[Amaril]

Ok, time to talk about the gods. As explained in the last update, none of the gods communicate with mortals directly, so interpretation of them varies greatly--based partly on information dispensed by the fey, who can rarely seem to agree about anything, and interpretation of this information by mortals themselves. There are, however, common elements of each god's mythology that are agreed upon by many of their followers.

An aside--you might notice that these descriptions make references to druids and lycanthropy. This is part of what I'm doing with the druid class in Shadelight, and will be explained later, when I go into more detail about the roles of classes and races. Also, the gods are all technically androgynous, but I assign each of them a gender for this update--this is based on the mythology of one particular religion that, again, I will describe more later on.

Anyway, back to the gods:

Spoiler

Kane, the God of War

The blood-red moon of Kane is revered by the races of Arendia as the bringer of battle. When it waxes full in the sky, it is said the blood of men boils and drives them to war, and the carnivores of the wild are filled with a ravenous, insatiable hunger. Among the barbarian cultures, Kane is seen as the ultimate predator, and hunters beseech him for the strength and cunning to triumph over prey and the enemies of their people. More "civilized" religions look to Kane for victory in war, asking him to protect their armies and ensure they fight with honor and courage. Kane's domains are War, Protection, Destruction and Strength. His sacred animal is the wolf, one of nature's most fearsome hunters, and his druidic followers are sometimes granted the lycanthropic power to take on lupine forms.

Spoiler

Idra, the God of Wisdom

Scholars and wise men of all sorts revere Idra as the keeper of knowledge and the source of inspiration for great inventions. Those born under his silver moon are believed to possess great wisdom and clarity of thought. Druidic followers of Idra seek to emulate the cunning and resourcefulness of his sacred animal, the raven, and those who do so faithfully sometimes receive the gift of wereraven lycanthropy. In the temples and churches of larger cities, clerics of Idra usually take on the role of educators and loremasters, keeping records of history and seeking to spread wisdom and enlightenment among their followers. Idra's domains and Knowledge, Healing, Law and Luck.

Spoiler

Shamesh, the God of Trickery

Shamesh is the clever and mischievous goddess of trickery, and perhaps the least popular among the six gods. Nights illuminated by her golden moon are said to bring great prosperity and luck to those who pay Shamesh the proper respect, and sorrow and grief to those who spurn her and find their fortunes stolen away by those in better favor. Whatever petty misfortunes might befall one's family are usually attributed to her pranks--when the year's crop of barley fails or someone scribbles in Father Cole's most expensive books, Shamesh is often blamed. This love-hate relationship with the trickster goddess leads most cultures to have few direct worshipers of Shamesh, but most everyone keeps a stash of offerings to her in a safe place. The cunning and agile cat is Shamesh's sacred animal, and those among her druidic worshipers who possess the gift of werecat lycanthropy can be deadly foes indeed. Her domains are Trickery, Luck, Chaos and Travel.

Spoiler

Toth, the God of the Earth

Rarely will one find any sort of large community that is not primarily composed of Toth-worshipers. As the god of land and earth, the influence of Toth is certainly among the most widespread of any god's, and possibly the most crucial to the daily lives of most ordinary mortals. His worshipers range from farmers who pray to him for bountiful harvests, to hunters who appeal for plentiful game, to masons, smiths and woodworkers who venerate him for providing the materials with which to practice their crafts. Equally importantly, Toth is worshiped by many cultures as the god of death and rebirth, particularly among those who bury their dead (cultures who use cremation in funerals more commonly attribute this sphere of influence to Rokkur, see below). Those born under his verdant green moon are widely regarded as being greatly blessed, marked to enjoy good health, long life and fruitful labors for all their days. Toth is often depicted as a coiled serpent holding its own tail in its mouth, representing the unending cycle of life and death as well as the shape of Arendia itself--more powerful druids of Toth become wereserpents when they call upon their lycanthropic gifts. Toth's domains are Earth, Animal, Plant and Death.

Spoiler

Nissa, the God of the Sea

The favored deity of sailors, fishermen and seafarers of all stripes, Nissa is the alternately benevolent and wrathful goddess of water. Next to Toth, worship of Nissa is perhaps the most generally popular, particularly among the island-dwelling peoples of the Broken Sea. She is revered by any who make their living on the waves, and her name is also sung by anyone beginning or ending a journey over water--the former in prayer for safe passage, the latter in thanks for arriving unharmed. Like the sea she rules, her perceived moods and attitude are somewhat unpredictable--some depict her as a loving and protective goddess bringing forth great bounty for those in her favor, others as a wrathful and destructive force who must be appeased regularly to keep her from swallowing up the land. People born under Nissa's aqua-green moon are usually most comfortable living a seafaring life, or so it is said. Nissa's sacred animal is the shark, the top of the aquatic food chain--because of this, druids of Nissa who become weresharks when they shapeshift almost always live near water, though they are equally mobile and deadly on dry land. Her domains are Water, Animal, Destruction and Healing.

Spoiler

Rokkur, the God of the Sky

Rokkur's royal blue moon is believed to mark the births of people possessed of great presence, influence and personal power. The influence of the sky goddess' religion tends to carry over to many aspects of even the other gods' traditions--after all, the sky is where the moons themselves reside, and it can be seen almost no matter where one goes in Arendia. Rokkur is the ruler of wind, rain and thunder, who calls down rainfall to nourish crops and splits open the clouds to unleash thunderstorms. Together with Shamesh, she is worshiped as the patron and protector of travelers, sending wind to speed them on their journeys and stretching the sky over their heads to watch over them everywhere they go. It is largely due to her connection with the immense power of storms that those born under her sign are said to possess powerful personalities--the phrase "speaks with the voice of thunder" is used to mean that when someone speaks, everyone listens and obeys. Rokkur's sacred animal is the majestic eagle, whose form can be assumed by some powerful druids. Her domains are Air, Strength, Protection and Travel.

So, that's another big update out of the way. Next time, I'll start talking about geography to prepare for more detail about history and cultures. As always, PEACH at your convenience.