Religions
Religions
Gods are associated with emotions, feelings, and moods; they delight when people feel these emotions. Clerics and disciples of the gods are devoted to instilling those feelings and emotions in others.
By their nature the gods are ethereal and shapeless but they have taken, or been given, physical representation. These physical metaphors vary as greatly as the gods themselves; some are human or humanoid, some are animal, some are elemental, and most are a combination of each.
Although gods are universal they tend to attract disciples of a particular race, nation, of disposition. The gods themselves aren't particular about race or nation but the races and nations are particular about their gods. Each nation usually gives patronage to one of the six families of god, the "cosmos". These cosmos are, in turn, aligned against each other.
| Deity | Alignment | Influence |
|---|---|---|
| Acedia | NN | Apathy,Boredom,Depression,Indifference |
| Ankou | CN | Despair,Anguish,Dread |
| Arwenna | LG | Awe,Wonder |
| Erida | CE | Hatred,Loathing,Rage,Fear |
| Eros | CG | Passion,Arousal,Desire,Lust |
| G'Kar | LN | Disappointment,Annoyance,Frustration |
| Hotei | NG | Happiness,Contentment,Gratitude,Satisfaction |
| Hybris | LN | Boldness,Fearlessness,Pride |
| Irae | LE | Contempt,Disgust,Pity |
| Laetitia | CG | Joy,Ecstasy,Euphoria,Pleasure |
| Lyssa | CN | Panic,Anxiety,Hysteria,Worry |
| Malu | LE | Shame,Regret,Remorse,Embarrassment |
| Nedolya | NE | Sadness,Sorrow,Suffering |
| Penthos | NE | Grief,Guilt,Misery |
| Rus'Ker | CE | Terror,Shock,Surprise,Horror |
| Sekhmet | NE | Anger,Angst,Hostility |
| Sirona | LG | Love,Affection,Hope |
| Vor | NG | Curiosity,Interest,Excitement |
| Zelos | NN | Envy,Jealousy,Shyness,Loneliness |
Cosmos
The six families of gods, the Cosmos, are aligned in three oppositions. Gods and clerics of each cosmos are eternally fighting against the gods and clerics of the opposed cosmos. Only Acedia is neutral.
| Health Cosmos | Pain Cosmos |
|---|---|
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| Selfless Cosmos | Selfish Cosmos |
|---|---|
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| Fate Cosmos | Fanatic Cosmos |
|---|---|
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Health Cosmos
The gods of the health cosmos are aligned to promote the health, welfare, and propagation of life.
Pain Cosmos
The gods of pain kill and destroy.
Selfless Cosmos
The gods of selflessness are those of nature and learning.
Selfish Cosmos
The goal of the selfish cosmos is personal gain and attainment, often at the expense of others.
Fate Cosmos
The gods of fate believe in the togetherness of the universe, and that individuals have but a small part to play in the whole.
Fanatic Cosmos
Fanatics are dedicated to a single purpose at the expense of all else and, usually, the prosecution of those not aligned to the purpose. The specific purpose varies greatly by god and cleric but is always something "greater" than the clerics themselves.
Descriptions
The driving purpose of each god is to instill specific feelings and emotions in people. The gods gain power from these emotions and use that power to infuse their clerics with supernatural abilities.
Acedia
NN -- Apathy,Boredom,Depression,Indifference
Avatar
Symbol
Ankou
CN -- Despair,Anguish,Dread
Avatar
Symbol
Arwenna
LG -- Awe,Wonder
Avatar
Arwenna's symbol is a twelve-point star-burst in gold and silver.
Erida
CE -- Hatred,Loathing,Rage,Fear
Avatar
Symbol
Eros
CG -- Passion,Arousal,Desire,Lust
Avatar
Symbol
G'Kar
LN -- Disappointment,Annoyance,Frustration
Avatar
Symbol
Hotei
NG -- Happiness,Contentment,Gratitude,Satisfaction
Avatar
Symbol
Hybris
LN -- Boldness,Fearlessness,Pride
Avatar
Symbol
Irae
LE -- Contempt,Disgust,Pity
Avatar
Symbol
Laetitia
CG -- Joy,Ecstasy,Euphoria,Pleasure
Avatar
Symbol
Lyssa
CN -- Panic,Anxiety,Hysteria,Worry
Avatar
Symbol
Malu
LE -- Shame,Regret,Remorse,Embarrassment
Avatar
Symbol
Nedolya
NE -- Sadness,Sorrow,Suffering
Avatar
Symbol
Penthos
NE -- Grief,Guilt,Loneliness,Misery
Avatar
Symbol
Rus'Ker
CE -- Terror,Shock,Surprise,Horror
Rus'Ker is often associated with death and dying, especially in a gruesome and unexpected way. Disciples of Rus'Ker also defile the dead and more than any other priests make use of undead minions.
Avatar -- Rus'Ker takes the form of a hulking skinless golem of bone and muscle. His appearance is horrifying to see with broken bones and torn flesh formed in unnatural ways. He moves supernaturally fast and can change his shape to resemble any creature or person, especially somebody familiar.
Symbol -- Rus'Ker's followers identify themselves with the image of a cracked skull painted red on a black background, the eyes are starbursts of pure white.
Sekhmet
NE -- Anger,Angst,Hostility
Avatar
Symbol
Sirona
LG -- Love,Affection,Hope
Avatar
Symbol
Vor
NG -- Curiosity,Interest,Excitement
Avatar
Symbol
Zelos
NN -- Envy,Jealousy,Shyness
Avatar
Symbol
Eternals
The gods are beings created directly from the Forge. The outer planes sprung once from the forge and the eternals are creatures of these planes. Eternals are beings like Demons, Devils, Angels, Divines, Elementals, Fey, and Dragons who, although very powerful, usually can not bestow powers directly to their followers. Eternals empower their followers by teaching them how to access arcane and divine powers that already existed; in the rare case that an eternal can "lend" a power directly to a follower the power may be taken back or lost at the will of the eternal.
It is worth mentioning that not all creatures from other planes are eternals; just as not all creatures of Asmythe is dragon or fey so too does each plane have it's own ecosystem with only the strongest worthy of the title "eternal".
Native Eternals
Dragons and Fey are native to the realm of Asmythe.
Celestials
Eternals of the "upper" planes, the celestials are angels and other beings of light and goodness.
Abyssals
Abyssals are eternals of the "lower" planes; demons and other beings of darkness and evil.
Elementals
All other eternals are collectively called "elementals" even when they are not strictly creatures of water, fire, shadow, tapioca, etc. The outer planes are infinite and the creatures of the planes doubly so.
