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This is the HTML conversion of the human pantheon for Avamor for my This Sundered Land campaign. I'll be splitting out the specialty priesthoods into prestige classes. The deities descriptions for 2nd Edition AD&D, The Illithid War campaign, are here. A lot of work went into this pantheon in an effort to make priests more fun to play under 2nd Edition. For 3rd Edition, the listed granted powers override the domain powers that priests get. I am in the process of updating the priesthoods to incorporate domain powers where it looks appropriate. I want to maintain the flavor of Avamorian priesthoods as I adapt them to the 3rd Edition rules. Comments and feedback are, as always, welcome! (Don't forget to remove the NOSPAM.)
In the future, it looks like I'll assign regular domains and 3rd Edition stats to each priesthood, then create one or more prestige classes for each priesthood.
The following rules changes apply for Avamorian priests:
There are numerous gods, goddesses, and demipowers on Avamor - too many to list easily, in fact. Most are beings that arose out of the combined willpower and belief of their followers many, many ages ago when the Tae-esh-naree ruled. Others are entities who arose from mortal form through the power of that same faith. Whatever their origin, the Powers of Avamor are supreme beings.
The gods of Avamor long ago took a Vow that forbids them to interfere directly on the mortal plane. Doing so invites their rivals to likewise direct their personal energies at that specific point. The Cataclysm proved that Avamor can bear only so much power collected in one place at one time before bad things happen. The Vow literally prevents any god, goddess, or demipower from manifestation on the Prime Material Plane. As a result, spells and magics that directly summon a Power instead summon one of that Power's servants. The Chaos Lords of Bael are one such example. None of the Powers listed here have Avatars either. If attacked on their home plane, the goddess in question can simply obliterate her assailant. The Vow serves as a strong influence to not touch a living mortal. Such a divine assault has taken place only once in known history: When Kitai Analor, the King of Thieves, stole the soul of an Elven princess back from Bael. It cost the trickster his life, and probably his soul (there is reason to suspect that Saint Kitai is now a demipower as a reward from Mahnan and Corellon for his selflessness and daring).
Avamor's gods pay close attention to their followers because of the Vow and because they exist solely through the power of those who believe in them. The gods prefer worshippers, since they get the most power from worshippers, but they get some power through the simple fact that sentient beings believe in them, and believe in their might. Even a non-worshipper adds some small amount of power to a goddess simply by believing that goddess exists. To encourage this faith, the gods grant their faithful the ability to perform miracles. The most prevalent miracles are in the form of special powers granted to their priests. The gods actually invest a miniscule fraction of their own near omnipotent power within their faithful - power that can also be withdrawn at a moment's notice should a priest falter in his faith.
The only way to kill a god, or reduce her power, is to kill her worshippers and destroy people's faith in the god. Bael, at one point, was in serious danger of becoming a lesser Power because a certain group of adventurers was unusually successful in killing large numbers of his faithful and causing widespread doubt in Bael's godhood. Other gods, notably Set, began positioning themselves to take Bael's power. This was not a good thing.
The cosmic setup of religion is this: 1) Sentient, mortal beings have souls. The soul represents the sum total of faith and life essence. It also renders a body with a soul mortal. There is considerable argument that Dragons and Unicorns - the only truly immortal creatures native to Avamor - do not have souls. 2) When a mortal being dies, its soul first goes to Accuris. 3) Accuris then determines the proper place the soul should go for its final rest, before coming back into the cycle of life. A good person generally goes to one of the Seven Heavens or Elysium. An evil person generally goes to the Abyss or Hel. Accuris has forbidden himself to favor one god over another as far as where souls go. He can, however, keep souls within his domain for a very, very long time should one of the other gods prove... problematic. 4) At the final rest, the soul's governing god can do several things. The god can hold the soul there (not particularly useful to the god, since it costs energy to do so - only the living can have faith!), perhaps to wait for an appropriate time to return the soul to life. The god can form a body for the soul, making it a servant such as a greater demon, greater devil, or aasimar. This is one example of an immortal body containing a soul. This also is costly in energy. Finally, the god in question can return the soul to mortal life, usually through birth, though other means are also possible.
Because of the time a soul spends in Accuris' domain, only the god Accuris can grant the resurrection of a soul back to its mortal body and restore that body to life, unless enough time has passed for that soul to pass on to its final reward (a process that takes decades, or even centuries). Other priesthoods can cast ressurection-type magics, but they are in fact asking their own god to intercede with Accuris to effect the resurrection. Accuris is loathe to do so, and almost always requires a good reason for granting such requests! Baelites and Settites are rarely resurrected. Instead, they are usually brought back as one of the greater forms of undead.
