Post by Valen Storyteller on Jan 29, 2016 1:07:15 GMT
Symbol: A three-pointed, curved star such that the upper two points resemble horns
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Spite, Malice, Revenge, Envy
Domains: Evil, Darkness, Undeath, Destruction
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Divine Rank: 18
The Triad is a loose alliance of deities who were originally formed as an opposition to the Triumvirate. Envious, violent and sinister, these gods have long lingered at the edge of society or in its underbelly. Their cults are hidden, seditiously infiltrating society. One may find secret societies of noblemen intent on self-advancement who perform rituals to the triad, or dangerous street gangs who hold clumsy communions and draw ineffable graffiti in city walls.
Most members of cults to the Triad or to individual gods in the pantheon are unaware of the true nature of the being they worship, or have already been corrupted and entrapped so deeply that they no longer believe they can extricate themselves. Through deceit, coercion and grand promises, these gods manage to wrest surprising amounts of power from society, and many whisper that the downfall of the Samaran Empire and of other nations before it were engineered in cults of the Triad.
EREBUS, GOD OF DARKNESS
Symbol:
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Darkness, Secrets, Greed, Night, Envy
Domains: Darkness, Evil, Envy, Planning, Illusion
Favored Weapon: Heavy Mace
Divine Rank: 9
Erebus is the master of intrigue, a schemer in darkness who weaves plots so vast and complex that none can hope to untangle them. Any person may be a pawn in one of his plans, many of which were first hatched centuries or millennia before. Although he wields small divine power, his influence over society in Valenpoint and beyond is insidious and vast.
Most cults of Erebus are formed as secret societies for the higher class. Most of these societies are formed as brotherhoods who share influence and wealth for their common benefit, wrapping their meetings up in mysterious, exotic rituals which are in fact devotions to Erebus. In any such cell, only the highest-ranked participants know the truth of whom thy worship, and even fewer are chosen by their dark god to receive divine magic. It is in Erebus’s nature, after all, to keep his boons to a very select inner circle of his favorites.
SORANO, GOD OF DEATH
Symbol: A stylised skull with gemstones in the eye sockets
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Death, The Dead, Necromancy
Domains: Death, Undeath, Pride, Deathbound, Magic
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Divine Rank: 16
Legends say that the god now called the Lord Of The Damned was once a kindly and fair deity of death, widely worshiped in ages ancestral. When the people he presided over learned means to forestall death and, for that reason, ceased to worship and respect him, he became increasingly covetous and resentful, warping into the maniacal monster who now rules over the dead in Eos.
Upon death, it is said, Sorano visits the soul and puts before them a series of tests and quests, the result of which determines one’s fate. Many gods promise an afterlife of bliss or empowerment, and claim that a pious soul, when faced with Sorano, will be freed to its due destiny. Some religions proclaim purity, or wisdom, or other recourse to ensure either a reincarnation or the successful passage into a worthwhile afterlife. In all cases, Sorano is the alternative, as he is said to devour or destroy souls that cannot save themselves.
Sorano actively seeks to give cause for his worship, and to make the power of his portfolio present and powerful before mortals. As such, he conjures and conspires with other gods, bringing war, plague, disasters and murder into the world: anything for mortals to be faced with and fear death, and in this way he coerces mortals to his worship. He promises eternal existence through undeath for those most devout to him (a promise he does often grant), and saddles the undead with urges and curses that makes them eternal servants to Death, feeding from or destroying the living.
VALIGAN, TRICKSTER GOD
Symbol: A broken length of chain
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Anarchy, Sedition, Thieves, Trickery
Domains: Liberation, Celerity, Trickery, Chaos, Destruction
Favored Weapon: Shortsword
Divine Rank: 7
Rumored to be the younger brother of the Twins, Valigan has none of their appreciation for the creation of new things: much the opposite, he has a fascination with destruction, and an unending desire to prove himself by dismantling societies. Even freedom-loving, kindly nations are targeted by Valigan - though less openly - as at his core he has an inherent distrust of any social organization, and a firm desire to topple all who have secular power.
Many of Valigan’s cults are formed as street gangs and bandit bands. With divinely-inspired schemes and leaders who gain very real magical power from a deity, any gang chosen by Valigan tends to grow in power and influence by leaps and bounds, soon absorbing their former competitors. These gangs almost inevitably position themselves so as to be troublesome or dangerous to the authorities, creating small parallel governments in neighborhoods or regions they subvert, all the while running campaigns of sabotage and thievery against the rich and the powerful. Fire-bombings and the summoning (and loosing) of destructive chaotic entities are not uncommon.
Valigan is a surprisingly charismatic entity, and has a talent for finding or drawing out a similar talent in mortals. In territories claimed by one of his cults, his clerics are almost invariably seen as great heroes, stealing from the rich to give to the poor or undermining corrupt and overbearing authority. Valigan is known to assume false names, appearances and even change gender, and thus many of these gangs and cults cannot easily be identified as his worshipers.
