Character Classes | Creatures
Deities: Real-World Deities (A to F | G to Z) | Literary Deities | Non-human Pantheons (Demihuman Deities | Giant Deities | Goblinoid Deities | Scalykind Deities | Underdark Deities) | Elder Evils
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Campaign Settings: Dragonlance | Eberron | Forgotten Realms | Greyhawk | Ravenloft | Spelljammer
This is a partial list of the real-world inspired deities which have appeared in Dungeons and Dragons.
In General
Though it flourished 2,500 years ago, no other civilization has had as much influence on the spirit of the western world as ancient Greece. Our most basic and dearly held convictions, such as a man's right to liberty, to be ruled by a democratic government, and the inherent worth of the individual, are directly descended from Greek thought.The gods of Olympus make themselves known with the gentle lap of waves against the shores and the crash of the thunder among the cloud-enshrouded peaks. The thick boar-infested woods and the sere, olive-covered hillsides hold evidence of their passing. Every aspect of nature echoes with their presence, and they've made a place for themselves inside the human heart too.
Born from the loins of the Titans and the grandchildren of Sky and Earth, the Greek deities soon carved out their place in the multiverse. Their larger-than-life exploits made them instant legends, their heady passions and dark doings spreading like the ripples of Oceanus. In the space of a few thousand years, they went from a minor collective to one of the most influential pantheons on the planes. Now, with even more experience under their belts, they've secured their foothold and look to grow ever greater. This pantheon, called the Olympians after their mountainous home, has grown so much that a substantial number of primes actually call the gods' home plane Olympus (as opposed to its proper name, Arborea). If that ain't influence, almost nothing is.
The Olympians
Zeus
The king of the gods, Zeus (pronounced zoos) appears as a mighty male human standing about 15 feet tall. He has white hair and a long, white beard. He wears a white tunic and carries his shield, Aegis, which bears the likeness of the head of the first medusa. A white celestial giant eagle is always at Zeus's side.
Though he's the youngest of the six original children of Cronus and Rhea, Zeus took the high-up spot among them because of his might and his shrewd handling of their tyrannical father. Today, armed with a thunderbolt forged by the Cyclopes, Zeus holds his position through awe and fear. When the other deities have a disagreement they can't resolve, or when they threaten to tear Olympus apart in their squabbles, Zeus steps in, and with a heavy hand disciplines them until they settle down.
Graybeards say Zeus is the embodiment of reason and emotion welded together. To tell the truth, he's far more often passionate than logical, and that's caused him no end of trouble. See, while he's Hera's husband, he's lusty and lustful, and chant is he's fathered more children among the mortals than even Hera could track down. Zeus means well, to be sure, but sometimes a person can't help but wonder if he took Hera for his wife as a symbolic gesture to placate her jealousy and affirm his standing as head of the pantheon.
His palace is at the highest point of Olympus, its halls inlaid with gold and precious gems. Statues of Zeus and Hera line the halls; chant is the Thunderer animates them to dispose of unwanted visitors, and also to move about the realm without attracting too much attention (Zeus's own radiant glory often strikes dead any mortal who catches sight of it). Sure, a walking statue's still noticable, but it doesn't have the same effect as the god's actual presence.
Zeus's wife also rules in these halls, and it's because of her that he takes on secret forms to slip out for his dalliances. Hera keeps a remarkably close eye on her husband, but it doesn't stop him from trying to escape the white marble of their palace. Sometimes, the place seems more like a cage for the wayward deity.
Chant is Zeus leaves two jars outside the entrance to the palace, one filled with the qualities of evil and the other with good. Only the deities know which is which. Zeus uses the stuff to bless or curse mortals, mixing the two qualities to create human spirits. If a person could make off with one of the jars, they could become a great force for good or evil, but they'd better be sure of which one they take, not to mention find a hideout beyond the purview of the Olympians (they'd crush them for sure).
Achilles
Achilles is the son of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. He wears +2 chainmail and a +2 shield into battle, all gold plated. He is a charioteer who uses immortal horses to pull his chariot at 24" per turn. His skin cannot be pierced by edged weapons (except at his left heel); only bludgeon-type weapons can harm him in battle.
Antaeus
This giant is the offspring of Poseidon and Gaia, the original earth-deity. He grows stronger each round he fights, as long as he remains on the earth. Antaeus starts similar to a hill giant in size and appearance, but every round he fights he grows, gaining the size and strength each round of the next largest giant type, until he reaches titan strength and size. Each time he grows, all damage he has taken is healed, and he increases a further 25 hit points (up to 250 total). Even after he ceases growing, all damage he takes in one round is healed in the next as long as he remains on the earth. Antaeus will remain at titon size as long as he fights, gradually shrinking when the battle is over. If Antaeus is lifted off the ground, heloses strength and size at the same rate he gained it, and will no longer heal. He always attacks as a 16+ hit dice monster.
Aphrodite
The deity of romantic love, sexual desire, and physical beauty, Aphrodite (pronounced aff-ro-dite-ee) embodies those ideals. She appears as a human woman of phenomenal beauty, dressed in a simple gown and adorned with jewelry. She is usually smiling and in fact is often called "smile-loving" or "laughter-loving Aphrodite".
Aphrodite could more rightly be said to be a Titan, as she was born from the sea foam after Cronus castrated his father Uranus and cast his severed genitals into the sea. The other deities overlook that fact, for she journeyed to far-off isles upon her creation, taking Eros with her, and returned when the Titans had been cast out.
Aphrodite's husband is Hephaestus, to whom she was married by order of the gods, for the two of them needed divine consorts. However, she chafes in the marriage, for while the smith dotes on her, he's unsightly, not to mention lame. Handsome, vain Ares catches her eye far more frequently, though when Hephaestus first discovered her treachery, he fashioned a net and entrapped the lovers. Then he invited the other gods to come and mock the hapless pair. Aphrodite fled for a year and a day, until her shame lessened enough that she could bear to be seen.
While her constant lover Ares represents the destructive side of chaos, Aphrodite embodies the joy of passion, freedom, and whimsy. Her brand of passion creates rather than destroys life, and she celebrates the beauty of life in all forms. Laughter-loving Aphrodite urges her followers to take whatever pleasure can be extracted from life without allowing social strictures to squelch their freedom, their creativity, or their passion. Though she promotes the ideals of good, she does not demand that anyonetake up arms to promote it. Though her own actions have provoked great conflicts,Aphrodite would prefer to see mortals make love rather than war.
'Course, Aphrodite's more than just the goddess of love and beauty; she also rules over the act of love, and thus she's a big favorite among the Society of Sensation. It's partly because of her influence that many Sensates have chosen Olympus as their home (the faction's glorious Gilded Hall lies elsewhere in the layer).
Aphrodite's palace on Mount Olympus is built of quartz and gems, all polished so keenly that anybody walking past can see their own reflection in the glass. The pool Canathas (also known as Evergold, shared by other goddesses of beauty) lies in a ceremonial basin in the exact center of her case, filled with the Water of Beauty and Life. Only proxies of Aphrodite can bathe in the water here; anyone else who tries it brings down the wrath of the goddess.
Apollo
The god of light, music, and healing, Apollo (pronounced ah-pahl-low) appears as a comely, beardless young man carrying a golden lyre and a silver bow. He helps ripen crops, destroys pests, cures illnesses, and protects shepherds and their flocks. There are many oracular shrines dedicated to Apollo, the chief one being at Delphi (taken over from Gaea).
The son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, Apollo is, after Hera and his father, the greatest power of the pantheon. Though both Poseidon and Hades are stronger, Apollo commands more respect than either of them, and thus is next in line should Zeus ever perish or pass on.
It was Apollo who first taught people the healing art. While generally benevolent and helpful, he can be truly terrible when angry, often loosing arrows that visit disease and death on targets they strike. The master of the lyre and song, Apollo is especially vain about his musical prowess and keeps the Muses as part of his retinue.
As god of prophecy, Apollo founded an oracle on every prime-material world where the Olympians have influence. They all sit on stools of smoke-filled caverns, listening to the words of the future breathed by the fumes. Like most oracles, they speak in words that're usually understood by mortals only after a prophecy fulfills itself. Apollo's also established a site on Mount Olympus; those in need of the god's advice can seek out the mysterious oracle Pythia.
Apollo's temple is also his home, and the whole place is fashioned of beaten gold that shines eternally with the mellow glow of the sun. In the back of the temple, he's built and amphitheater where the finest playwrights of the culture enact their works. Mortal poets also pad the stage, declaiming verse to honor the Light-bringer.
Ares
Ares (pronounced air-ees), the god of war, is one of the sons of Zeus and Hera, both of whom detest him. He usually appears as a large man with burning, hateful eyes and a permanent scowl etched across his face. Ares is the personification of the savage sideof war. He is fond of strife, anger, and unrestrained bloodletting. He also is jealous, untrustworthy, and easily offended. As such, he is not a very popular god among mortals or among the other gods, and is only worshiped (at least by a large number of people) in the polis of Sparta. He kills any person weaker than he is who gets in the way, and gives in only grudgingly to those who're tougher. Ares is the archfoe of Athena, his half-sister (after a fashion) and fellow war deity.
Ares picked up the nickname "the Unfortunate" because, while he's mighty in battle, he has no forsight and is easily duped by his own passions. His rages've led him into many tight spots, including the ornamental vase he was confined in when the young Olympians fought off their first major challenge. He's no luckier in love, as the story of Hephaestus and the net demonstrates.
'Course, that doesn't stop many mortals from pledging their loyalty to the deity. One of the rites young warriors go through before they enter their first battle is a ceremonial shaving. They sacrifice their hair to Ares as a sign of their devotion to war and warlike causes.
Ares' palace on Mount Olympus is a great gloomy affair of dimly gleaming bone, more of a battlement than a castle. It lies near the Portal Defile, that's the chasm that holds the gates to the prime-material worlds where the pantheon's worshiped. Inside the fortress, Ares' evil band of petitioner warriors quaffs the blood of the foes they've slain, making themselves stronger by absorbing the life force of their enemies.
Artemis
Artemis (pronounced ar-teh-miss), goddess of hunting and wild beasts, is the twin sister of Apollo, daughter of Zeus and the titan Leto and the patron (or rather, matron) of hunters and huntresses. She appears as a young woman in rustic clothing, always carrying a bow and sword. In addition to her normal titles, she is also sometimes called "noisy Artemis" because of her loud hunting calls. Artemis generally remains aloof from mortals, though she enjoys the company of nymphs and dryads. She's also far more happy in the company of dogs and wild animals than in that of her fellow deities. She's the closest thing the pantheon has to a savage; she disdains civilization and its trappings in favor of nature and the wild. But she hunt only to fill her belly or feed someone else, never for sport.
Artemis is a maiden goddess, neither keeping nor encouraging lovers. Though other deities occasionally pursue her and try to win her over, she doesn't favor any of them. Even those who can hunt as well as she can (or better) don't stand a chance; like the other Olympians, she refuses to acknowledge a better in her chosen field.
Artemis loves the rugged life of a huntress. Except for helping women during childbirth, she avoids involving herself in any other human matters. She values her privacy, and will severely punish any man violating it. Omens from Artemis are always delivered by wild beasts.
The goddess considers all of Olympus to be her realm and hunts without care, returning only occasionally to a small bower where she makes her home. Truth to tell, her case is little more than a small complex of caves in the side of the mountain, for Artemis has no real need of a place to retire to. She frequently travels to Arkenos, the city of the Amazons, where she's revered as a protector.
Athena
The goddess of noble combat, skilled craftwork, prudence, and cities, Athena (pronounced ah-thee-nah) appears as a statuesque woman with fetching gray eyes. She usually carries a shield and wears helmet and armor. Because she is Zeus's favorite child, Zeus lends Athena his shield, Aegis, from time to time.
Athena sprang full-grown and fully armed from the head of her father Zeus. He'd swallowed her mother Metis because a prophecy warned that Metis would bear a son who'd kill him. Apparently, Zeus learned something from the Titan Cronus after all, if a person wants to prevent his offspring from slaying him, he's better off devouring the mother before she has any children. But it didn't prevent the creation of Athena.
Like her half-sister Artemis, Athena's sworn herself to eternal chastity, and has struck dead those who've tried to ravish her. And though she's as demanding and exacting as the rest of the pantheon, Athena's willfulness is tempered by the light of wisdom, which she teaches to mortals in exchange for their service.
Athena presented humanity with a gift, the olive tree, from which they reaped wood, oil, food, and prosperity. Thus, Athena became the goddess of civilization and a beacon of all that lends a city its strength: law, justice, craft, courage, war, and wisdom.
Many mortals think she's the goddess of war, but that's not entirely true. Athena leaves the business of carnage to her brother Ares; her domain is that of courage and steadfast bravery. Those who want to venerate bloodshed turn to Ares; those who desire strategy and tactics call upon Athena.
As such, she's recognized as a guardian and ally of warriors, rulers, and heroes. Athena is known to send adventurers with valiant aspirations on quests that test their brilliance and bravery. When heroes thrust themselves into dire straits in the name of justice, Athena might intervene to turn the tides in their favor. At the very least, her presence is believed to bestow or bolster courage among honorable hearts.
Beyond warfare, Athena is a goddess of the arts and crafts. She herself invented the first ship, the flute, the chariot, the plow, the potter's wheel, and other useful tools. She's also patron to metalworkers who forge armor and weapons.
Fact is, her realm is the exact antithesis of Ares'. Whereas his fortress is dark and bloodstained, her palace is bright, shining, and made of enduring iron. Philosophers and generals fill the halls, the latter seeking wisdom for their battles, the former needing the sharp minds of the warriors. It's said the finest thinkers and generals of the culture are brought here to study under the masters.
Bellerophon
Bellerophon is the son of Glaucus, a king. He is credited with defeating the king of the chimerae. He rode a pegasus into battle against several other enchanted monsters and defeated them all with his javelins and war spear.
There is a 25% chance that at any given time a god or goddess of Olympus is watching over him, and if so, there is a 75% chance that he will be saved by the watcher if Bellerophon is in mortal danger.
Circe
Circe's main magical attacks all deal with polymorphing humans into animals of one type or another. Towards this end she has every magical device capable of turning creatures into other creatures (polymorph wands, polymorph potions, polymorph scrolls, and the like).
She is the one who intercepted the hero Odysseus and his crew, changed the crew into pigs, and fell in love with Odysseus. She always wears revealing black gowns to meet mortals. She is almost immortal and does not appear to age. Circe also possesses great prophetic powers and can give useful advice if she wishes.
Demeter
Demeter (pronounced dee-mee-ter) is the queen of the fruitful earth and the goddess of agriculture. As an earth goddess, her very moods are reflected in the life and fertility of the earth. She appears as a motherly woman, draped in robes the color of vegetation: lush green in the spring and summer, gold in autumn, and brown or black in winter (when she mourns for her daughter, Persephone).
She is one of the six children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and, thus, one of the first six Olympians. However, she now remains mostly behind the scenes, tending to the children of the gods and keeping the harvests of the Prime plentiful in the areas of the faithful. She was married to Poseidon but broke free of that in time; Poseidon took up an abode in the sea, while Demeter remained on land. Afterward, she became Zeus's wife (before Hera) and bore him a daughter, Persephone. Persephone was later carried off by Hades to rule with him in the Underworld.
Demeter holds sway over the earth's yearly cycle of growth and decay. Farmers in particular revere her, offering special prayers and sacrifices to her at planting, throughout the growing season, and at harvest time. She urges her followers to treat the earth with care and respect, and she dictates agricultural procedures to ensure the continued fertility of the soil, such as rotating crops and leaving fields fallow.
Generally, Demeter is a benevolent goddess. However, if her worshipers ignore their duties, she does not hesitate to destroy their crops and send famine upon them.
Demeter is also the central figure in a mystery cult called the Eleusinian Mysteries (after their origin in the city of Eleusis).
Demeter's home is a common-looking cottage in the midst of an immense field of golden grain. Her petitioners toil in the field all day before retiring at night to their own cottages scattered about the land. They work hard, but they seem to love the labor.
Dionysus
The god of wine, mirth, and madness, Dionysus (pronounced dye-oh-nye-sus) is the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele. He was still in his mother's womb when she witnessed the Thunderer in his awesome radiance and was destroyed. Zeus took the baby from her body and stitched it into his own thigh, and when it was ready to be born, it stepped forth fully and perfectly formed.
Hera, jealous of her husband's dalliances, made Dionysus crazy early in his life, and he wandered the land learning the ways of the vine, and the ways of madness. In his journeys, he acquired a retinue of centaurs, satyrs, and bacchae.
He appears as a young man carrying an amphora of wine, a lyre, and a thyrsus. Like Demeter, he is an agricultural god with power over fertility of both land and creatures, but his portfolio is limited to vines, wine, and wine's influence on mortals. Dionysus is called Women-Maddener because of his ability to inspire frenzy in his worshipers (particularly women).
As the god of wine, Dionysus has a dual nature. On one hand, he is the embodiment of joy, pleasure, and camaraderie. On the other, he embodies brutality, idiocy, and madness. His twin nature is a reflection of the dual properties of wine in the eyes of the Greeks: imbibed in moderation, it brings pleasure and comfort, but in excess, it brings nothing but depraved misery. He has the power to turn an unlimited amount of water to wine, to make any vine grow anywhere, and to inflict madness upon any intelligent being (save at -4).
Today, Dionysus is the god of drinkers, to be sure. His entire portfolio's dedicated to the divine madness of the grape, to the reverly in the enjoyment of drink. His followers aren't gentle tipsters, either. Some bashers get contemplative; Dionysus' faithful get downright nasty. When they go too far in their celebrations, they lose all rational thought and follow their instincts blindly. People often die from these frenzies.
Dionysus' domain in Olympus is one of constant, comfortable warmth. He has a palace in ther middle of a vineyard, and he's decreed that the grapes on the vines (which also run through the building) will always be ready for the plucking or the juicing. When the bacchae aren't following their patron in his travels, they make the vineyard their home base. And no wonder, it's a place of constant parties, making even the Sensates' Gilded Hall seem tame by comparison.
Enceladus
This giant has huge snake bodies and tails for legs. It is known to live alone in a desolate swamp. Enceladus is so horrifying that any who come within 100 yards of him must save vs. spells or flee in fear (as the spell).
There is a power in this being's hands that allows it to grab spells out of the air and negate them before they have time to function. Enceladus can grab up to four spells directed at him per melee round. If he does not grab spells, he can strike with his fists for 7-70 points of damage each. He can grab two spells with one hand and strike with the other, if he chooses. The giant fights as a 16+ hit dice monster, and he has been known to fight against the gods of Olympus if given the chance.
Furies
The Furies, also called Erinyes, were born when the blood of Uranus fell upon the earth. They are angry and avenging deities who hunt down wrongdoers and punish foul deeds.
Following the multiversal Rule of Threes, the Furies are three aspects of the force of divine vengeance, at the same time separate but whole. They are also known by their individual names, Alecto (the persevering anger), Tisiphone (the blood avenger), and Megarea (the jealous), but the Furies are the original Erinyes (and they're usually called the Kindly Ones, anyway, to keep from offending them). It's said the baatezu stole their original name because the fiends so admired the function of the Furies.
They appear as crones with wings and scourges, which they use mercilessly on those who've earned their wrath. As the proxies of the deities' will, the Furies have no allies among the gods, they're simply sent to avenge horrible crimes committed against (and by) the pantheon. Truth is, the Olympian gods are scared of the Furies, for the Kindly Ones have the might to take down deities even greater than themselves. See, when on a mission that's justified by their charter, they're supposed by the collective belief and respect of the entire pantheon. Zeus himself'd have reason to fear if he ever sinned so badly as to draw their gaze.
The Furies have no realm to call their own. They just flap about the glooms of the Underworld, dispensing harsh justice on the poor deceased of Hades' land, until they're called to right a wrong on another plane.
Hades
Hades (pronounced hay-deez), the god of death and wealth, stands apart from the standard run of the Olympians, he's the dark half they don't usually aknowledge, because, for all of their faults, they embrace life with a passion. Hades is one of the six children of Cronus and Rhea, and the oldest of the Olympian deities. Hades appears as a large, powerfully muscled man with gray skin. He has a bushy black beard and black eyes, and he wears gold jewelry symbolizing his control over wealth. While his brothers Zeus and Poseidon rule the sky and the sea respectively, Hades is the ruler of the underworld and has some control over the earth as well. It's not a job he particularly likes, but his personality seems remarkably well suited for it.
Long ago, the god of death abducted Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and before she was rescued from his clutches, she ate of the food of the realm. Thus it is that Persephone must spend half her time in the dreary Underworld, ruling at Hades' side, and half in the exuberant world of Olympus above.
Hades himself doesn't take much of an interest in anything except for Persephone. He's content to sit and brood and watch the gray of the Waste, gaze on the shuffling masses of the countless dead, and set forth the punishments decreed by the other Greek deities on those who dared to steal glory from the gods.
Unlike some deities whose portfolio includes death, Hades is not particularly malicious or hateful toward the mortals whose souls come to his realm. Death, he teaches, is the lot of all mortals, the thing that sets them apart from deities, and it must be accepted even if it brings grief.
The Underworld is typical of the Gray Waste: lifeless and dull. The Rivers Lethe and Styx flow through it, promising forgetfulness and oblivion to those who sample their waters, though few dare. In the center of the realm is a palace of gray marble, and in the audience chamber sit Hades and Persephone, waiting to deny supplicants their hearts' desires.
Mortals on this or that quest sometimes ask to use Hades' helm of invisibility, forged for him by the Cyclopes in the war against the Titans. He keeps it constantly at his side, but rarely uses it. It's said he lends it out to heroes sent by other deities, but no living person has ever reported being able to gain it.
Hecate/Hekate
Goddess of the moon, magic, and plenty, Hecate (pronounced hek-ah-tee) is both feared and revered. She's the daughter of the Titans Crius and Eurybia, and her power's almost as great as theirs ever was. Her true form is that of a woman with three heads. However, she can appear in any form she likes, and she most often appears as a beautiful woman with lustrous, dark hair. She's famed far and wide for her cutting wit and great eloquence (chant is she taught Apollo some of his craft), but she's even more famous for her skill in magic. Fact is, she's worshipped by all nonpriest spellslingers who follow the pantheon, for she's the source of all wizardly magic.
