The Gods over Suraen [Gods, finally named my Setting]

[brian c]

Okay, so I'd like to first thank the people who responded to my thread a few days back trying to name my campaign setting; sorry that I didn't take anyone's suggestions, but it was appreciated all the same.

The name of the setting is: Suraen (pronounced Sue-RAY-in). The overdeity of the setting is named Su, so Suraen means, basically, "Su made this" and refers to the name of the world itself. Since I'm posting here to give you the gods of the setting, here's a good place to start:

Su: The Father, The Creator

In the beginning, there was only the almighty Su; He created the world and He gave life and powers to the other gods. Su does not interfere in the affairs of mortals, and though most living beings with religion are aware of his existence, none worship him in particular. Su interacts only with the other, lesser deities, and even then infrequently. Any animal or intelligent race whose creation is not claimed by another deity is likely the work of Su, though it can be difficult to confirm.

(Note: Su doesn't have a portfolio, alignment or anything, basically because he's too cool for that. He doesn't mess with the world very much, just watches, and mortals don't bother worshiping him)


Rabel: The Firstborn, Maker of Man, The Architect
Portfolio: Men, Law, Honor, Dwarves
Domains: Strength, Law, Protection, Earth, Healing, Creation, City, Commerce,
Alignment: LN
Favored Weapons: Longsword, Bastard Sword, Rapier
Rabel was the first god made by Su. Rabel and Baal together created humans, but the two gods disagreed on how their creations should live. Rabel's humans built cities and wrote laws, treating others with respect, but always placing Humans superior to the other races. Rabel is revered by civilized humans, but he rarely intervenes on the Material Plane. His clergy is small but dedicated, but most city-dwellers worship other, more specialized gods.
After the split of mankind into two factions, Rabel tried his hand again at breathing life to a new race. This time he created dwarves, the sturdy and tireless inhabitants of the mountains. Dwarves and city-dwelling Humans have a special bond through Rabel, but Dwarves also worship other gods more commonly.


Baal: The Wild One, Giver of Freedom, The Forest Keeper
Portfolio: Men, Chaos, Nature, Elves, Druids, Freedom
Domains: Chaos, Luck, Strength, War, Travel, Creation, Community, Liberation
Alignment: CN
Favored Weapons: Greataxe, Battleaxe, Falchion
Baal is the brother of Rabel, and with him created humans. The people of Baal lived free in the forests and fields, caring little for the rules and formalities of their brethren. Like his men, Baal cares for nature and rarely withholds his thoughts or feelings. Baal is mostly worshiped by these men, thought to a lesser extent they may follow other gods.
When Rabel created the Dwarves, Baal created the Elves. These beings of nature have special bonds with animals and the less refined humans, and many worship Baal as their primary deity. These races carry on their creator's rivalry with Rabel, but they will work together when necessary, as will their corresponding deities. Baal and Sholana are the parents of Kifan and Nalat; though they do not have a lasting relationship, they (and by extension, their worshippers) often work together.


Sholana: The Earthmother, Queen of the Cats
Portfolio: Halflings, Gnomes, Animals, Druids, Childbirth,
Domains: Good, Animal, Healing, Community, Weather
Alignment: NG
Favored Weapon: Light Mace, Sickle, Kama
The first and most powerful female among the gods, Sholana shaped the good-natured halflings as parallels to Baal and Rabel's humans. After the introduction of arcane magic by the dragons, Sholana reacted by giving birth to Thosas, the first Gnome, whose purpose was to master the studies of arcana.
Sholana is the second most popular deity among Gnomes, trailing Thosas; she is also worshipped by halflings and often by druids and rangers of other races. Worshippers of Sholana revere animals, particularly felines. She is the mother of the gods Kifan and Nalat, whose father is Baal.

