Religion (Verendal Supplement)

Religion's effect on Verendal

The number of deities that govern Verendal fluctuate due to the Cycles of Magic imposed by Oríon against Verendal but the core 12 deities always remain in some fashion.

Worship

Worship of tiers of deities vary depending on where you go throughout Verendal but for the most part the following is how they are worshiped:

• Elder Deities are worshipped in principle due to their influence on the world. They are often worshipped alongside one of their children.
• Children of the Elders are most common to be worshipped due to them having a more direct influence on the world.
• Demideities of the world may be locally worshiped but regardless of how many followers they possess they cannot go beyond being a Demideity.

Temples, more often than not, will offer specific worship to one of the Children of the Elders. Large temples or cathedrals offer worship to the specific Children of the Elders and the Elder deities that spawned them. Regions of Verendal may support several deities due to what they represent.

Temples devoted solely to an Elder Deity are rare and are located in hard to reach places. These temples are often relics of the Old World and have been left unkempt. However, in rare instances, these temples are restored or maintained by a Holy Village which are a group of Clerics, Paladins and the like that take it upon themselves to ensure that these temples are not forgotten or lost to time.

Priests of the church and their acolytes are expected to be familiar with the honors, stories, and rituals of each of the gods, though they may focus on specific gods as their patrons. Clerics and Paladins are also expected to be familiar with the pantheon as a whole, but their focus on a specific deity for their devotion grants them unique favors.

Elder Gods are not willing to engage actively in the affairs of mortals and as such are not sought for this day and age by Clerics and Paladins. Most Clerics or Paladins will devote themselves to one of the Children of the Elders, which often govern the same domains as some of the Elder Deities.

Religious Institutions

Temples and cathedrals are the places of worship. Depending on the deity in question, the temple may be run slightly differently but they are usually structured as below:

• A Priest, usually one or two, runs the temple and attends village, town or city council meetings for any necessary discussion. Priests are rather common in cities but as you get to towns and villages they get more and more rare.
  
• Acolytes are plentiful and are clerics in training or Clerics proper that have received the divine gift of spellcasting for their devotion. There is often anywhere from 10 to 50 Acolytes in a single temple.
  
• Paladins are the holy soldiers of temples, they are tasked with defending the temples in times of hardship. They are charged with taking on religious quests as set by the highest ranking priest or directly from a Bright Lord. There is often anywhere from 3 to 15 Paladins in a single temple.
  

Temples are not set on a specific schedule with the exception of recognizing the Holy Days set for each deity. There is a set 2 weeks of the year to celebrate the deities. These days are considered times of honored peace and as such no declaration of conflict or any recurring conflict may interrupt these days.

Prestigious Religious Positions

There are the common positions as listed above as a Priest, Acolyte, Paladins and Squires but there are positions within the church that are above them that requires a much more experienced hand to religious practices. The High Priest and the Bright Lord are those such positions.

• The High Priest, is one who is dedicated to one of the Elder Deities and their Children. Becoming a High Priest is difficult and requires significant effort on their part. It involves going on pilgrimage to a sacred site to their deity and recovering a divine relic. These relics are few and far between.
  

• A Bright Lord, not to be confused with a Paladin, are only found in cathedrals as the devotion necessary to become a Bright Lord is staggering. Due to the required devotion, there is only 1 in each cathedral if any at all. They are in charge of training Paladins and sometimes Knights for temples and cathedrals.
  

The Deities

The Deities of Verendal always remain as 12. Though as of late, some deities have been lost to time and as such their temples have been forgotten. Oríon the Eldest, in long times past, decreed that the 12 deities, must reassert their power every century to maintain their title of deity. This bout of power is so named the Cycles of Magic. The Cycles of Magic allows newer deities to be granted the opportunity to find themselves in greater positions or the ability to govern more domains of magic and the older deities to maintain their power.

The Elder Deities

The Elder Deities of the world are the most prominent in the influence in the creation of the world however they no longer directly change the world. They can govern wide range of domains.