Worshipping a god or goddess carries benefits. First off, the Powers are always listening for their followers. Even the lowliest mortal has some miniscule chance of gaining aid from his or her goddess by calling on that Power. A truly faithful servant may unknowingly have his god's ear, especially if engaged on a quest for his deity. Second, the priesthood itself is well-disposed towards the faithful, and is more generous with its magics, knowledge, and resources to the devout follower. This translates directly into lower costs for goods and services (some of these are even free). Third is protection and sanctuary. The Powers guard their own, and instruct their followers to do likewise. There may be a test applied to those seeking sanctuary, such as the infamous Choice of doors before entering Mahnan's holy ground, the Test of Arms for Crom, and the Trial of Faith for Set, but these are never permanently harmful to the truly devout.
As there are benefits to faith, so there are drawbacks. Followers of your god's enemies will seek you out to thwart your faith, or even kill you. Priests, and specially chosen servants, entering the holy ground of another faith instantly alert the priests of that faith who are also on that ground holy to them. Some weapons and spells have additional effect if cast upon the followers of an enemy Power. The ages-old hatred between the Corellon and Gruumsh has spawned much creativity among the Eloch'kal. Finally, there is always the geas that can be laid upon a faithful worshipper to test her faith, or to accomplish some goal for the god.
For most mortals, worship is a matter of everyday life. Farmers pray that the spring storms of Vorin do not come too early, and that Avaryan gives clear sunny days once the crops are in bloom, while averting their eyes from the new moon so that Bael does not notice them. And they will refrain from killing a snake, lest it be on a mission from Set.
| Greater Gods and Goddesses - Human Pantheon | ||||
| Deity | Alignment | Major Race |
Spheres of Influence | Weapon |
| Accuris | N | Kathnyri, Ralkstagian | Death, the Dead, Burial | Scythe, or Headsman's (Battle) Axe |
| Avaryan | LG | Hartlander | Creation, Dawn, Renewal | Composite longbow, composite shortbow, longbow, shortbow |
| Bael | CE | Any | Destruction, Decay, Corruption | Flail |
| Crom | CN | Any | War and Battle | Greatsword |
| Kamarr | LN | Any | Magic, Secrets | Quarterstaff |
| Set | LE | Any | Evil, the Night, Creatures of the Night | Whip, Whip Dagger |
| Sylvanus | N | Any | Nature | Scimitar, Scythe |
| Talamyr | NG | Human | Peace and Healing | Net |
| Lesser Gods and Goddesses | ||||
| Amara | NG | Various | Forests and Plants | Club |
| Dargoth | NE | Various | Fear, Corruption | Spiked Chain |
| Falrun | CE | Any | Pestilence and Disease | Sickle |
| Mahnan | CN | Any | Luck | Rapier |
| Morech | N | Any | Fire and Destruction | Pick |
| Shune | NE | Sea-going Races | Floods, Rivers, and Oceans | Trident |
| Vardin | LN | Any | Judgement, Justice, and Revenge | Morningstar |
| Vorin | CG | Plainsriders | Storms and Hunters | Composite Bow |
| Demigods and Demigoddesses | ||||
| Darkayne | CE | Any | Murderers and Black Magic | Halberd |
| Saints | ||||
| Blade Bloodsbane | CG | Plainsriders | Warriors and Plainsmen (Crom) | Twin Longswords |
| Calen | LG | Hartland | Martyrs and Lost Causes (Avaryan) | Bastard Sword |
| Dane Ironhammer | LN(G) | Dwarves | Prophets and Foresight (Moradin) | Warhammer |
| Garrok Skullcrusher | LE | Orcs | Orc Warriors and Leaders (Gruumsh) | Longspear |
| Kitai Analor | CN | Any | Luck and Adventurers (Mahnan) | Rapier |
| Greater Gods and Goddesses - Elven Pantheon | ||||
| Deity | Alignment | Major Race |
Spheres of Influence | Weapon |
| Corellon | CG | Elves & Fey | Elves, Good Fey, Forests | Longsword |
| Lolth | CE | Drow, Evil Fey | Spiders and Darkness | Dagger |
| Greater Gods and Goddesses - Other Races | ||||
| Deity | Alignment | Major Race |
Spheres of Influence | Weapon |
| Gruumsh | CE | Orcs | Chaos, Strength, Orcs | Spear |
| Moradin | Dwarves | the Earth, Mountains and Dwarves | Hammer | |
Copyright 1998-2003 by Guardian (cmuel59749@aolNOSPAM.com).