D&D - Marvelum - Age of the Gods

1 The Plane of Marvels Age of the Gods A Divine Fantasy Setting for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons By Jacob Tolliver

2 Table of Contents Welcome to Marvelum.............................................................................................................................................5 The Age of the Gods.............................................................................................................................................5 The Gods and Essences.........................................................................................................................................5 Strange Geography...............................................................................................................................................6 Chapter 1: The Gods and Essences...........................................................................................................................7 The Multiverse......................................................................................................................................................7 On the Similarity of Planes...................................................................................................................................8 On Azathoth and Entropy.....................................................................................................................................9 Time and Order.................................................................................................................................................. 10 The Essences...................................................................................................................................................... 11 The Gods............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Gods of Death ................................................................................................................................................ 22 Gods of Nature............................................................................................................................................... 32 Gods of Life .................................................................................................................................................... 41 Gods of Good................................................................................................................................................. 49 Gods of Man .................................................................................................................................................. 59 Gods of Evil .................................................................................................................................................... 68 Dead Gods...................................................................................................................................................... 78 The Afterlife....................................................................................................................................................... 89 Other Planes...................................................................................................................................................... 90 Notable Outsiders.............................................................................................................................................. 94 Warlock Patrons ............................................................................................................................................ 96 The Pale Men................................................................................................................................................. 98 Chapter 2: The World .......................................................................................................................................... 100 Overview.......................................................................................................................................................... 100 Historia ............................................................................................................................................................ 100 Physical Properties .......................................................................................................................................... 105 Myths and Legends.......................................................................................................................................... 107 Origin Myth.................................................................................................................................................. 107 Three Calamities.......................................................................................................................................... 110 Ygorl and the Elemental Stones................................................................................................................... 111 Monster Etiologies....................................................................................................................................... 111 The Light.......................................................................................................................................................... 112

3 Calendar and Holidays..................................................................................................................................... 116 Races................................................................................................................................................................ 120 Funerary Rites.................................................................................................................................................. 122 Brief History of the World by Region............................................................................................................... 122 The Divine Empires.......................................................................................................................................... 126 Flags and Sigils................................................................................................................................................. 132 Chapter 3: DM Toolbox ....................................................................................................................................... 137 Drugs................................................................................................................................................................ 137 Called Shots..................................................................................................................................................... 139 Alchemy in Marvelum...................................................................................................................................... 140 Magical Contracts............................................................................................................................................ 141 Foraging........................................................................................................................................................... 141 Traveling Actions............................................................................................................................................. 153 Exotic Weapons............................................................................................................................................... 153 Magic Items..................................................................................................................................................... 154 Weapons of the Gods.................................................................................................................................. 156 Other Magic Items....................................................................................................................................... 157 Chapter 4: Towns and Cities................................................................................................................................ 159 Redrun ............................................................................................................................................................. 159 The City of Redrun....................................................................................................................................... 159 Redrun Quests............................................................................................................................................. 182 City of Redrun Random Encounters............................................................................................................ 187 Features of the Countryside........................................................................................................................ 189 Towns and Villages of the Countryside ....................................................................................................... 197 The Countryside Random Encounters......................................................................................................... 200 Philomena’s Grace........................................................................................................................................... 201 Untamed Lands................................................................................................................................................ 206 New Shrekton.................................................................................................................................................. 213 The City of Marvels.......................................................................................................................................... 217 Transversal and Buildings............................................................................................................................ 217 Notable Landmarks and Buildings............................................................................................................... 218 City of Marvels Random Encounters........................................................................................................... 220 The Northern Mountains................................................................................................................................. 222 The Rock’s Fall Inn ....................................................................................................................................... 222

4 Clans of the Northern Mountains................................................................................................................ 223 Northern Mountains Random Encounters.................................................................................................. 223 Garrick Harbor................................................................................................................................................. 224 Garrick Harbor Quests................................................................................................................................. 227 The City of Chrome.......................................................................................................................................... 230 The Spell Scarred Sea....................................................................................................................................... 237 Alvyn’s Raider Clans and Other Factions..................................................................................................... 238 Spellscarred Sea Random Encounters......................................................................................................... 241 Spellscarred Sea Quests............................................................................................................................... 242 Alvyn’s Island................................................................................................................................................... 244 Elemental Convergence............................................................................................................................... 245 Port Dumolli..................................................................................................................................................... 247 The Isle of Mists............................................................................................................................................... 252 The Gilded City ................................................................................................................................................ 258 Political Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 268 Gilded City Trade Contracts......................................................................................................................... 275 Laws of The Gilded City ............................................................................................................................... 276 Gilded City Armies and Populations............................................................................................................ 278 Gilded City Dungeons.................................................................................................................................. 279 Gilded City Quests ....................................................................................................................................... 281 Golden Coast Random Encounters.............................................................................................................. 287 Gilded City Random Encounters.................................................................................................................. 289 The Wheatlands............................................................................................................................................... 290 The Wheatlands Random Encounters......................................................................................................... 293 Chapter 5: The Cult of the Serpent King.............................................................................................................. 294 Appendix I: Maps................................................................................................................................................. 304 Appendix II: Charts and Reference Tables........................................................................................................... 316 Appendix III: Playing in Other Eras...................................................................................................................... 322 Appendix IV: Spelljammer and New Plane.......................................................................................................... 327 Spelljammer Random Charts........................................................................................................................... 328 Spelljammer Quests......................................................................................................................................... 332

5 Welcome to Marvelum The Age of the Gods The Plane of Marvels has existed for seven ages. In the age of Nations magic ran rampant thanks to the abundance of Orichalcum, the magic mineral, on the plane. Magic permeated the culture and day to day life on the plane, with many working in enchantries casting scrolls onto magic items and wealthy being permanently polymorphed into whatever form they chose. This age persisted for nearly a thousand years before the chrysalis, where the Orichalcum became Vivium, an anti-magic material. The gods warred in the Essences and for 2000 years magic was absent from the land. Once great empires fells to futile city-states and false idols rose to greater heights than even the gods themselves. After 2000 years of darkness magic slowly returned to the world, culminating in the return of the gods who vanquished the Light, a false god that had infested the world in the time of Post-chrysalis, in the fourth war of the gods and returned to the world like never before, many taking up residence on the material plane itself. The world is in an odd place, with some of the world stuck in the previous age, while others have rapidly expanding, often divinely backed empires clamoring to revolutionize the world. Many places of the world still exist in wilderness and city states, many with open cults to the Light and near ancient ruins from the age of nations now overflowing with powerful or strange magical items. Larger city states that survived the fourth war of the gods have began expanding, usually by force, in search of resources, power, and magic items from the old world. Five of these empires are divinely backed, with one of the gods themselves supporting the empire directly in some way, including the creation of new magic items for the first time in 3000 years. The five divine empires are localized in their own portions of the world, but are rapidly expanding into each other, tempting yet another divine war. Mechanus, god of order, backs the Gilded City of the Golden Coast. Alvyn, God of the Sea, backs the Spellscarred raiders, terrors of the Spellscarred sea. Stryx, the goddess of demons and cruelty, backs Verta, the marauding hordes of death. Finnickan, god of loyalty and friendship, leads the Brotherhood of Ardentua, a collection of kingdoms near the great white wall of good. The world sits in this divided state ripe for conflict and intrigue. Technology continues to advance, the divine empires are waging wars on all fronts and making new magic items, and the rest of the world survives in the dying light of the wilderness scourging the magic items from the ruins and relics of the past age. Beneath the surface of this, mysteries and prophesies from ages even farther past lay in wait for discovery and devastation. The Gods and Essences Marvelum has 36 gods, 6 for each of the six Essences that make up the world’s outer planes. The Essences are Good, Nature, Death, Evil, Man, and Life. The gods have always played a major role in life on Marvelum but do so now more than ever with many choosing to exist wholly in the material plane, shaping the landscape and lives around them. There have been other gods before, but when a god dies it is replaced, and when a god is born another dies. There are always 36. You can read more about gods in Chapter 1, the Gods of Marvelum.

6 Strange Geography The world of Marvels is quite unlike Earth. It is a flat world, with the Essences laying at the frayed edges, influencing the material as they get closer. The sun and moon are one celestial body, eternally spinning in the center of the sky to create day and night. The seasons are brought by Aelar, the god of seasons and each lasts only 30 days, for a 120 day year. The world has in the past and to an extent continues to be dominated by a mineral that is abundant within its surface, Orichalcum. Orichalcum is a mineral that is used to create magic items very easily. During the age of magic and nations it led to a high magic utopia for a time. However, Orichalcum undergoes radioactive decay and, over time, become Vivium, a slightly glowing green material with quite the opposite properties. Vivium generates an area of anti-magic, similar to an antimagic field. The Chrysalis is when almost all of the orichalcum on the plane decayed into vivium all at once. Vivium has a much shorter half life than orichalcum, and decays into its third and final form after roughly 2000 years. Vivium decays into Cintium, a soft, nearly translucent metal that is, for all intents and purposes, inert. This is what dominates the land in the age of gods, allowing magic to be cast, but not bolstering its powers as it was with orichalcum in ages past. The world has other oddities and ideocracies as well, such as the existence of the super hard adamantium or the lighter than air cavorite. In addition to areas of strong and weak gravity in certain locations. You can read more about the specifics of Marvelum’s Geography in Chapter 2, The World

