Religion (Paladask Supplement)

The Gods of Paladask are a potent force within the world, and have often been known to take direct action into the goings on of mortals. The Gods also typically act through agents or their servants. The pantheon of Paladask's divinity has a complex structure of personalities underlying it, sometimes they are cooperative, sometimes they oppose each other in devastating politics, other times they come together to perform acts of truly miraculous power.

The religious structure of Paladask is reigned over by three ancient, all-knowing Gods, the divine entities that existed before everything. Beneath the other Gods, there are angels and other divine beings, then souls that have passed that have been granted power, and finally fiendish demons and devils locked deep in the pit.

Much like the mortals that worship them, the Gods have failings and virtues. They love, they hate, they fight, they can lose themselves in petty bickering. The Gods, to prevent their conflicts from becoming world shattering, often act through mortals, employing influence both subtle and overt to aid their mortal agents, or to stymie their opponents' agents. This is a delicate balance between the Gods, one that all members of the pantheon are interested in maintaining, to keep things civil.

Priests in thousands of different sects gain access to divine magic in exchange for their investiture in their church and their Gods. They are the primary instruments of the God’s missions and aspirations of the world, and they are often the only manifestations of divine power that the average mortal ever encounters.

Worship

Almost every civilian on Paladask worships the pantheon on the whole, but many of the plane's inhabitants have a primary and sometimes even a secondary God they worship devoutly. The polytheistic faithful call upon various Gods for aid for specific tasks or needs, hoping for aid under its auspices. While people have their specific God that they personally hold up, considering them to be their patron, though they do still give devotion to the other Gods when they feel the situation calls for it.

There exists many temples honoring specific gods, with religious sites devoted to the pantheon as a whole focusing on numerous small shrines. One may find a city that in its entirety devotes itself to a specific God or two. Places like these are sacred to that God and were specifically indicated as sites to worship them. Others sites which worship each God equally are significant to every God. The people of Paladask are devote enough that they will actually construct memorials at places where a God might have manifested or where a powerful cleric performed a miracle in that God’s name. These sacred sites are locations of pilgrimages and some people will travel miles to reach out to whatever touch of the divine remains there.

Priests of the various churches and their acolytes are expected to be at least familiar with the honors, stories, and rituals of each of the Gods, though they do focus on specific Gods as their patrons. Clerics and Paladins are also expected to be familiar with the pantheon as a whole, but their focus on a specific deity for their devotion grants them unique favors. Clerics may also be called to act in opposition to some plan of their God’s rival deities.

Occasionally a God will reach out to a specific person directly, offering them guidance or power if they sense something special about the person, or sending them on a quest to aid in the God’s aims. Typically these are their clerics, but they can also reach out to adventurers and heroes.

Religious Institutions

Flourishing temples and deathly-religious followers are evidence that on Paladask, Gods interact with their worshipers. It seems as frequently as once per year a man will come running up to the town crier and recite to them the entire story of their God's mortal interjection. The priests of Paladask serve in honest faith and act to serve the interests of the Gods as best they are able. Even if they may not possess divine magic, they rarely need it, seeking only a trickle of power from the Gods to better meet the needs of the people they intercede with the Gods for (and often times receiving it). While divine-intervention is most certainly common on the plane, most times the Gods ask for nothing. They do not ask for tributes or sacrifices or request anything at all, which many find strange and use as a sign that the way life is ran on Paladask is the right way for life to be ran. Many oppressed peoples would beg to differ with this logic however, claiming that Gods that would keep a blind eye to injustice are not Gods they are willing to follow.

Because the Gods often intercede with mortals directly and have taken little time to have their dictates transcribed, there are numerous sects devoted to the various gods. Each sect chooses to worship their deity in their own way, some are similar, others are wildly different. So long as the worshipers are faithful and do not act in opposition to the God’s will, the Gods have been generally content to let people worship as they please. Though, should a cleric of a God choose to intercede, tension can be created. Should another sect interfere, it could even spark a full blown holy war over the different interpretations of snippets of a God’s words and deeds. All the more difficult to maintain order when your Gods never care to discuss what it is they want!

Though most of the members of the priesthood venerate a specific deity above others, they eventually come to hold each God in their hearts and come to understand at least a general idea of the role that each God and their relationships with the other divine beings. Though, typically there are multiple priests in the various temples, enough that they can direct any questions people may have to those that can better provide answers and aid.

The temples of Paladask follow a formal schedule; they meet weekly, and hold days of rest once every month. Despite their intensity, the temples keep their doors open to all; anyone may seek the wisdom of the priests and the guidance of the Gods. Formal meetings and observances occur during special festivals and holidays. Each God has their own day of observance during the year, and on those days the priests speak of their role and the wisdom that they advocate within the pantheon.