Hecate is the patron of those who work dark magic and those who would work magic for gain. She promotes the use of spells and magic items, and tells her followers that magic is the key that unlocks wealth, power, and all desirable things.
She preaches the joys of abundance, but warns against the folly of waste. Any good reaper or hunter, she says, leaves a few seeds and a few fauns for next year.
She often visits her friend Persephone (Hades' wife) in the underworld, and has learned to control the undead. Hecate is the defender of children and the provider of abundance in food, riches, and other desirable things. She also wanders the night with a pack of hellhounds, which she sets on those foolish enough to travel at night. At night, she can cast any two spells she wishes per round, but this ability is reduced to only one spell per round during the day.
Hecate is an independent and capricious goddess. She often aids or hinders mortals for no reason other than having nothing better to do. Any being doing injury to a child stands a 10% chance of drawing her notice, in which case she will send her avatar to exact an appropriate vengeance. At night, she sometimes appears in avatar form to lonely shepherds, and has been known to protect their flocks on more than one occasion. Omens from Hecate generally come in the form of some magical communication, and are accompanied by the eerie sound of baying dogs.
She's also one of the few deities who maintains a primary realm in one plane (the Gray Waste) and another somewhere else (Baator), but it's completely unknown as to why. Perhaps she draws her power from both planes and uses it to feed her worshipers. Whatever the truth, Hecate's a goddess to be reckoned with, as sly as a serpent, and as dangerous as a starving wolf. She sets plans in motion that few can detect, and she plays heroes like lyres.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus (pronounced hef-faystuss), god of blacksmithing, fire, and crafts, is the son of Hera and only Hera. She created him whole from her own body when she found how Zeus was deceiving her with other women. In anger, Zeus hurled Hephaestus down to the Prime Material Plane, where the young god landed badly, and was thereafter lame. He usually appears as a tall, bearded giant with a club foot and a hunchback.
Hera was embarrassed by her son's deformities and kept him out of sight. In order to win the respect of the other gods, he fashioned a golden throne for her. When she sat in it, she was trapped, and he would not release her until she and the other gods accepted him as their equal. Since then, he has proven one of Olympus' most valuable residents, fashioning golden palaces, intricate machines, and beautiful armor for his fellows. He makes Zeus's thunderbolts even better than the Cyclopes did when they were at their peak.
Hephaestus is generally a benevolent god, though he is extremely touchy about his deformity. Although he is married to Aphrodite, he is in love with Athena, who will have nothing to do with him. Because he has so few worshipers, he treats them well, often making gifts of adamant weapons, shields, and armor to those that serve him especially well. Such objects have a magical +5 bonus. Omens from Hephaestus often appear in the flames of forges.
Hephaestus is a peaceful deity who teaches the value of hard labor, honesty, dependability. He emphasizes loyalty to family and to whomever else loyalty is due: superiors, just rules, and elders most of all. He encourages his followers to tackle their problems with vigor and persistence, like smiths hammering bits of metal into more desirable shapes.
Hephaestus's realm is in an area of Olympus where volcanic activity is common. In fact, he works in the very heart of a volcano, aided by his uncles, the Cyclopes. Occasionally, the gnomish god Nebelun comes by to offer advice and help, and the two of them fashion incredible items together. It's said that Hephaestus has an ongoing rivalry with other gods of the forge, but the truth of that ain't quite known.
Hera
Hera (pronounced hair-ah) is Zeus's wife, and the second most powerful Olympian in the pantheon. Hera is not only the goddess of marriage and women, but also the queen of the heavens. Further, she has some minor control over the weather and fertility, though these are not central aspects of her character. In her true form, Hera is tall, noble, and beautiful woman, but, like Zeus, she can assume any form she wishes.
Hera is one of the six children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and is thus Zeus's sister as well as his wife. She fought valiantly against the Titans at Zeus's side, but her importance has waned with every new deity or hero that Zeus sires with someone else.
Above all, Hera is a jealous wife, for her marriage to Zeus is anything but a model of fidelity. In her jealousy over Zeus's many dalliances with other goddesses and mortal women, Hera has often acted violently. She conspired with the Titans to have Zagreus killed, tricked Dionysus' mortal mother Semele to cause her own doom, and tried to harm Hercules throughout his mortal life.
Still, she's cordial and ever friendly to the other Olympians, as befits a ruler. She's often temperate when Zeus is reckless, and can fly into a rage when he's rational, the two of them are a perfect balancing act.
The other Greek deities respect Hera's judgment, and they know when to back down from a disagreement with her. One of her quarrels, after all, led to the sacking of an important prime-material city that stood on the plains of Illyria, all because the son of the burg's ruler dared to praise Aphrodite's beauty, not Hera's. The goddess ain't what a person'd call a good loser.
Heracles/Hercules
The son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, Heracles is strength personified and he had to earn his way to godhood. While still an infant, he strangled two huge snakes with his bare hands. Of course, Zeus's wife, Hera, was jealous of the affair that begot Heracles, and she is always conspiring to bring him harm. He appears as a large, muscular man with a tangled beard. He wears a lion's skin and carries a massive club.
During his mortal existence, he was impulsive and hedonistic, liable to do or attempt almost anything just for the fun of it. He was also infamous for his temper, and the slightest insult or affront was enough to provoke him. He was always deeply remorseful afterward, especially when he overreacted. Since attaining godhood, Heracles has shown more restraint, though he is still very proud and more than a little vain. If tricked, swindled, or lied to, Heracles seeks revenge even if it takes him years to get even. Heracles will never have anything to do with wizards or priests, as he has a profound distrust of magic.
Heracles is a fearless adventurer whose many escapades are the stuff of legend. A robust, cheerful man, he has an appetite for food and women that almost equals that of his divine father.
Heracles expects his followers to keep fit and to rely on their physical prowess to overcome any difficulties they might encounter. If there's one thing that impresses Heracles, it's confidence.
He promotes physical challenges as a method for resolving disputes among his followers. Such challenges might include wrestling matches between two people having an argument, or longer quests in which people attempt to perform a series of daunting tasks. While a mortal, Hercules himself once completed a series of twelve great tasks as a penance after flying into a rage.
Although he visits Olympus from time to time, and has been known to aid the gods in their struggles. Heracles spends most of his time in the world of men.
Hermes
Hermes (pronounced her-meez) is the god of travelers, merchants, thieves, gamblers, athletes, and elegant speakers. He also serves the gods as a messenger and an arbitrator of disputes. He appears as a handsome youth carrying a white caduceus. He wears a winged helm and sandals.
Hermes is perhaps the shrewdest and most cunning of all the Olympian deities; he began his career as a thief before he was a day old by stealing a herd of cattle from his brother Apollo (who retains a distaste for thieves to this day), and hid them in a cave in the mountains. While Apollo seached for the lost cattle, Hermes fashioned the first lyre, and appeased his older brother with a trade. Later, he invented the syrinx (also called the panpipes), which Apollo traded for the golden caduceus.
Fact is, it seems as if Hermes can do no wrong. Though he's a fierce warrior and a daring thief, he's also the happy-go-luckiest of the Olympians, eschewing the arrogant pride so many of the others seem to embrace. Though he has his moments of vanity, Hermes is generally far more gentle than the general run of the Olympian deities.
Indeed, it's this charm that's brought nearly all of the Greek pantheon firmly to Hermes' side, and he can mend the rifts between two bickering deities more fully than Zeus. His sense of fair play is legendary among the Olympians; they appeal to him for impartial judgment, and depend on his speed for delivering messages. It's hard to find a deity who doesn't like Hermes.
While he values the wit and daring required to accomplish a difficult theft, he frowns upon those who would steal from anyone who cannot afford the loss. He urges his followers to be dependable and prompt, but he despises tediousness and smiles when something unexpected upsets the predictable. Hermes abhors idleness. If one cannot do anything useful, Hermes says, the proper thing to do is travel and have new experiences. Omens from Hermes include an unusually good or bad run of luck or a sudden gust of wind as he or his avatar rushes past.
The realm of Hermes is hidden away inside Mount Olympus itself, and it's an inviting place for both gamblers and travelers. Though a person's as likely as not to get their pocket picked, they're also guaranteed a safe night's sleep, a valuable thing in Olympus. Nobody'd dare harm a traveler under Hermes' roof.
Hestia
Hestia (pronounced hess-tee-ah) is the firstborn daughter of Cronus and Rhea, but was the last to emerge from her father's stomach when Zeus liberated his swallowed siblings. Poseidon and Apollo both courted her, but she spurned them both and swore an oath to remain a virgin forever. She appears as a young woman with a gleam in her eyes like dancing firelight.
Though she is Zeus's sister, Hestia is for the most part uninvolved in the quarrels, politics, and escapades of the other Olympian deities. Instead, she is content with her position as a house deity, worshiped with simple sacrifices by simple people on tiny home altars.
Hestia's faith is a simple one. She teaches the virtues of home and family life, the sweet rewards of labor, and the blessings of food and rest. She encourages common people to take pleasure in the gifts of life as they come, giving thanks to the gods for every earthly blessing.
Jason
Jason is noted for his leadership ability and his strength. He roamed over the seas in his ship, the Argo, and succeeded in the quest for the golden fleece. This item is able to heal any wound instantly and raise the recently deceased (less than 3 days) by placing the fleece on the body overnight. However, after each time it is used, there is a 10% chance that it will disappear forever.
Nike
Nike (pronounced nigh-key) is the personification of the spirit of victory. As such, she is a somewhat shallow being who thinks only of conflict and ultimate triumph. If a problem or situation can’t be described in terms of conflict, with definite conditions for declaring victory, Nike considers it beneath her notice.
Nike appears as a tall, winged woman, though she can take other forms. She is not a very popular deity except among victorious people.
She's often called upon by Athena or Ares to ride with them when they go to battle, thus assuring one side or the other victory. Nike's a fickle goddess, though, and goes only when she desires. Ares and Athena both realize that they can't force the power; she must be wooed like any other person.
Nike is a sister to Eris, the goddess of Discord, and between the two of them, they own three golden apples (a nod to the Rule of Threes). Chant is any mortal who spies one of the apples desires it; toss one in the path of an enemy, and the foe won't be able to think about anything but procuring the apple for themself. What's more, a person can actually set conditions on how to gain the apple, so the "victim" can earn the prize only by fulfilling the requirements.
'Course, the apples are worthy prizes. The first bite of one cures any disease in a person's body. A second bite from the same apple makes them young. And a third bite makes them immortal (but not invulnerable). Occasionally, it's said, Nike lends the apples to mortals who really deserve them, but it's so hard for a person to prove their worth that Nike might as well not even offer the chance.
The goddess has no case of her own in Olympus, though she maintains quarters in the palaces of both Ares and Athena. Nike may be fickle, but she finds common cause with both Olympians more than she'd ever admit.
Odysseus
Odysseus was the king of Ithaca, as well as one of the heroes of the Trojan war and the ten-year siege of Troy. During the Trojan War, Odysseus added to his reputation of craftiness and cunning with various strategems. He is credited with planning the ruse that finally ended the war: building the wooden horse and hiding soldiers inside. When the Trojans brought the gift into their city, the soldiers leapt out of the horse and opened the city gates, allowing the Greek armies to sack the city.
On his way home from Troy after the war, Odysseus was blown off course and landed on an island of the lesser cyclops Polyphemus. To escape from the human-eating Polyphemus, Odysseus had to blind the giant. As Polyphemus was Poseidon's child, this act brought about Poseidon's curse and forced Odysseus to wander at sea for 10 years, never quite able to return home.
During this time, he had the many great adventures which were the basis of Homer's Odyssey. Some of the dangers Odysseus overcome were: the land of the lotus eaters, Circe the sorceress, a journey to Hades, the Sirens, stealing the cattle of the sun-titan Hyperion, sailing between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, and enchantment by the nymph Calypso. When he finally returned home, he found his poor wife besieged by suitors who assumed that he was dead. He answered this insult in a typically direct fashion by slaying all the suitors.
Odysseus, while below average height, is an extremely muscular man. He is a renowned bowman and wields a bow which has such a powerful pull that only he can string it. Odysseus gains his strength bonuses "to hit" and damage when using this bow. Though possessing great strength, Odysseus prefers to use his wit and cunning to extricate himself from sticky situations, as he has found intelligence more universally useful than strength.
Pan
At least three varying histories of Pan exist. The first has it that he's the son of Uranus, created when the old Sky's blood spattered the earth, and having grown up in the mountains and woods near the ocean. The second claims that he's Zeus's son from an unnamed wife, while the third attributes his parentage to Hermes and a dryad. Truth is, though, Pan is just a force of nature, both generous and destructive, and it doesn't much matter where he came from. Pan appears as a tall satyr with small horns and shaggy, goatlike legs. He always carries a syrinx, which he often plays while leading sylvan creatures in wild dances.
Pan lives on the outer edges of the realm, and he doesn't spend much on Mount Olympus. 'Course, the infrequency of his visits makes them that much more special. At such times, he's spied wandering the mountain, playing on pipes traded to him by Apollo for services unknown.
He's great among the satyrs and centaurs because he's passion unbridled. Pan pursues his desires avidly, and those who follow him seek to emulate him as best as they can.
Still, lurking beneath the leering face Pan chooses to wear is a deep font of wisdom and peace. He's given himself over to his passions, but did it with the full knowledge of what he was doing, and he's accepted what he is and what he does.
Pan's favorite deity in the pantheon is Hermes, for the two find common ground in their mischief-making. Dionysus is a close second; he views Pan like a nephew and recognizes him as a kindred spirit of wild abandon. He and Pan are top-shelf drinkers, and they've found friendship at the bottom of many jugs of wine. The rest of the pantheon lets the god of passion prowl as he will, welcoming his presence, although they're glad his visits are rare. Pan's revels are exhausting, even for the deities.
Perseus
This hero was responsible for taking the head of the first and most powerful medusa, and was favored by many of the gods. Hades loaned him his helm of invisibility, Hermes gave him a pair of winged sandals and a vorpal blade, and Athena lent him the bright Aegis shield, though all of these were later returned.
Poseidon
Poseidon (pronounced poh-side-uhn), god of the seas, oceans, rivers, lakes, and earthquakes, is one of the six children of Cronus and Rhea. Of all the Olympians, it can be said that Poseidon's the proudest, and also the most thwarted. One of Zeus's elder brothers, he vied for rulership of the pantheon but failed. Poseidon later tried to win the patronage of several mortal cities, and usually failed in that as well, as the immortals judged other deities more suited to the task (he formed a horse out of water in a contest for Athens, but Athena defeated him with a superior creation: an olive tree). Poseidon appears as a large male human with long, flowing black hair and beard. He wears a tunic and carries a trident. Tritons, merfolk, and sea nymphs often accompany him.
For a god who desires the praise of mortals, each of these rejections came as a serious blow to his pride. Perhaps that's why Poseidon has become so vindictive, and why he flies into rages so easily.
Fact is, his temper's notorious among the Olympians. Like the sea, he can change from placid to furious in a matter of seconds, and woe to the person who tried to hold him back. Poseidon's passions are the ocean, it's strange currents, and all the creatures within it. Some say he willingly took the rulership of the sea because it, at least, accepted him, the creatures of the ocean saw in him one of their own.
Poseidon constantly carries the trident made for him by the Cyclopes. It's said to cause earthquakes in the land and the sea, and any sailor who wants to avoid getting caught in the waves from a quake'd best make a suitable sacrifice to the jealous sea god.
The Olympian has sired numerous children, though most of them were disappointments, turning to the ways of evil and cross-trading. Still, Poseidon is their father, and he does what he can to avenge wrongs done to them. Sadly for the sea king, Zeus (or one of the other Greek deities) protects who who slay Poseidon's children, as long as the killer is a hero or upholds the general law of the land. It's just another instance of Poseidon being thwarted by his fellow deities.
Poseidon requires little from his followers beyond sacrifices. His clerics sacrifice a bull to their patron (by throwing it into the sea) at least once a month, and Poseidon remains relatively placid.
Sailors and coastal dwellers must be sure not to anger this temperamental deity. Poseidon has been known to flatten coastal cities with tidal waves or earthquakes when they displeased him. The hero Odysseus was condemned to ten long years of wandering because he blinded one of Poseidon's children, the cyclops Polyphemus. Poseidon represents all the bounty and the danger of the sea, bringing forth life (he is said to have created both horses and cattle) and taking it away.
Poseidon's realm on Arborea is almost entirely undersea. Except for tiny islands that're almost uninhabitable, no part of Caletto sits above the water's surface. A person who's somehow stranded there'd best find a way out. The petitioners are friendly to those who can venture underwater, but not to people who wind up where they can't function. If a person doesn't learn underwater breathing fast, they'll have to pay a hefty sum for aid in escaping.
Under the surface of the waves, Caletto's astoundingly beautiful. Deep trenches hide cities of breathtaking splendor; kelp forests wave and bob in the currents. Every planewalker should make a point of visiting at least in their life.
Theseus
Theseus was the first son of King Aegeus of Athens (this was in the pre-democratic days of the golden age), conceived during a stopover he made at Troezen. Although he was not wedded to Theseus' mother at the time of conception, when Theseus grew into a man and went to Athens, Aegeus nevertheless honored his first son's claim to Athen's throne.
Theseus was a clever, strong hero who earned great fame for his many exploits. His most famous adventure was the slaying of the minotaur in the labyrinth of King Minos.
As a king of Athens, Theseus was a just and wise ruler who laid the foundations for its democratic government. There are some who say he developed a self-running government just so he would have time to go away on adventures.
Despite his wisdom, however, Theseus was not a faultless ruler. He was the man who kidnapped Helen of Troy, an incident that touched off the terrible Trojan war and plunged Greece into the Dark Ages.
Tyche
Tyche (pronounced tyke-ee), goddess of good luck, is the daughter of the titans Oceanus and Tethys, one of three thousand such progeny, most of whom are cloud nymphs. Tyche won her place on Olympus by siding with Zeus and his siblings against the Titans, helping them seize control of the universe. She appears as human-sized, small compared to most of the other Olympians, with a slim, agile body. She wears a sky-blue tunic and carries either a cornucopia or a rudder, indicating that she steers mortal life.
The goddess is not treated very well in the pantheon, as the other deities think of her as a poor relative and not really of divine caliber. She is therefore not often willing to aid them in their struggles against giants, titans, and the like.
The Greek pantheon has slowly driven Tyche from its ranks. Some say she was the sister of Nike and Eris, but that she had a falling out with them, and ever since they've worked to rid themselves of her. Whatever the truth of the matter, Tyche has played less and less of a role over the millennia, to the point where some claim that she's disappeared entirely.
On the other hand, Athar corpse-counters haven't found her body floating in the Astral, so she must be someplace, right? Well, here's the truth of it: Tyche has simply retreated to the Prime Material Plane, limiting herself to the worshipers of a single crystal sphere. Though she hates the regression to a single-sphere deity, it was all that'd keep her alive.
See, she fled to the world of Toril, where she learned to manifest herself as two deities: Tymora (the goddess of good luck) and Beshaba (the goddess of bad luck). It's not known if she's still the dominant personality in each of the two deities, or if she's now faded enough that she empowers them without any conscious effort. But the Clueless of Toril firmly believe that Tyche no longer exists, that she physically split into two new beings.
Both Hermes and Pan have sent out avatars seeking the truth of Tyche's decline, but they're barred from the Torilian sphere and can't dig up the truth. Soon enough, though, a person can bet, they'll send their priests through portals to figure it out to their satisfaction.
One thing is sure: Tyche's realm in Olympus is slowly disappearing. Formerly a grand vila and gambling hall, it's gone remarkably downhill, now dusty and unfrequented, with corners full of cobwebs. But who knows? Maybe Tyche's just down on her luck and will make a comeback soon.
The Titans
Cronus
The youngest of the Titans born to Uranus and Gaea, Cronus was the ambitious one who attacked his father and then assumed the throne to become ruler of the universe. 'Course, he couldn't have defeated Uranus without the aid of his mother Gaea, and she helped him only because he promised to free the progeny his father'd hidden away on Carceri. But Cronus went back on his promise and was cursed to suffer his father's fate. Cronus appears as an evil looking fighter with a gleam in his otherwise dark eyes. He often passes himself off as a human warrior with no claim to his divine status.
The father of the Greek gods, Cronus is no doting parent. When Gaea prophesied that one of his children would overthrow him as he had his father, Cronus proved just as despotic as Uranus. As his wife, Rhea, gave birth to the Olympian gods, he seized them and swallowed them up. His plan might have worked, had Rhea not tricked him into swallowing a stone instead of her sixth child. This god, Zeus, eventually returned to lead the successful revolt against him. Because of his past actions, Cronus was imprisoned in Carceri.
Now exiled on Carceri with the other Titans, Cronus sits and broods on his throne in the crumbling marble palace atop Mount Othrys. He plots ways to escape from his prison, and sends out messengers to learn the secret of leaving Carceri behind. He's not found a way out yet.
Even the other Titans don't completely support their leader. Cronus rules his siblings because he was the only one to take action against their father, and he constantly reminds them of their inaction. He fears their plots almost as much as he does those of the Olympians, and he watches the other Titans like a hawk. See, Cronus commands with an iron hand, and his brothers and sisters truly chafe under his dictatorial rule. Someday, they whisper, they'll rise and lay Cronus low. Meanwhile, they bow and scrape to their younger brother, and bide their time.
Because Cronus remains penned in Carceri, he is unable to influence events on the Prime except through his avatars. Therefore, at least one avatar is constantly moving about the Prime, promising men great rewards in return for worshiping Cronus and turning their backs on the Olympian gods. On occasion, these avatars rise to a position of power in a polis, and the result is invariably war as the avatar attacks the power bases of Cronus' rivals. Because of his imprisonment, Cronus cannot send omens or portents.