7 Chapter 1: The Gods and Essences The Multiverse “Within the multiverse there is an infinite number of planes floating adrift in the void of space. Planes are vastly different, some flat, some round, some with heavy gravity and some with no gravity at all, there seems no universal law that all planes follow, though there are a few trends most do, such as the existence of life and magic. All planar systems contain at least a material plane, some have surrounding “outer planes”, usually far more vast than the material plane itself, some with coexistent “transitive planes”, some have both, and some that are simply a bare material plane. Regardless of the development of the planar system, all planes in the observable multiverse are slowly dying. Over eons, the plane slowly constricts, dissolving first the outer planes if present, then the transitive planes, then complex laws like magic, then the basic laws of physics of the plane, and then finally the material plane itself. While the process is painfully slow, encapsulating millions of even the longest of lifetimes, it is still a large problem, as it can be artificially accelerated, and can arrive even naturally long before the life on the plane has moved on. Therein lies the cruelest trick, planar systems are possessive, and lifeforms and even most objects from other planes quickly deteriorate after at most a few years on other planes, so simply moving is seldom an option. At the center of every plane lies its soul, the piece of it that is most important, that keeps it alive, and is slowly dying. A plane’s soul is often hidden, often so well even the inhabitants of the plane itself do not know where it is, or even on occasion of its existence. Every plane’s soul has at least one protector, whether that protector is aware of this fact or not. A plane’s soul can be untimely ripped from its plane, destroying the plane and everything on it. Theoretically, this soul could be used to revitalize a soul of a dying plane, and extend its life tenfold. This has only been attempted once in recorded history, with disastrous results. In between the planar systems are gaps, upon first inspection, of mere blank space. This observation is fundamentally incorrect however. The far realms beyond the reach of any one plane are areas of immense, unknowable knowledge. It is where the illthids hail from, as well a host of other vile creatures, and is where some depraved souls bargain form power with obscenely powerful forces, not to be trifled with. In addition to the far realm, the astral plane, plane of dreams, and in some planes the shadowfell also connects the planes together in a cosmic web. Usually, the cycle of life and death of planes goes on nearly unnoticed by most, however a rather concerning planar anomaly has plagued our observable multiverse of late, several thousand planes has died, several thousand more are on the brink, and we are a few hundred eons overdue for the creation of a new plane, an act that has not occurred at any point in reliably recorded history. That is until 20 years ago, when a new plane was brought to life from the ashes of a plane who’s life was cut untimely short, after being unnaturally prolonged. Several groups venture forth there, and what they will find will, surely, change the face of the multiverse as we know it.” Prologue to “Planes, and What We Don’t Know About Them” by Hubert Fitzgerald

8 On the Similarity of Planes “Many planes throughout the cosmos have similar superstructures and features, even down to some specific reoccurring locations and peoples. In this list of similarities many planes follow includes, but is not limited to: general laws of physics, time, entropy and death, animals, sentient races and physiologies, the existence of outer planes, elemental planes, a feywild, an ethereal plane, magic, gods, the devil lords, the demon princes, the archfeys, good and evil moralities, heavens and hells, certain physical elements (e.g. Iron), certain languages, mathematics, and philosophies. While not all planes contain all of these elements and even if they do they are often altered from one plane to another, several planes still share these basic concepts that operate remarkably similarly across them. Most interesting among these similarities are specific entities repeated and reiterated time and time again across the planes. These include Asmodeus and his devil lords, Orcus and other demon princes, Bahamut and other specific gods, and even some more powerful moral wizards. These beings are not connected to one another in any discernible way. They do not all share a cosmic perfect of themselves as great old ones are oft to do. Rather, they are simply embodiments of ideas the multiverse seems to frequently iterate across the planes. They are often very different in personality despite being the same, or very similar, in name and appearance. No two being from different planes are exactly identical no matter how similar they may seem. The question of why these similarities, especially specific ones such as the tendency toward fire-laden hellscapes and brightly lit heavens, are so ever-present among the planes has perplexed planar scholars since the dawn of this iteration of the multiverse. There are at present three leading theories. The first is template building, that the creator of the known multiverse, Azathoth the Unknowable, iterates worlds with similar templates in mind, though where these “templates” come from is oft a point of contention. The second is that planes are all formed similarly in their beginnings, and only change with time. The races and gods migrate to these planes and that is how they are populated and formed. This spits in the face of most native creation myths and does not account for the multitude of truly bizarre planes that do not accommodate to most of the laws of other planes. The most popular theory is that the original iteration of the multiverse was not a multiverse at all. In its original form the planes were all one plane, with one set of gods and one set of outer planes. Throughout the many reiterations of the multiverse this plane became many and split and mutated in such a way as to present the great diversity of planes we have now, but most are still in many ways similar to that originator plane. Some proponents of this theory have even posited that the “true” outer planes of this originator plane still exist at the edges of the multiverse, like the outer planes of the far realm itself. Long ago scholars claimed to have visited these true planes, but it is confirmed that, at least as of now, these true planes, if they ever did exist at all, exist no longer. Indeed, the edge of the multiverse is a deadly, black, cold space where even the eccentricities of the far realms fade into true nothingness. Some say beyond the inky black is a greater omniverse of more multiverses, a concept discussed more of in Chapter 52, The Omniverse…” Excerpt from “Planes, and What We Don’t Know About Them” by Hubert Fitzgerald

9 On Azathoth and Entropy While the central tension of the world of Marvels is magic vs. nature (or more universally, change vs. tradition), the central tension of the grander multiverse, and by extension higher level multiplanar play, is something larger. The central tension of the multiverse with its dying worlds and futile empires is creation vs. entropy. This multiverse uses Cthulhu mythos old gods unbounded from their earthly imprisonments and placed back into their original homes among the stars. Chief among the Cthulhu mythos gods is Azathoth, an “amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes”, who controls all of reality from his throne of stars, and is our stand in for the dungeon master. All of the NPCs and beings other than the players in the multiverse are but puppets of this unknowable horror. Azathoth represents both tyranny, and also creation itself, as the perversion of the concept of god in the multiverse. Azathoth is bound by only three self-imposed rules: 1. Beings must act believably to their own motivations and self-interest. 2. Azathoth can, at no point, assume direct control. 3. Azathoth does not know the future as it pertains to the actions of the players. The only beings Azathoth does not control are the players, those whom he has invited into his worlds. The question even those who know the face of Azathoth know not the answer to is why he would invite other beings, unknown variables, into his domain. The answer is to solve a problem. At the center of the multiverse is a dark, foreboding nothing that threatens to erase everything if it only had the chance. This is Entropy, and it is the fundamental, ruling law of the multiverse. It is the only being, force or otherwise that is older than Azathoth himself, is a force Azathoth “brought with him” into his creation. Azathoth, with all of his power, knows not a solution for Entropy, and as such invites unknown variables into his worlds in attempt to glean insight into how to defeat his foe. Of course, he does so in very roundabout, sometimes incomprehensible ways, but it is his ultimate goal. Entropy has a physical form at the center of the multiverse and it is bound by several locks. None of course that it could not break if it tried, but Entropy’s physical form has not moved since the inception of this version of the multiverse. Instead his influence is felt in aging, time, and the inevitable deaths of planes. This is the fourth iteration of the multiverse, each one playing with different rules. In each one Azathoth and Entropy danced their endless dance, under different names, under different circumstances. Yahweh and the Darkness, Diadem and Deadra, always they have played this game. In the previous iteration, the Darkness physically consumed the fixed in place planes by moving across the multiverse like a curtain. This was opposed by Yahweh and the Light of creation. Many things were different then, but the multiverse was reset when the Elemental Lord attempted to reshape it in his image, and to stop him heroes reset all of reality, changing its properties indefinitely. Some powerful beings, such as the elder gods and what remains of the elemental lord have transcended these iterations to exist in multiple, sometimes all at once.

10 Time and Order Time is one of the more vulnerable aspects of the multiverse, so a coalition of powerful wizards, gods, devils, and eldritch entities have risen to protect it. Meddling with time can rewrite large swaths of events effecting the multiverse. Additionally, preventing certain events causes a fundamental error, causing Azathoth, the unknowable ceaseless creator of all to become a black hole, quickly consuming all of the multiverse. This is because going far enough back in time inadvertently shifts the balance toward entropy and causes Azathoth to lose the battle at the dawn of creation. While smaller instance of time travel and meddling, such as those caused by high level magics and time loops are generally harmless, god level magics and those inscribed in artifacts like the deck of many things must be more rigorously policed. Time gods exist for many worlds, and where they do not often time is policed by another entity. These entities are generally allowed to police how time works on their own worlds unless it somehow causes a multiversal threat. Only once has the council had to terminate an entire plane for such actions of a rogue god. When such threats do arise, generally a Marut is sent with a warning to the violating party and that is the end of it, but sometimes more drastic actions are required. Outside of some strange exceptions as the multiplicity of Earth and some other worlds, timelines tend not to branch, and if they do they do so only in a self-contained form on a single plane. Such discrepancies may cause issue for a plane, but do not generally effect multiversal integrity. Only time travel on a multiversal scale, shifting an entire plane or traveling outside of a plane warrants attention. Originally formed my Mordenkaiden of the famous council of wizards of Faerun, in his research of the multiverse he discovered the unique vulnerability of time and invited his colleagues to look over the multiversal time stream alongside him. After their clones were killed on their home plane by Vecna, he eventually hunted down most of the council in a multiversal quest for vengeance and power before being struck down by Kas, his hand and eye scattered across the multiverse and dubious copies made many times over. Vecna eventually reclaimed his real appendages and was only stopped from becoming a class one over-god by Accerack, and remains entombed in his tomb of horrors to this day. Still, Mordenkaiden’s council was mostly pruned, and he was left to acquire new members. The members have varied across time as they died, turned or abandoned the cause, or simply ceased to be. The current members of the council are mostly from planar convergence worlds, worlds with strange significance to planar magic such as Faerun, the city of Sigil, Avon, the multiplicity of Earth, and, prior to its destruction, Ravnica. Mordenkaiden, Elminster, Teferi, Father Time, Yarn, and Gimble chair the council in current times. Yarn being a god of time from a plane where time flows quite strangely, and Gimble being and immortal devil known for stealing the very concept of time from his home plane and several others. The council uses inevitable, a reiterative constant across planes of order to do their dirty work when the multiversal time stream is threatened. They take these inevitables from planes just before they are destroyed. As inevitables have no soul, they suffer no planar sickness and are otherwise immortal. While some inevitables have gone rogue, most succumb quite easily to the magics of Mordenkaiden and Elminster.