The Priesthood

Those that believe they feel the calling to the priesthood enter the temple as an acolyte. Though a specific God may have been their reason for joining the priesthood, during their time as an acolyte they are put to service under each of the Gods for a set period of time. If an acolyte completes this time of service they participate in a ritual where they are ordained into full priesthood under the blessings of the three Elder Gods.

There are very few High Priests upon Paladask. The role of a High Priest is the highest position within the local church and carries with it great respect, but in order to reach this position an even greater ordeal is requested. A High Priest of Paladask's Gods must visit a sacred site for each of the Gods. This quest that is guided by the Gods, but must be carried out by the aspiring high priest. This is significantly more difficult when one remembers that two of the 19 God's sacred sites are located deep within nolands. The other 17, while being time consuming, take almost no work fore many of the greatest and most powerful cities were built upon sacred sites.

Places of Worship

The Gods do not demand worship from their followers; nor anything as previously mentioned. Worship is still given to them, though. The Gods are powerful, and their power has been demonstrated enough times throughout recent history that the people of Paladask know that there are Gods and that, if they are very lucky, the Gods may intercede on their behalf, personally.

To that end the people of Paladask have constructed numerous places where they can go and pay homage or supplication to their chosen Gods. From grand cathedrals to opulent temples, to simple shrines, all of these help to give the Gods and other powerful entities a very physical presence in the world.

The Great Cathedrals

The Great Temples are intended to serve as places of worship for the pantheon as a whole. They are large structures that have placed in alcoves within them, smaller shrines to many of the Gods. They have become a central part of the religious life of the people, where they can better reach out both to their Gods and to the priests and faithful that serve them.

Because of their nature in service to the Gods, and the fact that they are built in central locations in Paladask's cities, these great temples serve as the focal points of many cultural and religious events and the temple steps are often used as a commonly known or easily found meeting place.

The temples themselves are built like most well-known cathedrals, divided into four major sections into a lopsided cross-shape. Nearly all of the great temples follow this simple design, though they may have their own unique twists. The front, entrance, section is for public use, people may come and go as they see fit and this portion of the temple is lined with pews for those who wish to sit and listen to sermons or simply think on the Gods.

The rear of the temples serve as a residence for the priests and acolytes, as well as anyone else who may seek the shelter of the Gods. Many times this area also serves as a hospital or sanctuary and very few are willing to break the taboo of committing violence in that place.

On either side of this arrangement are two annexes of differing length. On the shorter side are the shrines to the three Elder Gods, on the longer side are the more numerous shrines to the 'newer' Gods. Worshipers are encouraged to use these annexes to offer prayer and offerings to specific Gods.

Smaller Shrines

Specific Gods may appear before their followers and indicate a specific place that is special to them, demanding a temple be placed there. Some worshipers erect shrines to the Gods to help bring their attention and aid. Some decide to build a shrine to a God if they believe that the God has done something momentous for them or others.

While some of these shrines are comparatively small, many mono-theistic shrines and temples are large -sometimes more so than the Great Cathedrals! For example, while Melfreth has a small, shoe-box of a shrine near Ruig-Gattar (LINK), if one visits Xia's temple in the heart of Palladia, hours could pass before every wall could be touched or every pew sat in.

The worship of some Gods is frowned upon, or sometimes outright restricted or outlawed, so some shrines must be erected in secret. Shrines to Mendax for example are built exclusively in hidden locations around undercities and shrines to Ximxes are destroyed on sight and its creators punished.

There are also small shrines dedicated to lesser entities. Some build shrines to honor their ancestors, other to honor spirits, some have built shrines to the fey and umbral lords. Some have built shrines in worship of dragons and other powerful beings. Some mad few even build shrines to devils and demons.

The Gods

The Gods of Paladask act mostly as patrons for the domains and aspects that they represent. They empower and guide their worshipers, bestowing magical blessings, whisper in their dreams, send celestial agents or even appear in an aspect or in person to act directly upon the world.

Direct influence on the world is becoming less and less common for the Gods; they seek to balance each other and keep any one from growing too powerful. The Gods are also distracted by their efforts to hold at bay the servants of the pit and outside influences that seek to destroy, consume, or seize control of the plane. In addition, multiple Gods have considered the influence of the Gods on mortals to be one of the main reasons for the evil that exists on Paladask and have put into effect godly laws against excessive meddling.

Within their pantheon, the Gods are not truly at peace, they bicker and argue, some oppose each other by the very nature of their aspects, others have more petty motives. The Elder Gods rule the pantheon and enforce decorum among their members. They often encourage the other Gods to use mortals as pawns for settling disputes.