[brian c]

Vonak: The Dragon-King, Sorceror of the Overworld
Portfolio: Dragons, Magic, Kobolds, Tactics,
Domains: Fire, Magic, Knowledge, Dream
Alignment: CG
Favored Weapon: Unarmed strike/natural attack, Spears
When Su created the world, He inhabited it with mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, plants, and all sorts of living things. As it often is in the world, scarcity led to conflict when a group of lizards and a group of rodents fought over food on a small island. The rodents swarmed over the lizards' nests, but one exceptionally large red lizard could not be approached, as any rat near him would catch fire and flee. Su saw this, and after the last of the rodents had retreated He elevated the lizard to godhood, the only time Su has done this. The lizard became the great dragon Vonak, and he was the first living creature to harness arcane magic.
Vonak's worshippers include good-aligned dragons, sorcerors, and kobolds, along with the majority of half-dragons. The Dragon-King used magic to create the Kobold race as assistants to dragons, though evil-aligned dragons now use them as slaves. Many wizards pay homage to Vonak, though they do not directly worship him.


Kifan: Keeper of the Underworld, Lord of the Abyss
Portfolio: Demons, Fire, Death, Chaos, Orcs
Domains: Death, Evil, Chaos, Fire, Destruction, Glory, Summoner, Hatred, Wrath
Alignment: CE
Favored Weapon: Two-Bladed Sword, Scythe
Kifan is the son of Baal and Sholana. In an attempt to gain his father's approval, Kifan shaped a race of humanoids which he called the Orcs. However, this evil-natured and foul race waged war upon the Humans and Elves of Baal, leading to a bitter divide between Baal and Kifan.
Scorned by his father, Kifan turned to his brother Nalat, who had partnered with evil dragons. Nalat helped Kifan forge another new magical race, the Demons. Once this had been accomplished, Kifan turned on his brother, igniting a war that still erupts from time to time. Kifan's desire to cause harm to others is rivaled only by his feelings of jealousy and contempt for his brother, though they do still work together on occasion.
Besides demons, Kifan is still a popular deity among orcs, though not all worship him. Almost none among the other races worship Kifan.


Nalat: The Tyrant, Doombringer
Portfolio: Devils, Death, Law, Imprisonment
Domains: Death, Evil, Law, Trickery, War, Domination, Inquisition, Pact, Suffering, Tyrant
Alignment: LE
Favored Weapon: Punching dagger, whip, scimitar
The quieter and more intelligent of Baal and Sholana's two sons, Nalat wandered the world looking for ways to make himself smarter, stronger and more powerful. The raw magical power of the dragons mesmerized him; after repeated efforts to harness arcane magic for himself ended in failures, Nalat finally made an agreement with several of the more unsavory dragons. On his personal plane Galeroz, he and the dragons created a new magical race of Devils. Through ages of unfair deals and secret tradeoffs, the frozen wastes of Galeroz hold an untold many souls watched by Brask. Nalat is ever-more ambitious and powerful, seeking to take control of the Material Plane for himself.
Nalat has very few worshipers among the mortal races; evil mages, warriors and even many lawmakers secretly revere The Tyrant, but open acknowledgment of worshiping Nalat is frowned upon or worse.


Kashil: The Mighty, Brawler of the Gods
Portfolio: Strength, Brawling, Dwarves
Domains: Strength, War, Protection, Competition, Glory, Courage, Dwarf
Alignment: N
Favored Weapon: Unarmed Strike, Warhammer
After the emergence of the dwarven race, there were many initial clashes and disagreements between the new race and the existing humans. Legend has it that a good-natured, playful young dwarf named Kashil helped improve relations by organizing a friendly sporting contest between dwarves and humans. Countless generations later, the Kas Tournament still takes place yearly, though its founder has long since passed on to the spirit realms.
Kashil is revered by many dwarves as their patron deity, and also by creatures of all races who value brute strength and martial glory.