11 The Essences Surrounding the plane of Marvels are 6 outer planes, each infinite in their scope and size. These six planes form the essences of all that exists on Marvel. The six planes are Good, Life, Nature, Evil, Death, and Man. The planes are positioned in opposition to one another, with Good opposing Evil, Life opposing Death, and Nature opposing Man. Each of the planes bleed together at the seams and create pseudo-planes at their vast intersections. Thus, one could stumble upon the Goldmeadow, a lush bounty of good and life and assume it its own plane, when in reality it is merely the cross point of Good and Life. Life bleeds into Good at the Goldmeadow, Good bleeds into Nature at the Hopewood, Nature bleeds into Death at the Black Marsh, Death bleeds into Evil at the Planes of Torment, Evil bleeds into Man at the Dark Citadel, and Man bleeds into Life at the Realm of Resurrection. As the plane of Marvels is flat, the outer planes lay quite literally at the edge of the material plane. Most are difficult if not impossible to access from the material plane due to extreme conditions around the point of crossing between planes, such as the scorching deserts approaching Death, the spellscarred sea bordering Man, or the great white gate barring access to Good. Their remote locations, far from any sane form of civilization make them unlikely to be accessed by the living as well. Still, people walking to the outer planes is the stuff of legend, and many a legend has been written about it. Outside of the outer planes lay the far realm. The far realm is home to a host of inconceivable beasts. It is the origin of mindflayers, aberrations, and the great old ones of the eldritch pacts. Deep in the far realm are other material planes, many with their own host of outer planes. These nearly infinite alternate material planes each follow their own rules and are so distant from Marvel it is unlikely any would ever set foot on one. Each material plane, Marvel included, has a soul. The soul of the plane provides its life and is always slowly dying. Marvel’s is a relatively young soul, and barring cataclysmic actions, the plane should remain alive for a minimum of another 100,000 years. The defender of the soul was Mardu, the head of the council of magi in control of the city of Marvels. The soul rests deep directly under the city lending the city some of its mystique and power. Since Mardu no true defenders of the soul have arisen, but neither have any who would come to threaten it. Each of the Essences have 6 divine beings who rule over individual aspects of the essence itself. These divine beings are oft worshiped on Marvel and are considered gods, though their power is significantly less than that of the typical gods found the realms of Dungeons and Dragons. The planes also are host to a wide variety of outsiders, some quaint and banal, others nearly as powerful as the gods themselves. Below is a description of each plane and the creatures that live there.

12 Death The plane of death is a vast desolation of sand under an eternal cloak of an ebony sky. The air is cold and chill to the touch, but the sand is eternally inexplicably blazing. The realm is inhabited primarily by swarms of vile insects, locusts are most common, and by large, burrowing wurms, “deathwurms” as they are so labeled. The occasional lost soul of some damned traveler dots the otherwise desolate wastes. Death is a timeless plane. All things here are immune to the ravages of time as known on the material plane. Nothing ages, rots or decays. Weather or even the slightest gust of wind is foreign to the plane, making change of any kind is unlikely short of outside influence. If one enters Death from the material plane, should they return they return at the exact moment they left. Death is not designed for living beings, and it has a strange, draining effect on them. Each day (relatively) spent in Death provokes a constitution save vs a level of exhaustion that isn’t removable until the creature leaves Death. In addition to the physical exhaustion the creature becomes increasingly depressed, losing its will to live. Should a creature die on Death, from exhaustion or otherwise, its soul is damned to wander the sands forever. Three gods make their residence here. The Reaper spends most of his limited time not preforming his duties roaming the blazing sands. The Judge resides in a large courthouse forged of bone in the center of the plane, and Time, haggard and dismayed, roams the sands in search of something he will never find. The Planes of Torment The Planes of Torment lay at the intersection of the planes of Death and Evil. It is, as many intersections are, quite different from either of the planes it borders. The Planes of Torment is a veritable sea of tortured souls. Any who walk into the souls are nearly instantly torn to shreds and join their eternal torment. The Judge sends those he deems entirely irredeemable to the Planes of Torment, and though it is unknown what types of tortures are bestowed upon the souls there, those resurrected from the planes return scarred and insane

13 from the treatment and require the use of a greater restoration spell to become properly functioning again. At the center of the sea of souls is a small island of stone with a small, desolate throne at the center. There sits Alighieri, the keeper of the dead, ever vigilant over his most reluctant souls. Reveling among the torment of the sea of tortured souls is Stryx, the goddess of torture, along with her servants, the demons. Demons reside under the sea of souls tormenting them eternally. There are several small islands floating above the sea, which creates the plural of the planes of torment. Several islands are home to small tribes of evil or individual evils of particular note, such as Tiamat, the patron of chromatic dragons. One large island is the war-torn demi-plane of Solum, where various creatures form over twenty separate factions fighting, dying, and being reborn again in an endless war fought for no determinable reason. The god of war makes his home here though he claims that war on this plane has waged for longer than he has even existed and he does naught to fuel it. Time passes more slowly on the Planes of Torment. Some individual “planes” here alter time differently, but in general near the sea of souls time is slowed down at a rate of ten to one. As such, a single day in the planes of torment would be a full week on the material plane, and vice versa. Evil The plane of Evil wreathed in a cloak of immense fire, and it is believed to be the source of all fire magic and fire in general. Beneath the flames that transverse the plane like air is an arid, red clay of a floor, solid ground to walk on should one resist the flaming air. The plane is as such home to devils, scheming evil creatures supposedly kin to the demons of the planes of torment. They forged great molten cities in the hellscape and practice their bizarre evil politics in an endless squabble of power among themselves. More powerful devils such as Amadeus are nearly godlike in strength and intellect but are far too concerned with their own affairs to be trouble to the outside world or warrant more and a few dozen worshipers. Fire elementals also roam the land freely and evil souls who were deemed worthy of an evil paradise rather than damnation in the planes of torment reside here, though most find it not what they had wished for. The plane is home to several evil gods who erect great monuments to live in. The god of schemes lives among the devils in their primary city, Heinmosh, as their current ruler in the twisted democracy. The god of lies lives in the ice fortress, a place so cold a

14 desolate even the fires of the plane extinguish themselves, none go near, and the god has not been seen for eons. The god of greed and envy covets the entire plane and claims it as her own. She continually amasses small armies to attempt to take the plane, and in all of her efforts failed to actually create anything to call her own. The god of sorrow and anger has no physical form to be seen, but is rumored to make his home on the plane of evil. Several faithful believe that he is in fact the eternal flames that ravage the plane. The plane is the source of all evil and any creature who comes into contact with fires of the plane must succeed a DC 17 wisdom save or have their alignment shifted to evil. Time flows slower on the plane of Evil similarly to the planes of torment, at a rate of every three hours here is one hour on the material plane, so every day is 3 days. The Dark Citadel Laying at the border of the planes of Man and Evil is a dark spot left alone by the rest of the planes. This desolate land plagued by its own personal landscape of black land that is soft and sticky like tar but is gradual like dirt and solid enough to stand on without really sinking in to. When the land is wet it is considered difficult terrain. The dark citadel sits under an ebony sky, with any light being consumed by the darkness so only creatures with darkvision may be able to see. It is the only of the outer plane with weather patterns, the temperature fluctuates just as it does on the material plane and clouds form and rain or snow as often as on the material plane as well. The defining attribute of this wasteland is the large dark castle laying at the center for which the plane is named. The 66- story citadel was once the seat of power for both the plane of magic and the plane of evil, but ultimately the planes developed more complex power structures and the citadel now sits, it’s ownership its own reward. The god of power sits atop the tower’s many stories, ruling over the wasteland. There are various automated servants the roam the tower performing menial labor and maintenance that are considered residents of the plane. The only other living inhabitant of the plane is the god of power’s brother, the god of betrayal, who is imprisoned somewhere within the tower. Time flows only slightly slower in the Dark Citidel, flowing at half the rate of the material plane. Post-chrysalis, the Dark Citadel remains, it is still home to Domi, though his allegiance has changed for magic to evil with the murder of his brother. The god of manipulation, Valoran, also resides in the tower, but other than this any magical influences of the tower being stripped from it, the “plane” remains mostly unchanged.

15 Man The realm of Man is the newest of the essences, previously having been the realm of magic (and long before that, the realm of primacy). As such, it is also the least developed. The realm of Man resembles, from afar, a large, gray, hilly wasteland. It is so desolate at it was the primary battleground of the third war of the gods. There is a section on this infinity for each of the gods of man to reside, bearing their own personal flare. Some scholars consider these dominions their own demiplanes, but in reality they are just disparate parts of the plane of man. Chaos resides in the multicolored, stitched together fields of chaos, Mechanus resides in the marvelous clockwork city of Mechanus, Pelianora resides in the ever-ripe fields of harvest, Hillregaurd has an adventurers base, an entire vast town known as Haven, Cadick resides in his laboratory, and Valoran resides in his tower. In-between these places are not merely vast gray wasting, but also various other constructions built by the outsiders who reside on the plane of man. Various otherworldly cities, legend speaks of one for every political system imaginable, a large demonic villa where yugoloths are hired out on contract, a city made entirely of gemstones, and many other landmarks dot the vast gray space that is the realms of man. Time flows here the same as the material plane. The Harvestlands The intersection of Life and Man is a vast expanse of crops eternally ripe for harvest known as the harvestlands. It is said a single bite of the fruit from the harvest lands will make all other food taste like dirt in comparison. It is home to Pelianora and Bes. The Harvestlands are still the dominion souls pass through on their way back from the afterlife. Every time a resurrection occurs, a twinkle appears in the ever-blue sky. Time flows faster here than on the material plane. Every day spent in the harvestlands is two days on the material plane.