The Gods reside within the celestial manor, which sits at the peak of Paladask's planar geography, a beautiful mansion surrounded by a lush and lovely garden. The main doorway of the manor acts as a gate to anywhere within Paladask's planar region, and each of the Gods possesses their own individual rooms within the manor, that each maintains and furnishes.

Paladask's Gods can empower the souls of the deceased, sacrificing their own strength to transform the souls that pledge themselves to the God’s service into angels, the more strength sacrificed, the more powerful. These angels often act as the God’s direct representative to the world of mortals.

The Elder Gods

Before there was anything, any sign of life in the slightest, one God existed. From this one God three more sprung. These three allowed for the next two and so on and so forth until the pantheon as is known today came into being. None know the true beginning of Paladask, and people have been contemplating it for eternity. All people, however, seem to agree on the order of events that led to Paladask and therefore to the people of Paladask.

These Gods are the focus of the oldest myths and the greatest devotion, most worship is focused around them and the lesser Gods fear their wrath and pay them subservience and tribute. The Elder Gods also command the greatest power and have access to the most godly magic on the plane; simply put, they are stronger than the lesser Gods. Each Elder God, however, retains control of a single solar archangel, the oldest surviving angels. None of the new Gods possess the strength to empower an angel to a solar’s strength. The knowledge of these Elder Gods is immense, they have survived since the foundation of the world and they have seen both the rise and fall and the recovery of the world’s people.

Valkyrates

The One Before All Else, The God of Nothingness

True Neutral

Void, Blackness, Emptiness

Portfolio: Non-existence, Humility, Black Magic, Iconoclasm and Removal

Shrines: Shrines to Valkyrates are not often built but when they are one must do it in undercities, where security is significantly lighter than above ground. Shrines to Valkyrates are made with empty bowls and a single drop of blood. Each bowl must be destroyed after its first use or the shrine is rendered useless.

Before anything there were the Elder Gods. Before the Elder Gods, Valkyrates existed. It is said that it was in Valkyrates' image the Gods were created, and from there on all the races of Paladask were created in the other Gods' images.

Valkyrates ruled before there was anything to rule. He is the most powerful and most omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God on the plane. One fell swoop of his hand and humanity and all species' existence alike would be wiped clean from ever having existed (it's kind of what he's about). Luckily for the plane, however, Valkyrates is the most level-headed and understanding God of them all. Fore who else could create everything from nothing? Who else could manage a task as demanding as any task ever asked since the beginning of time (which at this moment chronologically, does not exist).

It is here we begin to see how awe-full Valkyrates is and will forever be. He has surpassed the creation of time. Of birth. Of the plane itself. All life has to give thanks to Valkyrates. All beings should constantly adorn his shrines with all of his favorite items, no?

No. Fore just as omnipotent and omniscient Valkyrates is, he is humble. He expects nothing from humanity; nothing from any species. In fact, he demanded in his only godly decree it is stated that "No shrine be built to me. No offerings made to me. Treat me as if I am nothing. Treat me as if I do not exist." Four mere statements and he has managed to control life on Paladask more than any other God could ever do in full-blown recitals.

Other Gods, too, are to leave Valkyrates be. The Gods are wise enough not to risk being removed from ever existing at the hand of their creator for a simple mistake. No Gods speak with Valkyrates. He sits alone and watches his creations, both godly and mortal, struggle and rejoice day to day, day in and day out. Some think that Valkyrates' life is a sad one. Having done so much good and not accepting anything whatsoever in return (this is a large reason people build shrines to him despite risking ruining literally everything) must be heart wrenching some say. But it is the life he chooses. And the plane must respect that.

Valkyrates is seen as the 'father' of all the Gods; of everything really. He is the one who created them, after all. While he refuses to accept this idea, his creations, his Gods, still look up to and admire Valkyrates -with Valkyrates being the last God to vote on propositions and thus acting as a tie-breaker as the pantheon is ideologically split 50/50.

Valkyrates is often depicted as a tall, slim man with a bug for a head. The bug often changes. Sometimes a beetle, sometimes a locust. In other depictions, Valkyrates is shown as old, with a cane and a frail body, but still with a commanding and powerful frame. Depictions do range so much as it is against common law to show Valkyrates, whether it be a sculpture, a painting, anything.

