justice." ] }, { "name": "Uk'otoa", "source": "EGW", "page": 33, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "the Leviathan Lord", "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Tempest" ], "province": "The Great Old One, the Hexblade", "symbol": "Yellow, slitted eye", "entries": [ "Uk'otoa was created by Zehir and terrorized the seas of Wildemount until the Divergence left the leviathan without master or purpose. The surviving indigenous people of the Swavain Islands, the Ki'Nau, took Uk'otoa as their guide and god to rule the waters and bring them prosperity. The leviathan elevated the Ki'Nau to conquer the southern coasts of the continent until the jealous will of Zehir reached beyond the Divine Gate and discovered the insolence of his creation, commanding his followers to seal away Uk'otoa in the bedrock beneath the Lucidian Ocean.", "Uk'otoa now reaches out to the dreams of nautical wanderers and shipwrecked sailors, lending his power to those who wish to rule the sea as he once did, beckoning them to free him from his suboceanic prison with promises of arcane gifts and the blessing of the blade known as the Sword of Fathoms, an extension of Uk'otoa's will and influence. His consciousness has found the minds of Desirat and Quajath, and the three have a tenuous accord to convince mortals to find and free them from their binds.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Uk'otoa takes the form of an incredibly massive sea serpent. His coiled and twisting length is covered with fins, scales, and amber eyes, with a head ending in a pointed, fanged jaw and a face of three amber eyes." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Ulaa", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Forge" ], "province": "Mining, quarrying", "symbol": "A miner's pick" }, { "name": "Ulaa", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of hills and mountains", "domains": [ "Life", "War" ], "symbol": "Mountain with a circle at its heart" }, { "name": "Ulaa", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Bejeweled", "worshipers": "Miners, jewelers, quarriers", "plane": "Arcadia", "symbol": "Ruby-hearted mountain" }, { "name": "Uller", "source": "PHB", "page": 299, "pantheon": "Norse", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "title": "God of hunting and winter", "domains": [ "Nature" ], "symbol": "Longbow" }, { "name": "Umberlee", "altNames": [ "The Queen of the Depths", "The Wavemother" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 127, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of the sea", "worshipers": "Coastal dwellers, sailors", "plane": "The Abyss", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Umberlee.webp" }, "credit": "Clint Lockwood", "width": 850, "height": 850 }, "entries": [ "No seaside community can ignore the influence of Umberlee, the furious sea god whose tempestuous nature is reflected by the waters of the deep. Coastal villages and towns host festivals to propitiate the Wavemother, seek her favor, and avoid seafaring disaster. Although mercurial in temperament, she can be generous to those who do her honor, as any great queen should be. Some Druids worship Umberlee as a manifestation of nature in its cruelest form.", "Umberlee manifests as a woman colored like the sea in blues and greens, with taloned hands and fins on her elbows. Clad in a cape of purple jellyfish and wielding a trident, she rises from the sea to terrify sailors. When she speaks through emissaries, she sends an {@creature Air Elemental|XMM}, a {@creature Water Elemental|XMM}, an awakened {@creature Giant Shark|XMM}, or a {@creature Kraken|XMM}.", "The Wavemother is worshiped out of fear instead of adoration. Ship crews toss gems over the side as offerings to calm storm-tossed waters. She is capricious and cruel; the sea is a savage place, and those who travel it must be willing to pay the price of challenging her domain.", "Umberlee's priesthood thrives in its lack of organization. Her priests roam coastal cities, warning of doom and demanding free passage on ships in return for ensuring the god's pleasure, or at least her indifference. They wear the colors of waves and decorative items reminiscent of the sea's dangerous nature\u2014a necklace of shark teeth, seaweed wrapped around a bone, and so on. The preserved hand of a drowned person is thought to be a particularly holy object, and her priests use such severed hands as holy symbols. Sailors leave flowers or small candies at Umberlee's shrines in coastal cities in hope she will spare them on their next voyage. Both {@book Waterdeep|FRHoF|2|Waterdeep} and {@book Baldur's Gate|FRHoF|3|Baldur's Gate} have temples dedicated to Umberlee, staffed by priests whose loved ones were lost at sea.", "Umberlee imbues aquatic people and creatures as her Chosen, counting mighty