16 Life The plane of Life is vibrant place, the ground here pulsates and gives off an energy, as if the land itself is living and breathing. The soil that covers the plane is dark and rich, anything placed within it will grow at abnormal speed. Mortals within the plane of life regress to their physical prime and remain there until they leave the plane. Nothing can die within the plane, and any harm dealt is healed instantly. Life’s ground is continually growing and shifting, continually expanding from it’s center, the lifewell. The lifewell is a deep ravine of green energy some believe it to be the source of life itself, the Mother goddess, while others believe it merely a side effect of the creation of the plane. As the plane grows, landmarks shift and change, but never die. A forest of swords from the swords laid down from soldiers who came to the plane of life shifted into a large metal sphere floating above a newly formed forest. Several angels and elementals reside on the plane of life as well as several souls of those who lived their lives preserving life or lived their lives to the absolute fullest. They live as physically perfect immortals and make their homes somewhere in the ever -expanding fields of life. Due to the immortality the plane grants several try to live their lives on the plane of life forever, and some wizards have even done so. To walk to the plane of life from the material plane one must scale a mountain chain that forms the border of the planes, it is considered the most perilous climb on the plane and only one near physical perfection to cross the peaks. The plane is under an eternally purple sky with no apparent light sources, though all is pleasantly brightly lit at all times. The plane of Life is timeless, just as the plane of death is. Any creature entering here would leave at the same time should they ever have chosen to do so. Some areas on the plane of life are shifted from this timelessness however. Goldmeadow The intersections between life and good is a pristine meadow of flowers and serene hills. Several dead good creatures and those who lived peaceful lives reside in this place for eternity, grazing the meadow. Several

17 anthropomorphic animals and celestials with animal heads reside on the plane, along with several fae like creatures and a few angels from the plane of good. Regular farm life occasionally grazes the meadow as well. Mortals in the Goldmeadow feel an extreme sense of calm and never wish to leave the plane. The plane does not grant immortality as the plane of life to mortals however, so mortals will die in the Goldmeadow never wishing to leave. Goldmeadow is the easiest plane to walk to from the material plane, while still being on the fringes of the plane, there is no physical obstruction like most other planes. The Goldmeadow is always sunny and bathed in a perfect 72-degree weather under an eternally clear blue sky. It is said eventually the sun of Goldmeadow will begin to set, and when it does forces of evil will begin to work their way through the plane of life and the Goldmeadow will be the eternal battleground between good and evil, a twilit desolate plain of battle. This nearly occurred during the third war of the gods as the gods battled mostly on the newly forged realm of man, but the war never reached Goodmeadow’s farthest tree, only occasionally piercing into the realm of life. Time here flows quicker than the material plane, a day here is three days on the material plane. Good Resembling a titanic interior to an extravagant manor, The plane of Good is an immaculate all white, with only vague outlines defining the edges of objects, including the pale white angels, ascended spirits and other outsiders native to the plane. Everything on the plane smells faintly of lavender, or it produces no scent at all, to the touch everything in the plane is notably hard and rigid. This makes people and objects not native to the plane stand out almost uncomfortably, everyone can sense that they do not belong. The plane is separated into infinite vast rooms each delicately decorated and home to some form of outsider native to the plane, tales of the plane are varied and different among those on the material plane due to the differences between various rooms. The plane is separated from the material plane by a titanic white wall with several sets of stairs along it leading to the top. Many claim it would take several lifetimes to ascend, but according to legend, any who could would achieve immortality and be able to pass between planes at will, as such, several thousand waste their lives on this eternal climb, and so far none have completed this herculean task. Teleportation to the plane is possible, but any travelers are met by solars inquiring their purpose where they do not yet belong and is as such seldom attempted.

18 Time here flows significantly quicker here than on the material plane, a single day here is ten days on the material plane. Hopewood The intersection of Good and Nature, the hopewood is a wood bathed in eternal dawn’s light that seems to come from nowhere as the sky is an eternal orange with no sun or any celestial bodies in sight. The Hopewood is inhabited by good fae, celestial animals and animal kin, ascended good druids and lovers of nature, a few gods, and any who have managed to get there from other planes. The Hopewood makes all feel at peace who reside there, however though they may not wish to leave, there is no magical compulsion to stay as with other planes. All food here, as described by those who have visited, simply tastes more making normal food taste unbearably bland by comparison. The border to the hopewood is blocked to the material plane by the same unnaturally dense thicket that blocks the way to the plane of Nature and the Black Marsh. The more northern section of the thicket leading to the hopewood is bleached white similar to the plane of Good and guarded by celestial beasts. Teleportation to the Hopewood is unguarded and entirely permissible.

19 Nature The plane of Nature is a magnificent sprawling forest bisected by a babbling brook leading to an infinitely expanding ocean. The realm of Nature is populated by all manner of beast, normal, fantastical, enlarged, even beasts that don’t exist on the material plane. Additionally, the seasons on Nature change erratically, and it said that nature has as many as 16 seasons, though mortals merely speculate what the other 12 could be. Similarly, weather changes violently and often as well on the plane, with superstorms and days clearer than could ever be possible on the material plane. It is said that within Alvyn’s infinite ocean, every event that could ever take place on the oceans of the material plane is occurring, all at once. Time here flows at the same rate as the material plane. Black Marsh The fetid swamps of Black Marsh make up the intersection of Nature and Death. It is a place of disease and death, and yet still life flourishes here, with numerous trees, unique flora, and swamp beasts. It is said that for every disease to exist within the Black Marsh, which is said to be 10 times the number of diseases inflicted upon the material plane, there is some combination of flowers in the very same plane that could cure the affliction. The gods Sverta and Grumbar reside here, though it is said Chaac and Aelar are frequent visitors as well.

20 The Gods The gods of Marvels are created from the essences they emerged from, often embodying a single ideal, as well as fulfilling a purpose in the world. Alvyn, the god of the sea, literally resides over the sea, consciously or unconsciously responsible for its tides and creatures, and is also the patron of Taoism in the world. The gods usually stay within their dominion on the essences, only appearing on the material plane to give epic quests, defend the plane of intrusions, or war in times of astral conflict. Gods do war in dire times and can die. Dead gods go to the Divine Graveyard, located on the material plane, though very few mortals know of its existence. Gods can come back to life, in fact post-chrysalis Virdain is one such revived god, though the process for revival of the divine is likely unique to each god, and mostly unknowable. The gods oft represent multitudes. Visiduous for instance, is simultaneously Visiduous, the god of war and conflict, representing wars devastation and ceaseless hunger for life, Kirby, the god of the elegance and beauty of tactics in combat, and the necessity of war to preserve values, and Grummish, the orcish god of conquest, while still being the same being. As the gods rule over their entire ideal, they have facets for every aspect of that ideal, though some the god seldom employs. All of the gods have a single solar, an archangel that enacts their will on the material and other planes. These Solar hold dominion over hosts of planetar, deva, and other lesser angels in the case of good and neutral deities, and hold power over demons, devils, or yugoloths in the case of evil deities. The exception to the one solar rule is Malida, goddess of angels who has six solars to herself. The individual solar of each god is described in that god’s description. The Gods abide by certain rules put in place in the first age. These rules have reasons for their being in place, but they are agreements, not physical laws, so the gods break them on occasion. The penalty for breaking these laws varies but tends to be ostracization and divine magical penalties. The three main rules the gods abide by are as follows: 1. Do not leave the plane. Leaving the plane of Marvels is effectively abdicating your position over your Essence. If the god of war left Marvel, war would still continue, but unguided and unstoked. The gods exist to mediate and reside over their domain, to abandon it is the greatest of sins. In his time, Ormendal left the plane to discover and log foreign civilizations, and Hillregaurd has been known to venture off plane on her adventures. 2. Do not produce children with mortals. In addition to the emotional turmoil of having a mate and child that will eventually with and die to time, demigods also provide potential leverage for the god’s enemies to manipulate them and the heart of a demigod can be used in many perverse rituals to grant individuals near godlike power. In spite of this rule, many gods have produced demi-gods throughout Marvel’s long history. Alvyn, god of the sea has had several, the death of many in the third war of the gods resulted in him boiling the seas for 100 years. Helga, goddess of fertility, has reportedly had thousands of demigod children who live with her in the plane of life. Additionally, Yena, Hillreguard, Stryx, Nicor, Virdain, Chaos, and Philomena are said to have or have had Demigod children. Demigods are mortal, but have certain divine aspects of their parents, which can include much longer than average lifespans.

21 3. Do not encroach on another Essence: A god’s presence on an essence that is not their own disturbs the very Essence and ripples through to the material plane. It can also have detrimental effects on the gods themselves. Due to the more dire and direct consequences, this rule is broken seldom but has been broken in times of divine war and by Finnickan, Caelynn, and Hillreguard on various quests, as well as by Sara and Lia to retrieve lost souls from the planes of Evil and Death. Name of God Description Alignment/Domain Caelynn Goddess of peace and forgiveness Neutral Good/Good Raelinn God of generosity and selflessness Chaotic Good/Good Paela Goddess of happiness and hedonism Chaotic Good/Good Arand God of travel and paths Neutral Good/Good Malida Goddess of devotion, patron of angels Lawful Good/Good Whurbin God of the earth and creation Lawful Good/Good Symma Goddess and creator of life Lawful Good/Life Lia Goddess of love Chaotic Good/Life Bes Goddess of family Neutral Good/Life Philomena Goddess of beauty Neutral Good/Nature Aelar God of seasons and balance Lawful Good/Nature Alvyn God of the sea Chaotic Good/Nature Helga Goddess of fertility and growth Lawful Neutral/Life Yena Goddess of health and longevity True Neutral/Life Virdain God of virility Chaotic Neutral/Life Grumbar God of the pack and the hunt True Neutral/Nature Chaac God of weather and harsh realities Chaotic Neutral/Nature Saur God of beasts True Neutral/Nature Pelianora Goddess of harvest True Neutral/Man Mechanus God of order Lawful Neutral/Man Hillregaurd Goddess of curiosity and exploration Chaotic Neutral/Man Oriax God of passage into death and spontaneity Chaotic Neutral/Death Xendal God of judgment after death and rigid adherence Lawful Neutral/Death Alighieri God of the dead True Neutral/Death Stryx Goddess of pain and torture, ruler of demons Chaotic Evil/Evil Nameless One God of lies and selfishness Lawful Evil/Evil Valoren God of trickery and deception Neutral Evil/Evil