Gosal: The Archer, Elf-King
Portfolio: Air, Birds, Archers, Elves
Domains: Air, Travel, Trickery, Liberation, Elf, Luck,
Alignment: CN
Favored Weapon: Elven Longbow (or Longbow, Composite Longbow)
When the first elves populated the forests, they were led by the clever Gosal. Under his watchful eye, elves first crafted their mighty longbows for use against rampaging orcs, vile dragons and the occasional being from the Underworld. When Kifan, enraged by the elven resistance against a force of demons, sent his personal guard to kill Gosal, Baal himself intervened and elevated Gosal to divinity.
Gosal is revered by all elves, and also by archers of all races. In combat, his followers prefer ranged weaponry and hit-and-run tactics to straightforward attacks. It is widely known that worshippers of the Archer God use birds as scouts and lookouts.

[brian c]

Thosas: The Magician, The Student
Portfolio: Gnomes, Magic,
Domains: Magic, Knowledge, Law, Oracle, Mind, Gnome, Spell,
Alignment: LG
Favored Weapon: Staff, Shortsword
When Vonak became a god and brought to the dragons the powers of arcane magic, Sholana saw how significant this was and wanted the other races to have access to this magic also. She shaped a new creature with the purpose of learning magic, and named him Thosas.
Thosas was the first Gnome, curious by nature but also dedicated, intelligent, and likable. His worshipers include gnomes and wizards of other races, mostly humans and dwarves but also some lightfoot halflings. His followers generally get along with good dragons and sorcerers, but fight constantly with the allies of evil dragons, particularly Nalat. Thosas forbids the practice of Necromancy among his followers.


Bensun: The Chosen One
Portfolio: Giants, Earthquakes, Mountains, Secrets, Common Sense
Domains: Oracle, Liberation, Endurance, Strength
Alignment: CG
Favored Weapon: Club, Greatclub, Unarmed Strike
Ben was a Giant, a Mystic* of Su, the wisest of his kind and a great leader. He remains the only mortal to have ever maintained a relationship with the Father Himself. Despite his personal success, Ben wished that giants could be more intelligent and caring, instead of being hulking monsters, feared by the other races. Su heard this plea, and granted it by forming the Half-Giant race. The Half-Giants awoke, and looked to Ben for guidance, thinking that he was their creator. In time, Ben's power and influence grew to the point where he became a god, renamed Bensun, the Chosen One. Bensun's worshipers are still almost all Giants and Half-Giants; many among the other races are unaware of his existence.


Brask: The Necromancer, Master of Death
Portfolio: Death, Undead, Disease, Famine
Domains: Death, Undeath, Hunger, Pestilence, Cold, War, Darkness, Decay, Necromancy, Undead
Alignment: NE
Favored Weapon: Morningstar, flails
Brask is the lieutenant of Nalat, in charge of recording and controlling the souls of creatures unfortunate enough to deal with devils. Brask creates the undead armies of Hell, and has interest in any activities in the Material Plane which may result in many deaths.
Brask's position in control of souls makes him very important to any necromancer. In order to create undead, a soul is used to inhabit the corpse. All dedicated necromancers are worshipers of Brask, though many primarily honor Nalat.

*Mystic is a new class that I'm working on, maybe someone remembers when I posted the Levitation ability from it. Mystics are like clerics, with a more personal relationship with their god.

[brian c]

Srohlaz: The Beast, The Animal, Fleshripper
Portfolio: Orcs, Lycanthropes, Animals, Death
Domains: Animal, Hunger, War, Chaos, Wrath
Alignment: CE
Favored Weapons: Unarmed Strike, Bite, Claw, Falchion, Kukri
During one of the many Orc-Elf wars, Srohlaz was an orc warchief leading a raid into the elven forest citadel. Separated from his troops following a defeat, Srohlaz accidentally wandered into the lair of a powerful wolf. Despite being bitten and clawed badly, the orc killed the wolf, but was never fully rid of him. Srohlaz became the first known lycanthrope in the world- a werewolf. Eventually he would rise above mere mortals and take his place in the pantheon of gods.
Worshipers of Srohlaz are mostly orcs, but also include many barbaric humans, lycanthropes of all types, and, it is rumored, even a small cult of elves. Devotees to The Beast often hold sacrifices in his honor, and vow to never retreat from battle no matter the costs.