Atlas
Atlas led the Titans in their struggle against the Olympians, and was condemned to eternally bear the earth and heavens upon his shoulders. This greater titan is massively built, and his primary attribute is his great strength. This strength is drawn from the Prime Material Plane. When the titan is on other planes he only has strength of 25, but when on the Prime Material Plane there is nothing he can't lift, nothing he can't bend, and nothing he can't break!
Despite his alignment, if he gives his word on a matter, he will keep it even unto death!
Coeus
Coeus appears as a horrifying greater titan, and he kills by fear. All those that do not make their saving throw versus magic will be struck with a loss of 25% of their total original hit points every time they see him angry. Coeus can shape change at will.
When first coming within 20 yards of him, a saving throw vs. spells must be made or the being will die of fright! After that it is necessary to make a saving throw every 4 melee rounds or run in fear for 10 turns.
He uses a +5 sword in battle that strikes for 5-30 points of damage. Coeus travels only at night and never fights during the day.
Crius
Crius can increase the weight of objects at will, and he can make things weightless. He is able to make any one non-living object too heavy to lift for a period of 1-4 melee rounds; this power can be increased to permanency if the titan is allowed to work on the object for one full turn (saving throw vs. the permanency applicable).
In battle, the titan creates a field of gravity that causes anything launched at him of a physical nature (arrows, spears, etc.) to fall short. All attackers will be at -4 on their chances to hit and -1 on their armor classes while in this field. Likewise, dexterity bonuses do not apply.
Epimetheus
Epimetheus is the foolish Titan who allowed his wife, Pandora, to unleash all the evils on mankind. The bumbling brother of Prometheus, this greater titan means well but is not very careful with his creations. He can create as does Prometheus, but there is a 45% chance that the creature he makes will fight him! He is fond of mankind, and if he is paying attention when a person does a particularly difficult act (judge's option) there is a 5% chance that the god will reward the being with a ball of clay. This ball can be made into any 4th level creature, but there is a 60% chance that the creature will try to kill, rather than obey, its maker. All that is necessary is for the mortal to toss the ball to the ground and call on the creature that is desired. If it does not attack the person, it will obey him or her until its death.
Epimetheus can strike with his fists for 9-90 points of damage each.
Gaea
Gaea is the mother and sustainer of all life. She married Uranus and thus gave birth to the Titans and two broods of terrible monsters, the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchcires. Even after the rise to supremacy of the Olympians, Gaea continues to be widely worshiped. She presides over marriages, nursing the sick, and is foremost among the oracles (before Apollo took it over, the great oracle at Delphi belonged to her). In her true form, Gaea is the earth itself. Gaea's avatar takes the form of a mature, buxom beauty. She can call upon the all, animal, charm, elemental, healing, plant, and weather spheres for her spells.
It's said that Gaea is the entirety of the worlds of the Prime Material Plane, that she's the one force that binds them all together. Well, that may or may not be true; gods know the Olympians are egocentric enough about everything else they say. But it's true that Gaea spawned the Titans and the elements across her surface. She's one of the oldest deities any person on the planes can name, and she has might beyond even Zeus's dreams.
Some paint her as a schemer and plotter, jealously holding on to her strength and position. Truth is, she's simply a concerned mother, and she wants nothing but fair treatment for all her children. When the Greek gods imprisoned the Titans on Carceri, Gaea sought to have them freed by their brethren, the Gigantes. The struggle that ensued nearly toppled the young pantheon, but the Olympians held fast. Gaea tried several more times to free her imprisoned children, but Zeus and his crew wouldn't hear of it. If she's brewing any other plans to liberate the Titans, she hasn't sprung them yet.
Some say Gaea ain't really a goddess because she doesn't need worshipers. All she requires is constant life and movement on her surface, and she gets that in spades from the mortals of the prime-material worlds. If the Olympians ever dreamed of overthrowing Gaea, they'd first have to destroy the mortals that live on her, which'd do them in, as well. Thus, the gods live in a cautious truce with their grandmother.
Although she is widely worshiped, Gaea is one of the most aloof of Greek gods, which is to say she does not spend all of her time meddling in the affairs of mortals. Still, if the proper sacrifices of fruits and animals are made to her, Gaea has been known to lend her aid to those in dire need. She has an affinity for hideous monsters, however, and will never aid anyone in fighting them. In fact, she may well aid the monster if the battle is brought to her attention. Omens from Gaea can take any form associated with nature, such as foul weather, plagues, abundant crops, etc.
Gaea has no realm, no palace, she simply is, spread out across all the worlds where the Olympian pantheon holds sway. The best way for a person to worship her is to treat the world they're on with respect and love; Gaea receives more power from kind handling than cries and sacrifices from any temple.
Oceanus
This greater titan always has a green shimmer around his body. He is able to raise hurricane winds with a motion of his hand and create waves of great force where there is water. All creatures of water of less than divine status must obey his commands, though Poseidon outranks him on the Prime Material Plane since the greater titans were defeated.
Prometheus
Prometheus is the son of Iapetus and Clymene, and the brother of Atlas and Epimetheus. When the gods revolted against the titans, Prometheus sided with the gods since he correctly deduced the outcome of the struggle. Prometheus is credited with making the first man and woman from clay, and he has made it his task to help mankind whenever possible. Prometheus taught humans many of the civilized arts, including the medicinal use of plants, cultivation of grains, and domestication of wild animals.
Prometheus stole fire from the sun and gave it to humankind. For this affront, Zeus ordered Prometheus chained to a mountain top where his perpetually-regenerating liver was torn out afresh each day by a griffon-vulture. Zeus repented after 30 years and allowed Heracles to free Prometheus. After he was freed, Prometheus was invited to Olympus to join the gods.
Prometheus is the only titan worshiped as a god. As a token of his punishment, Zeus ordered Prometheus to wear a ring made from his chains. Prometheus' clerics also wear an iron ring set with a chip of stone supposedly from the mountain where Prometheus was chained. Prometheus expects his clerics to be self-reliant, but not self-centered. Trickery and cunning are fair weapons but only if the end serves the human race as a whole. Prometheus will side with faithful clerics against any force, even the most powerful god, but he takes a dim view of clerics calling upon him unless they have absolutely no chance of survival otherwise.
The clerics of Prometheus will take any available opportunity to kill a griffon. They will also do all in their power to prevent humans from attacking any titan, and will actually side with Atlas or Epimetheus if they see either titan under attack.
Prometheus can create any mortal creature from clay in 2 melee rounds. This creature will serve him until it dies, though Prometheus usually sets it free after a specific service. In return for extraordinary service by one of his clerics, Prometheus may reward the cleric with a companion creature suitable to the cleric's level of experience.
Rhea
Rhea was originally worshipped as the Great Goddess of Minoan Crete, and is an example of the Great Mother goddess who took many names and shapes throughout the ancient Middle East. Above all, she symbolized fertility, in which her influence extended over plants, animals, and humans. She also controlled the varying seasons, caused products of the soil to nourish, and even protected men in battle. Rhea appears as an immodestly dressed young woman of great beauty with a voluptuous figure.
Eventually, she became the wife of Cronus and gave birth to the Olympian gods. After Cronus swallowed Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Hades, and Poseidon, she saved Zeus by substituting a rock in swaddling clothes. Rhea's anguish over the loss of her first five children was ended when Zeus grew to manhood and led a revolt against Cronus.
Since Zeus seized his father's throne, Rhea has yielded much of her power and many of her responsibilities to her godly children. The gods have given her a palace that exceeds even the one she shared with Cronus during his reign, and they seek her out for advice when they can't turn to each other.
Rhea doesn't really have a realm of her own, nor a religion, nor any proxies. She simply advises and watches; still, she draws strength from the entirety of the Olympian pantheon, and is, nevertheless, still revered as the mother of the gods, and sometimes answers appeals concerning fertility or motherhood, earning the veneration of mortals across the Prime. Omens from Rhea generally take the form of dreams.
Uranus
Uranus was the early god of the sky and heavens, one of the children of Gaea, and also the father of some of her mightiest offspring: the Titans. But Uranus was a cruel lover, and only the Titans, the most favored of his children, received any sort of special treatment. The others, the monsters called the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires, were locked away on Carceri because Uranus hated to look upon their visages.
Little did he know that his dislike for these children would lead directly to his overthrow at the hands of Cronus and the other Titans. To avenge herself and her children, Gaea persuaded one of the children, the Titan Cronus, to attack Uranus. During the battle, the blood of Uranus fell on Gaea and fertilized her yet again, giving birth to the Furies and the Gigantes, and the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, rose out of the sea-foam where it mixed with his blood.
Critically wounded, Uranus fled to the farthest reaches of the multiverse. Some say he died there, unable to heal the injuries dealt by his youngest son, and thus became one of the first dead gods floating on the Astral. However, search as they might, no one has yet found his body in the silver void. That's led to some fearful speculation among the Titans and Olympians both that one day Uranus'll return, bringing with him an army that none will be able to withstand.
Uranus is a bitter old god in hiding from his progeny, who do not even realize that he is still alive. He delights in causing harm to Gaea and spoiling the machinations of the Olympian gods. He will always send his avatar to hinder any attempt to free the Titans or reach the site of their imprisonment. Omens and portents from Uranus are so subtle as to go almost unnoticed, for he is quite fearful of revealing his presence. Still, the especially wise or astute may detect his hand in unusual events in the heavens. Uranus's avatar is an old, grizzled warrior. His dark eyes burn with the unspoken desire for revenge.
In General
The culture of historic India is one of the oldest and most constant that has ever existed on Earth. In 2.500 B.C., merchants from India's first civilization sailed the Arabian Sea, trading with such ancient and distant Mesopotamian cities as Agades and Ur. By the time Greece entered its Golden Age in the fifth century B.C., the Rig Veda, the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought, was nearly a thousand years old. Despite its great antiquity, however, India's culture remained intact and as vibrant as ever when the sun set on the great British Empire. Hinduism is still practiced by 500 million people or more.As the deities of one of the most enduring cultures ever to exist across any prime-material worlds, the gods of the Indian pantheon (more commonly called the Vedic pantheon) are quite far along the path of strength and advancement. Their thoughts are a mystery even to deities gifted with empathy and knowledge. Truth is, the Vedic gods have taken so many spheres into their tangled yet lawful web that even the Fraternity of Order's bean-counters have all but given up on trying to understand them.
But here's the most curious facet of the pantheon (at least to those who study such things): Behind the multiplicity of deities lies a force that encompasses all that is, the dreamer of the pantheon from whom all dreams spring, Brahman. In pursuit of knowledge of this spirit, the Vedic faithful turn their quests inward, and try to find the truth of themselves and their place in the multiverse. It's no mistake that the highest heroes of the land are meditative and contemplative, rather than bashers who take action without thought.
Brahman
Brahman is also known as Hiranyagarbha, Prajapati (both used in the early Vedic Age), and many other names. Here, Hiranyagarbha and Prajapati are used interchangeably. Brahman is the world spirit that enfolds all of existence and the divine essence that is hidden in all beings, and of which all beings are a part. Everything that exists, the gods, men, animals, plants, even rocks, is simply a manifestation of the Brahman.
According to legend, in the beginning there were only the waters. From the waters was formed a golden egg (Hiranyagarbha). Prajapati was hatched from the egg, speaking the sounds "bhur", "bhuvah", and "svark", thereby forming the earth, the air, and the sky. Prajapati/Brahman has every power that any god or mortal in the Indian mythos possesses, for all things are a part of him. In his true form, Brahman appears as a four-armed, four-faced man. There is also a vacant spot on the top of his head where a fifth face was burned off by the gaze of the god Siva. In his four hands, he carries four different weapons, each doing 1d10 damage: a scimitar, a dagger, a mace, and a short sword.
Sages believe it's Brahman, the embodiment of everything, that makes sure the pantheon's gods share their power. Thus, if one deity loses a petitioner to another through the cycle of reincarnation, it's no real loss. This sharing baffles the other deities of the planes; they can't understand how any pantheon would itself for a greater power (or whatever Brahman truly is).
Though he sees and hears all, Brahman is an aloof god and will involve himself in the affairs of men only when existence itself (i.e., Brahman himself) is threatened.
Agni
Agni is the god of fire, condemned to consume everything he touches. By burning away the taint of past guilt, he is also the god who dispenses immortality to those who have achieved unity with the Brahman. He functions as a mediator between men and gods by serving as the altar fire in sacrifices. Agni has the power to create fire anywhere on earth he wishes, and to control any flame anywhere. Agni can change his true form at will, but he always has red skin. Sometimes, he has one face, three legs, and seven arms and tongues. Other times, he has up to seven faces, three arms, and two legs.
Agni is a beneficent god and is willing to be a guest in even the poorest home. When beseeched by one of his worshipers, there is a percentile chance equal to the worshiper's karma points (or a flat 5% if you are not using the optional karma rules) that Agni will send his avatar to aid the worshiper. Abuse of the god's kindess is certain to earn Agni's wrath. Omens from Agni are always seen in fires.
Together with Indra and Vayu, Agni is part of the Three Gods of Chaos. That's because they're deities of elemental strength and unpredictable temperament, and because they've to make their shared home in the swirls of Limbo. Interestingly, their alignments span the spectrum of chaos (good, neutral, and evil), obviously, these deities're quite familiar with the Rule of Threes.
The trio rules over a loose, patternless realm called Swarga, a place that's little more than random storms, raging flames, and howling winds. If anything springs up that looks like it might be permanent, chances are it's been built only so it can be destroyed. The githzerai anarchs and other shapers of Limbo stay away from Swarga; trying to impose mortal will in the realm invites the wrath of the destructive gods themselves.
The palaces of the three deities are about as permanent as anything gets in Swarga, even though they, too, flow and shift from time to time. Nearby roars the eternal fire of Agni's castle, a rampant flame that consumes everything it touches. Chant is only cutters specifically blessed by Agni can enter the place and emerge unharmed; even other deities avoid the area.
Brihaspati
Brihaspati's the god of wisdom and worldly learning in the Vedic pantheon, the one who constantly exhorts the other deities to their divine duties. At the same time, he's also the one who reminds mortals that the gods require belief in order to survive, that the faithful must keep their pantheon alive. By urging the people to concentrate on the rituals of worship, Brihaspati not only plays an important part in keeping the Vedic gods strong, but also helps mortals ascend to a higher consciousness.
Brihaspati is the teacher of the gods, the lord of prayer, and the heavenly priest. He is wisdom incarnate, and it was he who taught Indra the arts of government so that he could lead the gods when the Aryans first entered India. In order to teach his fellow gods the virtues of secular life, he wrote a treatise on married life, and he personally guided the hand of the worldly priests who wrote the ancient law code that bears his name. In his true form, Brihaspati takes the form of an ancient sage with seven mouths, a set of sharp horns, a hundred wings, and is usually armed with both an axe and a bow.
Brihaspati is primarily concerned with teaching men to live well and wisely. He often sends his avatars to act as advisors to worthy rajas. Brihaspati has also been known to send an avatar to particularly cruel or inept rajas, hoping to teach them the error of their ways. Omens from Brihaspati come in the form of sudden insights and realizations.
His realm, Nectar of Life, is a place of learning and study, a quiet, contemplative land of mountains, valleys, and orchards. It's said that Brahispati's servants have written down all the knowledge his followers have accumulated, and keep it in a great library sheltered in the mountains. 'Course, the information's not free; a person can expect to pay up to 100 gold pieces a day for informed lectures on whatever subject he seeks.
Garuda
This half-man/half-bird hates all things evil with a mad passion. Garuda is said to be able to carry 5 gods in full battle armor and not be slowed in flight. He can sense any evil creatures or things within a 1 mile radius of himself. He can also summon 1-10 of any type of avian creature he chooses, even over the commands of other gods, and all avians will follow the commands of Garuda when they meet him. Garuda can perform this summons once per day.
He attacks by battering with his wings for 2-24 points of damage per wing and fights as a 16+ HD monster.
Indra
Indra, also known in earlier Vedic times as Parjanya, is the god of the atmosphere, storms, and battle. He is the embodiment of aggressive action, a great lover of war, and was the leader of the Vedic gods when the Aryans first entered India. Indra always watches any battle with great interest, and often cannot resist sending his avatar down to participate on the side which has shown him the most favor. He has the power to raise those slain in battle, as well as complete control over anything occurring in the air, such as storms, rain, wind, and especially thunder and lightning. Indra's true form is that of a muscular man with unusually long, gangling arms and red skin. His celestial abode is located atop Mount Meru, but he is more often seen riding through the air on his huge white elephant.
Indra is arrogant, selfish, jealous, and completely amoral. He is also prone to gluttony (especially where drink is concerned) and loves all other pleasures of the flesh. When a worshiper who regularly honors him with riotous feasts is about to enter a desperate battle, there is a 5% chance that Indra will send his avatar to help. Omens from Indra come in the form of storms, lightning, or wind.
Together with Agni and Vayu, Indra is part of the Three Gods of Chaos. That's because they're deities of elemental strength and unpredictable temperament, and because they've to make their shared home in the swirls of Limbo. Interestingly, their alignments span the spectrum of chaos (good, neutral, and evil), obviously, these deities're quite familiar with the Rule of Threes.
The trio rules over a loose, patternless realm called Swarga, a place that's little more than random storms, raging flames, and howling winds. If anything springs up that looks like it might be permanent, chances are it's been built only so it can be destroyed. The githzerai anarchs and other shapers of Limbo stay away from Swarga; trying to impose mortal will in the realm invites the wrath of the destructive gods themselves.
The palaces of the three deities are about as permanent as anything gets in Swarga, even though they, too, flow and shift from time to time. Indra's case is a huge marble blob covered with carvings of the god, and the surrounding land is blanketed by constant rain.
Kali
The goddess Kali is quite a contradiction. She's a creator and a destroyer, a builder and a demolisher. She gives birth to children and then eats them, takes a husband and then destroys him. She's a loving and hating mother, a brutal and gentle goddess who reveals the beauty of life and death even as she takes them apart, literally. In her true form, Kali is a beautiful, four-armed woman of dark complexion and voluptuous proportions, with red eyes, a skeletal face, and a blood-smeared body. She seldom wears any clothing but a skirt of severed hands.
Kali delights in both killing and creation, for both are expressions of the essential energy she embodies. She is equally likely (5%) to send her avatar to aid a woman in childbirth or a murderer in danger. Omens from Kali often come in the forms of terrible visions or blissful dreams.
See, in her realm, the Caverns of the Skull, there is no death. Any petitioner who meet their end is reborn soon after, so that they may live to kill again (that's what they do best). The realm itself is a tangle of tunnels that open and close at Kali's whim, a place of black rock and gloomy caves lit by flickering torches that glow ruddily in the dank air. Chants go on day and night, praising Kali as the highest possible form of divinity, and the murmurs resound eerily throughout the tunnels.
It's said that any person who dares to enter the Caverns of the Skull'd best watch their back. The petitioners kill any creatures they see, offering them to Kali on blood-soaked altars. The proxies are the worst of the lot; they guard the portals out, and no one can leave without first slaying a guardian. Dark whispers say that particularly brutal murders draw the attention of Kali herself, and that, if impressed, she makes the killer into a proxy.
Karttikeya
Karttikeya has 6 heads and 12 arms (with swords in 10 of them). Each of his swords strikes for 2-12 points of damage. This demigod was created to fight devils wherever they are found, and his clerics have a 2% chance of successfully requesting aid from him in battles against devils and their allies (e.g. rakshasas).
Karttikeya rides a giant peacock into battle, and this bird is his symbol to his worshipers and enemies alike.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu. She appears as a golden-skinned woman and always sits on a giant floating lotus when traveling about on the Prime Material Plane. This device will carry only her and can travel at great speed (75").
When the goddess looks at beings with only her right eye, they will always make their saving throws in the next hour and always hit targets that are physically possible to hit in that time. The left eye has just the opposite effect, for the same amount of time (saving throw vs. spells negates either of these effects).
Lakshmi always makes her saving throws. She is immune to attacks from creatures that are flying.
Mitra
If Brihaspati pushes all bashers to strive for the mutual good, Mitra's the one who gives them the motivation to do it. He's the twin of Varuna (the deity of the cosmic order), and he uses Varuna's purity to cut to the heart of matters and create understanding. It's no wonder, then, that he's become another of the pantheon's deities of the sun, specifically, a helpful god who shines his warm, nourishing light on friendship and contracts.
He embodies the beneficial aspects of the sun, providing light and warmth, and making plants grow. Mitra also helps Varuna safeguard the rita (cosmic order) by shining his light on all that occurs on earth, and by presiding over friendships and ratifying contracts. He has the power to shine his light anywhere on earth, to provide warmth when it is cold, and to make plants grow. In his true form. Mitra is the warmth and light of the sun. His avatar takes the form of a three-armed man made of heavenly light (thus his resistance to normal weapons). The avatar can call upon the abjuration, conjuration/summoning, and invocation/evocation schools of magic for his spells.
Like Varuna, Mitra's primary concern is with rita, the cosmic order of the universe. During the daylight hours, he is constantly watching for any dharma violation which will upset the order. He is especially concerned with contractual promises and the duty owed by friends to each other, and will often cast a white hot light on any person committing an act which violates these duties.
Mirta's realm is called Goldfire, and it's located prominently in the second layer of Mount Celestia. The realm, which he shares with his compatriot Surya, is devoted entirely to the sun. Mitra rules from a city called Pashrita, a place of learning and higher education. The burg's full of astrologers and wise men, all of whom spend endless hours debating the meaning of astrological phenomena and how it all ties into the grand maya, the dream of the cosmos.
Puchan
Puchan is the god who guides, watching over travelers, ushering the dead to Yama's realm, leading men to wealth or away from trouble, and showing herdsmen where to find good pastures for their cattle. He also brings all things into proper relationship with one another, blessing marriages, protecting men from those would exploit them, and determining what shall be food and who shall be the one to eat it. As the protector of travelers, he often comes into conflict with Kali, whose priests prey on travelers in order to perform their bloody rites. In his true form, Puchan appears to be an aged, itinerant traveler, often carrying a golden lance.