sahuagin warlords and krakens among their ranks. These Chosen enjoy power over the tides and storm and carry their queen's fury into the dry world." ] }, { "name": "Umberlee", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of the sea", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Wave curling left and right" }, { "name": "Umberlee", "altNames": [ "The Bitch Queen", "The Queen of the Depths", "The Wavemother" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of the sea", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Wave curling left and right", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Umberlee.webp" } }, "entries": [ "No community that lives by the sea can ignore the influence of Umberlee, the furious goddess whose tempestuous nature reflects and is reflected by the waters of the deep. Any such community makes sure to host festivals to propitiate the Wavemother and seek her favor. Although mercurial in temperament, she can be generous to those who do her honor, as is any great queen.", "The Bitch Queen is worshiped out of fear instead of adoration, and ship crews offer her gems, tossed over the side, to calm storm-tossed waters. As her most common moniker suggests, she is viewed as capricious and cruel with no firm ethical outlook; the sea is a savage place, and those who travel it had best be willing to pay the price of challenging her domain.", "There is little in the way of an organized clergy of Umberlee. Her priests roam coastal cities, warning of doom and demanding free passage on ships in return for ensuring the goddess's pleasure. Often they wear the colors of waves and storms, and they decorate themselves with items that remind others of the sea's dangerous nature - a necklace of shark teeth, seaweed wrapped about a human bone, and so on. The preserved hand of a drowned person is thought to be a particularly holy object, and some of her few clerics use such severed hands as holy symbols. Umberlee does have a large number of shrines in the coastal cities, and sailors often leave flowers or small candies at them in hopes that she will spare them on their next voyage. Both Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate have true temples dedicated to Umberlee, staffed largely by the widows of sailors lost at sea." ] }, { "name": "Urdlen", "source": "MTF", "page": 112, "pantheon": "Gnome", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "domains": [ "Death", "War" ], "province": "Greed, murder", "symbol": "White-clawed mole emerging from ground", "entries": [ "Many pantheons include in their number a miscreant or an outlier-someone not to be emulated in the customary way, and often an entity whose existence serves as an object lesson and an example of what befalls mortals who conduct themselves the same way. For the gnomes, this niche is filled by Urdlen, also known as the Glutton for its selfish and cruel behavior.", "Though the details differ from telling to telling, all gnomes know the story of how Garl banished Urdlen from the Golden Hills because Urdlen refused to go on an important quest. Despite Garl's efforts and the pleas of the rest of the pantheon, Urdlen selfishly refused to set his own interests aside and contribute to the group. Every version of this story ends in some sort of tragedy-perhaps the loss of Gaerdal's hand, the affliction that caused Flandal to need new skin, or the disappearance of Baravar's shadow-and each one concludes with \"And that is why Garl sent Urdlen into exile.\" In tales of his later life, Urdlen is no longer a gnome but has become a greedy and destructive monster, a great blind and hairless mole with iron claws and teeth.", "Gnomes believe that Urdlen exerts influence on their lives when they experience jealousy, greed, petulance, or envy. Individuals are more likely to fall prey to these feelings when they don't spend enough time in activities with others, and so tales of Urdlen serve as a somber reminder of the importance of participating in society." ] }, { "name": "Urdlen", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Gnomish", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of greed and murder", "domains": [ "Death", "War" ], "symbol": "White clawed mole emerging from ground" }, { "name": "Urogalan", "source": "MTF", "page": 104, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "domains": [ "Death", "Grave", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Earth, death", "symbol": "Silhouette of a dog's head", "entries": [ "In ancient times the halfling hero Urogalan left his village with his faithful hound to venture into the afterlife-and then, much to the villagers' amazement, he returned. They could see that Urogalan had been deeply affected by his experiences, since he didn't speak for a long time. He merely sat in a white robe with his hound by his