22 Mugrunden God of impulse and rage Chaotic Evil/Evil Domi God of power and dominance Lawful Evil/Evil Nicor God of schemes, ruler of devils Lawful Evil/Evil Osvaldo God of Trade and Mercantilism Neutral Evil/Man Chaos Goddess of delirium and insanity Chaotic Evil/Man Cadick God of innovation and invention Neutral Evil/Man Amnon God of time Neutral Evil/Death Zverta Goddess of Pestilence, Infestation, and Revenge Chaotic Evil/Death Visiduous God of war and tactics Lawful Evil/Death Below is a list of gods by their domain. Gods of Death Oriax: The Reaper, The Grim, or simply End, Oriax is the god tasked with retrieving the souls of the departed on the material plane and escorting them through the endless sands to the last court. It is seen as incredibly unwise to seek the face of the reaper by those who value living, as such a common symbol of his church is a malleable clay face, a reference both to this and to the unknowable nature of what exactly lies beyond death. This symbol works in tandem with the more traditional symbols of his church, the scythe of souls and a simple skull. Oriax does have an active church and is not often seen as an evil figure, but more a natural inevitability. His church follows a singular holy tome, Libris Mortis, a small black book bearing a skull on its cover and traditionally written in common. Within the Mortis are the Reaper’s primary missives: Destroy undeath where ever it is present, accept death when the time comes for you, those who cheat the reaper often have a far worse fate awaiting them, and live life to the fullest while you have it, for it shall not last forever. Oriax does not encourage prayer, as such he has no organized religion. His clerics simply find the spells they need. Oriax’s Solar in charge of his limited flight of angels of death is Allian, who does appear as the traditional skeletal grim reaper. Oriax resides in the burning sands of Death. Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

23 Earning and Losing Piety You increase your piety score to Oriax when you honor him or the finality of death through acts such as these: • Seeking out and destroying undeath in all of its forms • Overseeing the burial rights for the slain • Embracing spontaneity and seizing the day Your piety score to Oriax when you diminish Oriaz’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Performing necromancy magic or allowing necromancy magics to be performed • Unnaturally extending life • Denying a dying person their final rights Oriax’s Devotee Piety 3+ Oriax trait Your life is intertwined with the fate of the dead. You can cast gentle repose with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Oriax’s Votary Piety 10+ Oriax trait You can cast speak with dead with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Oriax’s Disciple Piety 25+ Oriax trait You can cast false life with this trait, requiring no material components. When you do so, you gain an additional 25 temporary hit points. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of the Passage Piety 50+ Oriax trait You can increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.

24 Xendal: The Judge, Oathkeeper, Xendal is the god who determines the afterlife of a deceased soul from the material plane. There are supposedly a gauntlet of trails each departed goes through that judges their life and how they lived it to determine their most fitting resting place, but not even the most devout of his followers know what lay in wait for them at the end. Xendal’s symbol is a scale held by a skeletal hand and Xendal himself is often portrayed as a skeleton, though in truth none know for sure as any who have seem him among the living describe his face and body obscured by heavy plate armor and a dark leather hood. Xendal has an active church who follow his extensive 32 book holy texts, collectively known as The Pathe. While there are rigid tenets lain out in the path for how to achieve certain afterlives the most basic ideas of the religion are as follows: Live your life in preparation for what is after, as this existence is but the beginning of a never-ending voyage, remain true to your oaths, and, regardless of what you follow, follow something, only the pathless and deserters end up in the planes of torment. Xendal’s archangel is Duma, and he resides in the great island on the material plane guarding the divine war relics. Xendal resides in the final court, a large courthouse made of bones in the center of the burning sands of Death. Alignment: Lawful Neutral Earning and Losing Piety You increase your piety score to Xendal when you honor him or following a creed through acts such as these: • Declaring a path for yourself or helping other find their path • Sticking to your path in the face of adversity • Seeking out and destroying undeath in all of its forms Your piety score to Xendal when you diminish Xandal’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Desecrating any of Xendal’s holy texts or symbols • Straying from your path or convincing others to stray from theirs • Break an oath

25 Xendal’s Devotee Piety 3+ Xendal trait As a devotee of Xendal, you can manipulate the bonds of destiny that invisibly entangle every living thing. You can cast command with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Xendal’s Votary Piety 10+ Xendal trait You can cast clairvoyance with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. Xendal’s Disciple Piety 25+ Xendal trait You develop a second sense, allowing you to intuit the tug and pull of destiny. You can’t be surprised, provided you aren’t incapacitated. Champion of Time Piety 50+ Xendal trait You can increase your Strength or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Amnon: Time, Old Bones, The Inevitable, Amnon is one of the old gods, part of the trinity that created reality and the material plane. He created a form in which events could take place, and then end, thus allowing new events to take their place. He was at odds with his fellows however, as they wanted their creations to reign eternal. Amnon believed himself better than his siblings and implemented his will regardless. This took a terrible toll on him. He aged significantly; an act previously believed impossible for a god. He was exiled to the wastes of the south, a timeless land where he could never age again, stuck forever as a haggard old man. His symbol is an hourglass

26 that is running out of time, which he wears around his neck. Amnon demands that his followers respect the passage of time in all things, and celebrate it, as that is the point. Amnon detests magic that alters time or would extend one’s time on earth, though it is debatable if this means all healing magic or just resurrection, most of the clock, time’s church, agree upon the former. He also sets forth a holy quest in the single tome that makes up his scripture, to come to the burning sands, and meet him. Face to face. It is implied this will free Time from his “curse”. Amnon’s places of worship are always circular and he must have an attendant at his shrines at all times. Prayers to Amnon are often incredibly long, as giving the gift of time back to Amnon is the greatest sacrifice. Amnon’s Archangel is the chosen of his disciples, the Tortle Krull the Irredeemable. During the time immediately before the chrysalis, in a desperate attempt to stop the chrysalis, a group freed time. Some historians say that Time reversed history for this group, and that had they not freed him the chrysalis would have been even worse than it was, possibly even apocalyptic. This is all conjecture, of course. What is certain is that Amnon sought revenge on his brethren, and in the time after his freedom killed Calira, the goddess of innocence and purity, and played a pivotal role in the third war of the gods, after which he seemingly vanished, abdicating his role and leaving the plane for 2000 years only to return once more at the end of the fourth war of the gods to stave off the Light and aid in a victory for the 36 gods. Since new holy texts have appeared extolling the evils of Entropy and the time need not be inexorably tied to its terrors. The concepts are lofty and the scripture is erratic. Few can decipher the meaning of the text and fewer still agree with its meaning. Still, Amnon controls his followers ripped out of time itself to pursue his dark goals of untangling time and entropy, the effects of which are unknowable. Alignment: Neutral Evil You increase your piety score to Amnon when you honor him or the integrity of time through acts such as these: • Performing memorials for the dead • Destroying undeath, especially sentient undead • Perform actions to halt entropy Your piety score to Amnon when you diminish Amnon’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Perform or allow resurrection or animation magic • Use your time wastefully • Spend time in a timeless place Augur Piety 3+ Amnon trait You can cast augury as a ritual with this trait. Once you do so, you can’t cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest. Seer

27 Piety 10+ Amnon trait You can cast divination as a ritual with this trait. Once you do so, you can’t cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest. Sibyl Piety 25+ Amnon trait You can cast commune as a ritual with this trait. Once you do so, you can’t cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest. You also can’t be surprised, provided you aren’t incapacitated. Champion of Time Piety 50+ Amnon trait You can increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 2, as well as increasing your maximum for the chosen score by 2. Alighieri: The Keeper, The Watcher, The Warden, Alighieri is the keeper of dead, the warden who guards all from passage back into life. He resides at the center of the sea of tormented souls on a small rock where he keeps a special eye on the most troubled of souls, though his gaze envelopes all of the essences and the departed within them. Alighieri takes a small fee for the return of a willing, deserving soul to the world of the living, the price paid in gems for the resurrection spell, and personally allows the spirit access to the realm of resurrection. He also prevents certain souls from ever returning to the world of the living and prevents scheming among the dead. His symbol is a bottle with a soul inside of it, which his followers take great care in procuring. He looks like a bloated gray human with pulsating cancerous growths emerging from him, and several bottles of dangerous souls strung with rope around his neck. While often seen by wizards as a toll keeper at the revolving door of death, Alighieri’s faithful follow his several religious texts see him for his true purpose. Of his text there are 12 main volumes, with several more obscure poems and verses in other tomes. He commands his followers observe death as a state of being, one not permanent, but also not to be taken lightly. He condones resurrection though his stance on

28 necromancy is woefully vague. Some take certain passages to mean he staunchly condemns it, but others insist since the soul is not involved the keeper of souls hold no purview or qualms with the practice. His faithful insist Alighieri’s true purpose and message is to maintain the natural order of things, though the natural order may not be what it at first appears. Alighieri's archangel is a dragon of souls of the damned that acts on his behalf on the material plane. It has no name, but it is oft referred to as Soulrender. Alighieri’s place of worship is called a throne. He is prayed to with offerings of wealth and food. Alignment: True Neutral Earning and Losing Piety You increase your piety score to Alighieri when you honor him or the Dead through acts such as these: • Performing rituals to honor the dead or Alighieri • Providing offerings to Alighieri, such as for resurrections or funeral rites • Finding a suitable soul for your bottle Your piety score to Alighieri when you diminish Alighieri’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Attempt to resurrect an unworthy or unwilling soul • Deprive Alighieri of his proper offerings • Let an unworthy individual continue to walk the earth Alighieri’s Devotee Piety 3+ Alighieri trait As a devotee of Alighieri, you have proven yourself an executor of the Underworld’s grim laws. You can call on Alighieri’s favor to cast bane with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Alighieri’s Votary Piety 10+ Alighieri trait You can cast vampiric touch with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Alighieri’s Disciple Piety 25+ Alighieri trait When a soul is sent to its rightful place, you can draw on the energy of the Underworld to empower you. When a creature dies within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level. Champion of the Dead