Puchan is a beneficent god who tries to help mortals by setting them into the proper relationships with their environment. He is especially disturbed by Kali and her worshipers, whom he considers twisted manifestations of the cosmic order. In areas plagued by Kali's sects, Puchan's avatar is often found begging for passage with a group of travelers that seems likely to be attacked by the thagnas.
Ratri
Ratri isn't a typical goddess of the night, she's fickle and chaotic (so what her realm's doing on the Gray Waste is a matter of debate). Just because she believes in darkness doesn't mean that she can't appreciate the light, and just because some thieves worship her doesn't mean that they all do. Ratri cares nothing for a person's profession, really, it's what they do in the darkness that concerns her. If a person offends her, she often spotlights them with bright illumination until they're scragged (or until they make amends to her).
Although she is the sovereign of darkness and all things that abide in it, she is not a personification of night. Rather, she rules the darkness as a shepherd rules his herd, by watching over it without being a part of it. Ratri has the power to see anything that occurs under cover of night, and to create or dispel darkness at will. In her true form, she is the silhouette of a voluptuous woman. She has an uncountable number of eyes, which shine down on the earth as the stars. Ratri's avatar takes the form of a beautiful woman with black hair and eyes and a swarthy complexion. She can draw upon any school of magic for her spells and always carries a golden sitar. Ratri never sends omens.
Ratri is good friends with Ushas (the goddess of the dawn) and Savitri (the god of the day); It's said that the three make up the hours of life. Every night, Ratri parts the clouds of darkness so that Ushas may find her way to the eastern sky and open its gates for Surya, lord of the dawn. Ratri also maintains cordial relations with Shar and Mask, two Faerûnian deities that dwell on the Gray Waste, but she's by no means allied with them. Chant is Mask wants to learn more of her power, so she keeps him at arm's length.
Unfortunately, Ratri doesn't get along so well with Surya, he's the god of light, she the goddess of night. Never the twain shall meet, as the poet said, and nobody really knows if that's the way they want it. Since their portfolios are at opposite ends of the spectrum, a person can only deduce that they have some sort of rivalry.
Ratri's realm is said to be safe from the draining influence of the Waste, but it's nearly impossible for most bashers to find. She moves the land around, keeping it hidden from evil deities who'd like to use it for their own nefarious purposes. Even the petitioners have a hard time finding the realm. Good thing for them it acts like a magnet for their spirits, pulling them right to the goddess (unless, of course, they're waylaid first by a fiend on its way to the Blood War).
Rudra
Scholars say there used to be many Rudras, forces designed for particular applications, that emanated from the god of the same name, and that they dispatched themselves from Mechanus, from the gleaming tower they called the Focus. However, one of these Rudras, the energy of storms and disease, slowly drove the others from their ancestral home (or absorbed their energies into itself).
Eventually, that Rudra alone stood triumphant. It went on to dominate the god himself, becoming the Rudra folks know today: a god that tolerates no imperfection among the other gods; the avenger of grievous wrongs; the righter of the balance; and the one who masters the animal instinct and grants the strength to change.
Rudra is the god of storms and disease, the bringer of death, and the malevolent deity who feeds on the corpses of those slain in battle. Because he has the power to cause disease, however, he also has the power to cure it, though he utilizes this ability far too rarely. Rudra is also a lord of the animals, with the ability to spread disease or vitality among them as well. He carries a large black bow which fires invisible arrows of disease. He has the power to create a storm at will. In his true form, Rudra is a red-skinned man with a blue neck. Rudra's avatar takes the form of a pariah with a terrible skin disease. He can call upon the alteration or illusion/phantasm schools of magic for his spells.
Rudra delights in spreading disease. When he is not terrorizing some part of India with a terrible storm, he is busily firing his invisible arrows of disease at hapless mortals. If properly worshiped, by sacrificing a cow upon waste land, Rudra may be persuaded not to fire his arrows at a particular community. Omens from Rudra often take the form of illness or an unexpected storm.
The Focus of Energy is a crystal spire that rises from the heart of one of the smaller gears of Mechanus (the disk itself is split by a chasm filled with maruts, Rudra's onyx proxies). The spire is slowly darkening over the ages as it's poisoned by the disease of Rudra. Chant is the interior of the tower used to be a place of sparkling, healing light, but is now gripped by decay and horrid illumination. The Focus doesn't seem long for Mechanus.
Savitri
Savitri is the god of the day long sun. He causes all things to move and work, the tides to ebb and flow. Like his complement Surya, he sees all that occurs under the sun's light. Unlike Surya, however, he is not always a gentle god; what he sees sometimes angers him and causes him to shine down with unmerciful intensity, or to hide his glorious face from the world. He has the power to bestow life upon any inanimate object (including a dead body), to drive away rot and decay, and to move any object at will. In his true form, Savitri is a handsome youth with golden eyes, hands, and tongue. He can call upon the all, creation, elemental, and sun spheres for his spells. He is seen every day riding his golden chariot across the sky.
Savitri is generally a beneficent god, but he has a bad temper and is quick to punish transgressions with oppressive heat. Like Surya, he despises thieves, murderers, and others who conduct their business in the shelter of the night, and will never aid such a character, even if it means leaving more worthy individuals to their fates. When one of his worshipers dies, there is a percentile chance equal to the worshiper's karma points (or a flat 5% if you are not using the optional karma rules) that Savitri will restore the dead individual to life.
Siva
Siva, the Vedic deity of ultimate destruction, should not to be mistaken for the Hindu god "Shiva the Destroyer", which is a composite of many older gods. Siva is such an important manifestation of Rudra (the destructive god of storms and diseases) that he can be regarded as a separate deity.
Siva is actually rather liked by the rest of the pantheon. See, his duty is to tear down the multiverse by dancing in fire in order to bring it in line with the Vedic unifying spirit, to make everything whole again by eradicating the multiplicity that's arisen. Siva doesn't consider himself evil, he's merely destruction incarnate.
He is the negative force of the cosmos, destroying whatever he touches in order that it may be reincorporated into unity with the spirit of the cosmos. Anything that Siva touches is utterly annihilated and can never be reconstructed, raised, or reincarnated. In his true form, Siva is a large man with four arms and three eyes, usually wearing a tiger skin and a snake collar. As he walks, the ground beneath his feet disappears. He can call upon the alteration school of magic for his spells.
To reach his goal, he's taken to meditating for years at a time in his realm, the Vortex, on the methods by which ruin can best be accomplished. On occasion, he acts to preserve his own vision of annihilation, and actually protects the multiverse he's pledged to destroy. See, when a powerful force threatens to change the course of destiny, Siva must prevent it from taking place, or else his millennia of meditation would be in vain.
Naturally, Siva's a big favorite among the Doomguard. They flock to his view that ultimate destruction paves the way for true change, and many factioneers are currently pushing Factol Pentar to make Siva the group's officially sanctioned god. Other gods merely promote decay; Siva promises to bring the cosmos to a glorious end.
Siva doesn't have a realm, as such, at least not one that mortals can visit. Any person that journeys to the Negative Energy Plane and enters the Vortex is instantly destroyed (even if protected by another deity). Only Siva determines when he'll emerge from the Vortex to receive guests. He won't let his divine meditations be interrupted by leatherheads who think themselves worthy of an audience, and that includes proxies (thus, he keeps none). Still, Siva's priests spread the word of union through destruction.
Soma
Soma is the god of soma-juice and the moon, as well as the lord of the stars and plants. Soma manifests himself in the soma plant, which provides a powerful juice that causes men to see hallucinations. At one time, all classes of men drank soma-juice, but when it was realized that the drink provided divine power, long life, and insights to the future, this privilege was reserved by law for the priests, kings, and noble classes. Individuals drinking at least one serving of soma-juice a week receive two benefits: they are immune to any form of non-magical disease and their Constitution is raised by one point. These effects fade at the end of the 7th day without Soma-juice, but are regained as soon as the individual drinks another helping. In his true form, Soma is the moon, though he can manifest himself in many different shapes (such as a bull, giant, or bird). Soma's avatar usually appears in the form of a large, silver-skinned giant. He can draw upon the illusion/phantasm school of magic for his spells.
Although generally beneficent, Soma is rather vain and proud. He is a great collector of beautiful things, as he believes these items reflect well upon him. When dedicated worshipers drink soma-juice, there is a 5% chance that the resulting hallucination will contain some helpful communication from Soma himself. Omens from Soma always come in the form of soma-induced illusions.
Surya
Surya is the god of the rising and setting sun. He is charged with bringing an end to night and regulating the end of the day. He is often called upon to heal diseases and to bring luck to the people. Surya has the power to put any number of beings of less than 20th level to sleep (save versus spells to negate). He can also see any event that occurs under the sun's light. In his true form, Surya is a golden-haired youthwith dark red skin, a third eye in the middle of his forehead, and four arms on his torso. He often keeps his extra arms hidden beneath his robes, and can call upon the illusion/phantasm and alteration schools of magic for his spells. He is often seen riding his one-wheeled chariot, which is pulled by seven horses (each a different color of the rainbow).
As the complete embodiment of the sun, Surya's said to hold all the other solar gods within his being. It's not known if that means he literally contains those deities, if each god is another manifestation of Surya, or if the sun is made of several different deities. Whatever the truth, Surya oversees the rising and setting sun, making sure the day begins and ends correctly. If he's lax in his duty, the prime-material worlds suffer.
Surya is generally a beneficent being who occasionally (1% chance) grants a worshiper luck in the form of an opportunity to repeat a critical die roll. Surya has no use for thieves, murderers, and others who benefit by conducting their business in the dark. Omens from Surya generally arrive at dawn in the form of an illusion.
Surya heals diseases, brings luck to his faithful, and is very much the god of the sun's light and heat, as well. The rich, fertile realm he shares with Mitra reflects this; it's constantly warm, even hot, and any people who try to hide under cover of darkness simply cease to exist until they're hit by light again. The disappearance is called an eclipse, and it can be as permanent as Surya likes. Cross-traders who hope to commit foul deeds in the dark might vanish for good.
Surya, like Mitra, values learning highly. However, the kind he espouses is found mostly in the spirit, where a person can truly grow. His is the glow of enlightenment, that which brings a person closer to union with Brahman, the unifying force of the multiverse.
Tvashtri
In the early days of the Vedic Age, Tvashtri was a priest of such power that he dared to create a son whom he hoped would deprive Indra of his position as king of the gods. When Indra jealously destroyed this son, Tvashlri created a monster so powerful that Indra had to resort to trickery to defeat it. As this story illustrates, Tvashtri is a gifted inventor, and it is no wonder that he eventually earned the gift of immortality (either through learning its secret or as a gift of the gods). Now known as Tvashtri the Artificer, he is the patron of artisans, architects, and inventors. Tvashtri spends most of his time creating the weapons of the gods, many of which he enchants so that they will never do him any harm. In his true form, Tvashtri appears to be nothing more than an ordinary man.
Tvashtri loves inventions, and there is a 5% chance that he will appear to lend his aid to anybody of good alignment who is attempting to build a particularly interesting or difficult item.
Ushas
Ushas is the goddess of dawn, the bright and ever-young daughter of the heavens. Every morning, she drives away the evil spirits that have gathered in the night, awakens the gods and all living creatures, and then opens the gates of the sky to allow Surya into the world. After Surya has brought the rising sun and delivered it to Savitri's one-wheeled chariot, Ushas leads Savitri's horses across the sky. No evil thing may slay or approach within 100 miles of Ushas. She also has the power to reincarnate any dead being into a new body of her choice, awaken any creature from any type of sleep, and to open any door or gate, regardless of how it is locked. In her true form, Ushas is a beautiful, light-skinned woman.
Ushas is a beneficent deity who protects humankind from evil spirits, especially those associated with the night. There is a 5% chance that she will send her avatar to aid anyone (except thieves) needing help while fighting supernatural evil beings. Omens from Ushas generally occur in the form of vibrant colors in the dawn sky (e.g., red for impending violence, black for evil to come, gold for a hero's approach, etc.).
Varuna
Varuna is the guardian of rita (cosmic order) and the lord of the sky. As the upholder of the physical and moral order, he is the protector of oaths and the divine judge. A constant observer of human actions, Varuna is so vigilant and stern in executing his duties that beings violating their dharmas are sure to suffer for their indiscretions, making Varuna the most feared of all gods in the Vedic pantheon. He has the power to see what any being is doing at any time. By looking into a being's heart, Varuna always knows whether the individual is being completely honest and whether or not he is violating his dharma. In his true form, Varuna is the sky. Varuna's avatar is a stern-faced man carrying an ebony mace. He can call upon the all, charm, combat, divination, guardian, protection, sun, and summoning spheres for his spells.
Varuna sees and hears all, so it is impossible to keep anything secret from him. He especially loathes lawful oath-breakers and never fails to punish them for violating their dharma, but this does not apply to oathbreakers of chaotic or neutral alignments. Omens from Varuna generally take a celestial form, such as the appearance of a comet, ball of fire, or eclipse.
Vayu
Vayu is the god of the winds, sometimes gentle and life-giving, sometimes terrible and fierce. He was born of the last breath of Purusa, a primeval giant whom the gods sacrificed to create the earth.
Vayu's most notable power is the ability to give life to any item. Items that are firmly attached to the ground, such as a flagpole, receive only plant-like intelligence and can do little except grow. Items that can be moved without uprooting the earth, such as a boulder, receive animal intelligence. Only items that previously had the capacity for logical thought, such as a human skeleton, receive sentient abilities. Vayu also has the ability to create cyclones and typhoons with winds up to 150 mph. Live beings caught in such winds must save versus breath weapon every other round. Failure indicates that they have been hit by flying debris (1d6 damage for every 10 mph of wind speed). Vayu has no form and can only be sensed indirectly, such as when he brushes past one's skin or whistles through the treetops. Vayu's avatar is a flying lizard, similar in appearance to a small, gray dragon. He can call upon the alteration and invocation/evocation schools of magic for his spells.
Vayu is a fickle god, bringing moisture and breathing life into the earth one moment, and in the next wreaking terrible destruction with his angry winds. He sometimes shows special restraint when a village pays him the proper worship.
Together with Indra and Agni, Vayu is part of the Three Gods of Chaos. That's because they're deities of elemental strength and unpredictable temperament, and because they've to make their shared home in the swirls of Limbo. Interestingly, their alignments span the spectrum of chaos (good, neutral, and evil), obviously, these deities're quite familiar with the Rule of Threes.
The trio rules over a loose, patternless realm called Swarga, a place that's little more than random storms, raging flames, and howling winds. If anything springs up that looks like it might be permanent, chances are it's been built only so it can be destroyed. The githzerai anarchs and other shapers of Limbo stay away from Swarga; trying to impose mortal will in the realm invites the wrath of the destructive gods themselves.
The palaces of the three deities are about as permanent as anything gets in Swarga, even though they, too, flow and shift from time to time. Finally, there's the cloud palace of Vayu, where winds can be as gentle as a feather or as buffeting as a gale. A person who wants to travel in Vayu's home must gain the help of the asuras servants the god's accumulated over the years.
Vishnu
The most widely worshiped god in the pantheon, Vishnu is thought to be the one who prevents evil from triumphing over good. Odd thing is, Vishnu feels no particular enmity toward those of his pantheon who embrace evil, reserving his fury for humans and fiends who cross the planes and leave destruction in their wake. Stranger still, although he's called the Preserver, Vishnu is good friends with Siva, some even say that they're different aspects of the same greater deity.
It's said that Vishnu sends an avatar to the Prime whenever morals, order, or justice is in danger. That may have been true in his younger days, but now the god allows mortals a little more latitude in solving their own problems. He still exercises his ability to render any creature incapable of committing violence.
His realm is Mount Celestia is the Divine Lotus, a place where nothing crumbles before its time. The petitioners are all young and strong, their brain-boxes keen with spiritual and mental enlightenment. Those who don't have sharp minds don't make it into the realm as humans; they become animals and are reborn into the karmic wheel.
Some worshipers call Vishnu the head of the Vedic pantheon; others give that honor to Indra. In any case, it's no secret that Vishnu's begun to establish relations with the other deities of the multiverse. Perhaps he's simply preparing them for the destruction of all that is as Siva nears the end of his meditation.
Yama
Said to be the first mortal who ever died, Yama's charged with judging the spirits of the dead as they prepare to move to the next life in their cycle of existence. Yama can view each person's entire life span in a single glance, and he assigns the deceased to their next incarnations accordingly. Most're sent for a short stint in a god's realm, and then reincarnated back on the Prime. Only cutters who've shrugged off the burden of the karmic wheel are exempt from Yama's judgments.
A highly intelligent person, Yama has invented weapons for all the Vedic deities, objects particular to their spheres. He doesn't deal with deities outside the pantheon, though Yen-Wang-Yeh of the Celestial Bureaucracy stops by Yamasadena on occasion to discuss matters of mutual interest. As one of the Adityas (the children of the now-vanished Aditi), Yama deals mostly with his brothers and sisters: Surya, Savitri, Puchan, Rudra, Tvashtri, Vishnu, Mitra, and Varuna.
His realm, consisting of his palace (Yamasadena) and his city (Yamapura), not far from the gear that holds Rudra's Focus, is surrounded by a river of blood called Vaitarani. A petitioner looking to reach Yama's palace must wade through the river; during the crossing, they become spattered with an amount of blood equal to the karmic debt they accrued in their mortal life. The markings help Yama determine where the deceased should go next.
Minor Gods and Goddesses
Other Gods from the Indian pantheon are listed below:- Devi: Goddess of energy. Devi appears as a 10 foot tall woman with 10 arms. She is able to make any part of her body ethereal, shapechange, regenerate 10 points per melee round, and she shoots 30 points of energy from her hands every melee round. She moves as a beam of light at any speed she wishes.
- Sarasuati: Goddess of water and knowledge. She appears as a woman with white skin about 6 feet tall. She can, with a touch of her hand, heal all bodily damage and any question asked of her with a lawful purpose in mind will be answered.
- Krishna: He was a man with 18's in all things except strength, which was 20, a gift of the Gods. He was able to cast illusions that could fool the Gods, and he could be in 2 places at once. He fought in plus 3 armor and shield and used a disc weapon. This weapon hits for 3-36 points of damage and was plus 3 in striking ability. It could also shoot fire a distance of 15 yards for 2-20 points of damage once per melee turn.
In General
Japan is a land of contradictions. It is a land of tradition and custom, but it is a relative newcomer to the ranks of civilization (its first notable court was created 2,000 years after the first Chinese dynasty). While the same Imperial family has led Japan throughout its fifteen centuries of recorded history, the Emperor has rarely enjoyed more than a nominal control over the affairs of thc country. It is a land of incredible beauty and tranquility that (before the 20th Century) suffered only one serious attempt at invasion, yet Japan's fierce samurai warriors are well-known for practicing the grimmest kind of warfare.According to myth, the world was once a viscous mass, a great oily sea rich with potential. A reed emerged and brought forth two deities, one male and one female. The two produced children, who in turn produced more, until the seventh generation saw the birth of Izanagi and Izanami, the founders of the Japanese pantheon.
Izanagi and Izanami
The creators of the world, Izanagi and Izanami are the seventh generation descendants of the three divinities that came into being with the heavens and the earth. Of these early deities, they are the most important for men, for they were assigned the task of solidifying the earth, making land appear from the oily sea and being the first to shape mortal life. Izanagi, the male god, stood on the floating bridge of heaven and stirred the ocean with his lance until the water began to congeal and the island of Onokoro was formed. Here, Izanagi and his wife, Izanami, made their home and went about the business of populating the world. At first, they produced a monster, then an island. Finally, however, they began producing more gods.
Unfortunately, Izanami died while giving birth to the god of fire. The morose Izanagi went to the Land of Darkness to visit her. But she no longer looked like she had, and she grew furious with her husband for gazing upon her new, sickly form. In anger, she promised to destroy the humans they'd created; Izanagi, in turn, promised to create more than she could destroy. Thus it was that they invented life and death.
Back on earth, Izanagi produced several more deities, including the sun goddess Amaterasu, as he washed away the residue of the underworld. In their true forms, they appear to be a statuesque man and woman of great beauty (though Izanami will appear dead and decayed if caught unawares).
They eventually reconciled, and they now live together in Cherry Blossom, an Arcadian realm of constant springtime. Their children occasionally stop by to pay their respects, but for the most part the two deities are left to their own devices. It's said that, working together, the pair can create anything in the multiverse. On those rare occasions when they take a hand in mortal affairs, they send their only proxy, Yamamoto Date, a skilled and loyal warrior who's also a master of disguise.
Amaterasu
One of the children of Izanami and Izanagi, Amaterasu is the twin sister to the moon god Tsuki-Yomi. The two sit with their backs to each other, delineating the difference between night and day. Chant is all the mortal emperors on the Prime Material Plane are somehow descended from her blood, through one of her grandsons, and all of them thus claim the title "Son of Light".
In addition to being the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu is the weaver of the gods' robes. She has the power to light the world (or any part of it), to make plants grow, to cure diseases in men, or to destroy anything she wishes with her brilliance. In her true form, Amaterasu is beautiful woman with a radiant smile. She can draw upon the all, charm, creation, elemental, and sun spheres for her spells.
Amaterasu is the patron goddess of Japan and watches over its welfare carefully. If the land is seriously threatened, she may beseech aid from her fellow gods in order to protect it. She also watches over the Imperial family, and will never aid those who bring harm to one of its members. If the existence of the family itself is threatened, she will not hesitate send her avatar to aid it. Omens from Amaterasu take the form of solar eclipses.
Amaterasu is a fragile goddess, constantly curious, and genuinely concerned about the state of the Prime. Still, having experienced the Outer Planes, she's completely fascinated by them as well. She's opened relations with Apollo and Ra, trying to understand them in the context of her own limited upbringing. Also, the nearby Vedic deities have begun to pay attention to her.