side, watching the world go by. When he did speak at last, he told of a place he called the Green Fields, where the halflings' god-heroes live alongside mortals who have passed on, enjoying lush farmland, bright sunshine, and all the comforts of home.", "Urogalan declared that all who have gone before still watch over their loved ones from this place of eternal peace, sending messages to the material world. In acknowledgement of this assertion, halflings look for signs from their departed loved ones. One might be thinking about catching butterflies with his grandmother long ago, when suddenly a butterfly lands on his hand-clear evidence that, as Urogalan promised, she is still looking out for her grandson from beyond the veil of death.", "As a divine being, Urogalan can move freely through the earth and across the planes of existence. He holds aloft a magic lantern that protects him on his journeys. With his black hound leading the way, Urogalan scours the multiverse and shepherds deceased halflings to their eternal home in the Green Fields.", "Unlike other halfling deities, Urogalan is surrounded by a cloud of melancholy. He is gaunt, with his dusky skin covered by white robes. Priests who venerate Urogalan emulate this practice of dress and demeanor." ] }, { "name": "Urogalan", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "God of earth and death", "domains": [ "Death", "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Silhouette of a dog's head" }, { "name": "Valkauna", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Grave", "Life" ], "province": "Oaths, birth, aging, death", "symbol": "A silver ewer" }, { "name": "Valkur", "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "title": "Northlander god of sailors", "domains": [ "Tempest", "War" ], "symbol": "A cloud and three lightning bolts" }, { "name": "Vandria Gilmadrith", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Grave", "War" ], "province": "War, grief, justice, vigilance", "symbol": "Weeping eye" }, { "name": "Vecna", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of evil secrets", "domains": [ "Death", "Knowledge", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Partially shattered one-eyed skull" }, { "name": "Vecna", "reprintAlias": "The Whispered One", "source": "EGW", "page": 29, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "the Whispered One", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Arcana", "Death", "Grave", "Knowledge" ], "province": "Necromancy, secrets", "symbol": "Desiccated hand with an eye in the palm", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Vecna.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "The lich lord Vecna presides over villainous mages, conspiring politicians, and envious servants as the dark god of necromancy, undeath, and secrets. Once a dangerously clever and powerful archmage-turned-lich, his hunger for dominion over all mysteries and obsession with conquering the pantheon led to his own dissolution, leaving behind only his left hand and eye. His enduring spirit reformed through the ages and managed to reconstruct the Raven Queen's rites of ascension to become the newest of gods to walk Exandria. Defeated by the legendary heroes Vox Machina and sealed behind the Divine Gate, the Whispered One now quietly rules over that which is not meant to be known.", "Vecna calls no place among the planes his home, instead wandering in search of powerful artifacts and secrets to further his unknowable plots.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Those who claim to have looked on Vecna's form speak of a tall, skeletal lich swathed in tattered robes and enchanted jewels, missing both his left hand and left eye." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "While Vecna loathes all other gods and wishes to destroy them and become the sole divine power in the planes, he has a particular hatred for Ioun. Ioun seeks to share with the world the same secrets Vecna guards for himself, and his followers work diligently to undermine and destroy the Library of the Cobalt Soul and any others who follow her path. The Raven Queen also despises Vecna, and sees his presence as a mighty affront to her purpose." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Vecna", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Learn all you can, and keep hidden that which you know. Reveal what pieces you must, but never the whole.", "Express and cultivate the evil within yourself, and in doing so, recognize it in others to exploit them for your own benefit.", "Seed the ruin of all who worship other deities, until only those who kneel before Vecna remain." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Vecna", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 } ], "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of evil secrets", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Hand with eye in the palm" }, { "name": "Vecna", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Whispered One", "worshipers": "Necromancers, undead, those who keep or unearth secrets", "plane": "Unknown", "symbol": "An eye in the palm of a left hand" }, { "name": "Vergadain", "source": "MTF", "page": 73, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "The Mordinsamman", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Luck, wealth", "symbol": "Gold coin bearing a dwarf's face" }, { "name": "Vergadain", "source": "SCAG", "page": 22, "pantheon": "Dwarven", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of luck and wealth", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Gold coin with the face of a dwarf" }, { "name": "Vesh", "source": "EGW", "page": 33, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "the Bloody Siren", "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Death", "Life" ], "province": "The Archfey, the Undying", "symbol": "Crimson ring hanging from a chain", "entries": [ "None know whether Vesh is a witch or a demigod, but she has walked Exandria for centuries, seducing those who pry into forbidden magics and drawing them to her as possible suitors. Acolytes cultivate sects of worshipers who engage in ritualistic orgies and masochistic rites, these hedonistic rituals culminating with her selection of a mate. Vesh feeds on the unchosen in a bloody massacre before laying with her selected survivor and vanishing to her realm. Their essences intertwined, she then lends her strength to her mate, watching over them for life.", "A being with conflicting duality, Vesh has moods that demand sacrifice and pain, and others that ask for benevolence and mercy. Because Vesh's whims are truly unknown, many who wish to gain her favor and attention commit terrible acts. While she has many partners, she is a jealous patron who demands the true heart of her chosen. Those who stray are never heard from again.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Vesh resembles a nude woman with faintly glowing gray skin, long purple hair, and unnaturally long arms and fingers that end in claw-like nails. Her eyes are pale white with no iris, and her expression varies from alluring to monstrous depending on her mood." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Vhaeraun", "source": "MTF", "page": 55, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Trickery", "War" ], "province": "Arrogance, thieves", "symbol": "Black mask with blue glass lenses inset over eyes", "entries": [ "Vhaeraun stands for the dark elves' superiority over other races and for the primacy of individual drow over other drow. He is a god of arrogance, and thus he condones all acts of avarice, fair and foul alike. Those who take what they want from whom they wish, whether through stealth or bullying, pay homage to Vhaeraun. He is patron to thieves and often the object of prayer before drow embark on a raid.", "Among the male gods of the Dark Seldarine, he is as widely recognized and accepted as Keptolo. But Vhaeraun represents a different aspect of drow masculinity: strong, silent, obedient, swift, and deadly. He is thought of as Lolth's favored son, in contrast to Keptolo's role as her beautiful consort.", "Due to his high status in the Dark Seldarine (for a male) and because of his arrogance, a few of his worshipers look on him as an advocate of equality between male and female drow. That heresy, when it is expressed openly, is liable to be savagely crushed by the priestesses of Lolth. So most of Vhaeraun's male followers honor him simply by trying to carve out better lives for themselves, and that activity is tolerated. Even so, adherents of Vhaeraun don't appear in public without wearing masks. This practice exists in part because Vhaeraun is never portrayed unmasked, and partly because anonymity is a wise precaution when one challenges the social structure of the drow in even a small way.", "To quash any challenge to the matriarchy that Vhaeraun might inspire in his followers, some drow communities preach that he wears a mask to hide the terrible scars from the wounds inflicted on him by Lolth as punishment for his arrogance. His silence, too, is part of his punishment, for his tongue was removed for questioning Lolth's orders. Worshipers of Vhaeraun who believe this dogma sometimes ritually scar and silence themselves as signs of their devotion, and then serve as voiceless, masked bodyguards for the matrons of their house." ] }, { "name": "Vhaeraun", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of thieves", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Black mask with blue glass lenses inset over eyes" }, { "name": "Waukeen", "altNames": [ "The Coinmaiden", "Our Lady of