Leyanar: The Holy Protector, Scion of Good
Portfolio: Humans, Zeal, Passion, Protection, Courage, Discipline, Good, Law, Honor
Domains: Courage, Exorcism, Glory, Retribution, Law, Inquisition
Alignment: LG
Favored Weapons: Longsword
In life, Leyanar was a warrior devoted to Rabel. He upheld law and order, and took care to help others in need. Having already won fame as a crusader for good, Leyanar established the Order of the Silver Mantle. According to the preachings of the Order, Leyanar ascended to the heavens to sit by Rabel's side as a reward for his lifetime of service.
Leyanar's worshipers are almost all Rabelian humans. They aggressively proselytize, attempting to spread their faith to the uncivilized humans in particular. All believers in Leyanar are united by the Church of Leyanar, of which the paladins of the Silver Mantle are a part. Currently, the Church of Leyanar finds itself at odds with most of Rabel's worshipers, who generally either deny Leyanar's divine ascension or do not care. The Church is also criticized for alleged racism and lack of compassion; oftentimes it's members seem more concerned with spreading their faith than with actually helping others. Leyanar's popularity varies greatly; in some regions he is a great god and a hero, and in others his church is banned.


Meerak: The Ruthless, The Warrior
Portfolio: Goblinoids, War, Discipline, Tactics
Domains: War, Courage, Endurance, Wrath, Destruction, Trickery
Alignment: LE
Favored Weapons: Morningstar, Heavy Mace, Pick (Light and Heavy)
Along with the Giants, the goblinoid races were not created by any of the lesser gods, but by Su himself. Their early history was mostly bereft of religion, since no god claimed them. Eventually, many goblin tribes joined a loose confederation with orcs. Goblins began worshiping Srohlaz and Kifan, under the watchful eyes and iron fists of orc warchiefs. One day, a hobgoblin warrior named Meerak led a group of his compatriots in a war against the orcs. Devoted to law and order at any cost, Meerak concluded that the orcs had overstepped the bounds of their original agreement. Before making his fight overt, Meerak convinced Srohlaz himself to lend him powerful artifacts, which would tip the fight in favor of the goblins and ensure Meerak's immortality.
Meerak is a popular deity among goblinoids, but is also worshiped by many warriors who share his philosophy. Among goblins, those who were never under orcish rule may worship Meerak, but most do not. A small minority of goblins stayed loyal to the orcs, and still worship Srohlaz and Kifan.

[brian c]

All the gods are now finished. If you look at my Races, linked in my sig, that should help explain more about the world. Races are undergoing a revision however, with the addition of Giants, Half-Giants, Goblins, Hobgoblins and Kobolds, and better formatting all-around.

Any comments? Portfolio suggestions? Does anything look amiss, confusing, etc? Does anything look particularly cool? I tried to avoid cliches; while there are racial gods, they aren't particularly gods just for that race. Another thing is that humans generally don't have a racial god, so I mixed it up a little there by giving them two. Meerak might get some revisions too; I'm not too sure what I want out of him. I'm also considering adding one or two more gods, since I noticed the gender disparity among them.

[brian c]

I'm giving this one last bump in hopes that anybody cares enough to leave a comment.

Revised races will be coming soon; I'll post Humans, Dwarves and Elves since those are almost done, but then the rest should be posted next week I think.

[Matthew]

It's all a bit much to take in at one time. I find that if you present just one of the above, you are probably more likely to get a response than posting an entire Pantheon for review. Deities, mind you, are one of the least likely things to receive responses to, as far as I can tell.

As far as these go, they look alright to me.

[brian c]

It's all a bit much to take in at one time. I find that if you present just one of the above, you are probably more likely to get a response than posting an entire Pantheon for review. Deities, mind you, are one of the least likely things to receive responses to, as far as I can tell.