Her realm on Mount Celestia is known as Radiant Light, a soothing (and occasionally soporific) land where everything is suffused with the soft glow of the sun. Nothing in Radiant Light casts a shadow, and secret dealings always fail, cross-traders be warned.
Ama-Tsu-Mara
Ama-Tsu-Mara is the god of blacksmiths (and weapon forgers). He has the power to create raw materials, such as iron ingots, charcoal, and leather, out of thin air. Using these materials, Ama-Tsu-Mara can forge any type of normal weapon in a single hour. Magical weapons take longer: one day for each power and for each +1 modifier. Any magical weapon forged by Ama-Tsu-Mara possesses a kami which means it is automatically intelligent. In his true form, Ama-Tsu-Mara is a huge, man-like being with one eye located in the center of his forehead. Ama-Tsu-Mara's avatar is a huge, hairy man who purposely appears rather dull-witted. He always has a patch over his left eye, and any being lifting the patch discovers that there is no eye socket there, only a continuation of his cheekbone. Ama-Tsu-Mara's avatar can draw upon the elemental, creation, and sun spheres for his spells.
Ama-Tsu-Mara favors blacksmiths and weapons forgers. Any time one of them is threatened, there is a 5% chance that he sends his avatar to defend the person. When he notices a weapon forger taking special pride in their work, Ama-Tsu-Mara often rewards the effort by investing the weapon with a kami and, thus, making it intelligent.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the "august star of heaven", is the god of evil. Also known as Ama-no-Kagaseo, the "brilliant male", he sees and sanctions all things done under cover of darkness. He has the power to look into the hearts of men and women, and, if he finds too much evil there, to make them his. Because most people are basically good, Amatsu-Mikaboshi is not particularly powerful. But he is cunning, and has gathered more worshipers than people suspect. In his true form, Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a dark shadow that can never quite be seen. Amatsu-Mikaboshi's avatar most often appears has a small, charming man with a bald head and a hooked nose, but the god of evil has also been known to shape his avatar in the form of an alluring woman. He can draw upon any school of magic for his bard spells.
Amatsu-Mikaboshi gathers worshipers the old fashioned way: he entraps them. After finding a potential worshiper, Amatsu sends his avatar to tempt the victim, usually with power, money, lechery, or whatever the subject desires most. The avatar then creates a situation in which the victim can fulfill this desire by committing one hideous act. If the victim performs the act, they become a permanent worshiper of Amatsu-Mikaboshi and find themself compelled to take part in a never-ending series of foul plans.
Daikoku
Daikoku is one of the Shichifukujin, the Seven Gods of Happiness. This god looks like a portly balding male with an easy grace about him. He is also known as the patron of all farmers, and in this aspect can be prayed to for weather of any type and hope for a good harvest. The god is noted for his good-natured outlook on all things and often uses his powers for the benefit of his clerics and worshipers. Besides being able to control all types of weather, he has complete control over the growth of plants and natural animal life (making them grow huge or shrink at will). He wanders the Prime Material Plane in ethereal form, observing his worshipers. Those who sacrifice great amounts of wealth to him at his temples will eventually be rewarded by the god (even if it is given to the descendants of the giver).
He fights with a wooden mallet that hits for 20 points of damage. It also shrinks any beings it hits (that do not make their magic saving throw) to half size. It will permanently negate any miscellaneous magic item used against its master (no saving throw), and will transport its master to a place of safety if the god is in mortal danger or becomes magically enspelled (charm, hold, etc.).
Ebisu
A member of the Shichifukujin, the Seven Gods of Happiness, Ebisu appears as an elderly male, and is occasianally found floating over the earth rewarding those who work hard with bountiful harvests of foodstuffs or extra money for sale of goods.
He uses a staff of striking in battle that hits for 3-30 points of damage. He always makes his saving throw. His luck attribute affects all beings in the same way. Beings attacking the god will only be able to do half damage with any given hit and they will hit only one-half of the times they normally might have (i.e., every other hit will miss).
Hachiman
Hachiman was born Ojin, son of the Empress Jingo. Legend has it that his mother swallowed a rock to delay his birth so that she might continue to lead a military expedition against Korea. Hardened by this in the womb, Hachiman grew to be able to tolerate any pain, and eventually became one of the greatest warriors in the land. Before long, his victories were so great that the Ama-Tsu-Kami granted him immortal status and made him the god of war. In his true form, Hachiman is a splendidly armored warrior. Hachiman's avatar takes the form of a well-armed samurai. He rides a huge black horse.
When a battle occurs, Hachiman is always watching. There is a 5% chance that he will send his avatar to rescue any warrior who does not flee when outnumbered by more than four-to-one. Before a battle, any commander who has performed constant devotions to Hachiman stands a 5 % chance of suddenly discovering that they "know" the enemy's strength, location, and plan of attack. Hachiman hates cowardice in combat and any warrior exhihiting a fear of death suffers a permanent -1 modifier to their THAC0. Hachiman does not send omens.
Hachiman's realm is located only a short distance from Asgard, at least as far as planar measurements go. He doesn't have the right alignment for Ysgard, but his demeanor keeps him anchored to the plane, like the Norse pantheon's realm, Kenyama is a harsh ground of constant struggle and preparation. If a warrior can't swing a sword, they're not welcome. Still, Hachiman cares less for mindless hacking and more for the massive sweep of armies, the surgical strikes against a foe's weak spots.
Truth is, Hachiman always knows the location, strength, and readiness of any army. He also has the power to read the thoughts of any military commander. And word has it that he's studying the Blood War, keeping careful note of its ebb and flow. Some say he plans to offer his services to the baatezu; other gossip says he wants to know both races of fiends so he can destroy the eventual winner. Through it all, Hachiman remains a firm friends of the dwarf god Clangeddin Silverbeard of Arcadia; the two have studied wars together for centuries.
Ho Masubi
Ho Masubi is the god of fire. When he was born, he caused the death of his mother, Izanami. His father, Izanagi, was so distraught that he chopped the child in two, creating two kinds of fire: kiri-bi, fire made by the friction of wood, and uchi-bi, fire made by striking sparks from steel and stone. Despite being so energetically disjointed, the fire god made his way to a mountain called Atago in the Kyoto province, where he established his home. He is one of the most feared gods in Japan, for he is a swift destroyer of houses made from wood and paper.
Ho Masubi has the power to control a fire anywhere and to kindle flames from even the tiniest spark. In his true form, he is a yellow and orange man with red hair. Around his waist, there is a terrible scar where his father cut him in half. Masubi's sacred animal is the boar, which, like him, is swift and destructive.
Although destructive by his very nature, the fire god is not evil and does what he can for mankind, providing them with light, warmth, a means of cooking, and the heat for forging weapons and tools. If a village affronts him by neglecting his worship, however, he has been known to burn it to the ground.
Inari
At one time the patron of smiths who forged swords, Inari has since passed that duty to Ama-Tsu-Mara so that he can spend more time in his other calling, that of rice god. He watches over the sowing and reaping of rice, as well as the preservation of the crop after it has been harvested. He can control the flow of waters, the growth of plants, and all insects. He can also turn water into saki (rice wine). In his true form, Inari is an old, bearded man. Sometimes, however, his worshipers mistake his messengers for the god himself and worship foxes as the rice god. Inari's avatar usually takes the form of a fox, though he has also been known to appear as an old man (in which case he fights with a quarterstaff +5, one attack per round). Even when in fox form, the avatar has the normal abilities of a druid and thief, including the ability to cast spells. He can draw upon the all, animal, elemental, healing, plant, and weather spheres for his spells.
Inari is generally a beneficent deity who does his best to help the people feed themselves. However, if his efforts go unappreciated, he has been known to neglect his duties. When peasants or farmers are threatened, he often sends one or more avatars to harass their oppressors. Omens from Inari are usually delivered by a fox.
Empress Jingo
The Empress Jingo ruled early in Japan's history, living between 170 and 269 A.D. She was leading a military campaign against Korea when it became apparent that she was going to give birth soon. The Empress was so devoted to her duty that she swallowed a stone to delay the birth of her child. It is no wonder that her son, Ojin, became a great warrior in his own right, eventually becoming Hachiman, the god of war.
Kishijoten
The goddess always appears as a human in any situation where she aids in a struggle. At will, she shape changes, always makes her saving throw, and can summon one of any good creature type to her presence once a month. With this last power she can summon, among other beings, a good dragon, a paladin, or a ranger to help her at any time she wills. These summoned beings are taken at random from the Prime Material Plane; she doesn't know who will come, and when arriving they are not under her dominance (they have free will).
She never physically takes part in battle, but observes and gives special luck to those she favors (at her whim and judge's option). This takes the form of that favored being making his or her saving throws and striking their enemies with every try. She also occasionally favors beings (not just humans) that take unusual chances (judge's option) in those situations where random chance plays a hand. There is a 2% chance of this happening in any given situation of great risk, if she is watching.
While the goddess prefers to use magic to attack her personal enemies, if pressed hard enough she will strike them with her gem, doing 2-20 points of damage.
Kura Okami
Kura Okami is one of the many rain gods. He dwells in the fertile valleys of Japan, providing a more or less steady supply of rain for the crops grown there. During storms, he can get caught up in Susanoo's fury and send too much rain, causing the streams and rivers to overflow their banks and flood the countryside. He is also somewhat forgetful, as he sometimes allows many weeks to go by without sending his life-giving waters. However, most of the time he is a kind and efficient god, imparting his blessing in beautiful, gentle rainfalls. Kura Okami also has the power to send snow, which he often does in the winter in order to beautify an otherwise drab landscape. In his true form, he is a translucent old man with a kindly (if somewhat vacant) expression. There are several other rain gods, including Taka Okami, who dwells on the mountains, and Taki-Tsu-Hiko ("Prince Cataract"), who is a rock located to the west of Mount Kaminabi.
Kura Okami is a rather befuddled and absent minded deity, but a kindly and gentle one. He enjoys seeing the sights of Japan as his avatar wanders the land. Sometimes he becomes so caught up in this activity that he neglects his duties. Omens from Kura Okami usually come during a morning or evening mist.
Nai No Kami
Nai No Kami is the god of earthquakes. For a long time, his worship was completely neglected, to the point that the Japanese did not even include his name in their lists of the Ama-Tsu-Kami, the kami of the heavens. For a long time, Nai No Kami patiently endured this insult, sending tremors from time to time to warn the people of their error. But, after centuries of neglect, in the Seventh Century A.D., he finally grew angry and demolished much of Japan with a series of violent earthquakes. Many temples to Nai No Kami were erected out of the rubble. In his true form, Nai No Kami is a large, powerfully built man.
After his long neglect, Nai No Kami is a touchy god. Any village that does not maintain an adequate temple to him stands a 10% chance per year of being destroyed by an earthquake. Occasionally, he will send his avatar to the aid of a lord who has built a great temple to honor him. Omens from Nai No Kami usually come in the form of tremors or moving earth.
O-Kuni-Nushi
One of the children of Susanoo, O-Kuni-Nushi is the god of medicine, sorcery, master of the land, and patron of heroes. He has had a great many adventures, and has always confronted danger bravely and with a certain amount of cunning. He is able to identify and converse with any kami, and he has the power to cure any living animal of disease or completely heal it of its wounds.
He's made a name for himself by championing the rights of animals and spirits across the land. In gratitude, all natural animals have taught O-Kuni-Nushi their secret language, and they all follow the god's commands. In his true form, O-Kuni-Nushi is a samurai with a quiet, gentle manner and a ready smile.
All beasts in his realm are protected, too. The proxy Raiko keeps them safe from poachers and monsters. What's more, any person who eats meat in Kenyama vomits it back up within minutes of ingestion, and carries the stench of carrion for three days after leaving the realm.
O-Kuni-Nushi has a special fondness for heroes of good alignment. When such a hero is in grave danger, there is a 1% chance per level that O-Kuni-Nushi will send his avatar to aid the hero. He does not take kindly to those that are unnecessarily cruel to animals, and such individuals will find that they heal at only half the normal rate (even when a spell such as cure light wounds or heal is used upon them). Omens from O-Kuni-Nushi are usually delivered by a talking animal.
Like Hachiman, O-Kuni-Nushi's a bit too lawful to be tied down to Ysgard. But he is the patron of heroes, after all, and the wild plane's full of 'em. Some folks also say that he stays in Kenyama to keep Hachiman company, and that their combined might prevents the realm from drifting away.
O-Kuni-Nushi is a cunning deity, excellent in most anything he tries, but he prefers to best his opponents with intelligence and words, rather than strength and swords. 'Course, there's a certain part of him relishes the use of the katana, and if he has no other choice, he happily draws his blade.
O-Wata-Tsu-Mi
Also called Shio-Zuchi ("old man of the tides"), O-Wata-Tsu-Mi is the greatest of the many gods of the sea. He was created when Izanagi washed in the sea after returning from the Land of Darkness. He is the ruler of the fishes and all living things in the sea, and the controller of the tides. He has the power to command any creature that swims in the sea (including men while they are in the water), and to move the waters of the ocean at will. In his true form, he is a tremendous serpentine dragon green in color, but he is equally comfortable in the form of an old man with gills and webbed fingers and toes. O-Wata-Tsu-Mi lives in a great palace at the bottom of the sea.
Generally, O-Wata-Tsu-Mi is a benevolent deily. He moves the tides in an extremely regular fashion so that men may predict their action and avoid being stranded, flooded, or drowned. When someone comes to his palace, he is known to be a gracious host. Omens from 0-Wata-Tsu-Mi are generally carried by his messenger, a sea monster named Wani, but they may also take the form of violent or unusual tides.
Raiden
Raiden is the god of thunder and the patron of fletchers. One of Susanoo's constant companions, Raiden accompanies him on his mighty thunder-drums and sends forth random bolts of lightning while the storm god shrieks and destroys until he's exhausted himself. When he wishes, Raiden can beat these drums so loudly that they act as drums of panic. In his true form, Raiden has a horned, grotesque head and long, vicious looking claws.
Raiden's a petty deity; if he feels he's not getting the respect he deserves, he does what he can to impel Susanoo into a murderous rage. He encourages strife and war, especially war that slays folks with arrows, for it's said that Raiden is fond of eating human flesh, and receives a meal any time a man is slain by an arrow. As the patron of fletchers, he grants every arrow-maker the power to create 10 arrows of slaying during their lifetime. The fletcher never knows when they have created such a weapon, but do realize that they have been unusually successful in creating the arrow. Omens from Raiden take the form of dry thunder, arrow shaped clouds, and lightning bolts.
His realm on Carceri is a place of exploding light and thunder, insulated from the rest of the plane by a thick covering of dark clouds. Any basher who visits the place should also be wary of Raiden's proxy, the tanuki, a fierce and intelligent cross between a canine and a raccoon. The tanuki's a tough, cruel beast, and it like to use its shape-changing power to lead people to their doom.
Raiko
Raiko, favored of the gods, is a famous fighter of enchanted monsters, giants, undead, and other ghastly things. His sword of sharpness +3 is said to be faster than a striking serpent, and he has achieved almost inhuman speed and endurance. He also carries a longbow from which he can fire arrows at twice the normal range that do twice normal damage.
Raiko is totally unafraid of death, and will never back away from a challenge. However, he is as cunning as he is fast. If faced with a seemingly impossible task he will invariably find a way to achieve what he must without losing either his honor or his life.
Shichifukujin
The Shichifukujin are the Seven Gods of Happiness. Sometimes referred to as the Seven Gods of Luck, they come from various origins. They include Hotei (god of happiness through fortunate chance), Jurojin (god of happiness through long life), Fukurokujo (god of happiness through good health), Bishamon (god of happiness through good cheer, he also looked after his worshipers during war), Benzaiten (goddess of happiness through love), Daikoku (god of happiness through wealth), and Ebisu (god of happiness through food, he also presides over fishing and honest dealing). Each of these gods oversees a particular aspect of life. To be truly happy, a person must worship all seven gods in the proper balance. Each god can grant worshipers the particular aspect of happiness that he or she embodies. In their true forms, these gods have the following appearances: Hotei, a man with a huge stomach; Jurojin, an old man with a long white beard; Fukurokujo, long narrow head with a short stocky body; the smiling Bishamon is always dressed in full armor (to ward off war); Daikoku, a portly, balding man; Ebisu, an elderly man; and Benzaiten, a beautiful woman.
The Shichifukujin respond to their worshipers as individual gods. Thus, a person who pays a great deal of attention to Ebisu and none to Benzaiten is likely to have plenty of food but no spouse to share it with. They do not send omens, although the degree of happiness in a person's life might be perceived as one.
Shina-Tsu-Hiko
Shina-Tsu-Hiko was born from the breath of Izanagi and is the god of the winds. He is not the only wind god, however. There are several more who control certain types of winds. Among them are Shina-Tsu-Hiko's daughter, Shina-To-Be, who blows away the morning mists; Tatsuta-Hiko and Tatsuta-Hime, who bring fresh air to the fields to aid in producing good harvests; and Haya-ji, the god of whirlwinds. While these gods are personifications of certain types of winds, Shina-Tsu-Hiko is in charge of all the winds, and so is superior to them in the same way a shogun is superior to a daimyo. Shina-Tsu-Hiko has the power to control the winds anywhere on earth, and can use this capability to bring hot, dusty conditions, pleasant rains, terrible storms, and so forth. In his true form, Shina-Tsu-Hiko appears to be a well-appointed lord.
Shina-Tsu-Hiko is unpredictable and capricious. One day, he may be perfectly contented with the homage paid to him in a certain village. The next, he may find it woefully inadequate and use his power to rip the roofs from all the houses. Omens from Shina-Tsu-Hiko usually take the form of words whispered in the wind, but it is not always possible to make out the meaning or his speech.
Susanoo
Susanoo (sometimes called Susanowo) is the god of storms, one of the first children of Izanami and Izanagi, and the brother of Amaterasu and Tsuki-Yomi. He was born when lzanagi washed his nose after returning from the Land of Darkness. Susanoo immediately began causing trouble, pestering his father for permission to go to the Land of Darkness and visit his mother. Eventually, Izanagi grew tired of these petitions and sent his son away. So Susanoo went to see his sister Amaterasu in the heavens, playing such a cruel trick on her that she rushed into a cave and hid, depriving the world of light. In punishment for his terrible acts, the other gods shaved Susanoo's beard, pulled out his fingernails, and ejected him from the heavens. Susanoo has the power to deprive any being of night for up to one week. He can also send a 10d10 point lightning bolt to strike any being on earth. In his true form, Susanoo is a beardless man with a fierce aspect and no fingernails.
Susanoo is brash and forthright. His exploits have caused terrible consternation among the other deities, they find it impossible to understand him. Sometimes, when he creates storms, the result is not so terrible, but on other occasions, he savages the land from one end to the other, ripping up trees, destroying homes, and flooding crops. He sometimes sends his lightning bolts to strike down those who have offended him. Sometimes, in fact, he sends his lightning bolts to strike someone down for no reason at all.
In short, Susanoo is completely unpredictable, and the other deities have banished him from the heavens until he learns his courtly manners. Now he lairs in the formless soup of Limbo, in a spherical, storm-filled vault that sweeps through the plane and wrecks any attempt to establish order or solid ground.
Tsuki-Yomi
Tsuki-Yomi was born when Izanagi washed his right eye after returning from the Land of the Dead. He is the god of the moon, whose function it is to count the passing of the months. In China, a hare is often shown in the moon, and this sign has been incorporated into Tsuki-Yomi's symbol, along with a pun. In Japanese, Mochi-zuki means two things: the full moon, and to pound rice for cakes. Therefore, Tsuki-Yomi's symbol is a hare in the moon, pounding rice for cakes.
As the counter of the months, Tsuki-Yomi has the power to control time, making it pass more slowly in one place than in another, stopping it altogether, or speeding it up. He also has the power to light the darkness. In his true form, Tsuki-Yomi is a handsome, massively built man with blue skin.
Tsuki-Yomi's primary concern is the orderly progression of time, so that seasons change and crops mature properly. He is generally benevolent to those who rely upon and respect the cycle of nature. If his aid is requested in defending a just, established social order, there is a 5% chance that he will answer by sending his avatar. When sending omens, Tsuki-Yomi sometimes manifests the handsome blue face of his avatar in an expensive mirror.
Yamamoto Date
This hero, son of an emperor, is renowned for his ability as a fighter and loyalty to his emperor father. Many tales exist of his cunning and skill at disguise. He has the disguise skill of an 11th level assassin.
Yamamoto Date is known for his awesome speed and ability with any blade. He has a magic sword that is both a dragon slaying blade and sword of sharpness.
Yoshi-Iye
This warrior holds the war god Hachiman as his patron, and his prayers for aid are occasionally answered personally by the god! He is a mighty fighter with any weapon, but his bow skills are legendary. His arrows are so powerfully launched that they can reputedly pierce rocks and so skillfully aimed that they do greater than normal damage with every hit.
In General
Where the land plummets from the snowy hills into the icy fjords below, where the longboats draw up on to the beach, where the glaciers flow forward and retreat with every fall and spring, this is the land of the Vikings, the home of the Norse pantheon. It's a brutal clime, and one that calls for brutal living. The warriors of the land have had to adapt to the harsh conditions in order to survive, but they haven't been too twisted by the needs of their environment. Given the necessity of raiding for food and wealth, it's surprising the mortals turned out as well as they did. Their deities reflect the need these warriors had for strong leadership and decisive action. Thus, they see their deities in every bend of a river, hear them in the crash of the thunder and the booming of the glaciers, and smell them in the smoke of a burning longhouse.The Norse pantheon includes two main families, the Aesir (deities of war and destiny) and the Vanir (gods of fertility and prosperity). Once enemies, these two families are now closely allied against their common enemies, the giants (including the gods Surtur and Thrym). Like the gods of Greyhawk, gods in different families sometimes have overlap in their spheres of influence: Frey (of the Vanir) and Odur (of the Aesir) are both associated with the sun, for example.
Odin
Odin (pronounced oh-din), often referred to as the "All-Father", is the leader and creator of the Norse pantheon. Along with his brothers, Vili and Ve, he slew the great frost giant Ymir and made the earth out of the giant's body. He also, directly or indirectly, fathered most of the Norse gods and helped create the first man and woman. Odin's first concern is battle, be he is also the god of knowledge, wisdom, poetry, and inspiration.