29 Piety 50+ Alighieri trait You can increase your Constitution or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Visiduous: War, Kirby, Grummish, Visiduous is the god of war. He believes conflict to be the main pathway to progress among the living and war to be the grandest scale of that progress. He individually enjoys tactics as it shows how conflict has brought about progress in the very field of solving conflict and is viewed by some as the god of Tactics rather than war, then using his other given name, Kirby. Visiduous resides on the eternally warring demi-plane of Solum in the tortured sea of the planes of torment and often takes the form of a dark armored warrior with a black face and a flaming sword, but some believe him to be the very essence of war or tactics itself. His symbol is a flaming sword over a book, symbolizing the duality of the god’s nature and the essence of goal of conflict. Visiduous has several holy texts but they are vastly different than the texts of the other gods, in that most of them are merely books on tactics, ancient primordial war stories, or the occasional book of hatred intended to spur conflict along. Devout followers of Visiduous insist that within these tomes there is a hidden mantra on how to live life, namely: Seek out conflict where it exists and cause it if you need to, conflict should not be viewed as a negative, but as a natural step forward. Allow conflict to end when it should, as conflict is merely a step to further progress. Always have a plan in place when in conflict, or for when conflict arises, always be prepared for war. Visiduous' Archangel is Valorous, who inspires war and courage in all who are in his radiant presence. Visiduous' place of worship is called a war room. Only those who have served in combat can be a priest and their military rank is recognized as their religious rank. Prayers to Visiduous take the form of sparring and combat practice. Alignment: Lawful Evil You increase your piety score to Visiduous when you honor him or war through acts such as these: • Participate in an armed conflict • Use conflict to resolve an issue • Outwit an opponent

30 Your piety score to Visiduous when you diminish Visiduous’ influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Surrender or resolve a conflict peacefully • Rush to action without considering tactics • Be without a weapon for long periods of time Visiduous’s Devotee Piety 3+ Visiduous trait As a devotee of Visiduous, you have earned his favor through victories won in his name. You can cast compelled duel with this trait a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Visiduous’s Votary Piety 10+ Visiduous trait You can cast crusader’s mantle with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened. Visiduous’s Disciple Piety 25+ Visiduous trait As a bonus action, you can call on Visiduous’s blessing, gaining the following benefit for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated: creatures within 30 feet of you can’t gain advantage on attack rolls against you. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Champion of War Piety 50+ Visiduous trait You can increase your Strength or Charisma score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Zverta: goddess of Pestilence, Infestations, and Vengeance. Zverta is a goddess that looks like a giant fly that emerged from the Essence of Death immediately upon the conflagration of the Ibis, making her the youngest god of the 36. She consumed Torna, the previous

31 archangel of the Ibis, by unhinging her jaw and swallowing Torna whole. She half-digested Torna and vomited her back up. The flies that accumulated around the corpse became Zverta's servants. In digesting Torna Zverta assumed her rage and sorrow for the Ibis. She moved her flies and locus into the material plane to consume the Illuminated Lands of the Light, leaving herself defenseless. Grumbar, god of the hunt, was in the Black Marsh and hunted for the largest of prizes, a divine trophy for his mantle in the Lodge of Heroes. He found the newly formed goddess and aimed his bow at her, but she was clever. She feigned being already dead, biting a hole in her side and laying perfectly still. When Grumbar went to claim his prize, she bit him, and infected him a disease that could even fell gods. He retreated, and was eventually cured by Yena, but never again hunted for Zverta. Zverta took up the mantle of the Ibis, and feels what Torna felt, but she is not her predecessor, she is not content to let the diseases fester and boil with time. For diseases can be healed, infestations chew through much quicker. Zverta, though these stories, preaches vengeance at all costs, becoming an infestation and instrument of violent, dramatic change, and find clever solutions to problems. Her holy symbol is a fly with a gaping jaw opening from its stomach. Zverta's archangel is Zampata, a therianthmorphic mosquito. Zverta's places of worship are called swarms and are always populated with vast swaths of insects. Increase piety • Spread disease, infection, or infestation • Seek revenge with all of your being and resources • Outwit your opponents Decrease Piety • Cure a disease, affliction, or infestation • Kill insects and insectoids • Allow a slight to go unpunished Zverta’s Devotee Piety 3+ Zverta trait As a devotee of Ibis, you have power over affliction. You can cast Infestation with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Zverta’s Votary Piety 10+ Zverta trait The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, or for 1 minute, the target deals only half damage with weapon attacks. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Zverta’s Disciple Piety 25+ Zverta trait

32 You can cast Insect Plague once per long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of Affliction Piety 50+ Zverta Ibis trait You can increase your Dexterity or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Gods of Nature Alvyn: Sea, King of Tides, Arthur, Alvyn is the god of the sea. He is usually seen as a fair god, allowing the oceans to be calm or monstrous in a cycle rather than to his whim. He is often portrayed as an older man with a beard composed of flowing water, with a trident in hand, though some say he is the very water that comprises the oceans, as evidenced by the infinite sea on Nature. He is known for having the most demigods of any god short of Helga, and his Demigods often disobey and have their own stories, rather than simply being extension of the god as many other demigods turn out to be. Alvyn preaches his followers to sails the seas he has created, respect the ocean and its bounties, and obey the ceaseless ebb and flow of life as they would with the ceaseless tides of the ocean. Alvyn is the patron of sailors, sea creatures, and Taoists, his church is loosely organized and located mostly on islands and coastal regions. His holy texts are comprised of 5 books, a book on the legends of the depths of the oceans, a book of legends of the sailors of the oceans, a book on how the oceans came to be, a book on Alvyn’s history himself, and a book comprising the heroic stories of Alvyn’s 7 demigod children. There is another tome postchrysalis that the only cults adhere to, the book of Alvyn the Wise, which espouses the philosophies of a hurt and angry god. His symbol is a trident. Alvyn's current archangel is a returned hero from the days before the chrysalis, Mikeaus, typically taking the form of a water giant like the leviathan. His previous archangel yet lives, the Kracken is presently imprisoned within a hexblade on the Isle of the Monk of Many Paths. Alvyn's places of worship are called schools and prayers to him must be done while at least partially submerged in water. Post-Chrysalis Alvyn lost an eye in the 3rd war of the gods, as well as many of his remaining demigod children. This angered Alvyn, assuming the title Alvyn the Wise, and he launched the seas into 100 years of turbulent chaos. Eventually, a hero bound the Kraken, Alvyn’s prized creation and chief

33 weapon, within a sword, and the seas returned to normal. Alvyn has not been seen since, and some say he is still Alvyn the Wise to this day. After the fourth war of the gods Alvyn returned to the world taking a more proactive approach and leading an army of viking raiders along the spellscarred sea. Alignment: Chaotic Good You increase your piety score to Alvyn when you honor him or the sea through acts such as these: • Embark on a great sea voyage • Clean pollution or hazardous creatures from the ocean or another body of water • Allow yourself to flow like the ocean with whatever life puts before you Your piety score to Alvyn when you diminish Alvyn’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Pollute the waters of the sea • Resist the tugs of destiny • Spend prolonged periods away from the water Alvyn’s Devotee Piety 3+ Alvyn trait As a devotee of Alvyn, you have proven yourself a worthy representative of the god of the sea. You can cast fog cloud with this trait. Fog created in this way smells strongly of the sea. You can cast the spell in this way a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Alvyn’s Votary Piety 10+ Alvyn trait You can cast blink with this trait. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Alvyn’s Disciple Piety 25+ Alvyn trait You are inspired by the tempestuous, uncontrollable nature of the sea; you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or restrained. Champion of the Sea Piety 50+ Alvyn trait You can increase your Dexterity or Intelligence score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.

34 Aelar: Cyclis, Seasons, Tunuviel, Aelar is the god of Seasons and Change. Aelar is also viewed as the father of Eladrin, as he takes the form of a divine eladrin at most times, though some say he is in fact the very seasons themselves, as represented by the fact that seasons are far more extreme in the vast juggles of Nature. Aelar is responsible for the routine changing of the seasons. He preaches his followers to change, be it with the seasons in a Taoist, “go with the flow” style, or against the grain. His followers believe that change, especially dramatic and dynamic change, is the only way to grow. It is said the reason the seasons are even, and only 4, is that Aelar was once the god of balance in nature, hence the cycle, but saw the chaos of nature after the death of the gods of primacy, and embraced change instead. He has four holy tombs, one for every season, and his symbol is a fig leaf, changed to the effects of the season. Aelar resides in the great forest of Nature in the palace of leaves, but he makes frequent visits to the feywild. Aelar's archangel is a four headed hydra where each head represents a season. Temples to Aelar have frequently changing sermons and clergy, often with the seasons. There is a different method to pray to Aelar with the different seasons. In spring, you pray through a flower, in summer you pray with fire, in fall you pray near death, and in the winter, you pray with snow. Alignment: Chaotic Good You increase your piety score to Aelar when you honor him or the seasons and change through acts such as these: • Lead a celebration of the changing of the seasons • Undergo a great change • Maintain the natural order of things Your piety score to Ibis when you diminish Ibis’ influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Remain stagnant for a long period of time • Use time altering magics • Defile nature or disturb the natural order Aelar’s Devotee Piety 3+ Aelar trait As a devotee of Aelar, you have proven yourself corollary with the seasons. You can call on Aelar’s blessing and cast Absorb Elements. You can cast the spell in this way a number of times equal to your

