Friday 8 April 2011

Deities of Kaelaross: part 1

Kaelaross has a large and diverse pantheon of 30 main deities, neatly divided into 10 lawful, 10 neutral and 10 chaotic deities.
Before the Summoning the gods were considered to be aloof, only interacting with mortals through their clerics. Divine intervention was the stuff of legends. However, when the avatar of Bhael himself appeared in the Summoning, the preconceptions of what the gods would and would not do became meaningless. The gods could do whatever they wanted, and if a god wanted to do something, only another god could stop them.

The descriptions of the gods take up space, so for ease of reading they are split up into a series of entries
Deities of Kaelaross part 1
        Adonor
        Rhondus
        Bhael
        Havok
        Telemacon
        Vought
Deities of Kaelaross part 2
       Chelmor
       Sturnornel
       Khazep
       Nemesis
       Hernas
       Pelepton
Deities of Kaelaross part 3
       Slargor
       Storshin
       Partheusa
       Eldara
       Haaken
       Valgar
Deities of Kaelaross Part 4
       Caralax
       Sestarna
       Borelia
       Derlona
       Skreech
       Torthola

Adonor, Lawful God of Justice, Righteous Combat and Courage
Symbol: Crimson Warhammer
Adonor is the favoured deity of lawful fighters and soldiers, and is the quintessential knight in shining armour. He and his followers actively seek out and punish criminals, evil-doers and the followers of Chaos.
The clerics and fighters of Adonor use armour as ceremonial vestments as well as practical protection, and the plate and banded armour of champions of Adonor can be ornate, with engravings and enamelling. Adonor is always portayed in a dynamic, striking pose in plate armour, wielding a warhammer. His clerics will always use warhammers, even to the point of using a mundane warhammer than a magical mace or staff.

Bhael, Chaotic God of Fear, Terror, Monsters and Nightmares
Symbol: Three glowing red eyes on a black background
Bhael is not normally worshipped by mortals, and since the Summoning he has become almost universally reviled among humans and demihumans. Bhael and his worshippers enjoy spreading fear and panic among everyone, and believe that fear is the best way of getting what they want. Some chaotic humanoids and monsters follow Bhael, and a few of the most unpleasant and depraved humans do as well, but these are killed upon being recognised by decent folk.
In the Summoning, magic-users from across Kaelaross accidentally summoned the avatar of Bhael. His presence was so frightful that all those who took part in actually summoning him died of heart failure as he emerged. Those who saw him were so shocked and frightened that many of them suffered heart attacks, strokes or nervous breakdowns. Those who did survive seeing him have described his avatar as a grey-black skinned man with bright red cracks or veins running over his skin. His face had three red eyes, that moved around on his face, and his size varied, from standing 6'6" tall to standing twice as high as a storm giant (50' tall).


Havok, Chaotic Goddess of Disasters, Earthquakes, Storms and Lightning
Symbol: Silver Lightning bolt against a gray tornado
Havok is not so much worshipped as placated by nervous mortals. She is considered primarily responsible for bad luck and unfortunate events as well as natural disasters. Interestingly she has not been blamed for the Summoning, where there were terrible floods, earthquakes, geographical upheavals and cataclysmic changes. However, she has offered a philosophy that can take such things into account, which can prove tempting to distraught and desperate people. Her philosophy says that life is nasty, brutal and short, and so are her followers (though not necessarily short), and that bad things happen to good and evil people alike. Her temples are often built at the site of great disasters, such as an earthquake epicentre or over a collapsed mine where miners are still buried.

Rhondus, Lawful God of Defence, Safety and the Home
Symbol: Golden Keep or Tower on Brown Background
Rhondus is worshipped by those who wish for security. However, the events of the Summoning have shaken peoples' beliefs about Rhondus. When Rhondus fought alongside Adonor against Bhael, there was terrible destruction, death and upheaval as a result. Some claim that this was a betrayal of what Rhondus claimed to have stood for. Others believe that this was the necessary lesser of two evils - if Rhondus and Adonor had not confronted and defeated Bhael, Bhael would have turned Kaelaross into a new plane of Chaos.
In response to this, Rhondus has instructed his clerics to put their efforts into rebuilding the shattered towns and cities of Kaelaross, particularly the physical defences, and to assist all refugees to find safe haven. This is mainly to regain trust between civilised folk and the church of Rhondus. However, some say it is also penance or amends, and that Rhondus is accepting his part in the destruction that happened.

Telemacon, Neutral Goddess of the Moon, Secrecy and Subtlety
Symbol: Silver Crescent Moon against a black background
Telemacon is the goddess of spies, illicit lovers, halfling scouts and those who wish to stay hidden. She is not as brutal or cynical as Pelepton, but does not get too upset about theft. In the wars and the Summoning, Telemacon became the favourite deity for those trying to escape and evade their enemies, as well as those trying to surprise their enemies.
Clerics of Telemacon are not required to reveal their allegience, and as such are often undercover as tradesmen, housewives, labourers or soldiers (who happen to prefer maces or warhammers).

Vought, Neutral God of the Seas, Oceans, Water and Fish
Symbol: A dark blue wave against a pale blue sky
Vought is considered the patron god of sailors, fishermen and merfolk. He is volatile, sometimes being splendid and serene, other times being tempestuous and violent, but those who live on or in his realm take these swings into account. It is said that he dislikes Havoc, and when the two quarrel, the most terrible storms rage across the seas.
Vought is believed to have a magnificent palace on the Elemental Plane of Water, guarded by sea dragons, neutral storm giants and the largest water elementals.
All clerics of Vought are required to be able to swim, and many of them are good at sailing and rowing as well. 

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