Odin has one eye that blazes like the sun, having lost his other eye in payment for a drink from the well of Mimir. He once stole the mead of poetry, and some myths say he grants poetic ability and inspiration to mortals. Odin hung himself on Yggdrasil for nine days, pierced by his own spear, until by virtue of his suffering he was able to reach down and seize magical runes that were the source of wisdom and magical lore. His suffering so impressed the son of the giant Bolthor that he taught Odin nine magical songs that allowed him to master eighteen magical spells previously unknown to any man or woman. Odin is fated to be swallowed by Loki's son Fenrir at Ragnarok, but his own son Vidar will avenge him.
Now he dispenses wisdom from his throne Hlidskiaf (which is guarded by a proxy and a mass of petitioners), and rides his eight-legged horse Sleipnir to sites that require his personal attention. Some say the horse has eight legs because that's the number of legs a coffin has (when it's carried by four pallbearers); thus, Odin's really riding a casket into battle.
In any case, the All-Father epitomizes the Norse race. He's savage and wise at the same time, straightforward and subtle as the mood strikes him. He rewards power with power, and only a few things anger him: aiding a giant, losing a battle, or breaking the laws of hospitality.
Odin controls three halls in Asgard. The first is Valaskiaf, from which he rules. The second is Gladsheim, the common hall of the Aesir, where they meet to swear loyalty to and share mead with their leader. The third is Valhalla, where the mightiest warriors of the northmen are transformed into the einheriar. During the day, the place is mostly empty, as the einheriar are out honing their combat skills on each other. But at night, Valhalla's filled with the riotous noise of the feasting petitioners, all celebrating their triumphs of the day.
In his true form, Odin appears to be a man of about fifty with a patch over one eye. He has a bald head and a long grey beard, and usually wears a gray tunic beneath a hooded cloak of blue. He is often accompanied by two old wolves and two ravens which perch on his shoulder. Wearing a dark, wide-brimmed hat that casts a shadow over his face, Odin travels as a mortal wanderer. As a god of magic, war, and wisdom, he visits Midgard to distribute knowledge and victory in battle. His many titles hint at his various roles.
Aegir
Aegir (pronounced ay-jeer) is the god of the ocean and personification of its strength for good or ill. Aegir is neither Aesir nor Vanir, and is actually more closely related to the Giants. He is alternately friendly and ferocious to the Aesir. He is sometimes called "Alebrewer", as he provides the deities with mead and banquets, but occasionally turns stag on them when it suits his needs. For this reason, he's not entirely loved by the rest of the pantheon, but the old god doesn't care, as long as he's included in the festivities, he's happy. In his true form, he is a giant standing sixty feet tall. He has a long gray beard, fingers like claws, and carries a tree-sized club carved in the shape of a maiden which can deliver 4d10 points of damage to structures or beings.
The only predictable thing about Aegir is that if ship captains don't offer a valuable sacrifice to him when beginning a voyage, they are certain to feel his wrath. When he decides to sink a ship, he often sends his avatar to smash it to bits with his club. Other times, he simply destroys it with a terrible storm. He looks with favor upon raiders and pirates. If such men make the proper sacrifices to him, Aegir is 10% likely to aid them with favorable winds, or to conceal their approach with a storm or fog.
Ran, his wife and equal partner, drags drowning men down to her hall beneath the sea. She holds similar responsibilities to Freya and Hel in that regard, since the drowned do not go to Valhalla, Sessrumnir, or the underworld. Aegir and Ran have nine daughters, the Wave Maidens, each of whom represents a different type of ocean wave and are the nine mothers of Heimdall.
His hall, Hlesvang, is hidden beneath the waters of Aegirsholm, one of Asgard's lakes. The hall's covered with shells and whalebones, and its residents include all Norse petitioners who died by drowning.
Balder
Balder (pronounced bald-er) is the most beautiful and charismatic god the Aesir have ever seen, and they continue to say this even after spying Aphrodite, Sune, and all the other goddesses of beauty. Whether they really mean it or just want to stick together is anyone's guess.
Balder is the child of Frigga and Odin, and they dote on their charming son. His dreams are prophetic, at least to some degree, and the Aesir pay close attention to what he tells them. Fact is, Balder is loved by just about everyone he meets, except for deities of hatred and plague. Even gods who ain't normally friendly to humankind find a good word for the deity.
Despite his attractiveness, Balder is not a vain god. He is loyal to Odin and the other Aesir, and never fails to fulfill his obligations to them. When an ugly man or woman demonstrates their worth by performing a self-sacrificing deed of great importance, Balder often rewards the individual by increasing his or her Charisma to 18. Omens from Baldur are usually delivered by a handsome or beautiful member of the opposite sex.
Balder's hall in Asgard is called Breidablik, meaning "broad splendor", and he lived there with his wife, Nanna. One of the radiant jewels of the realm, Breidablik's a place of warm, soft light and the scintilating company of beautiful people. Any person who can't count beauty as one of their assets best not even try to get in; only those who look good are allowed inside. Sadly, what's in a person's heart doesn't matter, only the shallow exterior.
Balder led an idyllic life until he became troubled by ominous dreams. The gods so loved Balder that they sent Frigga to extract an oath from all things, animate and inanimate, that they would not harm him. She overlooked the mistletoe, thinking it too weak to harm anything. The gods delighted in Balder's invulnerability and amused themselves by throwing things at him. Loki discovered his weakness and tricked Hod, Balder's blind twin, into throwing a sharpened dart of mistletoe at Balder, guiding Hod's hand so it aimed at his brother's heart.
The dart killed the god of beauty, and Frigga suggested that someone journey to the underworld to ransom her son. Hermod, messenger of the gods, volunteered to go. Hel agreed to release Balder if all of Asgard shed a tear for him (some myths say that all creation had to cry). Loki refused to shed a tear, and Balder's spirit remained in the underworld. When the gods placed his body on its funeral pyre, his wife Nanna joined her husband on the fire. Balder was prophesied to return after Ragnarok as one of the gods who would rule the new creation.
Beowulf
Beowulf was a great hero of the Geats who killed the monster, Grendel, who had been terrorizing the mead hall of King Hrothgar of Denmark. He also had to kill Grendel's mother, which is how he came to hold the sword of the giants. After returning home, he eventually became king of the Geats, and died battling a terrible dragon.
Bragi
Bragi is the god or poetry and song. The son of Odin and Gunlod. Bragi was born in a stalactite-hung cave, put aboard a boat made by the dwarves, presented with a magic golden harp, and set adrift. As the boat floated out of the cavern, Bragi took the harp and began to play the song of life. With his song, he has the power to make plants grow and bloom, and to charm any animal into doing his will. In his true form, Bragi resembles an old, white-bearded man with a sparkle in his eye.
Whenever people sing or recite poetry, they are worshiping Bragi. Since this is a favorite pastime in almost every hall, Bragi never lacks worshipers and thus he grows stronger with every passing year. He's a fun-loving god, though one given to fits of manic activity, and he constantly wanders, seeking to improve his gift and bestow it on others. He is a special friend to bards, often revealing to them the location of secret treasures. Most often, this revelation occurs as a sudden insight while the bard is singing before a large crowd. If the bard interrupts their song, however, they immediately forget the location of the treasure.
The Norse god has no particular enemies, but his hatred for the giants has grown steadily over the centuries. This rage was fueled by Thiassi, the (now-dead) giant who kidnapped Bragi's wife Idun to get at the Apples of Youth.
In addition to living in Asgard, Bragi keeps a realm on Elysium, where he says he can hear the beautiful music of the multiverse more clearly. The realm, HarpHearth, is actually little more than a mountain peak where the bracing winds of the upper air flow. The proxy Thariisa Harpchord strolls through the land with her small, golden harp, and Bragi himself maintains a small cottage on the slope (well, small for a god, anyway). He retires there when he's done listening to the songs of the wind for the day. Idun often visits him at the cottage, and they usually return to Asgard together shortly thereafter.
Fenris Wolf
This huge wolf is the offspring of Loki and a giantess, Angrboda. Due to an agreement among the gods not to slay each other's offspring, the wolf could not be killed and lived in Asgard due to this technicality. But this dangerous creature could not remain free. The dwarves made the only chain that could bind it, forging it from thoughts and concepts. Forged from the roots of a mountain, the noise of a moving cat, and the breath of a fish, this golden leash is no thicker than a strand of silk, yet it is completely unbreakable. This silken, golden thread stopped the creature from roaming, as it was unbreakable until the time of Ragnarok.
Very now and then, however, the Fenris wolf slips his chain and travels to Midgard in pursuit of prey. Men often know when this has happened, for it is a time of terrible omens when the avatars of the gods walk the land in search of the terrible beast. According to the Norns, the Fenris wolf will devour Odin during Ragnarok.
The wolf's bite does 9-90 points of damage, and if the total amount of damage is more than half of the victim's hit points, he or she will be swallowed whole. In form, the creature looks like a giant timber wolf.
Fjalar
In Norse mythology there are two races of Dwarves, the Durin and the Modsognar. They are similar in many ways, their chief difference being in the type of magic they create and to whom they give it. The Durin create magic weapons and will trade them to the Aesir or frost giants with equal relish. The Modsognor create magic items of a non-violent nature and will only give them to the Aesir. Fjalar is the battle leader of the Durin dwarves.
Fjalar often defends his fellows against the fire giants, who prefer not to pay for their magic items and often try to steal them instead. Fjalar wears a pair of magic gauntlets +3 that allow him to strike for 2d10 damage. His knowledge of magic weaponry is so great that he cannot be hit by any weapon with less than a +2 magical bonus.
Forseti
Forseti (pronounced for-set-ee), a wise and eloquent son of Balder and Nanna, has spent his entire existence trying to bring law to the chaotic Aesir. He's succeeded to the extent that mortals call on him to ratify their laws, and the deities come to him to appeal to his legendary discretion (especially when Odin can't be impartial). Not only does Forseti weigh each case on the basis of right and wrong, he also considers how a particular decision would further the community of gods. He's not made a blunder yet and no one has ever found fault with one of his decisions.
Forseti knows when a lie is spoken anywhere in Gladsheim and has the power to make any mortal anywhere speak the truth, whether the individual wishes to or not. In his true form, Forseti is a handsome man dressed in a tunic of gold and breeches of silver.
Forseti is most concerned with justice and truth. Whenever a body of men gathers to make laws, there is a 10% chance that Forseti's avatar will come to aid them. If this body is making laws that affect more than fifty thousand people, his avatar is sure to appear at the meeting disguised as one of the lords who has a right to attend the meeting. There is a 10% chance that he will send his avatar to aid those trying to throw off the rule of an unjust tyrant.
His hall is called Glitnir, a shining Asgardian palace of gold and beaten silver. It's said to be what every northman dreams of, but only a select few can enter its halls, specifically, the rich and the generous (which rules out most of the race). Still, Glitnir's a place of glory and equality among those who can make it in, so it's something to which mortals can aspire.
Freke and Gere
Odin has two wolves, Freke and Gere. These creatures are giant black wolves with greying muzzles. They are able to travel about the planes for Odin and tell him what is happening in the various worlds. They are able to teleport at will through the planes, and they can see any hidden object and sense all things magical. Their bite does 2-20 points of damage and they use it in the service of Odin as punishers whenever a human aids the giants against the gods. They attack as 16+ hit dice monsters.
Since Odin lives only on mead, he throws the meat from his table in Valhalla to the wolves. Freke and Gere are always encountered together.
Frey
Frey (pronounced fray) is a member of the Vanir and was sent to Asgard as part of the plan to guarantee peace between the Aesir and their cousins. Son of Njord and husband to the female giant Gerd, he is a god of fertility and the chief god of agriculture, providing men with sunshine, rain, peace, joy, and happiness. Frey is also a patron of married couples, horses, and horsemen. Like many male gods, he is a skilled warrior. Weapons are banned outright in his temples, and bloodshed in places sacred to him is taboo. Despite this peaceful portfolio, Frey is fated to fight Surtur at Ragnarok with his bare hands, having given his dwarf-forged magic sword to his shield-man Skirnir.
Although a capable fighter, Frey prefers the joys of peace and will always seek a non-violent solution before resorting to combat. He is the patron of peaceful mortals, and will often send his avatar to aid those who have become imperiled through their efforts to maintain peace. Most of Frey's temples have vast pastures of grazing horses nearby. To ride one of these horses is to offend the god. Omens from Frey usually take the form of rain and storms, but can also be delivered by horses.
Frey owns the cloud-ship Skidbladnir, which can carry the entire pantheon and all its gear, yet fold up and fit inside his pocket when not in use. Furthermore, his sword can fight of its own will if freed from its confining sheath.
The god maintains two realms. One's in Vanaheim, where he sails Skidbladnir along the coastline endlessly, losing himself in the sea breeze and sunshine. The other's in Alfheim, where he rules with a kind touch. Both realms welcome Frey's patronage, for he spreads cheer wherever he travels.
Freya
Freya (pronounced Fray-ah) is the goddess of love, unbridled passion, and human fertility. She is the daughter of Njord and the fiery twin sister of Frey. Like her brother, she is one of the Vanir sent to guarantee peace with the Aesir. In the sense that passion is a hot, consuming emotion, she is also associated with fire. She shares the waters of the Evergold with the other goddesses of beauty, and she doesn't hesitate to use its waters to keep herself attractive and appealing. She too is hugely popular among the mortals.
She delights in romantic poetry and is considered the most magnanimous of the goddesses. Freya weeps tears of gold when her husband, Odur, goes on his journeys. She possesses the Necklace of the Brisings, sometimes called Brisingamen, a fantastically beautiful and priceless piece of jewelry crafted by the dwarves. She rides to battle in a chariot pulled by two huge forest cats, Bygul and Trjegul. She is also associated with the boar or swine, because of the animal's fertile nature. However, the boar is often depicted charging into battle. She also serves those who have fought in battle, especially conscripts and farmers who've been forced into battle. As such, half those slain honorably in battle, and all women so slain, go to Folkvangr (in Vanaheim) with her valkyries instead of Valhalla. Once in Folkvangr, the dead enjoy a peaceful rest of meadows and fields.
She is the patroness of a type of magic called "seithr", in which the sorceress enters a trance in order to answer questions about the future. Some myths say she taught the Vanir art of witchcraft to the Aesir. As the goddess of fertility, Freya also looks after women in labor. She has the power to kindle passion in any being, to control fires anywhere on Midgard, to see the future, to bless any woman with a child, and to alleviate pain and injury. Freya also has a beautiful fur-lined cloak that allows her to turn into a falcon. In her true form, Freya is a voluptuous woman of entrancing beauty.
A person might think that Freya's vanity and dalliances would bring her nothing but condemnation. But the truth of it is that, like any northern woman, she's free to choose her own way. That path may not match the standards set for women by the males, but it surely matches the standards the males set for themselves. Besides, Freya's passions are tempered by her great intelligence.
Still, the goddess is sought after by deity, giant, dwarf, and mortal alike. It seems her beauty and free spirit captivate the male mind, and those who see her can't put their brain-boxes on anything else. Thus, Freya has the friendship of most any male deity she encounters (Norse or otherwise).
Her hall is Sessrumnir, near the Folkvangr ("Field of Folk") in Vanaheim. The place was a gift from the Aesir on the occasion of her trade; it's said to be entirely impenetrable unless Freya herself opens the doors. Inside, Sessrumnir is luxury itself, strewn with furs and silks given to her by deities of far-off pantheons.
Frigga
Frigga (pronounced frig-ga) is the goddess of the clouds, sky, married love, and wives. She is primarily concerned with the household and married love. She is a stately, gracious, and bountiful woman often invoked during childbirth and by those wishing to conceive. Frigga is the second but principal wife of Odin, and is also the mother of four of his children: Balder, Hoder, Hermod, and Tyr. All four have done her proud. Still, she's more concerned with the lot of her mortal worshipers, and she does what she can to keep women (especially wives) from suffering under the tyranny of small-minded men. She's even gone to war against her husband, leading an army of women disguised to look like men. That's how much Frigga cares for her charges.
She can foretell the future, and has the power to control all forms of weather, to view any area that has a breeze blowing through it, to assume the form of any flying animal, to spin flax into gold, and to make any husband fall madly and permanently in love with his wife. In her true form, she is a mature woman of great beauty.
Her attempt to protect Balder was one of the few times she acted to change the future she perceived. She has three handmaidens named Snotra ("Wisdom"), Syn ("Denial"), and Vor (so wise nothing can be hidden from her).
Though she shares Odin's halls, she also has one of her own. It's called Fensalir, ans it's hidden high in the mountains of Asgard, as suits a goddess of air. The hall is clean and well organized, with a place for everything, no matter how incongruous it may seem. Fensalir is less violent and less populated than the other halls of Asgard, but that's how Frigga wants it. Her petitioners are fewer, and like those of Vanaheim, care more for contemplation than violent action.
Heimdall
Heimdall (pronounced haym-dahl) is the watcher and guardian over Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, and he carries a mighty horn that he sounds when anyone approaches Asgard from the bridge. Friendly bashers hear only a sweet, low sound, but Heimdall greets enemies with a louder blast. He will not allow anybody to cross it without Odin's express permission. Some myths say Heimdall is the son of Odin and either simultaneously nine giant sisters or all nine daughters of Aegir and Ran. Heimdall was born on the horizon and nurtured on the strength of the earth, the moisture of the sea, and the warmth of the sun. He has the power to see a hundred miles by day or night, and his hearing is so sensitive that he can hear grass growing in Midgard.
Heimdall visited Midgard in human guise and stayed one night in each of three different houses. Each house treated him differently, and he cursed or blessed their children accordingly. The result was the three social classes of the Asgardian world: thralls or slaves, free peasants, and nobles. In his true form, he is a strapping warrior in white armor. He carries a flashing sword and the famous alarm horn, Gjallerhorn.
Heimdall's one of the few deities of the Aesir with a realm outside the wall of Asgard: the shining city of Himinborg. The burg sits near the gates of Bifrost, and every person who takes the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard must first pass through Himinborg. Outside the city, the Doksmid clan of dwarves try to sell their smith-forged wares to passersby. Within the town, watchtowers rise high above the land, manned by einheriar who seek to emulate their patron's flawless attention to duty. 'Course, the einheriar are the first defense for any invasion, and that tends to make the residents of the city more than a little nervous. They're peery of strangers, and watch a newcomer carefully until they've proven themself.
Heimdall and Loki have a burning hatred for each other. Here's the truth of it: Heimdall holds the trickster in complete contempt, and Loki can't stand the watcher's self-righteous nature. But most of the other deities find Heimdall witty and charming.
He is the one who will summon the other gods to Ragnarok by blowing upon Gjallerhorn, which will then break from the blowing. Prophesies say that in the last battle, Loki will steal Heimdall's sword. Though Heimdall is destined to kill Loki in Ragnarok, he is fated to die soon thereafter of his own wounds.
Hel
Hel (pronounced Hell) is the goddess of the ignoble dead. The daughter of Loki and the female giant Angrboda, Hel was confined to Niflheim, the land of mists, by the gods. She appears as a gaunt woman whose body is fair and lovely on one side, but dead and rotting on the other. Despite her hideous appearance, she is the least monstrous of Loki's three children from this union (the other two are Fenrir the wolf and Jormungandr the world serpent).
She watches over the grim realm of Niflheim on the Gray Waste. She's a joyless basher, though she's seen from time to time with a mocking smile on her face. Hel is, in short, just what a person'd expect from a deity of death, and nearly emotionless. She receives the spirits of those who die by diseases and old age, locking them behind the impregnable walls and gates of Niflheim. Located beneath the roots of Yggdrasil, Niflheim is not a realm of eternal punshment. Nevertheless, it is not a pleasant place, either. It is a land of eternal cold, mist, and darkness.
Hel can cause plagues and pestilence upon Midgard with a wave of her hand. Any mortal looking upon her face falls ill, suffering a permanent loss of 5 hit points per round until a cure disease spell is cast on them. Even after the cure, the victim never recovers the lost hit points. In her true form, Hel is a statuesque gaunt woman whose body is fair and lovely on one side, but dead and rotting on the other.
Hel is a grim and fierce goddess, mercilessly striking down those who offend her. Occasionally, she finds a mortal man attractive and will send her avatar to fetch him.
She bears no love for the rest of the Norse pantheon; fact is, she's destined to lead her army of petitioners against Valhalla come Ragnarok, and she's looking forward to that day with anticipation. She cares even less for the agents of the deities, and any person they send to Niflheim is likely to find themself seated at Hel's banquet table before long.
The realm isn't much to look at. It's like the rest of the Gray Waste, dull and cheerless. A central banquet hall holds all the petitioners of Niflheim at once; obviously, it's a huge affair, but it seems smaller on the inside. That's mostly because no matter where a person sits, they can see Hel seated at the head of the hall. The food on the table is rotting, and snakes drip poison from the ceiling, it's not exactly homey.
Hermod
In addition to being the gods' messenger, Hermod escorts the souls of the dead to the underworld. When the gods needed someone to plead with Hel for Balder's spirit, Hermod volunteered and Odin lent him Sleipnir for the journey.
Hermod's cult focuses on endurance and physical fitness. It teaches marksmanship, fencing, steeplechase horse racing, foot races of all sorts, and swimming to its members, believing these are key skills for those who must deliver messages.
Clergy of Hermod rarely stay in one village for long. They're often found while traveling to a different temple, wearing sturdy garb and enjoying their journey. Junior members of the clergy carry messages from noble to noble, village to village, or temple to temple. They are quick to lend aid to travelers in distress.
Hermod's temples are generally collections of several smaller buildings. In addition to a main hall, most have a training hall and a stable. Many stand near lakes or rivers where the faithful can practice their swimming skills.
Visitors to Hermod's temples receive warm welcomes and a genial, but thorough, interrogation about travel conditions, gossip, and information about places the visitors have been. If they readily and honestly share what they know, the temple plies them with food and drink for as long as the visitors have information to share.