Bontar

The One Who Sets Everything in Motion, The God of Time

Neutral Evil

Fleeting Life, Order, Deadlines

Portfolio: Stress, Laziness, Anxiety, Worriment

Shrines: Shrines to Bontar are made from bowls of ivory or glass, with elegant designs on them, fore Bontar is a fan of the exquisite. The bowls must be filled with personal items, the more personal, the more of a chance he may reach out to one personally. Items that used to belong to relatives who have passed are also noted as being efficient.

The very first of the Elder Gods to be created by Valkyrates, Bontar is the God of time. Before him, time was not a construct that was necessary. It was not even thought of. Bontar's creation brought a new era to what would soon be a thriving plane of life and Gods and experiences and relationships. Fore what Bontar brought with him was the ability to advance. He brought with him deadlines and he brought with him time constraints. He allowed things to begin. And he allowed them to end. The one exception to this being of course Valkyrates, the God before time.

Valkyrates created Bontar in his image, a lean, healthy, muscular man with an even face and and symmetrical body. It was the easiest thing to do at the time. He had nothing to go off of. Bontar is often depicted wearing just a robe draped over his chiseled body and is always seen carrying both an hourglass and a pocketwatch. These items symbolize Paladask's movement towards a more industrial, mechanized world.

Bontar is the strongest of the Elder Gods in the sense that he came before them. He has knowledge they do not and can not ever receive. Bontar is the eldest of the three Elder Gods (who all happen to be brothers), and thus uses this power to his advantage, whether it is reminding his younger siblings who is stronger and smarter or by having the first say in any and every ordeal. Bontar's followers are strong and confident, and his temple in the capital city of Durath-Lá is among one of the plane's most beautiful eye-heavens ever.

Bontar, as well as his followers, can sometimes become arrogant and rude. Never anything unholy just things not normally accepted in places such as in the presence of other Gods or in a Great Cathedral. The God himself is allowed to act this way seeing as he serves as the strongest, most influential part of the triumvirate that is the three Elder Gods. His followers claim that they are doing no wrong when they follow Bontar and his ever-changing mood and behavior.

Bontar has chosen many an acolyte and has many followers throughout the plane. He has directly affected mortal lives a recorded (supposedly) three two times. The first time was to right a wrong caused by one of his brothers. The second time was to reverse time in an attempt to save his first true love, a mortal human named Avama. While his efforts were in vain -as every other God unanimously voted that he should not be allowed to use his powers in that way-, he was merciless on the human race for his loss (despite them having nothing to do with Avama's death). For 100 days, crops stood still in human-populated areas, not growing, not producing any food. Bontar caused thousands of deaths in such a simple way.

His second interjection into mortal affairs was much less catastrophic, as it happened a near 400 years after his last attempt. This time, Bontar personally spoke with his only High Priest at the time, exclaiming how unless the civilians of Paladask fortified their small, pathetic villages and towns with grand walls, the horrors of the nolands would soon overwhelm them. This was invaluable advice, as every city on Paladask now has grand walls that completely surround and protect its inhabitants. This interjection undoubtedly saved many many lives, many more than were lost at Bantar's last interjection, as the nolands' savagery and deadliness has doubled, tripled, even quadrupled since the time these tales date back to.

Brant

The One Who Changes Us, The God of the Winds

Lawful Neutral

Travel, Dissimilarity, Adaptation

Portfolio: Change, New Beginnings, Winds, Languages

Shrines: Shrines that are built for Brant are loosely built, as he prefers. Brant would rather you change his shrine every time you use it. After a while then changing the shrine for every use would be the normal and you would have to keep the same shrine, which then would be change. The God of change and travel and winds and adaptation is fickle in his preferences. Do what you will to please Brant, fore a shrine that pleases Brant today will not tomorrow.

Brant, the younger brother to Bontar and God of change is a fickle-minded fellow, never being able to land on a topic and stay there for very long. His deep-rooted ideologies, obviously will not change, but every other aspect about him.. does. Even his appearance.

100 years ago Brant would be depicted as a smaller, leaner, and more agile of a God, carrying books and spectacles. Nowadays, statues of Brant show him much more muscular and more intensified, holding live snakes now instead of books. Snakes shed their skin, which embodies change. And that's what Brant is all about.

Being the middle Elder God means he has the fewest followers of the three Gods, not being the eldest or the newest. Though his followers are never fickle in their decision to devote themselves to him, fore he is a gracious God. A splendid and generous God. Brant has appeared on Paladask in physical form more than any other Elder God and has personally done more for Paladask's civilians than any other God (to be fair, he does have the most personal portfolio).