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Spite, Malice, Revenge, Envy
Domains: Evil, Darkness, Undeath, Destruction
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Divine Rank: 18
The Triad is a loose alliance of deities who were originally formed as an opposition to the Triumvirate. Envious, violent and sinister, these gods have long lingered at the edge of society or in its underbelly. Their cults are hidden, seditiously infiltrating society. One may find secret societies of noblemen intent on self-advancement who perform rituals to the triad, or dangerous street gangs who hold clumsy communions and draw ineffable graffiti in city walls.
Most members of cults to the Triad or to individual gods in the pantheon are unaware of the true nature of the being they worship, or have already been corrupted and entrapped so deeply that they no longer believe they can extricate themselves. Through deceit, coercion and grand promises, these gods manage to wrest surprising amounts of power from society, and many whisper that the downfall of the Samaran Empire and of other nations before it were engineered in cults of the Triad.
EREBUS, GOD OF DARKNESS
Symbol:
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Darkness, Secrets, Greed, Night, Envy
Domains: Darkness, Evil, Envy, Planning, Illusion
Favored Weapon: Heavy Mace
Divine Rank: 9
Erebus is the master of intrigue, a schemer in darkness who weaves plots so vast and complex that none can hope to untangle them. Any person may be a pawn in one of his plans, many of which were first hatched centuries or millennia before. Although he wields small divine power, his influence over society in Valenpoint and beyond is insidious and vast.
Most cults of Erebus are formed as secret societies for the higher class. Most of these societies are formed as brotherhoods who share influence and wealth for their common benefit, wrapping their meetings up in mysterious, exotic rituals which are in fact devotions to Erebus. In any such cell, only the highest-ranked participants know the truth of whom thy worship, and even fewer are chosen by their dark god to receive divine magic. It is in Erebus’s nature, after all, to keep his boons to a very select inner circle of his favorites.
SORANO, GOD OF DEATH
Symbol: A stylised skull with gemstones in the eye sockets
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Death, The Dead, Necromancy
Domains: Death, Undeath, Pride, Deathbound, Magic
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Divine Rank: 16
Legends say that the god now called the Lord Of The Damned was once a kindly and fair deity of death, widely worshiped in ages ancestral. When the people he presided over learned means to forestall death and, for that reason, ceased to worship and respect him, he became increasingly covetous and resentful, warping into the maniacal monster who now rules over the dead in Eos.
Upon death, it is said, Sorano visits the soul and puts before them a series of tests and quests, the result of which determines one’s fate. Many gods promise an afterlife of bliss or empowerment, and claim that a pious soul, when faced with Sorano, will be freed to its due destiny. Some religions proclaim purity, or wisdom, or other recourse to ensure either a reincarnation or the successful passage into a worthwhile afterlife. In all cases, Sorano is the alternative, as he is said to devour or destroy souls that cannot save themselves.
Sorano actively seeks to give cause for his worship, and to make the power of his portfolio present and powerful before mortals. As such, he conjures and conspires with other gods, bringing war, plague, disasters and murder into the world: anything for mortals to be faced with and fear death, and in this way he coerces mortals to his worship. He promises eternal existence through undeath for those most devout to him (a promise he does often grant), and saddles the undead with urges and curses that makes them eternal servants to Death, feeding from or destroying the living.
VALIGAN, TRICKSTER GOD
Symbol: A broken length of chain
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Anarchy, Sedition, Thieves, Trickery
Domains: Liberation, Celerity, Trickery, Chaos, Destruction
Favored Weapon: Shortsword
Divine Rank: 7
Rumored to be the younger brother of the Twins, Valigan has none of their appreciation for the creation of new things: much the opposite, he has a fascination with destruction, and an unending desire to prove himself by dismantling societies. Even freedom-loving, kindly nations are targeted by Valigan - though less openly - as at his core he has an inherent distrust of any social organization, and a firm desire to topple all who have secular power.
Many of Valigan’s cults are formed as street gangs and bandit bands. With divinely-inspired schemes and leaders who gain very real magical power from a deity, any gang chosen by Valigan tends to grow in power and influence by leaps and bounds, soon absorbing their former competitors. These gangs almost inevitably position themselves so as to be troublesome or dangerous to the authorities, creating small parallel governments in neighborhoods or regions they subvert, all the while running campaigns of sabotage and thievery against the rich and the powerful. Fire-bombings and the summoning (and loosing) of destructive chaotic entities are not uncommon.
Valigan is a surprisingly charismatic entity, and has a talent for finding or drawing out a similar talent in mortals. In territories claimed by one of his cults, his clerics are almost invariably seen as great heroes, stealing from the rich to give to the poor or undermining corrupt and overbearing authority. Valigan is known to assume false names, appearances and even change gender, and thus many of these gangs and cults cannot easily be identified as his worshipers.