Hugin and Munin
The All-Father's most famous proxies are two ravens called Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory), who perch on his shoulder. Odin uses them as spies and messengers, sending them on various tasks to the far parts of Gladsheim. He also sends them out every day to bring him news of the Asgardian worlds. In the Asgardian cosmology, a mortal never knew when the raven watching them was Hugin or Munin. Odin can see through their eyes or speak through their beaks, and often uses them to gather information on particular areas of interest, or to warn his worshipers of impending attacks. They can teleport to or from any location in Gladsheim, and are completely immune to magical control. Any person who harms them is subject to Odin's direct wrath.
Idun
Idun is the goddess of spring and eternal youth. She is married to Bragi, the god of poetry and song. She is the deity in charge of making sure the Aesir remain young. She does this by keeping charge over the Apples of Youth, which she feeds to the Norse gods once every year come spring. The body of anyone eating one of these apples becomes 10 years younger. Obviously, the apples make Idun a prized commodity among the giants and near-immortals of the planes, and they've attempted to kidnap her several times. Each time, the other Norse gods have rescued her before the villains could eat the golden apples, but surely one of these times they'll slip, and the giants will be waiting.
Idun has the power to slow or reverse the aging process in any being, or to awaken any dormant or sleeping thing. In her true form, she is a youthful woman of great beauty.
Idun is a cheerful and friendly goddess who takes great delight in seeing things grow and remain healthy. She is extremely conscientious about making sure that every god eats one of her apples every ten years. Idun is especially protective of young girls, and there is a 10% chance that she will send her avatar to protect one who is in danger.
Idun shares a home with Bragi in Asgard, and though she visits her husband in HarpHearth from time to time, she prefers to remain among her fellow deities. The Aesir, naturally, value her because she's the only one who can pluck the apples from the Tree of Youth, but Idun's earned the friendship of deities outside the pantheon as well, including Lathander of Toril.
Jormungandr
Jormungandr was the offspring of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and was the brother of the Fenris Wolf and Hel. By custom Odin could not slay divine progeny, but he feared that the monster would cause trouble and threw him into the sea when he was young. Jormungandr grew unchecked, until at last he circled the earth and could bite his own tail. It is the writhing of this great serpent that causes the tempests. Thor has tried many times to slay him, but the Norns have foretold that he will not succeed until the day of Ragnarok, when he will drown in a sea of venom from the dying serpent.
Since the Midgard Serpent circles the world, he can shift his body and locate his head anywhere he desires in one melee round. The head is the only vulnerable spot on this monster, since he regenerates all damage in the melee round after it is inflicted; this means that 300 or more points of damage must be delivered to its head in one round in order to kill it. If Jormungandr is slain, all beings within 50 feet of the head must save vs. pOison at -5 or die, as the creature spews forth its venom. Attacks on the body of the serpent can be made, but they will prove fruitless as the body (like the head) will regenerate all lost hit points in the next melee round, even if totally severed.
Jormungandr bites once per round for 5-50 points of damage, and anyone thus bitten must save versus poison at -5 or die within two melee rounds from the extremely potent venom. The serpent can also make one constriction attack per round (near its head or anywhere along its body length), doing 10-100 points. It attacks as a 16+ HD monster.
Loki
Loki serves many purposes within the pantheon. First off, he's the blood brother of Odin, a status he gained by proving instrumental in holding the Aesir together in the early days of the gods. It's a fact he likes to bring up whenever he's pushed the Aesir to their limits, see, Loki's a god of trouble, and he'll spout enough half-truths and lies to make a person crazy with anger (that's why he keeps a realm on Pandemonium, a place to wait out the pantheon's fury when he goes a step too far).
Basically, Loki's a proud and vainglorious god. He's convinced that there's nothing another deity can do that he cannot, and he does his utmost to prove that he's smarter than the rest of the pantheon. This may well be why he turned from a benevolent trickster into the sworn enemy of the Aesir. The one he hates most, however, is Heimdall, who often exposes Loki's plans and catches the troublemaker in various schemes.
Loki has the power to change his shape into anything. If any being, including other gods, look at Loki for more than three rounds, he can exert his influence over them in the form of a suggestion spell with no saving throw. He also wears a pair of boots that allow him to walk on water, fly, and run at a movement rate of 50. In his true form, Loki is a handsome young man who is always dressed in some combination of red and black.
As the god of mischief and strife, Loki is one of the most active and unpleasant of gods. Yet, there is also an attractive side to his personality; he is handsome, sociable, and has a good sense of humor. Loki is one of the few gods who is at home with giants and dwarves, and often turns to them for help in his schemes. He is invariably in some sort of trouble with his fellows and will not hesitate to turn to his worshipers for help in extracting himself. Omens from Loki usually come in the form of an illusion.
Loki usually turns elsewhere for help. He's made alliances with various deities of other pantheons, but he uses them only as leverage and tools, not as deities in their own right. And because he's always got to show that he's better than the rest, his alliances are usually short-lived.
Magni
One of the twin sons of Thor, Magni transcends the normal definition of strength in that his was supposed to be almost limitless. Magni's strength is so great that it's said he's the only basher in existence besides Thor who can lift Mjolnir.
He can bend anything he can grip, put his fist through anything, lift nearly anything (judge's option), even things that are supposed to be unliftable like his father's hammer. Any material object thrown at him, he can catch and throw back at the caster (hitting 90% of the time), and with his +3 hammer he does 8-80 points of damage per strike.
This god is so tough and hardy that blunt weapons of any type cannot harm him.
Magni rides the horse Gullfaxi ("golden mane"), which he received as a gift after pulling his trapped father out from under a fallen giant. Along with his twin brother Modi, the brothers travel together regularly, and have no hall in Asgard to call their own. Neither do they have proxies; they've got plenty of time and fortitude to deal with problems themselves.
Modi
Using a vorpal blade that strikes for 25 points of damage per hit (plus its decapitating power), Thor's son Modi is always in the forefront of any battle, and his presence inspires his followers with such courage that they do an extra 4 points of damage per hit (affecting all those in a 90 yard radius). Modi's courage is exceeded by none, and he throws himself into challenges with hardly a second thought. He is immune to all forms of magical control or illusions. In battle, the god is able to "know" when the best time comes to retreat and regroup his forces for best effect.
After the god has sustained more than half of his hit points in damage, he will go into a berserker rage which allows him to double all his powers in combat, so that he hits 4 times per round for 50 points per hit.
Along with his twin brother Magni, the brothers travel together regularly, and have no hall in Asgard to call their own. Neither do they have proxies; they've got plenty of time and fortitude to deal with problems themselves.
Njord
Those who seek wealth or abundance in fishing pray to Njord. A Vanir deity, he is the father of Frey and Freya. Njord married the female giant Skadi while among the Aesir, though they later divorced. As a deity of the mountains, she was uncomfortable on the coastlines, so they could never agree where to live. Their movements between homes created the seasons.
Where Aegir's cult threatens and glowers, Njord's cult smiles. This cult supports those who make a living from the bounty of the sea through trade, fishing, shipbuilding, or supplying the needs of the other three. Njord's cult numbers many prominent businesspeople among its members. When Aegir's cultists mock them for their relatively mean tables and their preference for sailing within sight of the shore, Njord's worshipers only look at their growing treasuries and smile.
Njord's clergy are most common near the sea, but can also be found along navigable rivers and lakes with connections to the sea. Most display weathering and scars from lives spent in, on, and around the water. They are popular with fishermen and merchants.
Njord's temples are sturdy structures meant to withstand the trials of coastal weather. They generally sit right on the water and have their own docks. Most temples have storage for sail canvas, ropes, tar, paint, and other boating supplies. Those in larger urban centers often have secret vaults containing wealth gleaned from the sea and fees charged for aiding in business negotiations.
Visitors to Njord's temples find the fare plain but filling. Clergy and faithful draw owners of seagoing vessels into conversation. Others are largely ignored unless they bring information about shoals, currents, weather, or other conditions hazardous to ships.
Norns
The Norns possess the most important power in Gladheim: they are the ones who dictate the fate of the newborn, for both mortals and gods alike. There are three Norns, all of whom are female. Urd embodies the past, Verdandi the present, and Skuld the future. Once they have decreed a being's fate, no force in the universe can alter their decision. Of course, the Norns can see all things in the past, present, and future, but they employ these powers only among themselves or to answer questions of slight import for very large fees. They also have the power to assume any form they wish. In their true forms, Urd is a giantess, Verdandi a beautiful female elf, and Skuld a handsome female dwarf.
The three Norns watch over one of the magical pools that nourishes Yggdrasil, and they read the existence of mortals and gods alike in its waters. Some say the Norns actually shape the destinies of all sentient creatures in the multiverse, but there's really no way to prove that.
They travel about the Prime Material Plane in the form of swans, and in this shape they deal out fate in the form of prophecy. When a child is born, the Norns always appear, disguised as some combination of three animals, and pass their judgement on the baby's fate. If the parents recognize them and offer all three great gifts, the Norns will be persuaded to dictate a great future for the child. This is an extremely hazardous undertaking, however. If the parents do not give gifts of equal value to the Norns, or happen to miss one by offering her gift to a mundane animal, the offended Norn will grow jealous and turn the gifts of her peers into a curse.
Their realm is a tiny grove on the Outlands, overgrown with thick trees and thorns that blot out light so effectively that no outside illumination can penetrate; a person needs to bring their own. If a basher's persistent enough, they can make their way to the well at the center of the grove and look into it to read their future. Those who do usually regret it; mortals aren't meant to know their fates.
The Norns have no proxies. Some folks say the Norns are proxies, that they serve the embodiment of Fate itself. Whatever the truth, it's no secret that the three have no servants of their own.
Odur
Odur is a mysterious god who may be an aspect of Odin. Odur married Freya and is responsible for the day chariot crossing the sky. Consequently, he is often away from Asgard, causing his wife to weep tears of gold.
Odur's cult teaches that freedom from care and worry comes from accepting responsibility and duty with joy. Worshipers believe that Odur sets out every day to drive the chariot of the sun across the sky with anticipation, finding something neweach day. They seek to emulate his wise appreciation for the world around them.
Odur's clergy make annual pilgrimages to sites dedicated to the sun to watch for the day chariot to rise after the longest night of the year. Otherwise, they're found smiling as they work to maintain their temple and care for their faithful.
Odur's temples appear incongruous next to others of the Asgardian pantheon because they tend to be open structures, welcoming the sun's light. Observant visitors note the sturdy shutters stored around the building, ready to make it defensible. Most temples have sacred fires that are tended day and night, never allowed to burn out. Some have smithies.
Visitors to Odur's temples find themselves put to work almost immediately. Those who do the work willingly and without complaint are welcome to eat and drink with the clergy. Those who complain or shirk their task find themselves outside the temple.
Sif
Sif, wife of Thor and mother of Uller, is the patron of skill and excellence in all things, though she's especially fond of warriors and swordsmanship. Sif primarily appears in myths involving the other gods. Loki once played a cruel trick on her by cutting off all of her beautiful golden hair. When Sif's angry husband came to take revenge, loki was forced to replace the hair with locks of real gold which grew just like true hair. This hair had been crafted by a pair of clever dwarves who, flushed with their success, went on to create many other wondrous items, such Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Odin's spear Gungnir, and his ring Draupnir.
Sif has the power to raise any character one level. She seldom does this, however, and will never grant this boon to an individual more than once in their life. In her true form, Sif is slender woman of great beauty. She has locks of pure gold, and often carries a long sword with her.
Sif looks after young warriors and all those dedicated to excellence in their pursuits. When such an individual is in dire need of aid, there is a 1% chance per level that she will send her avatar to help. If the individual is capable of wielding the avatar's sword, the avatar will leave it behind as a souvenir of Sif's blessing.
Most who know her claim that she's unfailingly loyal to Thor, but Loki would have it otherwise. Still, if Sif has been indiscreet, she hides it well, and it's not something that's discussed lightly about Asgard. Besides, she hates the trickster god.
Sif has developed excellent relations with Lugh of the Celts, as both of them are deities of excellence, it's only natural that they should come into contact. Their friendship hasn't yet grown into rivalry, but chant is it's only a matter of time. Both deities are proud of their sphere.
The goddess lives with Thor in the estate of Thrudheim, a mountenous area of Asgard known for violent storms and landslides. Their hall there is called Bilskirnir, and its petitioners seem more prone to mayhem than others in the realm. If nothing else, Sif's influence means they're certainly more dangerous than most.
Sigurd
Sigurd was the son of Sigmund, the first wielder of Odin's sword. After his father died, Sigurd found the two pieces of Odin's sword and convinced the Durin Dwarves to forge it back together. He engaged in a great many adventures, including the awakening of the sleeping Valkyrie, Brynhild, and slaying the dragon Fafnir.
Despite a lifetime of honesty, Sigurd died a bitter and tragic death. After awakening Brynhild, he had promised to marry her, but forgot this due to an enchantment placed on him by the mother of Gudrun. Eventually, Brynhild married Gunnar, Sigurd's friend and Gudrun's brother. She took vengeance on Sigurd for forgetting her by persuading her husband to murder him while he slept.
Skadi
Skadi is a female giant and the daughter of the giant who bargained for Freya, the sun, and the moon in exchange for building Asgard's walls. She came to Asgard seeking revenge against Thor for killing her father. When she arrived at Asgard in her armor she so impressed the gods they offered her pick of the bachelor gods if she would not go to war against them. The only condition was that she could only see their feet when she made her choice. Thinking the cleanest, whitest feet must belong to Balder, she made her choice only to discover they belonged to the older Vanir Njord, whose feet the sea washed clean every day. Because they couldn't agree on a place to live, Njord and Skadi moved back and forth between Jotunheim and Asgard. On Midgard, these movements created the seasons. Skadi later divorced Njord and married Uller.
Skadi's cults are common in mountainous regions. Her worshipers include those who make their lives hunting, herding, and mining in the mountains. She loves the cold of winter and the wind on the mountain peaks, and teaches respect for the earth and the mountains to her cultists. She also teaches readiness for battle, believing that the best defense is an impressive offense.
Skadi's clergy are imposing figures, appearing tough and ready to fight. Though most are highly skilled warriors, they rarely enter combat unless necessary.
If a temple dedicated to Skadi isn't in the mountains, it's located so that mountains are visible from the windows of the great hall. Her temples are built from local materials and blend with the landscape. Unlike many temples, hers are often cold and without the heat of hearth fires. Some temples make money by selling mountain climbing equipment.
Visitors to Skadi's temples receive warm welcomes if they've just come down from out of the mountains, or if they clearly intend to travel into them. The clergy openly share their information about hazards and trails.
Skirnir
Despite Skirnir's skill in battle, he is a peace-loving man who always looks for a non-violent solution before drawing his mighty sword. Frey was so impressed by Skimir's dedication to peace that the god brought Skirnir to Asgard and made him his shield man.
Skirnir is totally dedicated to Frey. Once, when Frey was struck with love for the giantess Gerda, Skirnir won her hand for his master by threatening to turn the giantess into an old maid.
Sleipnir
During the war with the Vanir, the wall protecting Asgard was razed. A builder approached the Aesir and offered to rebuild it if they would give him Freya to be his wife, and the sun and moon for his own. Odin and his fellow Aesir agreed, provided he could build the wall in six months. They didn't believe anyone could build it so quickly, so they believed Freya, the sun, and the moon to be safe. The builder had a stallion, Svadilfari, who could pull amazingly large stones, and because of that the builder quickly raised the wall. With three days remaining, the gods told Loki to resolve the predicament. Loki disguised himself as a mare and distracted the stallion all night. The builder flew into a rage and his disguise slipped, revealing a giant. Thor dealt with the giant easily, and Loki later gave birth to the magical horse Sleipnir.
This animal usually won't let anyone but Odin ride it, though it will at times take beings in extreme need on one-ride trips to safety at Odin's order. Odin was known to honor some exceptionally fine heroes in death by letting a Valkyrie pick that hero up on Sleipner.
In battle, the creature moves so fast and with such agility that only one being can attack its rider per round. This magical horse can move across any surface (including water) and fly through the air. Sleipnir can also teleport at will to or from any location in Gladsheim, as well as through all the planes.
Sleipnir is gray in color, with its shank section showing white on each of its eight legs. The creature can pull amost any weight, but will only obey one master at a time. It fights as a 16+ hit dice monster, biting for 1-10 points and kicking with its fore-hooves for 2-20 points each.
Surtur
Surtur is both the lord and deity of the fire giants. He can control any fire in Midgard. Surtur resembles an immense fire giant, with crackling flames for hair and eyebrows.
Like all giants, Surtur hates the Aesir and is anxiously awaiting Ragnarok. He will lend his aid to any plan that troubles the Aesir.
Surtur stands ever alert in Muspelheim, brandishing his sword that shines brighter than the sun. At Ragnarok he will be responsible for setting the world on fire, burning it down to make room for the new one. Prophecies say that he will even destroy Bifrost under his weight and that of his subjects.
A few cults of Surtur thrive in Mannheim, often cooperating with Loki's cult. These cults teach respect for fire, its use as a tool, and its danger when uncontrolled. They teach that fire is a cleansing agent, and point to the new growth after a forest fire as proof. Members of Surtur's cult seek every opportunity to undermine Thor's cult, and they have plenty of help and expert advice from Loki's cult. While Thrym has a similar cult, fire and ice never mix.
Surtur rarely grants divine power except to giants. However, a rare few individuals in Mannheim have earned his approval. They conceal their devotion to the giant destined to burn down the world.
Surtur's temples in Mannheim are hidden affairs, much like Loki's. In Muspelheim, they are enormous fortresses that ring with the sound of the forges day and night. Surtur's Muspelheim temples are centers for preparation for Ragnarok. Temples in Mannheim secretly store weapons in preparation for the cult to fight alongside the giants.
Visitors to Surtur's temples have only a few seconds to prove their devotion to Surtur before the members of the cult attack. The clergy and the members of the cult in Mannheim do not leave witnesses alive to report their activities.
Thor
One of the most popular gods of the Norse pantheon, Thor is the god of thunder, weather, and crops which are unusually vulnerable to the climate. He is also well known as a warrior, for he has battled many monsters on the behalf of Midgard and his fellow Asgardians. He has complete control over the weather, and so is sometimes worshiped by merchants who depend upon his good graces to make long trading voyages safe. At will, he can control any lightning bolt (natural or magical) in Midgard. He rides through the air in a chariot pulled by two magic goats, Tanngrisner and Tanngjost. If slain, these goats magically regenerate at dawn the next day. When wielding his magic hammer, Mjolnir, Thor can break any object. He usually wears a magical girdle, Meginjarder, which gives him a Strength of 25, and the glove Jarn Grieper, which allows him to attack three times per round and renders him immune to fire. In his true form, Thor is a large, powerfully built man with red hair, a red beard, and eyes filled with lightning, usually dressed in chain mail.
Thor is one of the most highly regarded deities of Asgard, for while he's not too bright, he's very keen on revenge, and very fast with repayment for an insult (or a perceived insult). In some people that's a fault, but it's won Thor the admiration of countless mortals. Thor greatly enjoys facing giants in contests of strength and martial prowess. His nemesis is Jormungandr the World Serpent, whom he is destined to face at Ragnarok. Thor will face the Serpent, and although his hammer will deal the serpent's death blow, Thor is doomed to fall to the serpent's poison soon after.
Fittingly, hot-headed Thor is the god of thunder and lightning, and when storms roll across the prime-material worlds, his worshipers sigh in relief, it means their god's doing his job slaying the enemies of Asgard. Farmers venerate Thor, too; as the god of crops, he can ensure a fruitful harvest. 'Course, if displeased, he can also wipe out whole fields with floods or harsh rains, and that'd spell disaster for the winter.
Thor is truly reckless, and he gets drawn into dangerous situations easily. But he's got three things that help him out of most any jam: his quick-thinking companions, his sheer strength of will, and his mighty hammer Mjolnir, one of the most destructive forces in the multiverse.
He's popular among the rest of the pantheon, too; the Norse gods usually come to him when there's a problem requiring brute muscle and bull-headedness. Thor is the husband of Sif, the son of Odin and a female giant named Jord ("Earth", who's sometimes called Fjorgyn or Erda). Though married to Sif, Thor had two sons with a giant named Jarnsaxa. Those sons, Magni and Modi, are prophesied to survive Ragnarok. Like the rest of the Aesir, he's not too keen on Loki, but they've traveled together in the past and have a tenuous alliance.
Thor lives with Sif in Bilskirnir, an oak- and iron-shod affair that's home to some of the rowdiest warriors in all of Asgard. They seek to be just like their patron, and thus are stormy and quick-tempered. It's no wonder planewalkers and sightseers don't visit the place too often.
Thrym
Thrym is both the lord and deity of the frost giants. He can plunge any part of Midgard into a state of extreme cold. Like all giants, Thrym hates the Aesir and is anxiously awaiting Ragnarok. He will lend his aid to any plan that troubles the Aesir. Thrym often grants the frost giants of Midgard the ability to use wizard magic at up to the 12th level of proficiency.
Thrym traces his lineage back to Ymir, the first giant and the creature from whose body Odin, Ve, and Vili made the world. The death of Ymir is a grudge the frost giants in particular hold against the Aesir. Thrym once tried to win Freya as his bride by holding Thor's hammer hostage. Unfortunately for him, the gods disguised Thor as the bride and Loki as the bridesmaid. When Thrym ordered the hammer brought in to hallow the wedding, Thor snatched it up and laid waste to every giant present, including Thrym.
A few cults of Thrym thrive in Mannheim, often cooperating with Loki's cult. These cults teach that the world will end in the Fimbul Winter, and that cold will triumph after Surtur's fire burns the world. Members of Thrym's cult seek every opportunity toundermine Thor's cult, and they have plenty of help and expert advice from Loki's cult. Though Surtur has a similar cult, fire and ice never mix.
Thrym rarely grants divine power except to giants. However, a rare few individuals in Mannheim have earned his approval. They conceal their devotion to the giant destined to freeze over the world.
