Difference between revisions of "Religion: True Gods"
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=The True Gods= | =The True Gods= | ||
General overviews of each of the True Gods follow. | General overviews of each of the True Gods follow. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Kolaita== | ||
| + | [[Image:Cosmos.png|thumb|350px|right|Kolaita]] | ||
| + | ''The Namer, The Healer, The Lifegiver'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Greater Deity''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Symbol:''' An upright peacebonded sword | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Alignment:''' Neutral Good | ||
| + | |||
| + | : '''''[[Journey:_Ethos|Ethos]]:''' White/Green | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Portfolio:''' Names, beginnings, communities, healing, families | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Priest Alignment:''' LG, NG, CG, N | ||
| + | |||
| + | : '''''[[Journey:_Ethos|Priest Ethoi]]:''' Green @ d8, White @ d8; Blue at least two ranks lower than Green | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Domains:''' Community<sup>[[#3|[3]]]</sup>, Creation<sup>[[#1|[1]]]</sup>, Family<sup>[[#4|[4]]]</sup>, [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#goodDomain Good], [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#healingDomain Healing], Heaven<sup>[[#2|[2]]]</sup>, Joy<sup>[[#5|[5]]]</sup>, [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#knowledgeDomain Knowledge], Life<sup>[[#6|[6]]]</sup>, Pleasure<sup>[[#5|[5]]]</sup>, [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm#protectionDomain Protection], Purification<sup>[[#3|[3]]]</sup>, Renewal<sup>[[#4|[4]]]</sup> | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Favored Weapon:''' Quarterstaff | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Description=== | ||
| + | Kolaita takes the appearance of a young human woman with flowing blond hair, garbed in a white dress with gold decoration. Her hair and clothing ripples in an unseen wind, and her skin glints as though studded with tiny stars. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Kolaita is a soft-spoken, kind, and gentle deity, who seeks for little more than the world to be whole and all the creatures within it to live in harmony. She is an old goddess, and is said to have been present when the Divine sought to give names to everything within creation. She treats every creature, even those that have wronged her or actively worked against her beliefs, as a child dear to her. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Dogma=== | ||
| + | Names and life are sacred; take neither in vain. Family and community are of utmost import. Do well to remember the names of all those you hold dear. Give names to the nameless and spread joy to the joyless, for these are the greatest good anyone - mortal or immortal - can perform. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Clergy and Churches=== | ||
| + | Kolaita has had an array of clergy throughout history, and was one of the most actively-worshiped deities prior to her death. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Kolaita counts healers and historians amongst her primary following. Her church has a large order of paladins throughout her life, who oftentimes multiclass into [[Defender|defender]] or [[Knight|knight]] to improve their protective prowess. Her clergy are welcomed throughout the world in almost every civilized place, as they are known for their vows of peace and nonviolence. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Rites and Rituals=== | ||
| + | Amongst the most important rituals for Kolaita is the Baptism, a ritual in which a newborn child is given their name on holy ground. It was believed that through this ritual, Kolaita - and through her, the Divine itself - acknowledged the name given to the child. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===The Fracture=== | ||
| + | Unlike most of the other True Gods, Kolaita was not present at the Fracture; she had been slain much earlier, by the angel Ajora, who struck her down in an attempt to absorb her Divine power. While Ajora failed in his efforts (though he joined the Lucavi and would later rise to power among them), he did manage to succeed in slaying Kolaita; her death was as permanent as the deaths of the True Gods during the Fracture. | ||
==Tethys== | ==Tethys== | ||
| Line 66: | Line 107: | ||
# <div id="1">''Spell Compendium'', Wizards of the Coast</div> | # <div id="1">''Spell Compendium'', Wizards of the Coast</div> | ||
# <div id="2">''Anger of Angels'', Malhavoc Press</div> | # <div id="2">''Anger of Angels'', Malhavoc Press</div> | ||
| + | # <div id="3">''Complete Divine'', Wizards of the Coast</div> | ||
| + | # <div id="4">''Player’s Guide to Faerûn'', Wizards of the Coast</div> | ||
| + | # <div id="5">''Book of Exalted Deeds'', Wizards of the Coast</div> | ||
| + | # <div id="6">''Eberron Campaign Setting'', Wizards of the Coast</div> | ||
Revision as of 04:06, 23 September 2009
The True Gods in Trinity.
Contents
[hide]Overview
It is not known how many True Gods there were; even if it were, their names and natures have been lost to the ages. The lore and ecclesiastical texts regarding the origins of some of the more powerful remaining Divine beings make vague references to these beings, but only in one - the origin of the Lucavi Ajora - is a name directly given, that of the True Goddess Kolaita.
Unlike the Scions, whose power waxes and wanes with the strength of faith placed in them, for whom it is possible to lose and re-attain Divine status, a True God's power is not dependent upon faith; their existence is a fact, made possible by metaphysical links forged between reality and the Divine. If this link is severed, the True God dies - and once such a link is severed, it cannot be reforged. In the event known as the Fracture, the links between the Metaphysic and all of the True Gods were cut; no amount of faith and no mortal attempt can bring these beings back from the dead. While it is possible for new Divine beings of other sorts to come to the fore, and old ones who had long been forgotten to suddenly return, the True Gods are truly gone.
It is known, however, that the power the True Gods held is present in the form of the still-existing Divine beings of the world: the Scions were direct creations of the True Gods, and even those newer Scions can still draw their metaphysical lineage directly to the True Gods; the Shards are creatures crafted by the Scions out of the fragments of the True Gods that still held a hint of the Divine spark; and the Servants are beings crafted by the Scions out of the leftover physical remains of the True Gods, imbued with the souls of departed mortals.
The True Gods
General overviews of each of the True Gods follow.