Brant has found new jobs for the unemployed. He has found new lovers for the unsatisfied. Brant has changed doomed ships courses and rescued those who were lost either at sea or in the nolands. Brant is undoubtedly the most interpersonal God out of the bunch, and often is spoken of as somebody who really looks out for mortals. Books older than most of living Paladask tell of how when the other Gods planned to punish Paladask's species, Brant was the leading counter-arguer. There are tales speaking on his humility and his kindness and generosity that if stacked up, would reach his home. Brant is the father of both Qerra and Graciana, having birthed them from his hip bone, introducing change in the form of the first female Gods Paladask would see. Also due to Brant's offspring, we will see the imminent creation of the plane as we know it.

Ximxes

The One All Go To, The God of the Dead

Chaotic Evil

Death, Destruction, Ruination

Portfolio: Plague, Death, Famine, Hatred

Shrines: Shrines for Ximxes are not to be built or constructed unless specifically allowed by all Kings of Paladask. Thus, there is but one official Ximxes shrine, and that is located in the Great Cathedral in Durath-Lá, only because of public outrage and fear. The shrine is made of bone and gems. Humanoid bones line the shrine and etched into them are multiple gemstones. In the bowl that sits atop that, one must place the carcass of a small, dead animal, such as a chick, if one wishes to contact Ximxes.

Ximxes, being the God of death and all, is often left out and not included in many of the godly festivities that go on. He also never gets any recognition on Paladask; seems unfair, no? Not at all.

Ximxes has only ever interacted with Paladask one time personally. The tale tells that Ximxes, angry at Valkyrates for creating him last, waited for humans and elves and other species to inhabit the plane. Using his stored anger and hatred for his creator, he wiped out the entirety of mankind. Mankind including the fish in the lakes and the trees in the nolands. All ogres in every cave and every insect on every flower. Once he had seen what he had done and realized just how powerful he was and just what he was capable of, time was reversed by big brother Bontar. Valkyrates then punished Ximxes and commanded him to watch over the dead and the dying for the rest of eternity. Ximxes had to comply; he did not wish to anger his creator any further and risk being wiped from existence.

Now, any creature that dies while on Paladask has to first speak to Ximxes. The waiting list in exorbitant but the dead have time. Ximxes is responsible for determining your afterlife plans. Most people are forced to work for him, to help build his elaborate, decorative living space for the rest of eternity. Some lucky souls are made to watch over the other souls. And the luckiest of the bunch manage to either be offered jobs from Ximxes himself or to be pardoned by one of the other Elder Gods. Anyone who dies and has unfinished godly activities to complete will be given the chance to complete the task.

Similarly, Ximxes offers a challenge to any and all who stand before him. If a soul can trick Ximxes, they are granted one wish (most wish to be brought back to life or for another family member to be brought back to life). One can get him to answer a riddle incorrectly. One can get him to believe obviously fake news. The ways are endless and it gives the Death God a little fun -after all he has to spend eternity doing this.

Ximxes is always depicted as a shirtless, bulky man with screws and nails hammered into and all around his upper torso and head. His eyes are always bloodshot and his hands are chained to his ankles. The ladder observation is more a form of humiliation rather than a restraining tool.

Like Brant before him birthed two children from his hip, Ximxes too, birthed a child the same way. Ximxes is the blood uncle of both Qerra and Graciana and the father of Gorkat, the Lame God of Fate.

The First of the Lesser Gods

The three Gods birthed from the hips of both Brant and Ximxes were the next Gods to exist and paved the way for Paladask herself to exist. While they are still lesser Gods and could never hope to match the power of any God above them, they nevertheless hold immense power and demand incredible respect. These three Gods see over the smaller affairs of the pantheon and are commonly seen interacting with mortal affairs on a regular basis.

Qerra

The Mother God, The Goddess of Paladask Embodied

True Neutral

Life, The Earth, Birth

Portfolio: Fertility, New Life, An Embodiment of the World

Shrines: Shrines to Qerra are plenty and abundant. They are made of the earth and plants that find home on the plane. In her shrine's bowl one must place earthly items; sticks and small rocks and shrubbery or grass.

Qerra, being the divine embodiment of the earth and of Paladask and the plane as a whole, is extremely respected and very thoroughly worshiped. She is seen as the most motherly Goddess, being the first female divine created after all. She is depicted as a stout, wholesome woman in everyday, civilian clothing and who wears a wreath around her neck. Her long, golden, flowing hair reached down to her waist and she always is adorned with immense amounts of jewelry. A warm and welcoming smile is always on her face and her eyes ease and soothe any ailment.

Qerra is the oldest lesser God, but that title should not be how one formulates an opinion of her. Qerra is motherly -and powerful. She is merciful -and absolute. Qerra is one of the strongest Gods and is one of the most followed among them, too. Every city has a shrine to Qerra (at the very least); with most actually have lovely temples devoted to the earthly God.