Thrym's temples in Mannheim are hidden affairs, much like Loki's. In Jotunheim they are enormous fortresses that ring with the sound of the forges day and night. Thrym's Jotunheim temples are centers for preparation for Ragnarok. Temples in Mannheim secretly store weapons in preparation for the cult to fight alongside the giants.
Visitors to Thrym's temples have only a few seconds to prove their devotion to Thrym before the members of the cult attack. The clergy and the members of the cult in Mannheim do not leave witnesses alive to report their activities.
Tyr
One of Odin's sons by Frigga, Tyr is the god of the sword and courage, and watches over battles with as much interest as Odin himself. He is also the godly law enforcer, using his impressive swordsmanship to uphold order.
Tyr is considered to be the most honorable of the Aesir, as well as the bravest of the brave. Tyr has only one hand, for he lost the other in the service of his fellow gods. Legend has it that the Fenris Wolf was prophesied to be one of the greatest threats the Aesir would face. The mighty Fenris Wolf was savaging much of Asgard, and the gods were unable to stop him until the dwarves forged a golden leash capable of holding the beast. The gods bet the wolf that it couldn't snap the chain, but the creature smelled a trap. The suspicious wolf would not agree to the contest unless one of the gods put a hand in his mouth to guarantee his release if the leash could not be broken. The fearless Tyr complied without hesitation, and lost his hand when the wolf realized he was trapped. He chose to pay the price for his comrades' broken promise.
See, Tyr hates liars and oath-breakers, and those who make a living from deception disgust him. He's fair and lawful in all things, and mortals look to his example when instituting laws for their societies. He guarantees every promise he makes, and watches over every battle fought lawfully. Chant is Tyr even invented the notion of the trial by duel. He's also known for making sure the Valkyries bring only the most deserving mortal warriors to Valhalla. Tyr's life is tangled up with monstrous wolves. At Ragnarok, he and Garm are destined to die fighting each other. Tyr has the power to see invisible objects and to recognize any thief within his sight. In his true form, he is a bearded, fierce-looking warrior missing one hand.
As the god of swords, Tyr watches over the Valkyries and makes sure that they bring only the most valiant of mortal heroes to Valhalla. He is also the patron of courageous warriors. There is a 10% chance that he will grant an extra level to any hero of good alignment who risks his life by fighting a giant without help. He sometimes sends his avatar to punish extraordinary crimes, such as the murder of a king or the theft of a kingdom's most precious treasure. Criminals surviving such an encounter need never fear retribution from Tyr again, however, for he admires courage and skill even more than he does the law.
Unfortunately, Tyr's faded from prominence in the pantheon, and he's frantically trying to hang on to life. He's even resorted to placing part of his strength in the Torilian sphere, where he has to bow to the overgod Ao. Still, he figures it's better than letting his ideals vanish from the cosmos.
Uller
As the greatest hunter of the Aesir, Uller spends a great deal of time in the wilderness areas of Asgard, and is thus immune to the effects of the elements. He cannot be harmed by fire, cold, lightning, or any of the various elementals.
Though Uller is in many ways an outsider, the other Aesir have a high regard for his capabilities, and he has been known to temporarily rule in Odin's place when Odin was elsewhere.
Uller's one of the Vanir, though some have marked him as the son of Thor and Sif. Regardless of the truth, he's a handsome basher who keeps to himself, preferring the company of hunters to that of his own pantheon. Fact is, he's good friends with the Olympian Artemis, who feels similarly, they hunt together in silence. Their stalking grounds vary between the tree-strewn hillsides of Olympus, where they can pursue creatures of legend through the brush, and the wintry plains of Ydalir, Uller's realm in Vanaheim.
Ydalir's set back from the sea, and the land is covered with yew trees, from which the petitioners hew bows and arrows. The silence of the wintry waste is often broken by the twang and hiss of arrows in flight. It's said that Uller sends his petitioners on a quest to Loviatar's Ondtland to earn the right to enchant a bow.
When he's not hunting with Artemis, Uller likes little more than racing through the snow on snowshoes or skis. In Ydalir, his companion is, more often than not, the giantess Skadi, whose love of the hunt and the winter rivals his own. When Skadi divorced Njord, she married Uller. Other deities simply bore Uller, and he has no known proxies.
Valkyries
The Valkyries aren't exactly deities. They're more like proxies for the entire Norse pantheon, maidens who fetch the spirits of the brave to Valhalla on the backs of winged horses. They let plenty of people fall into Hel's domain upon death, choosing only the most valiant from the field of battle to serve in the Aesir's force of einheriar.
There are twenty-seven Valkyries, and while they're not identical, they do look somewhat alike: svelte, beautiful battle-maidens with helmets, chain mail, braided blond hair, and swans' plumage. They're led by Reginleif, a cutter whose word is absolute law among her pack.
Although extremely beautiful, the Valkyries' love of battle makes them rather grim. When a battle is about to occur, they rush out of Asgard singing their deafening, foreboding song. If the battle is to occur on land, they travel on flying white horses and pour bucketfuls of gore over the battlefield. If the battle is to occur at sea, they sail into the battle in a ghastly boat under clouds of bloody rain. While waiting in Asgard for the next battle, the Valkyries pass the time by weaving battle garments, and by serving mead and ale to Odin's warriors in Valhalla. They have the power to raise any hero who fell in combat, to see bloodshed anywhere in Midgard, and to predict the outcome of a battle.
The Valkyries love combat the way mortal Norsemen love bear-baiting. They never miss a battle. Only on Odin's command will they aid either side, however. Should anyone ever slay a Valkyrie, the Valkyrie simply returns to Valhalla, and her peers turn on the killer in their full fury. Occasionally, the Norns will tell the Valkyries when a hero is fated to die in battle. In such cases, one of the Valkyries will appear to the hero and give him a lingering kiss before the battle is joined.
The Valkyries are seen only by bashers about to die, but when they arrive on the Prime they give off a glow that some say is the aurora borealis. 'Course, their duties make them somewhat unapproachable. They love the smell of blood, and always have an ear peeled for the next battle. Fact is, they can hear major clashes that take place on any prime-material world where the Aesir have influence.
Vidar
Vidar, a son of Odin, is a stoic bastion of strength for the Aesir in times of need. He speaks only when he must, and then he uses as few words as possible. Though not a sociable god, his hate of evil is strong, and when the Aesir don't need him, he combats it in his own way.
Vidar's notable mainly in that he's one of the few Norse deities destined to survive Ragnarok. 'Course, some folks'd say he's best known for his unusual (but potent) weapon: his mighty iron shoe. It sounds crazy, but it's true. Any being, no matter how forceful or godlike, is at Vidar's mercy when pinned under his shoe, completely helpless until Vidar chooses to free them.
Good thing, then, that Vidar uses his incredible strength to smite evil. But he doesn't revel in the companionship of combat as much as some of the other Norse gods do. He stays in his hall, Vidi, and keeps to himself as much as possible. Vidar speaks only when necessary, and even then uses as few words as he can. He doesn't ride on many crusades, but he fights for the Aesir when asked. Generally, the rest of the pantheon allows Vidar his freedom, which gives him time to pursue his favorite hobby, giant slaying.
Minor Gods and Goddesses
Below is a list and brief descriptions of some of the minor Gods and Goddesses:
- Hoder: This blind god had very little to do with Norse mythology except that he accidentally slew his brother Balder. He talks very little and does not involve himself too much, although he has a seat amongst the twelve.
- Vali: He's the God of Eternal Light besides being the best archer in all of the nine worlds. Vali is impregnable to any type of shot or hurled missile, magical or otherwise.
- Ran: A cruel goddess, Ran's favorite pasttime is lurking near dangerous reefs where she lures mariners to their doom. She is equipped with a large net which she also uses to drag the ships under with. Ran is sometimes called the Goddess of Death. She has a great affection for gold and if sea travellers take the proper precautions by dumping some gold into the deeper regions of the sea as tribute to Ran, she might not attack. Then again... As a final note, these two "gods" despise anyone using fire or worshipping a fire-using God.
- Hoenir: Brother of Odin.
- Meile: Son of Odin.
- Saga: Goddess of History.
- Sjofn: A minor goddess of Love.
- Vor: Goddess of Marriages.
- Snotra: Goddess of Virtue.
- Eir: Goddess of Healing.
- Syn: Goddess of Truth.
- Thrud: Daughter of Thor and Sif.
- Ve: Brother of Odin.
In General
The ancient Persian religion, Zoroastrianism, is a dualist system. This means that the Persian Gods are either Good (Lawful), or Evil (Chaotic). Ahura Mazda, the Archangels, and the Yazatas are opposed to Angra Mainyu and the Archdemons, who try to destroy Ahura Mazda's creations.The Forces of Good
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazda is characterized by his great wisdom. He is bounteous and perfect goodness. He is the creator and is eternal, but is not omnipotent for he is limited by his archenemy, Angra Mainyu. Ahura Mazda wears a star-decked robe. The "swift-horsed sun" is his eye. His throne is in the highest heaven, in celestial light.
The ArchangelsThese are the sons and daughters of Ahura Mazda, and usually take the form of beautiful young men and women in their twenties.
Vohu Manah
Vohu Manah sits at the right hand of Ahura Mazda. He protects useful animals in the world and also deals with men. He keeps a daily record of men's thoughts, words, and deeds.
Asha
Asha is the most beautiful of the Archangels. Those who do not know Asha can never enter heaven. Asha preserves order on Earth for he smites disease, death, fiends, sorcerers, and other evil creatures.
Kshathra Vairya
Kshathra Vairya respresents the might, majesty, dominion and power of Ahura Mazda. He helps the poor and weak and protects metals. Through him Ahura Mazda allots final rewards and punishments.
Armaiti
Armaiti sits at the left hand of Ahura Mazda. She represents faithful obedience, religious harmony and worship. She rejoices when the righteous cultivate the land and rear cattle, or when a righteous son is born.
Haurvatat and Ameretat
Haurvatat (Integrity) is associated with water. Her gift is wealth. Ameretat (Immortality), the other half of this closely entwined pair, is associated with vegetation. Her gift is herds of cattle.
Sraosha
Sraosha is a warrior in armor, armed with a battle axe (+3). Sraosha protects the world at night when the demons are on the prowl. He rides a chariot drawn by four beautiful white horses.
Mithra
Mithra preserves truth and order in the world by fighting against deceit. He is a strong warrior with a pike of silver (+1), gold armor (+3), and strong shoulders. He judges the dead.
The Yazatas
Vayu
Vayu rides in a swift chariot drawn by 1000 horses. He produces lightning and makes the dawn appear. Vayu is a fearsome, broad-breasted warrior and carries a sharp spear (+1), and weapons of gold (all +2 to hit). If properly propitiated, he will deliver those who call upon him from all evil assaults.
Tishtrya
Tishtrya is a beneficent force. He can take three forms: that of a young boy of fifteen, that of a bull, and that of a horse. In any form, he is a great fighter, but only if animal sacrifices are made to him, for they sustain him.
Ardvi Sura Anahita
This goddess is the source of all waters, and thus of fertility. She is strong and bright, tall and beautiful. She wears a golden crown, and a golden necklace.
Verethragna
Verethragna is the aggressive, irresistible force of victory. He has ten forms: 1.) A strong wind; 2.) A bull with yellow ears and golden horns; 3.) A white horse; 4.) A burdenbearing camel; 5.) A sharp-toothed male boar; 6.) A fifteen year old boy; 7.) A raven; 8.) A wild ram; 9.) A fighting buck; 10.) A man with a golden sword.
Rapithwin
Rapithwin is the Lord of the ideal world. It was at Noon that the world was created, and it will be Noon when Ahriman is destroyed. Rapithwin's chief enemy is the Demon Winter.
Atar
Atar is the son of Ahura Mazda, the sign of his presence. He is 10 feet tall, has a head of blue-white flames, but looks like a young man of fifteen in all other respects.
Haoma
Haoma is both plant and god. When, as a plant, he is pressed, he dies and causes the defeat of evil for the faithful. Those who have pressed Haoma before, have been blessed with a great son. As a god, Haoma makes offerings to the other gods, and is present at every offering of the faithful.
The Heroes
Yima
Yima is the ideal prototype of all kings. But he was too proud and sinned before Ahura Mazda, so he died.
Hosang
Before the mighty Hosang all sorcerers and demons flee.
Takhmoruw
Takhmoruw attacks idolatry, wizards and witches, and demons, and is usually successful.
Thrita
Thrita drives away sickness, fever, and death from man.
Faridun
Faridun is invoked against the itch, fevers, and incontinency.
Keresaspa
Keresaspa is destined to kill the Archdemon Azhi Dahaka and save all mankind at the end of the world.
The Forces of Evil
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu's aim is the ruin and destruction of the world. He dwells in the "abode of wickedness". Angra Mainyu is the Archdemon of Archdemons and the archrival of Ahura Mazda. Angra Mainyu can appear as a lizard, a snake, or a 15 year old boy.
The Archdemons
Aeshma
Aeshma is the demon of wrath, fury, and outrage, constantly trying to stir up strife and war. He accompanies those influenced by intoxicants. His archrival is Sraosha.
Azhi Dahaka
Azhi Dahaka has three heads, six eyes, and three jaws. His body is filled with lizards and scorpions, so that if he is cut open the world would be filled with these creatures. His chief desire is to depopulate the world.
Other Archdemons
Little is known about the following Archdemons other than their name and what they represent.
- Az — Wrong-mindedness
- Akah Manh — Vile Thoughts
- Indra — Apostasy
- Saura — Misgovernment, Anarchy, and Drunkenness
- Taromaiti — Crooked-mindedness, Hunger, Thirst
The Demons
In some cases, not even the Persian names of the following Demons are known.
- Druj Nasu — The Corpse Demon
- Jahi — Debauchery
- Jealousy
- Arrogance
- Lethargy
In General
The Sumerian deities rose first, bringing light and life to the cultures of the riverbed valleys. They showed mortals how to put this abundance to good use, which put them squarely in the deities' debt. The gods later went on to establish themselves on high. They didn't involve themselves much in the day-to-day lives of their worshipers but were satisfied with ruling and shepherding the people. With the greater god Enlil established as the head of a loose pantheon, the Sumerians were content in their might and let themselves grow lax.As for the devoted mortals, the city-states of the Sumerians were separate factions, each venerating the gods with slightly different prayers, icons, sacrifices, and so on. Unfortunately, the splintered worship diffused the abilities of the deities. The gods simply failed to establish any overarching guidelines for their people, and it led to the mighty schism of the pantheon.
Enlil
Enlil was the first of the Sumerian deities, son of Nammu, the sea. As the barrier between earth and sky, Enlil could be said to be the very breath mortals draw into their lungs. He is the ruler of the pantheon, and though he can't do anything that affects the group without the approval of the others, he still pursues his own agenda. Chant is his proxies currently search for bashers to do away with the proxies of the Babylonian pantheon. It's a dangerous job, but Enlil's rewards are something many people just can't resist.
As a god of war, Enlil is also keenly interested in the doings of the Prime. It's said that any battle that even one of his worshipers takes part in is of vital importance to him.
Enki
This god is always green in color in any of his human manifestations. At will, he shape changes. Enki is aware of and can summon any being that has died in the water to do his bidding (one being of any species can be summoned per day. The summoned being instantly appears and does the bidding of the god; that particular being cannot be summoned ever again). Enki moves like a blink dog, and is immune to all forms of heat. He can only teleport to areas where there is water in quantities of more than 50 gallons.
The god is known for his great hatred of demons, and he will slay any person in his presence that has ever dealt with these monsters in a friendly manner. In battle, he fights the strongest enemy facing his group first. He uses a small jade green mace that has several powers: it strikes for 35 points of damage on a successful hit; it is ethereal when not held by the god; it negates any spell below the 6th level cost at the god; and it will never cause harm to a lawful neutral being it strikes. His armor, helm, and shield are made out of water, and automatically absorb the first two hits made against the god in any given melee round.
Enki is also the patron of jewelers, goldsmiths, and stonecutters. Naturally, because of Enki's interest in this area, only the finest jewels, gold items, and carvings can be given to the god's temples in homage.
Enki once dwelled in a realm called the Waterwheel in the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus. This realm was a disk covered in water and spanned by a bridge of woven gold and finely crafted crystal, interlocking with the neighboring wheels of his fellow gods, Anu and Utu. There, he dwelled in a multifaceted ziggurat-like palace made from crystal and jade.
Recently, Enki has passed away. His corpse now floats on the Astral, so much spiritual debris. But in truth, it wasn't all that mysterious a death. Enki was a great binder of tanar'ri and was foully murdered by two evil Babylonian deities. Nergal (the god of the underworld) lured him to a place in the Lower Planes where the tanar'ri supposedly ran rampant. Then Nergal bound Enki while Anshar (the god of darkness) drove a blade through the river god's heart. Enki's father, Enlil, has sworn vengeance but hasn't yet found the opportunity.
Inanna
To fickle Inanna, all's fair in love and war. Though she follows laws she herself has established, she doesn't expect the same of lovers or warriors. Once the wife of Enlil, she's now been set aside and she seethes under his rule. However, as a goddess of war, she knows that the Sumerians have to present a united front to keep the Babylonians at bay, so she holds off on her revenge. For now, she's content just to lay the seeds.
Her realm is in fiery Phlegetos; chant says the flames of that layer can't compare to the fires that she feels when entering battle or love. Hers is the passion a person knows in war or desire, the caress of steel or flesh. Any basher who enters realm succumbs to a desire for one or the other within a day, though the feeling changes with the setting of the sun. It's not a cold passion, but it's certainly a rational one, every cutter here knows what they're about and how to achieve it.
Though the feel of the Jealous Heart is fiery, the physical land itself is not. It might look that way, tinted as it is with reddish light that dances through the air. But Inanna's realm is a great field covered with cromson dust, cisscrossed by rivers of blood that nourish the sweet fruits of the trees. The main city is called Eridan, a place where the lovers of the realm take defense against the warriors. 'Course, at the end of the day, the desires swing back the other way: The lovers cut their way out of the city and the warriors fight their way in.
Ki
Ki, the goddess of nature, also maintains the relationships between the Sumerian deities and other deities of earth such as Silvanus, Pan, and Mielikki. She's won over valuable allies for the pantheon this way. And with the death of Enki, Ki is slowly taking on the responsibilities of river and water, but her very nature (so to speak) inclines her more toward the friendship of animals.
Ki's the most barbaric deity of the pantheon. She doesn't hold with mortal civilizations, at least, not at the expense of nature, but she goes along with her fellows to keep the peace. Still, she welcomes those who reject the trappings of buildings and society, and she teaches them the ways of the soil and the vine.
Ki appears as an elfin woman of great beauty. The goddess cannot be touched by anything material cast through the air at her. At will, she can shape change (into non-monster forms only). She can give the "luck of the gods" to those she favors. This luck takes the form of the recipient always making his or her saving throw and only suffering half damage from any attack; this lasts for a 24 hour period.
Any non-monster animal of any species is hers to summon instantly, in any number up to 100. No species can be summoned more than once per week. Thus, she can summon 100 tigers, 100 lions, 100 condors, etc., in any given week and they will instantly come to her call. She can only summon one type of creature at a time. She also has the power to instantly know where any given thing is on the surface of the earth.
When forced to do combat, she will take only half damage from any attack and will always make her saving throw on all things.
Ki's clerics are druids; her Great Druid may receive communications directly from the goddess.
Nanna-Sin
This human-appearing god is always bathed in a blue glow that acts as a rod of beguiling to all who come within 10 feet of it. At will, Nanna-Sin can negate any of the following: heat, cold, electricity, light, and darkness.
He uses a +3 jet black axe in battle which strikes for 30 points of damage per hit; it also acts as a sword of sharpness.
Nanna-Sin is one of the least important deities in the pantheon, and he knows it. Enlil keeps him from interacting too directly with mortals, so he wanders to keep away from the ruler's decrees, sailing his crescent moon-shaped barge up and down the River Oceanus. Truth is, Nanna-Sin enjoys spying on the Babylonian deities (especially Ishtar, who also dwells on Elysium). If Enlil learned of such activities, he'd surely forbid them, but given the vendetta sworn between the two pantheons, Nanna-Sin feels he's justified in his curiosity.
Nin-Hursag
This deity always appears as a dark-skinned female. She is mistress of gravity and magnetism and has complete control over these forces. She can give the gift of flight to those she especially favors. She also has the power to wither those she hates. This withering takes the form of a special 9th level spell that works like three charges from a staff of withering. It requires the same components as a wish spell.
The former wife of Enki, Nin-Hursag is said to have been in mourning for the past few years. The Great Mountain has grown even more dangerous during this period, as the earth that forms and supports it has begun to crumble. The other deities do what they can to soothe her, but her grief'll just have to run its course. Chant is she's taken some solace in the company of Nesirie of Cerilia, and the two of them've communicated back and forth for some time now.
Utu
This deity, always in human form, is constantly bathed in a dazzling 10' radius yellow glow. The glow causes all enemies to suffer a -2 on all strikes at the god, and all undead wither to dust at a touch of his glow. He can cast two light rays per round at anything in sight, each of which does 20 points of damage when they hit (save vs. spells for half damage). He regenerates all lost hit points when touched by heat of any degree above 1000' F, and he is able to polymorph living matter into dirt, with a -3 on the being's saving throw.
In battle, the god throws bits of the sun he has pulled away. These sun-bits can be thrown up to 2 miles away from the god, and they strike for 50 points of heat damage when they hit. His aura also causes anything striking his body to melt unless the thing is indestructible.
Utu's realm is unknown to mortals, those who enter it never return again. It's thought the god merges with any person who sets foot in his realm (unless they're deities or proxies), which might explain why he's become so reclusive and withdrawn. He's fighting within his own mind.
Utu used to be a bit more stable, back when he called Mechanus home. But that was when Enki still lived; the water god kept a close eye on chaotic Utu. Once Enki fell, Utu could no longer be held to the clockwork plane and fled to wilder surroundings.