Gold", "The Merchant's Friend" ], "source": "FRHoF", "page": 127, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "title": "God of trade", "worshipers": "Merchants, the rich, traders", "plane": "The Outlands", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/FRHoF/Waukeen.webp" }, "credit": "Alejandro Pacheco", "width": 850, "height": 852 }, "entries": [ "Waukeen is a god of wealth and trade. She is interested in anything that increases trade and the flow of money, whether new trade routes, new inventions, or the whim of changing fashion. Waukeen keeps cordial relationships with other deities, save for Mask, who is her only real enemy\u2014larceny is bad for business, after all.", "Waukeen takes the form of a splendidly dressed woman with long golden hair, often accompanied by two golden {@creature Lion|XMM|Lions}. She might more subtly manifest as sprouting golden daffodils, or a stack of gold coins that writhes and slithers like a snake. When she sends an emissary, she sends an awakened golden {@creature Cat|XMM}, {@creature Lion|XMM}, or eagle ({@creature Hawk|XMM}), or she might send a {@creature Sphinx of Lore|XMM}.", "Her ardent worshipers include shopkeepers, members of trade organizations, wealthy merchants, caravan guides, itinerant peddlers, moneychangers, and smugglers. Greed motivates those who take Waukeen as a patron, but the Coinmaiden frowns on misers and smiles on the industrious and the profligate. For these reasons, priests who bear her holy symbol are welcome in towns and cities.", "Temples of Waukeen resemble guildhalls and serve as meeting places for trade associations. Those who follow Waukeen's ethos create opportunity for all and see competition for wealth as society's best method of progress. Thus, the faithful of Our Lady of Gold are at odds with guilds and others who form monopolies. It's common practice for her followers to set aside a tithe of ten percent of their profits, but rather than being given to a temple, the money is spent to help a struggling business, to finance a new endeavor, or, if all else fails, on frivolous fun.", "Chosen of Waukeen possess their god's keen understanding of contracts and agreements and can rival powerful devils at unwinding convoluted terms. They intervene when the wealth of nations is at stake." ] }, { "name": "Waukeen", "source": "PHB", "page": 294, "basicRules": true, "pantheon": "Forgotten Realms", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of trade", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Upright coin with Waukeen's profile facing left" }, { "name": "Waukeen", "altNames": [ "Our Lady of Gold", "The Coinmaiden", "The Merchant's Friend" ], "source": "SCAG", "page": 21, "pantheon": "Faerûnian", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "Goddess of trade", "domains": [ "Knowledge", "Trickery" ], "symbol": "Upright coin with Waukeen's profile facing left", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/SCAG/Symbol of Waukeen.webp" } }, "entries": [ "Waukeen is the goddess of wealth and trade, on both sides of the law. Her most ardent worshipers include shopkeepers, members of trading costers, wealthy merchants, caravan guides, itinerant peddlers, moneychangers, and smugglers. She is interested in anything that increases trade and the flow of money, whether new trade routes, new inventions, or the whim of changing fashion. Those who take Waukeen as a patron can be reliably thought of as greedy, but the Coinmaiden is said to frown upon misers and smile upon the industrious and the profligate, and thus priests who bear her holy symbol find themselves welcome in many towns and cities.", "Temples of Waukeen resemble guildhalls and often serve as meeting places for trade consortiums. Those who follow Waukeen's ethos seek to create more opportunity for all and see competition for wealth as one of society's main means of progress. Thus, the faithful of Our Lady of Gold often find themselves at odds with trade guilds and others who would form monopolies. It's common practice among those who seek Waukeen's favor to set aside a tithe of ten percent of their profits, but rather than being given to a temple, the money is meant to be spent to help a struggling business, to finance a new endeavor, or, if all else fails, on frivolous fun." ] }, { "name": "Wee Jas", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "XGE", "page": 19 }, { "source": "SCAG", "page": 125 }, { "source": "TCE", "page": 31 } ], "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "alignment": [ "L", "N" ], "title": "Goddess of magic and death", "domains": [ "Death", "Grave", "Knowledge", "Order", "Arcana" ], "symbol": "Red skull in front of fireball" }, { "name": "Wee Jas", "source": "XDMG", "page": 148, "pantheon": "Greyhawk", "title": "the Witch", "worshipers": "Spellcasters, advisers", "plane": "Acheron", "symbol": "Red