Those who have lost their way and their will to live seek out Qerra. Those who wish to be closer to the plane seek out Qerra. The individuals with fertility problems ask for Qerra's help and her guidance. Qerra is in the minds of every citizen at all times, and she appreciates this forethought.

When a problem threatening Paladask as a whole, such as demonic pressures or another God's malintentions for the plane, Qerra is always among the first to defend it. She will not stand by as her world is attacked, fore without the plane, Qerra would cease to exist.

Qerra birthed both Rom the God of honor and Freya the Goddess of the hunt. Her children are extensions of her own divine magnificence.

Graciana

The One Who Gives us Mana, The Goddess of Magic

True Neutral

Magic, Energy, Mana Deposits

Portfolio: Magic, The Spectacular, Mana and the Flow of Mana

Shrines: Shrines to Graciana consist of gemstones and materialized magic (in the form of crystals). Now while magic is frowned upon on Paladask, and so Graciana is a more ignored Goddess, she is represented throughout Paladask's Mage's Corners. The bowls of her shrines are to be left empty, fore pure mana is impossible to harvest.

Graciana is the second birthed child of the God of Change Brant, and is the Goddess that represents pure magical energy. She has no physical form and only ever appears as a humanoid figure of light of sometimes crystallized mana. Because of this strange appearance, she can not be sculpted, or even painted truthfully.

Graciana is a less worshiped God due to Paladask's hatred of magic (which she has tried countless times to change), but most if not all citizens know of her anyway. Understandably, mages who are religious will focus their godly attention exclusively to Graciana, and in return she has promised the end of bias and persecution of mages. This promise has yet to be fulfilled and so many mages who prayed to her have lost their faith, causing Graciana to have one of the smallest follower bases of all the Gods.

Graciana is the mother of Aripa and Xia, Goddesses of beauty and light respectively. In fact, a large reason why Graciana is so prominent in Paladask's history is due to her relationship with the other Gods, specifically her children. There are many tales of Graciana which show her as an ancient, mystical being full of wisdom and knowledge who acts as her sister Qerra does; a guide and a protector. She is Qerra's younger sister and thus is similar in ideologies and preferences as she is.

Graciana's sacred site is one of the only two that are not located within the safety of cities. Hers, rather, is located deep in the nolands. Maps have been drawn and routes explored, but still many who go searching for her site do not manage to return home.

Gorkat

The Lame God, The God of Fate

Lawful Neutral

Prophecies, Omens, Destiny

Portfolio: Destiny, One's Purpose, Fate

Shrines: Gorkat's shrines represent Gorkat himself. They are short and not well-kept. The bowls atop his shrines are to hold coins or other everyday possessions that is the individual is expected to come across soon in their life.

Gorkat is lame, resting on his throne for the rest of eternity, not being able to move. He uses a lyre and watches the affairs of mortals to keep him entertained, never interjecting himself into the lives on Paladask. That would disrupt everyone's destiny. It would alter their fate. Gorkat would never do such a thing. His very being is a strong reason why he is so adamant that his fellow Gods do not interfere with mortal affairs. It is unnatural he claims. Though, he cannot move and does not hold enough power in the pantheon by himself to stop them.

He has not birthed any God but has fathered one; the tale is as follows:

Gorkat, practicing his lyre as he does all the time, was listening in on his fellow Gods' argument (there was a new one every day). The tale says that Melfreth and Freya were in a dispute over life expectancy in nature, if people living in Paladask's nolands should have the same life expectancy as those in cities or have shortened ones. The other Gods wisely chose to stay out of the argument, fore these two bickering Gods were best suited for this topic. Only when Freya asked for Gorkat's opinion on the matter did he weigh in. "I believe this is not a matter you two should worry about." were his words. The bickering Gods, neither being satisfied with Gorkat's statement, proceeded to ignore him.

And it is stated that from the very essence of this argument, and from the culmination of all godly arguments ever to be had, a child was spawned. This child is one that no God wanted to care after; no God wanted to be responsible for this creation -except one. Gorkat took the child in and named him Zandet, who would later become the God representing choices and decisions made of free will. From creation to maturity Gorkat raised Zandet, and Zandet has in return looked after Gorkat in more ways than can be thought.

The Other Gods

The following Gods and Goddesses are the rest of the holy family, the rest of the pantheon. They are listed with very loose chronology as to their creation or birth. Except for the first Gods, many people do not know the order in which the Gods came to be. Without these Gods, many aspects of life would either be dull or non-existent. These Gods are all significant in their own way, but none have the power or prestige that the Gods above them do. A basic family tree follows.