As far as these go, they look alright to me.

I did realize that deities aren't as interesting as say, a new class or race or spell. I'm posting my races a few at a time, and anyone who looks at those might be tempted to peek over here and see who those fellas are worshiping exactly. I suppose 122 views is a good number, just not many comments (I think half of the views might be me though:smalltongue: )

[Arioch]

Thanks :smallsmile:

[Magnificence]

Wow, this is some great work! Keep it up, I'm just about to make some gods for my own setting so this is going to be a big help! :smallsmile:

All I can comment on is Srohlaz's name doesn't seem to go with the style of the other gods. But he was a orc. :smallwink:

[brian c]

Wow, this is some great work! Keep it up, I'm just about to make some gods for my own setting so this is going to be a big help! :smallsmile:

All I can comment on is Srohlaz's name doesn't seem to go with the style of the other gods. But he was a orc. :smallwink:

Thanks. I couldn't really think of a good name for him, might end up changing it. It's been changed a few times already. I actually just started working on the gods a little bit again, gonna write full descriptions of them. I'll post them on here as they're done.

[Thane of Fife]

Personally, I like all of them - they fit together nicely, and none of them stick out as 'adventurer gods' (i.e. gods whom only adventurers would worship). Similarly, I find it intriguing that you've had humans created before elves and dwarves.

Being nitpicky, though, it stands out that you lack gods of love, agriculture, and war, three things which most cultures, historically, have had gods for. You sort of have agriculture covered with the god of famine, but I think that love, at least, deserves a deity (even if you just tack it onto someone's portfolio).

[brian c]

Personally, I like all of them - they fit together nicely, and none of them stick out as 'adventurer gods' (i.e. gods whom only adventurers would worship). Similarly, I find it intriguing that you've had humans created before elves and dwarves.

Being nitpicky, though, it stands out that you lack gods of love, agriculture, and war, three things which most cultures, historically, have had gods for. You sort of have agriculture covered with the god of famine, but I think that love, at least, deserves a deity (even if you just tack it onto someone's portfolio).

Well, this is how I see it for love, agriculture and war:

For devout worshipers, each god is almost like a monotheism on it's own. People will acknowledge the existence of other gods, but if William is a Rabelian, then he prays to Rabel no matter what he needs, be it related to love, war or anything else. One exception is that Sholana is somewhat of a mother figure, and is often looked to with matters concerning love and fertility (human or crops). Thosas and Vonak are the gods of magic. Rabel and Baal would be the main "war" gods for their respective people, but Kashil is about brute strength and Gosal for archery and for tactics. Evil people would lean towards Srohlaz for fierce attacks, or Meerak for tactics and "smart" combat.

[Old_el_Paso]

You might want to consider changing Baal's name. Baal is already the name of the Caanan god of fertility. He is also bent to be a demon in the Bible.

[brian c]

You might want to consider changing Baal's name. Baal is already the name of the Caanan god of fertility. He is also bent to be a demon in the Bible.

I'm aware, that's where I got the name from. I was taking a class on Ancient Near East literature at the time.

Edit: Not to address real world religion too much, but the literature that we went over in that class was very influential for me when I was coming up with gods. Rabel and Baal are both nearly monotheisms, that is their worshipers are devoted mainly to them, however they do acknowledge other gods, the just feel that Rabel/Baal is their god, that they are chosen people of their god. This is very similar to biblical jews. There are many references to other gods and powers, enough that an argument can be made that the jews were not true monotheists (and indeed, I made that argument in my final paper for the class). Leyanar is very similar to Jesus Christ, that shouldn't be too hard to pick up on. His church is like the early christian church, viewed as heretical by the mainstream. Bensun was inspired by the Buddha. The other gods didn't have any particular influences, just mishmashes of all the religions i know anything about, the needs of the "pantheon", and whatever sounded good at the time. Eventually I'll have full writeups for each god (and one new god) to flesh them out a little more.