skull in front of fireball" }, { "name": "Xalicas", "source": "EGW", "page": 33, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "category": "Lesser Idols", "domains": [ "Life", "Light" ], "province": "The Archfey, the Celestial", "symbol": "Single blackened wing", "entries": [ "The Calamity took the lives of mortals and immortals alike. Many angels that fought with the Prime Deities were slain, and most that survived were wounded. The solar Xalicas, the right hand of the Arch Heart, was so injured that even the magic of the gods cannot help the angel regain the ability to see, fly, or leave Exandria. For over a century, Xalicas lay broken and blinded in the Greying Wildlands, moss and plants covering her body, until she had the strength to move, blaming herself for the small part she played in the Calamity.", "Now Xalicas wanders Wildemount to make up for the sins of the Calamity and prevent another devastating war. Her followers attempt to heal war-scarred lands and repair the natural world. Xalicas knows that alone and in her injured state she cannot stop all the evils in the world, so the angel lends her power to those she finds worthy: creatures who wish to stop unnecessary war, stand up to tyranny, and defend the innocent.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Appearance", "entries": [ "Xalicas is a silver-skinned solar who wears a clean white bandage around her eyes. Her body is covered in scars, and one of her wings is blackened and burned." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Ye'Cind", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "G" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life", "Trickery" ], "province": "Music, enchantment", "symbol": "Recorder" }, { "name": "Yondalla", "source": "MTF", "page": 102, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "domains": [ "Life", "Twilight" ], "province": "Primary goddess of halflings", "symbol": "Cornucopia", "entries": [ "The story of Yondalla begins at the dawn of the world, when halflings were timid wanderers, scraping out a meager existence. The goddess Yondalla took note of them and decided to adopt the halflings as her people. She was a strong leader with a vision for her people, and she dedicated her life to gathering them together and protecting them. Over time, she elevated to godhood those halflings who were the most adept at the skills halflings needed to survive. Those legendary halflings comprise the rest of the pantheon.", "Yondalla created the first halfling villages and showed the people how to build, plant, and harvest. She knew that the bounty of a halfling village would be tempting plunder for any brigand or monster, so she used her powers to conceal their homes from easy discovery, blending them into the landscape so that most travelers would pass by without a second glance.", "To the halflings, Yondalla is responsible for the spring in their step and the bubbly excitement they feel from knowing that luck is on their side. When a pumpkin grows to enormous size or a garden yields twice as many carrots as usual, credit goes to Yondalla. When a halfling trips, slides down a hillside, and lands on a nugget of gold, that's Yondalla turning bad luck into good." ] }, { "name": "Yondalla", "source": "PHB", "page": 296, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Nonhuman", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Halfling goddess of fertility and protection", "domains": [ "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Shield" }, { "name": "Yondalla", "source": "SCAG", "page": 23, "additionalSources": [ { "source": "TCE", "page": 34 } ], "pantheon": "Halfling", "alignment": [ "L", "G" ], "title": "Goddess of fertility and protection", "domains": [ "Life", "Twilight" ], "symbol": "Cornucopia on a shield" }, { "name": "Yurtrus", "source": "SCAG", "page": 24, "pantheon": "Orc", "alignment": [ "N", "E" ], "title": "God of death and disease", "domains": [ "Death" ], "symbol": "White hand, palm outward" }, { "name": "Yurtrus", "source": "VGM", "page": 84, "_copy": { "name": "Yurtrus", "source": "SCAG", "pantheon": "Orc" }, "pantheon": "Orc", "customExtensionOf": "Yurtrus|Orc|SCAG", "title": "the White Hand", "entries": [ "Yurtrus is often depicted as consumed by rot and covered in oozing pustules, utterly repulsive except for his hands, which are pure white and free of any blemish. Yurtrus has no mouth and never utters a sound, so that he may come in absolute silence for his chosen.", "The followers of Yurtrus are allowed to dwell on the fringes of the tribe, but are looked upon with distaste and unease. They interact with the tribe mostly on occasions of death, claiming the bones of fallen warriors to add to the ossuary shrines of Yurtrus, and sometimes during shamanic rites when contact with spirits occurs.", { "type": "entries", "name": "The White Hands", "entries": [ "Shamans who heed the telepathic whispers of Yurtrus walk the perilous line between the living and the dead, and gain uncanny powers from doing so. Through this nonverbal communion, they begin to comprehend how to use the magic of death. These shamans, known as White Hands, cover their hands in white ash or wear pale gloves made of elf skin to symbolize their connection to the power of Yurtrus. The necromancy practiced by the shamans of Yurtrus is a force considered taboo by orcs, which makes them both revered and feared by the rest of the tribe." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Traffickers of the Dead", "entries": [ "Orcs who die \"a good death\" are sent to Gruumsh by the priests of Yurtrus. The priests seek out the bodies of such fallen heroes and sever their heads, boil or smoke them to rid them of most of the flesh, and then use a ritual punch to break out the bridge of the nose and leave the skull with a single eye. Orcs that appreciate the strength and ferocity of a foe might choose to honor that enemy by giving it the same treatment. The bodies of orcs that die in a failed battle are left behind; they were weak and don't deserve to join Gruumsh. Those that die of old age have typically already been taken into Yurtrus's fold, and their bones are used to build furnishings and structures in the area of the lair dedicated to the worship of Yurtrus." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Chosen of Yurtrus", "entries": [ "Orcs that suffer from gruesome diseases are brought into Yurtrus's fold and tended like prized cattle. These orcs are called nurtured ones, and they are considered the chosen of Yurtrus because they have been picked for the special purpose of spreading his virulent message among the enemy. At night, or during a heavy fog, these infected orcs rush toward an enemy's encampment, often through a hail of arrows, in order to spread their affliction within their foe's ranks." ] } ] }, { "name": "Zandilar", "source": "MTF", "page": 43, "pantheon": "Elven", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Seldarine", "domains": [ "Life" ], "province": "Romance, lust, dance", "symbol": "Lips" }, { "name": "Zeboim", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 19, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "category": "Evil", "province": "Seas, storms", "symbol": "Turtle shell", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/018-00-030.symbol-zeboim.webp" }, "title": "Symbol of Zeboim", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Zeboim is the god of the ocean in its destructive aspect, including storms and dangerous sea creatures. She is a mercurial god, and even her followers aren't safe from her frequent bouts of rage. Most sailors pray to Habbakuk to keep Zeboim at bay, but some make offerings to Zeboim to allay her wrath." ] }, { "name": "Zeboim", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "Goddess of the sea and storms", "category": "The Gods of Evil", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Turtle shell" }, { "name": "Zehir", "source": "DMG", "page": 10, "pantheon": "Dawn War", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "God of darkness and poison", "domains": [ "Trickery", "Death" ], "symbol": "Snake in the shape of a dagger" }, { "name": "Zehir", "reprintAlias": "The Cloaked Serpent", "source": "EGW", "page": 29, "pantheon": "Exandria", "alignment": [ "C", "E" ], "title": "the Cloaked Serpent", "category": "Betrayer Gods", "domains": [ "Nature", "Trickery" ], "province": "Assassins, poison, snakes", "symbol": "Coiled serpent", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/EGW/Symbol of Zehir.webp" }, "credit": "Claudio Pozas" }, "entries": [ "A wanderer in the shadows and the creator of snakes and serpentkin, Zehir is the evil god of poisons, assassins, and darkness. The ancient serpentkin worship him over all other deities, dragging screaming offerings to their temples in his honor. Most of the Cloaked Serpent's worshipers were annihilated during the Calamity, and the rest are either suspended in self-induced stasis or hunted for sport by the servants of Lolth and Torog. But perhaps Zehir is merely biding his time, waiting for the proper moment to unleash his hidden armies on the world once more.", "Zehir subverts and poisons Exandria from the shadowed Towers of Night, hidden among the ever-shifting winds of the Astral Plane.", { "type": "entries", "entries": [ { "type": "entries", "name": "Depiction", "entries": [ "Many forgotten temples were once built to the Cloaked Serpent, and within these chambers his image was embedded within much of the architecture. He is shown as a human body with six arms and a gargantuan serpentine head, fanged and frilled in aggression. Strands of thick, dark hair that sprout from his scaled body form layers of swirling shadow, obscuring his form." ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Enemies", "entries": [ "Zehir loathes Erathis and Melora, for he despises life, order, and love above all things. His surviving worshipers use poison and fire to undermine civilization and consume nature, hoping to infuriate both gods and cast Exandria into chaos." ] } ] }, { "type": "entries", "name": "Commandments of Zehir", "entries": [ { "type": "list", "items": [ "Keep your acts obfuscated and secret. The night is your greatest ally.", "Strike quickly and without reason. Blind the target with their own confusion.", "Kill slowly. Agonizingly. Or worse, make them enjoy it." ] } ] } ] }, { "name": "Zeus", "source": "PHB", "page": 298, "srd": true, "pantheon": "Greek", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of the sky, ruler of the gods", "domains": [ "Tempest" ], "symbol": "Fist full of lightning bolts" }, { "name": "Zinzerena", "source": "MTF", "page": 56, "pantheon": "Drow", "alignment": [ "C", "N" ], "category": "The Dark Seldarine", "domains": [ "Trickery" ], "province": "Assassination, illusion, lies", "symbol": "Shortsword draped with cloth", "entries": [ "As the patron of assassination, illusions, and lies, Zinzerena personifies cruelty, stealth, misdirection, and survival by any means necessary. In some ways, Malyk is her reflection, and in many interpretations of the age-old stories, the two gods are siblings or lovers. But Zinzerena is more palatable to female drow than Malyk, and she condones the study of arcane magic.", "The liturgy of Zinzerena is passed on in the form of folk tales, for her faith has no place among the leadership of drow society. Her tales usually describe her hiding and waiting until her foes are weakened or lax in their attention before she attacks. Those who respect or revere Zinzerena are almost always of modest social status, or worse. Even the most prestigious of noble estates, where a high priestess reigns supreme, might have a number of her followers among the commoners who work as servants and staff. Only the most capricious of nobles would enter her priesthood, though some have done so. Inevitably, when such traitors are discovered, they are cast out from their houses. Ironically, these maverick nobles often become leading figures in Zinzerena's cult, for they are the best educated and most politically experienced of her followers. Her adherents come from a wide range of occupations, including common thieves, laborers, guides, physicians, poets, and nearly any other profession. What they all share is a rebellious spirit and a desire for change.", "In some stories, Zinzerena is Lolth's daughter, who was spirited away and hidden from her by illusions. In other tales, she begins life as a mortal elf who uses glamors to trick her way into the company of the gods. Regardless, Zinzerena always has some element of illusion magic about her, and she uses it and other deceptions to get the better of more powerful opponents. Deceit and taking advantage of others' weaknesses are recurring themes in the tales of her exploits. The only figure in the Dark Seldarine immune to Zinzerena's deceptions is Lolth, although even the Queen of Spiders is sometimes tricked when Zinzerena shifts blame for her actions onto others.", "Not many female drow devote their lives to the study of magic, because it's held to be a low-status avocation more suited to males. Most females who pursue it seriously do so in secret. Even rumors that a drow matron practices arcane magic, if they aren't quashed, can sabotage her standing in society. Yet there's no denying that knowledge of arcane magic could be a great boon to an ambitious female. Zinzerena's worshipers encourage this pursuit and offer tutelage and tools in exchange for a candidate's alliance with Zinzerena's secret cult." ] }, { "name": "Zivilyn", "source": "DSotDQ", "page": 17, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "category": "Neutral", "province": "Wisdom", "symbol": "Great green or gold tree", "symbolImg": { "type": "image", "href": { "type": "internal", "path": "deities/DSotDQ/015-00-023.symbol-zivilyn.webp" }, "title": "Symbol of Zivilyn", "credit": "CoupleOfKooks" }, "entries": [ "Where Gilean embodies knowledge, Zivilyn exemplifies the calm wisdom necessary to wield knowledge in the world. He's said to exist in all times and places, possessing the collected wisdom of every plane of existence. Zivilyn often attracts the worship of eccentrics, philosophers, and sages." ] }, { "name": "Zivilyn", "source": "PHB", "page": 295, "pantheon": "Dragonlance", "alignment": [ "N" ], "title": "God of wisdom", "category": "The Gods of Neutrality", "domains": [ "Knowledge" ], "symbol": "Great green or gold tree" } ] }