Markup View

Author: StarSword

May 27th 2013 at 10:42:51 AM

* The ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' setting has over a hundred deities (at least until 4E retconned over half, [[UnfortunateImplications mostly nonhuman deities]], into being aspects of others) that may fill multiple archetypes, and individual sub-pantheons often have their own exemplars, but generally the most widely known are:
** Top God:  Ao the Overgod, and his mysterious boss who's only ever been seen once.  Ao's role is manager to the other gods, ensuring that they uphold their portfolios and approving any new ascensions.  Unlike them he [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly does not require worship to exist]], and in fact [[StopWorshippingMe actively discourages it]].
** God of Evil:  Multiple, with Bane the Black Lord, god of tyranny, being the most powerful.  Other major ones include Lolth the Spider-Queen, supreme goddess of the [[OurElvesAreBetter drow]], and Shar the Mistress of the Night, goddess of darkness and nihilism.
** God of Good:  The three gods of the Triad:  Tyr the Maimed God, god of justice, Ilmater the Crying God, god of endurance and martyrs, and Torm the Loyal Fury, god of loyalty and duty.  Lathander/Amaunator, god of the sun, also falls here.
** Nature God:  Silvanus the Oak Father, god of wild nature.  Other major ones include Chauntea the Earth-Mother, goddess of agriculture, and Malar the Beastlord, god of savagery and their TokenEvilTeammate.
** War God:  Tempus the Lord of Battles, god of warfare in all its forms.  As practically every soldier or warrior in the Realms offers a prayer to him or one of his aliases before battle, he is one of the most powerful gods in the whole pantheon.
** Love Goddess:  Sune the Firehair, goddess of beauty and romantic love.  Her subordinates include Sharess the Dancing Lady, goddess of hedonism and sexuality.
** God of Knowledge:  Oghma the Lord of Knowledge, god of knowledge, Gond the Wonderbringer, god of craftsmen, and Mystra, goddess of magic.
** God of Death:  Currently Kelemvor the Lord of the Dead, an ascended mortal.  Also a poster boy for DontFearTheReaper, as he hates necromancy with a passion and works to comfort the living and ensure that the dead rest in peace.  The two preceding gods of death, Myrkul and Cyric, were not nearly so well-intentioned.
** Great Gazoo:  Cyric the Prince of Lies, a thoroughly insane god of murder and deception hated by literally everyone else in the pantheon.  He, with a little help from Shar, murdered Mystra in 1385, causing the [[ApocalypseHow Spellplague]] and allowing for the massive changes to the rules of magic in 4E.  Currently imprisoned in his home plane.
** Trickster:  Cyric to some extent.  Also Tymora and Beshaba, the goddesses of good and bad luck respectively.