35 Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Aelar’s Votary Piety 10+ Aelar trait The harms of the seasons no longer have any bearing for you. You are immune to the effects of extreme cold and extreme heat. Aelar’s Disciple Piety 25+ Aelar trait You are attuned to the way of the seasons. During Winter, you have resistance to cold damage, during summer you have resistance to fire damage, during fall you have resistance to necrotic damage, during spring you gain resistance to radiant damage. Champion of Change Piety 50+ Aelar one trait You can increase your Constitution or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Chaac: Storm, Tempest, Realtan, Chaac is the god of Weather and Harsh realities. Chaac is responsible for all weather on the material plane, as well as Nature. He is often represented as a gigantic, frail, brooding figure cloaked in thunderclouds, though some say he is the very clouds, rain, and thunder of the storms he commands. He preaches his followers to weather the storms thrown at them, and accept the harsh realities of life, life and the storm are unforgiving, and one should not expect them to be so. This is simply the way it is, and life is better for it. Chaac has two holy tomes, Storm and Sunlight, and his holy symbol is a thundercloud. Chaac resides in his cloud castle above the plane of nature. Chaac's archangel is Nimbus, who takes the form of a sentient lightning bolt. Chaac's places of worship are called Storms, and prayers to Chaac must be accompanied with a rain dance and a sacrifice of food. Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Increase

36 • Perform rituals with the coming of storms • Bring the storm to others • Do not mourn. Embrace the harsh realities of life with open arms. • Use magics to start storms of any scale Decrease • Shield yourself or another from a harsh truth • Take shelter from a storm • Mourn loss or the revelation of truth • Use magic to stop storms Chaac’s Devotee Piety 3+ Chaac trait You are in tune with the energy of the storm. You can cast Thunderous Wave with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Chaac’s Votary Piety 10+ Chaac trait You can cast Call Lightning with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Chaac’s Disciple Piety 25+ Chaac trait You are a champion of the storm, you have resistance to lightning and thunder damage Champion of The Storm Piety 50+ Chaac trait You can increase your Dexterity or Constitution score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Philomena: Beauty, The Forest Goddess, Satha, Philomena is the goddess of natural beauty. She often takes the form of a green skinned slender woman with plantlike hair and leafy clothing, but some say she exists simply in the beauty of nature itself, some also claim she is the

37 largest tree in Nature, where beautiful creatures congregate and live. Philomena preaches respect for nature, glorification of the beautiful (individually natural beauty), and living in harmony with nature above all else. Philomena detests the destruction of nature and urges her followers to stop this destruction when possible without destroying more of creation. Philomena, pivotally, believes mortals to be a part of nature as well. Groups that ignore this tenet often become some form of ecoterrorists. Philomena’s symbol is a large oak tree, she has three holy texts and her church is organized more like a circle of druids than a church. Philomena's Archangel is Corelleon, who takes the form of a divine elf and beauty grows in her footsteps. Philomena's places of worship are called Circles and are always outdoors within nature. Prayers to Philomena and done into an object of natural beauty, usually a flower, that her followers cultivate. Alignment: Neutral Good You increase your piety score to Philomena when you honor her or the beauty of nature through acts such as these: • Commune with holy or significant sites of natural beauty • Return a civilized land to its natural state • Stop the destruction of nature Your piety score to Ibis when you diminish Ibis’ influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Bring harm to the natural environment • Favor the artificial beauty of false idols like cities • Spend a significant amount of time away from nature’s beauty Philomena’s Devotee Piety 3+ Philomena trait As a devotee of Philomena, you have proven yourself a guardian of the wilds. You can cast Entangle with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Philomena’s Votary Piety 10+ Philomena trait You can cast Plant Growth with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned. Philomena’s Disciple

38 Piety 25+ Philomena trait You can cast Tree Stride with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. While casting tree stride in this way, you leave a trail of flower behind you that wilt after an hour. Champion of Beauty Piety 50+ Saur trait You can increase your Charisma or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Saur: Beast, Granash, Dino, Saur is the god of beasts. Saur is most often represented by a chimera of all of the world’s beasts, notably with the large body of a TRex and the face of a squirrel, though some say he can be found in any of the beasts he holds dominion over. Others depict her as all beasts hiding among the foliage of the world. Saur is also unique among the gods as being hermaphroditic, while all gods are genderless, most have a definitive refereed gender as indicated by their holy texts, Saur’s holy texts switch between pronouns and even explicitly note that Saur embodies all aspects of beast, masculine and feminine. Following the fourth war of the gods, Saur was gravely injured and lay mountainesque in a heap in the Savanah, where beast as of yet unnamed pour out in untold multitudes from her gaping wounds. Despite this, Saur is not dead, still granting spells to his clerics across the land. Saur preaches a more simply lifestyle, one favoring survival at ones means rather than living in excess, just as the beast do. Saur also detests violence among beasts, and urges all of her followers to not harm her creations unless in self-defense. Saur has just 1 holy text, though it is large, and her church is seldom organized at all. Her symbol is a paw print. Saur's archangel is King, the T-Rex who resides on the isle of the War Relics. Saur's places of Worship are called Herds and prayers to Saur must be communicated to an animal. Alignment: True Neutral You increase your piety score to Saur when you honor her or beasts through acts such as these: • Save an animal from harm or captivity • Befriend an animal or group of animals • Preserve the natural habitats of animals

39 Your piety score to Ibis when you diminish Saur’ influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Harm an animal or allow an animal to come to harm • Tame a beast as a subservient pet • Destroy the natural habitat of an animal Saur’s Devotee Piety 3+ Saur trait As a devotee of Saur, you have proven yourself a guardian of the wilds. You can cast animal friendship with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Saur’s Votary Piety 10+ Saur trait You can cast speak with animals with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned. Saur’s Disciple Piety 25+ Saur trait When a beast is about to attack you, it must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses you. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this trait for 24 hours. Champion of the Wild Piety 50+ Saur trait You can increase your Dexterity or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Grumbar: Hunter, Beast Slayer, Garruk, Grumbar is the god of the hunt. Often represented by a burly man wearing several pelts upon his back, but occasionally represented as a large, fantastical, feline hunting beast. Grumbar preaches that hunting the weak is the natural order of

40 things, and that this world is divided into two camps, predator and prey. In this world, only the strong live long, so it is best of be a predator. As such, Grumbar’s churches are determined in hierarchy based on strength. He has two holy books, Predator and Prey, and his hold symbol is the fang of a sabre tooth tiger. Grumbar's archangel is . Grumbar's places of worship are called Lodges, and whoever killed the greatest beast in the lodge is the high priest. Grumbar's prayers can only be received during a hunt, often with that which was hunted sacrificed. Grumbar's archangel is the spirit of the hunt, often taking the form of a blood red dire wolf, seen as an auspicious omen on hunts. Alignment: True Neutral You increase your piety score to Grumbar when you honor her or beasts through acts such as these: • Hunt and kill prey • Serve a vital function within your pack • Accept new member into your pack Your piety score to Ibis when you diminish Grumbar’s influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or let him down with acts such as these: • Abandon or betray your pack to hunt alone • Disrespect a fellow predator by attacking it dishonorably or not utilizing all of its corpse • Destroy the natural habitat of an animal Grumbar’s Devotee Piety 3+ Grumbar trait As a devotee of Grumbar, you have proven yourself a true hunter. You can cast Hunter’s Mark with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Grumbar’s Votary Piety 10+ Grumbar trait Your attunement to the hunt has granted you advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track and Wisdom (Perception) checks made to spot hidden creatures. Grumbar’s Disciple Piety 25+ Grumbar trait You can cast Conjure Volley with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. While casting tree stride in this way, you leave a trail of flower behind you that wilt after an hour.

41 Champion of the Hunt Piety 50+ Grumbar trait You can increase your Strength or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Gods of Life Symma: The Mother, True Goddess, Symma is the goddess and creator of life itself. Long ago, three old gods decided to create the material plane. It is largely unknown why or even how, but it is widely believed to be the initial idea of one known only as the mother. While the others wised for fixtures, earth, time, magic, the mother sought for more. Physical beings who could enjoy the creation they had wrought. The others thought this to be dangerous, as physical manifestations with consciousness could one day overthrow the gods, and it was unknowable if such a feat was even possible. The Mother did so anyway, against the wishes of her brethren. She used nearly all of her power to create as much life as possible. It was a vitriolic explosion, and it was raw and unfocused, shattering into millions of shards. Some would later be nurtured into beats, men, elves, dwarves, and the like. The mother still exists, but is but a withered, gray husk floating in the plane of life to sustain herself. It is destined that one day she will regain her power, but such an event seems unlikely in the present. She commands but one thing from her followers, cherish the life she gave them, and value it above all else. Her symbol is a fetal figure often carved in wood or made of silver. Her story is inscribed in the tome of creation, a shared creation myth that most all of the gods holy texts follow, but she also has a holy text of her own simply entitled “Life”. Alignment: Chaotic Good Increase • Protect all life and find ways for life to prosper • Destroy undeath and other mockeries of life • Treat all life equally Decrease

42 • Harm life in any aspect • Consume meat • Disrespect the dead Symma’s Devotee Piety 3+ Symma trait You can cast cure wounds with this trait, requiring no material components, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Symma’s Votary Piety 10+ Symma trait When a creature is affected by your healing magic it may roll an additional 1d4 on its next attack roll, saving throw, or ability check before the end of your next turn. Symma’s Disciple Piety 25+ Symma’ trait You can cast Mass Cure Wounds with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of Life Piety 50+ Symma trait You can increase your Charisma or Intelligence score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Virdain: Virility, Beren, The Old God, Virdain is the god of virility and sexual prowess. Virdain is one of the oldest gods short of the eldest three, so old that he had died 3 ages prior. Virdain was originally a primal god, before the age of magic, and was killed in the second war of the gods between the primal gods and the emergent gods of magic. He returned sometime before the age of chrysalis, some say he was in some way responsible for the even that led to the genocide of the magic gods, but others persist that he merely took the opportunity of the already emergent chrysalis.

