The Fractured Realms, Part 4: Gods and Worship
The religious backdrop of an RPG can vary in importance. Are the gods real? Are they active in the world? Do they bicker and scheme like the Greco-Roman pantheon? Are they omnipotent and omniscient? Do the people in your world worship the gods through ritual, or are they generally acknowledged in daily prayers? Are they taken for granted by all as a matter of fact, or are there atheists?
These ideas may not be important at all to the players or the campaign, but it should influence the NPCs they encounter and the world they inhabit. In my Mage War History, a religious cult was behind the initial conflicts in an effort to worship and gain favor of their god. In The Present Day, I haven't made much mention of religion because I reserved that subject for this post. Some deities were mentioned in passing in The Races of the Fractured Realms, and I intend to expand on that further here.
If you wish to adapt the Fractured Realms setting to your own game, you can certainly alter the pantheon to suit your preferences. In my game, the gods are real, they do actively (although usually very subtly) intervene in affairs on the Material Plane, and I am using the Dawn War pantheon that was first used in Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, with only minor changes. Even the Dungeon Master's Guide encourages game masters to feel free to plug in whatever invented gods or real mythological ideas from our history they think is a good fit. If your players want to adopt the Egyptian or Norse gods, why not just do it?
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Gods and Worship
The gods are broadly associated with certain alignments. The good and neutral deities are commonly worshiped throughout the Fractured Realms. Villages usually have some form of small temple building, and most are round structures with small niches along the interior perimeter for various idols or icons representing the deities most revered there. These are usually maintained by the elders in the community. In larger towns and cities, there may be temples dedicated to individual gods as well as various public shrines at the gates or in marketplaces. Clerics are typically dedicated to the service of a specific god, and may perform religious rituals, offer healing or charity to the community, but a few act as crusaders seeking out injustice spreading the word of their god by noble deeds.
Of course, those whose gods represent destruction may similarly go out in pursuit of those ends in a more direct fashion too. Evil gods are not openly worshiped due to their association with evil, decay, destruction, and violence; but there are rumors of cults in the major cities, and communities of devotees have been built in the wilderness. Not since the Mage War have these religious orders allied with one another, but there are fears that their strength and numbers are growing again. It is possible that death clerics and antipaladins have been seen leading attacks on distant settlements.
Good
These gods represent virtue in opposition to all vice.
Bahamut, the winged platinum dragon god of law and justice
Moradin, the dwarf god of smithing, building, and general craftsmanship
Avandra, the human goddess of luck, fortune, and hard-earned success
Pelor, the human god of the sun, agriculture, and just war in defense of home.
Neutral
These gods represent aspects of life that are not bound to good or evil
Corellon, the elven god of the arcane
Erathis, the human god of inspiration and invention
Ioun, the elven god of history, scholarship, and knowledge
Kord, the human god of strength and courage
Melora, the elven god of nature
The Raven Queen, The goddess of death, known to all races by various names, and perhaps the oldest of all gods
Sehanine, Elf goddess of trickery and theater
Evil
These gods represent the forces of vice and vanity.
Asmodeus, the demonic god of tyranny, power, and self-serving authority
Bane, the god of war, bloodshed, murder, and violent aggression
Gruumsh, orc god of destruction and plunder
Lolth, the elvish goddess of spiders, patron of the dark elves who have left the forests to dwell in the underdark
Tiamat, the five-headed chromatic dragon goddess of greed and malice. Her heads (black, blue, green, red, and white) each have their own elemental power, and can act independently.
Torog, the god of the Underdark and other hidden places where evil can find refuge
Vecna, the human god of secrets, schemes, and betrayal
Zehir, the god of darkness and undeath
The two dragon gods, Bahamut the Platinum Dragon and Tiamat the Many-Headed, represent the ultimate in good and evil, respectively. There is a large temple dedicated to Bahamut in Dragonvale, and lesser shrines in each major city, but no shrines to Tiamat are known since not even his worshipers wish to draw the eyes of such avarice and hate.
Worshipers do not always share the alignment of the deity they worship, and many tend to pay respect to multiple gods. For example, inventors and machinists often pay equal respect to Moradin, Erathis, and Ioun. The more reckless also offer a nod to Avandra (goddess of luck) as extra insurance. There are also minor deities worshiped alongside these, and many saints or heroes who are considered eternal protectors of various regions.
Other Gods
Kobolds worship Kurtulmak, a lesser Draconic deity said to be a servant of Tiamat. According to their legends, the Gnomish god Garl Glittergold stole from Tiamat’s treasure vault. Kurtulmak was sent to retrieve the stolen treasure, and Glittergold trapped Kurtulmak in a maze for an eternity. Because of this, kobolds hate gnomes. A gnome who enters kobold territory alone is unlikely to leave alive.
Goblins worship their own range of deities with a complicated mythology that seems paradoxical to all outsiders. The aspects of life each of these gods control seem in opposition to themselves, and the legends of their squabbles are incomprehensible outside of goblinoid culture.
While not commonly encountered, and not known to have taken part in the Mage War, there are records of small sects dedicated to the “Great Old Ones,” said to be powerful beings from the dawn of time who slumber in hidden places, awaiting the coming of the time of “The Awakening.” These cultists do not usually seek political or economic power, but instead strive to bring about the portents that presage this awakening so they can bear witness to the end of times. Few take them seriously.
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