Rom

The Chivalrous God, The God of Honor

Lawful Good

Second Chances, Redemption, Truthfulness

Portfolio: Respect, Abiding by the Law, Starting anew

Shrines: Shrines to Rom are slender, marble columns with ornate bowls on top of them. Rom's followers generally place their hands over their hearts and on the shrine to communicate with the God, as opposed to filling his bowl with items.

Rom, Qerra's oldest child, is the God all knights and all holy soldiers look up to. He is the perfect soldier. The perfect guardian angel. Justice flows through his veins and honor radiates off of his strong body. He is in charge of Paladask's faithful's honor, keeping them in the light and abandoning those who stray away from the path of good. He is the holiest of the Gods and is welcomed in every civilians' home and in every populated area of the plane. Even many undercities (which are generally no for the lawful or the good) have shrines dedicated to this God.

Rom's physical appearance matches that of an active athlete. He is very strongly built, often wearing armor and brandishing militaristic weaponry (infused with his own godly power of course). He sports a large, dark beard and has a canine companion who follows him wherever he goes. Rom is a very friendly face among the Gods and often times meddles in mortal affairs strictly for beneficial reasons.

Rom often helps mortals when they are in dire situations and they call out for him. He has fought side by side many a 'nobody', and won every battle; fore who can stand in the way of a literal God? To no surprise, Gorkat often dislikes Rom's assistance of Paladask's peoples, saying that they would be better off if left to their own devices. This has caused a minor rivalry between the two, with nothing serious happening due to each other's mutual respect for one another.

Rom works hand in hand with other Gods, though. He will accompany his sister Freya on difficult hunts or he will assist Veryillon in his many conquests. Rom is a friendly, respectable, dedicated God and his followers often share these same characteristics.

Freya

The One with the Wilds, The God of the Hunt

Chaotic Neutral

Nature, The Nolands, Animals

Portfolio: Woodland Areas, Respecting Nature, Hunting for Reason not Fun

Shrines: Shrines to the nature Goddess are natural themselves, built out of tree roots or of bushes or vines or something of the like. Her bowl is generally filled with the boundless goods the wild can provide, berries, vegetables, flowers, etc.

Qerra's daughter and Rom's sister, Freya has a good life on the plane of Paladask. The plane is mainly land, which itself is mainly nolands. Freya draws power from these woodland areas and does everything in her power to uphold their beauty and defend their sanctity. She has deep rooted connections with the earthly races of Paladask and any creatures (harmful or not) that call the plane home. Any forest-dwelling beast that is sentient enough to understand religion probably prays to Freya more than any other God -if they know any other exist.

Freya is a beautiful young woman with many elven traits. She has pointed ears, a tall, skinny frame, and entrancing facial features. She is the second-most beautiful Goddess of Paladask, right behind the very Goddess of Beauty herself Aripa. She wears leaves and other foliage at all times, and has a twig and hay crown she wears to show she is the 'Queen of the Nolands'. Many lost and tired explorers and even Seekers caught in the nolands will often hallucinate seeing this beautiful Goddess and end up following a succubus or some other preying monstrosity.

She is married to Herpherntol, the God of the Sea, and together, the plane's physicalities are essentially all under their rule, be it land and sea.

Her sacred site is the second of the only two that call the nolands home. Her sacred site is centered in ancient elven ruins in a deep-set valley far away in the nolands. Here, it is said, is where she first touched down upon the plane, spreading lush, green life to every corner of it.

Aripa

The Impeccable One, The Goddess of Beauty

Chaotic Good

Love, Lust, Attraction

Portfolio: Love, Sexual Desire, Vanity

Shrines: Aripa's shrines are always done up to be the most beautiful and attractive shrines out there. Her shrines' bowls are covered in lace and lipstick marks, to symbolize sexual attraction and lust. One generally puts flowers or soft fabrics inside the bowl to communicate with Aripa.

The first child of Graciana, the Goddess Aripa is all that beauty can be. She attracts men and women from around the plane and teases them all with her grace and delicacy. Her long, lush braids force onlooker's attention and her body draws viewers in. Dressed in sheet-like cloth, Aripa is an icon of a changing time.

At first in times of old, Aripa was depicted as just plainly 'beautiful' and compared to beautiful steeds or homesteads. As Paladask diversified and many new influences shaped and changed society, Aripa's appearance did as well; changing from an elegant, stylish beautiful, to a hot and dirty sexy.