43 Unsurprisingly, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Virdain is portrayed as a young human or dwarven (called Beren in this form) man and is never portrayed with any less than two women at his side. Virdain preaches sexual conquest and capturing of eternal youth. Virdain has 3 holy texts, one is his storied past and is the driest read, one is a Kamasutra-esque tome of sexual techniques and positions, and one is simply a collection of stories of sexual prowess. This third tome is often what most of Virdain’s teachings are extracted from, which includes one story of gay sex which the church of Virdain accepts as acceptance from the god of homosexual actions, but also contains at least one story of rape, which most sects still vilify. Virdain’s symbol is a winged penis and his clerics also often wear enlarged codpieces. Virdain's places of worship called Domes often involve frequent orgies and are monuments to the flesh. They are often constructed around a central obelisk. Virdain's archangel is Phalus, who inspires lust in all he meets regardless of what form he takes. Prayers to Virdain must be done while performing some kind of sexual act. Increase • Engage in sexual acts • Assert male dominance • Seduce a mate Decrease • Bind yourself to only one partner • Be celibate • Behave in a feminine manner Virdain’s Devotee Piety 3+ Virdain trait As a devotee of Virdain, you have proven yourself dedicated to male dominance. You can cast the enlarge portion of enlarge/reduce targeting yourself only with this trait a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Virdain’s Votary Piety 10+ Virdain trait Your skills in the bedroom become divinely enhanced. You have advantage on performance checks made for sexual purposes and persuasion and deception checks made for seduction. Virdain’s Disciple Piety 25+ Virdain trait You can cast Fast Friends with this trait a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of Sex

44 Piety 50+ Virdain trait You can increase your Constitution or Charisma score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Helga: Childbringer, The Midwife, Fertilia, Helga is the goddess of fertility and childbirth. Helga is portrayed as a portly woman with large, sagging breasts and a matronly face, with hair always affixed back in a bun in the back of her head. Helga is said to appear in the dreams of every expectant mother, granting them and their unborn child her blessing. Helga teaches the purpose of life is the propagation of life, and that children, individually babies, are the purest form of life and are to be protected at any and every cost. It is said that Helga has gone to the planes of Torment herself to torture child murderers and abortionists, though the only known story of this is from Stryx’s holy tome. Helga has two holy tomes, one outlining her history and teachings, where it is told that she is actually the third Helga, the second dying in the second war of the gods and the first sometime before that, and that she has had some amount near 100 children, all demigods. The second tome is a practical guide to midwives and mothers for raising children from infancy to adolescence. Helga’s symbol is a wooden carved idol of her figure. Helga's places of worship are called churches generically but function more as clinics, most children, even those of the Light, are birthed in a Helga church. Helga's Archangel is Saeleen, the child of her and the forgotten dream god, many believe it is her and not Helga that is seen in the dreams of newly pregnant women. Prayers to Helga are fairly traditional but are always done before bed. Increase • Have a child or help bring a child into the world • Act in a nurturing, motherly manner • Aid a pregnant woman Decrease • Harm or allow a pregnant woman to come to harm • Kill a child or participate in an abortion • Willfully abstain from having or nurturing a child

45 Alignment: Lawful Neutral Helga’s Devotee Piety 3+ Helga trait You can cast Shield of Faith with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Helga’s Votary Piety 10+ Helga trait Fertility Helga’s Disciple Piety 25+ Helga’ trait You can cast Greater Restoration with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of Birth Piety 50+ Helga trait You can increase your Charisma or Intelligence score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Yena: Growth, Youthkeeper, Yena is the goddess of growth and longevity. Yena is often represented as an eternally youthful, yet still matronly elven figure. She preaches that the purpose of life is growth, be that the physical growth from childhood to adulthood, or more metaphorical growth such as growing as a person through experiences in life. Yean serves a dual purpose however as she is also the goddess of longevity and as such preaches growth to the end of living a long, fulfilling life, the longest life possible. Yena has 4 holy tomes, called the books of maturity, one about practical, literal growth in age, one about metaphorical character growth, one about the value of longevity, and one

46 that is a collection of fables that embody Yena’s teachings. Her symbol is a spiral. Yena's places of worship are generically called churches and they are highly structured, encouraging growth through their ranks. Yena's archangel is Herod, who takes the form of an 8-year-old half elven child and is an omen of good fortune. Prayers to Yena are always performed in verse, except by children. Increase • Behave in a nurturing or motherly manner • Seize an opportunity to grow as a person • See to the care of children Decrease • Kill or mistreat a child • Ignore or shun opportunities for growth • Force your beliefs onto others, especially children. Alignment: True Neutral Yena’s Devotee Piety 3+ Yena trait You can cast Purify Food and Drink with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Yena’s Votary Piety 10+ Yena trait No spell or other non-natural effect can effect your age. You have advantage on saving throws against poison. Yena’s Disciple Piety 25+ Yena’ trait You can cast Guardian of Faith with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of Growth Piety 50+ Yena trait You can increase your Charisma or Intelligence score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Bes: Family, Adopter, Frenna, Bes is the goddess of family. Bes is traditionally depicted as a humanized minotaur woman but as minotaur’s are monstrous, she is also frequently depicted as a beautiful human woman or a stout dwarven matronly babushka figure. In all depictions, she is never

47 shown with any less than two children, and very rarely ever with a man. Bes preaches that family is the most important thing in life and that family should be supported and protected at all costs but is extremely liberal as to what constitutes a family. It is mentioned several times in her holy texts that family is bound by blood yes, but one can also choose their family, family is bonds of many sorts, not merely blood relations. She is also supportive of many unusual families, herself appearing to be a single mother. Bes’s symbol is a bird’s nest and she has 2 holy texts, one is her teachings and the other is a practical guide to relationships and parenthood. Bes' places of worship are called houses and her clergy called familial titles. Bes' archangel takes the form of a conventional family of four. Prayers to Bes are done as a family. Increase • Accept a new member into your family, by blood or by choice. • Organize or attend a family gathering • Behaving in a familial manner in all things Decrease • Betray your family • Act alone and without consideration for others • Deny another their family Alignment: Neutral Good Bes’s Devotee Piety 3+ Bes trait You can cast Protection from Good and Evil with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. You can also cast Ceremony with this trait, but only the wedding function. Bes’s Votary Piety 10+ Bes trait You can cast Warding Bond with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

48 Bes’s Disciple Piety 25+ Bes’ trait You can perform a 1 hour ritual declaring up to 6 people as your family. Those within your family gain resistance to piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage while within 10 feet of you. Champion of Bes Piety 50+ Bes trait You can increase your Charisma or Intelligence score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Lia: Romance, Alluda, Lia is the goddess of love. Lia is often represented by a mature, human woman surrounded by adoring men and women alike. Lia preaches that love is the most beautiful thing a life can feel, and that finding and having love is the purpose of life and encourages a unique concept of “loving for love’s sake”. Lia disowns the idea of a “true love” and embraces the idea of multiple loves, though not necessarily at the same time. Lia draws a distinct difference between sex and love in her stories and encourages a prioritization of emotion over mere physical desires. Lia is the inventor of romance and demands at least one, truly romantic gesture from her follows per year on her sacrifice day. Lia’s symbol is a couple dancing, often made from gold or silver. She has but one holy book called the book of love, it contains her teachings primarily in the form of fables and stories. Lia's places of worship are called Throngs and are where most marriages, even those of non-worshippers, are held. Lia's archangel is Cherubim and takes the form of what resembles cupid from roman myth. Prayers to Lia are performed as sonnets or other complex verse associated with love and romance Increase • Successfully court a mate • Bind yourself to one mate through marriage • Perform holy prostitution at a Throng of Lia Decrease • Separate from your partner • Be celibate • Forego romance in your relationship at any stage

49 Alignment: Chaotic Good Lia’s Devotee Piety 3+ Lia trait As a devotee of Lia, you have proven yourself in the eyes of love. You can cast charm person with this trait a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Lia’s Votary Piety 10+ Lia trait You can cast Ceremony with this trait specifically the marriage option a number of times per day equal to your charisma modifier. You ignore material components when you cast this spell this way. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened. Lia’s Disciple Piety 25+ Lia trait Whenever an ally takes damage within 30 feet of you, you may use your reaction to give the target and yourself resistance to the damage. You take the same amount of damage as the target, you do not suffer any other effects of the attack. Champion of Love Piety 50+ Lia trait You can increase your Charisma or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2. Gods of Good Arand: Totem, Wanderer, Arand is god of paths and travel. Arand was an old god of Good in the second age when paths were becoming more important. He died in the second war of the gods when global society was thought to never truly recover. Now with the return of the gods and the expansion of cities and empires he has returned to the pantheon from the Divine Graveyard. While he has a home on the

50 Plane of Good, Arand often walks the paths of the material plane in mort guise. Arand preaches to not be ashamed to walk the paths other have paved, if you go your own way, leave a path to follow, and that travel gives life perspective and meaning. He has but one holy text, The Path, which is a long allegorical tale following the Monkey, named Abab but often just referred to as the Monkey, that teaches the paradoxical lesson that one must respect their elders and walk the paths they have tread for them while also striking out and forging your own paths. The entire story is a circular journey in which the Monkey goes to many fictitious places rife with symbolism that followers of Arand have searched for to no avail and ending back at home. Arand's holy symbol is a road totem. Arand typically appears as a nondescript human traveler but has also notably appeared as a halfling and a tortle. He is noted for his red scarf and worn traveler's clothes. His archangel is Luriel, the angel of paths who guarded Arand's domain in his absence. As a travel god, Arand has few proper temples, however he does have totems that are left every few miles along paths. These totems are often carved posts or piles of stones, though they can take other forms. Adding a carving or a stone to these markers is a form of prayer to the god of paths. Alignment: Neutral Good Increase • Contribute to the road totems of Arand • Blaze a new trail for others to follow • Spend time traveling well worn trails Decrease • Use teleportation magics or other forms of instant travel • Tarry in one place for two long • Impede the journey of fellow travelers Arand’s Devotee Piety 3+ Arand trait You can cast Longstider with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Arand’s Votary Piety 10+ Arand trait You always know which way is north and cannot get lost in natural environments. Arand’s Disciple Piety 25+ Arand’ trait