Kolaita
The Namer, The Healer, The Lifegiver
Greater Deity
Symbol: An upright peacebonded sword
Alignment: Neutral Good
- Ethos: White/Green
Portfolio: Names, beginnings, communities, healing, families
Priest Alignment: LG, NG, CG, N
- Priest Ethoi: Green @ d8, White @ d8; Blue at least two ranks lower than Green
Domains: Community[3], Creation[1], Family[4], Good, Healing, Heaven[2], Joy[5], Knowledge, Life[6], Pleasure[5], Protection, Purification[3], Renewal[4]
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Description
Kolaita takes the appearance of a young human woman with flowing blond hair, garbed in a white dress with gold decoration. Her hair and clothing ripples in an unseen wind, and her skin glints as though studded with tiny stars.
Kolaita is a soft-spoken, kind, and gentle deity, who seeks for little more than the world to be whole and all the creatures within it to live in harmony. She is an old goddess, and is said to have been present when the Divine sought to give names to everything within creation. She treats every creature, even those that have wronged her or actively worked against her beliefs, as a child dear to her.
Dogma
Names and life are sacred; take neither in vain. Family and community are of utmost import. Do well to remember the names of all those you hold dear. Give names to the nameless and spread joy to the joyless, for these are the greatest good anyone - mortal or immortal - can perform.
Clergy and Churches
Kolaita has had an array of clergy throughout history, and was one of the most actively-worshiped deities prior to her death.
Kolaita counts healers and historians amongst her primary following. Her church has a large order of paladins throughout her life, who oftentimes multiclass into defender or knight to improve their protective prowess. Her clergy are welcomed throughout the world in almost every civilized place, as they are known for their vows of peace and nonviolence.
Rites and Rituals
Amongst the most important rituals for Kolaita is the Baptism, a ritual in which a newborn child is given their name on holy ground. It was believed that through this ritual, Kolaita - and through her, the Divine itself - acknowledged the name given to the child.
The Fracture
Unlike most of the other True Gods, Kolaita was not present at the Fracture; she had been slain much earlier, by the angel Ajora, who struck her down in an attempt to absorb her Divine power. While Ajora failed in his efforts (though he joined the Lucavi and would later rise to power among them), he did manage to succeed in slaying Kolaita; her death was as permanent as the deaths of the True Gods during the Fracture.
Tethys
The Watcher, The Clockmaker, Keeper of the River
Lesser Deity
Symbol: Hourglass
Alignment: Neutral
- Ethos: Blue/White
Portfolio: Time, travel, observation, education, prophecy
Priest Alignments: LN, NG, N, CN, NE
- Priest Ethoi: Blue @ d10, White @ d8; Red at least two ranks lower than Blue and White
Domains: Balance[1], Celerity[1], Fate[1], Knowledge, Liberation[1], Oracle[1], Planning[1], Prophecy[2], Time[1], Travel
Favored Weapon: Chakram
Description
Tethys takes on the appearance of a middle-aged humanoid, whose appearance is vaguely human but with heavily Yuan-agan features. Above and behind his head floats a double-ringed halo, the outer edge of which is ringed with the numerals used on clocks, and the inner edge of which is ringed with the relevant time-period's zodiacs.
Tethys is a quiet and withdrawn deity. Unlike the other deities, he did not take an active interest in reality, instead choosing to examine the nature of time; his nigh-infinite understanding of the workings of time (as well as the foresight it granted him) led him to distance from most of the mortal races and the rest of the True Gods.
At times, Tethys also appears as a somewhat paradoxical deity - oftentimes his dogma contradicts itself. He stresses the inevitability of fate, but at the same time, insists that fate can be changed.
Dogma
No man can escape his fate, but a man's fate can be changed. Watch and wait; patience, above all else, will win the day. The smallest action can have the biggest impact, and even the largest effort may result in nothing gained. Do not let what you know limit your options; even that which seemed impossible before may be possible in the future. If you have knowledge that will prevent catastrophe, use it.
Clergy and Churches
Throughout the history of the world, Tethys has had incredibly few dedicated priests, and a rather small veneration amongst mortals; while he has respect as a deity, few actively worship him.
The primary exception to this is the Templars, a group of epochents, harriers, prophets, oracles, archivists, and priests of Tethys. While not all of the Templars actively worship Tethys, many at least offer him small prayers, and the priests of Tethys are the only Divine force-users allowed into their order with any regularity.
Rites and Rituals
Having a small following and even smaller priesthood, Tethys has rather few rites and rituals.
Most denizens of the world offer a quick prayer to Tethys when setting or resetting an hourglass.
Tethys does not require that his priests recite prayers to regain their ability to call upon Divine power; instead, they must simply sit and wait for an hour to pass.
The Fracture
Tethys was one of the last deities to be slain. Unfortunately, not all of his fragments nor his servants were recoverable; it is thought that, due to his closeness to time, it is possible that some of the Divine fragments of Tethys were scattered throughout time.
The largest fragment of Tethys was formed into the Angel Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts. In keeping with Tethys' detached nature, Zodiark has no affiliation with the Saints or the Lucavi; instead, he works with the timestream itself, and is known to very rarely whisper words of prophecy to mortals.
It is also thought that Tethys knew, from the very beginning, that the Fracture was coming. Those scholars who were present for the Fracture and were aware of Tethys sometimes believed that the god of time may have arranged for a way around this catastrophe, though there was no proof and prayers to Tethys continued to go unanswered.
References
- Spell Compendium, Wizards of the Coast
- Anger of Angels, Malhavoc Press
- Complete Divine, Wizards of the Coast
- Player’s Guide to Faerûn, Wizards of the Coast
- Book of Exalted Deeds, Wizards of the Coast
- Eberron Campaign Setting, Wizards of the Coast