Aripa tends to stay out of mortal's lives and prefers the company of the Gods instead, many of whom have tried for Aripa's hand. Unfortunately for them, Aripa is as committed to her husband, the Lame God Gorkat, as she is beautiful. There is in fact an irony to their love, however, and some speculate it is a jest and only done to throw off those who care about such affairs... where Aripa is the most beautiful being to ever exist, and Gorkat one of the most hideous, repulsive beings to exist.

Aripa, in addition to being married to Gorkat, is the mother of Zandet as mentioned above and is also the mother of Mariline, birthed before her love for Gorkat blossomed into what it is now and to the father Veryillon.

Xia

One of the Sun, The Goddess of Light

Lawful Good

Light, Temperature, The Sun

Portfolio: Brightness, Heat, Holy Light

Shrines: Xia's shrines are delicate and basic, fore the Goddess herself is delicate and not complicated. Her bowl is filled with flowers or small personnel belongings.

Graciana's daughter and Aripa's sister, Xia (pronounced "Shah") is the Goddess of light and all things holy. She is one of the more outspoken divines, often speaking out in favor of the citizens of Paladask and acting as their protectors from angered Gods. She is a lovely woman and a friend who is quick to lighten up situations and calm down individuals.

Xia is a more 'common' God on the plane; a more 'household' name. Why would she not be, fore she is in action every single day, controlling the sun and thus the days themselves. The other Gods have an undying respect for this Goddess, and many go as far as to refer to her as a sister. This habit is continued and best exemplified by the Paladaskian saying of "Xia's breath upon you.", common speak which to express warmth and care to whom it is said to.

Xia is also the main divine in charge of holy enchantments and blessings imbued and bestowed upon weapons.

Zandet

The Forgotten One, The God of Choices

Lawful Evil

Morality, Pastimes, Hobbies

Portfolio: Making Decisions, Finding One's Self

Shrines: Shrines to Zandet are not made, fore Zandet is 'The Forgotten God'

Gorkat's adoptive son and 'forgotten god' Zandet is the God rarely consulted. It seems ironic, no, how the aspect of life all people engage in daily is associated with the least common God of Paladask. Zandet is slim and sickly looking, full of undeserved wrinkles and face blemishes. He walks with a limp and is often silent, choosing not to interact with the citizens of Paladask. His inaction in daily life is what has contributed to his 'forgotten' status. And it is not that Zandet is not in the minds of Paladaskians, he simply is not as active as other Gods. Clearly, Zandet is important and clearly Zandet is a necessary part of life.

Often times those who are dealing with difficult decisions or hard choices will come to Zandet. When this happens, one can see the empowering nobility and professionalism the God presents. He is the most level-headed God (for most Gods have no clue what being ostracized or forgotten feels like) and thus can reason and connect to those who speak to him more personally than the others.

Zandet holds a special place in Jorrehlm, however, the land of judgement for the dead, where he sits on the councel and sentences people to afterlife in either Hraptiph (Heaven) or Korragor (Hell).

Veryillon

The Ruthless One, The God of War

Chaotic Good

Warfare, Annexation, Gain

Portfolio: Usurping Enemies, Being Victorious

Shrines: Shrines to Veryillon are massive and represent war. They can be filled with anything from bones to coins from foreign nations. His shrines are common on Paladask.

Veryillon, the God of War, is one of the more praised Gods in the Pantheon. Militia leaders pray to him before battle and city leaders pray to him to keep their city safe from enemies. He is a large, hulking, masculine figure who brandishes a greataxe and is adorned in complete bronze armor. He rides atop a magnificent steed and has multiple temples dedicated to him throughout Paladask.

The other Gods respect Veryillon and often ask him for assistance in their godly tasks. He is a very helpful and approachable God, often disguising himself among citizens and travelling the streets of Paladaskian cities even. No law-abiding, morally sound citizen is afraid of Veryillon, but those who find themselves on his bad side often don't get a second chance at pleasing him.

The Minor Gods

Below are the remaining Gods and Goddesses of Paladask. These lesser Gods are not as prominent on the plane but are still recognized as divine and respectable.

Manas

The Empathetic One, The God of Emotions

Chaotic Neutral

Mariline

The Hopeful One, The Goddess of Dreams

Neutral Good

Elesa

The Dishonest One, The Goddess of Currency and Trickery

Lawful Evil

Herpherntol

The Fickle One, The God of the Sea

Neutral Good

Melfreth

The Relentless One, The God of Old Age

Chaotic Evil

Use of the Pantheon

Your dungeon master has complete control over the size, influence, and prominence of this pantheon on Paladask. Removing any Gods or adding any is always an option available to players. Any changes or tweaks to a God's personality or physical appearance is welcomed (with the DM's permission of course). Everything from daily worship to Godly quests can be altered and tweaked to best suit the game and the setting.

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