Oríon the Eldest

The Magician of Old Magic, The Lifebringer, The God of Life and Magic
Lawful Good
Arcana, Life, Dragon, Knowledge

The first Deity, Oríon, created much of everything. The Weave, being his greatest creation. He laid the foundation of how magic was going to interact with the world. This foundation continued to develop as more deities arose. As more deities came to power he chose to limit how powerful they can become, he has since lived the millennia atop his Throne of Arcanum keeping a watchful eye over the world he created. He created the Astral Sea and declared it the realm of the Deities. Oríon has no appeared to in his deity form for millennia and as such it is lost to time known only by himself and Xerax. He often appears as a wise old man that answers every question with a riddle.

Xerax the Queen

Death's Kiss, The Goddess of Death and Suffering
Chaotic Evil
Death, Spirits, Trickery, Darkness

The second Deity, Xerax, she arrived mere moments after Oríon. She took a darker tone when she viewed what Oríon had created. She filled the world with a penalty. She created the concepts of pain and death. She created the Abyss and the 9 Hells. She choose to rule over these domains and refused to give quarter to those she deemed ready for death...ready for her. Xerax's deity form is no longer known but by the Elder Deities themselves. Xerax, before she was lost to time, often appeared as a noble of a respected house or an old crone.

Wáges the Balanced

The Equalist, The Steady Hand, The God of the Law and Oceans
Neutral
Oceanic, Tempest, Cold, Law

Although Wáges is the 3rd recognized deity, it took centuries for Oríon to allow him enough power to assume the title of being one. Wáges acts as the medium between all deities. He ensures that all beings are treated fairly. He created the oceans and all sea life. He began the creation of the Elemental Planes of existence by creating the Plane of Water. Wáges' deity form appears as a Water Elemental with command over the weather holding a scale in one hand and a book in the other. Wáges appears as any creature from the Plane of Water but prefers the form of a Water Elemental.

Se'Phal the Peaceful

The Peaceful Angel, Winged Beauty, The Goddess of the Sky and Peace
Lawful Good
Protection, Peace, Air

Se'Phal is the wife of Oríon and she was the first angel that he created. She was graceful and Oríon decided that he must choose someone...special...to have children. She created some of the more graceful races, Elves, Chibido and the like. She created the Elemental Plane of Air and many of the creatures that lived there. Her form as a deity is similar to that of a Solar however, she is more focused on her healing prowess and spellcasting over her martial ability. Se'Phal appears as an Avariel when she appears to mortals.

Bláetor the Inferno

Empress of Light, Fires Fury, The Goddess of the Sun and Rage
Lawful Evil
Light, Fire, Wrath

Bláetor is a consuming force of fire. She is fierce and determined, letting nothing stand in her way. She was a Red Dragon in her mortal life, one of the first dragons. Her flames were so intense that it melted mountains to ash. She created the Elemental Plane of Fire and all the creatures within. Her form as a deity is a 3-headed dragon; one gold, one red, one brass. Bláetor appears as a fire breathing dragonborn or half dragon when interacting with mortals.

Tor'Phug the Fallen

The Giant Warrior, Disgraced Duelist, The Fallen God of the Mountains and War
Chaotic Neutral

Tor'Phug can no longer grant spells as Oríon stripped him of nearly all his power after an act of infidelity that he enacted against Se'Phal but it was decided to leave what Tor'Phug had added to the world. Before his disgrace, Tor'Phug created namely the giants, dwarves and other hardy races as well as the Elemental Plane of Earth. He inspired war and conflict in many parts of the world as well as tension between a variety of races to what it is today. He now appears as a mere visage, a shell of his deity self.

The Children of the Elders

The Children of the Elders have more defined roles, they may have some influence in the creation of the world but are limited in the scope they can effect. They are willing to directly change the world but do not do so lightly. They govern at most 3 specific domains of the world.

Demideities of the world

The Demideities of the world are children of the Elder Deities or Children of the Elders with mortals. They have no influence in the creation of the world but are revered in the fact that their blood is that of the deities. They may govern a single domain of the world but it is very rare.

Forgotten Deities

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