Editing Gods of the Vale

[https://docs.google.com/document/d/17lsxveedldp60w7eYnalrdMdnxONQ5D71lifFzrYMsw/edit?usp=sharing The gods are covered in more detail HERE.]

== The High Gods ==

The people of Nentir Vale, by and large, worship a syncretic collection of deities known variously as the Lords of the Sky, the High Gods, the Elders, and the Great Ones. They are drawn from the ancestral pantheons of the four dominant races, but have largely been combined into a single unified pantheon over the years.
Some people feel especially drawn to one individual deity or another, but most respect and revere the pantheon as a whole, and most churches are dedicated to the gods in general. Collectively, this is known as the High Church. There are regional variances, of course; a given deity may have especial prominence in one community, only to be relegated to secondary status in another, but it’s a rare community that doesn’t at least acknowledge them all.

Direct signs and miracles from the High Gods are rare to the point of being legendary (although small gods are less remote). While most communities have a cleric or two with some healing spells, many priests lack spellcasting power, but are not less respected for it. Rare and powerful clerics are said to be able to cure diseases with a touch and call upon angelic beings for aid, but such people are near-mythic.

By and large, the Lords of the Sky are distant beings who do not directly interfere in mortal affairs; they may send prophetic dreams and cryptic messages, but they almost never take a direct hand.


{| class="wikitable"
|'''Deity'''
|'''Symbol'''
|'''Origin'''
|'''Domains'''
|'''Portfolio'''
|-
|'''Artheon'''<br>''The Green Shadow''<br>''The Healing Hand''
|Oak leaf
|Halfling
|Life, Nature
|Nature, animals, herbalism
|-
|'''Bu'jor'''<br>''The Survivor''<br>''Master of Trade''
|Coin on an open hand
|Goblin
|Forge, Nature
|Survival, trade, ingenuity
|-
|'''Forutan'''<br>''The Lawful Trickster''<br>''The Honest One''
|Raven
|Gnome
|Knowledge, Trickery
|Law, pacts and bargains, tricks
|-
|'''Fu'gils'''<br>''The Small''<br>''The Wise One''
|Mouse
|Goblin
|Nature, Trickery
|Cleverness, wisdom, children
|-
|'''Garutan'''<br>''The Necromancer''<br>''The Opened Book''
|Skull on a book
|Gnome
|Death, Knowledge
|Necromancy, secrets
|-
|'''Hireus'''<br>''The Lady of the Hearth''<br>''The Orderly One''
|Hand within a circle
|Halfling
|Life, Order
|Communities, families, marriage, ceremonies
|-
|'''Hertain'''<br>''The Scribe''<br>''Lady of Scrolls''
|Scroll
|Gnome
|Arcana, Knowledge
|Knowledge, language and writing, wizardry
|-
|'''Jordain'''<br>''The Craftmistress''<br>''The Cunning Hand''
|Hand grasping a hammer
|Gnome
|Forge, Knowledge
|Handcrafts, excellence, the forge
|-
|'''Khorg'''<br>''The Dragon's Wings''<br>''The Soaring One''
|Flame between two dragon wings
|Kobold
|Arcana, Tempest
|Ambition, sorcery, wind and the sky
|-
|'''Kutul'''<br>''The Dragon's Scale''<br>''The Shining One''
|Four scales in a compass rose formation
|Kobold
|Order, Tempest
|Organization, defense, traps and mechanisms
|-
|'''Lyraen'''<br>''Lord of the Long Sleep''<br>''The Gray Judge''
|Stone hammer
|Halfling
|Grave, Life
|Birth and death, judgment, fate
|-
|'''Rayge'''<br>''The Dragon's Fire''<br>''The Storm''
|Whirlwind
|Kobold
|Death, Tempest
|Storms and disasters, fear, power
|-
|'''Slythe'''<br>''The Dragon's Eye''<br>''The Night Watcher''
|Reptilian eye
|Kobold
|Light, Tempest
|The moon, light, visions and revelations
|-
|'''Soleus'''<br>''The Sun Queen''<br>''The Dawnbringer''
|Sunburst
|Halfling
|Life, Light
|The sun, crops and farming, light and life
|-
|'''Tor'gus'''<br>''The Lord Beneath''<br>''The Slow One''
|Mushroom with a skull for a cap
|Goblin
|Grave, Nature
|Fungus, disease and weakness, the earth
|-
|'''Wo'gar'''<br>''Master of the Hunt''<br>''Hunter Under Moonlight''
|Wolf's head against a moon
|Goblin
|Nature, War
|Hunting, wolves and predators, protection
|-
|}

== The Old Faith ==

An animistic religion dating back to before recorded history, the Old Faith - sometimes known as the Old Way, the Green Path, the Way of Balance and the History - is often described as nature-worship. In fact, this is not entirely true; while those who follow the Old Faith do venerate the natural world to some degree, it is untrue to claim they worship nature and hate civilization. There are as many ways to follow the Old Faith as there are people who follow it. Broadly speaking, the Old Faith has two basic tenets: ''all things have souls,'' and ''seek balance in all things.''

A follower of one of the High Gods might pray to Rayge to avert the destruction of a thunderstorm, or to Soleus for a bountiful harvest. A follower of the Old Faith would direct their prayers to the thunderstorm itself, or to a local spirit associated with wind and rain; they might make an offering to the field itself, rather than praying to a deity. Whereas the followers of the gods seen the beneficence of their patrons as a peasant might a king, those of the Old Faith hold a more transactional view of the supernatural, believing that to gain the blessings of the spirits, one must make a token offering. Many households have a variety of small rituals meant to encourage such blessings.

The Old Faith can be a darker religion than the High Church. Since the Old Faith is based on the ideal of balance, this means a great blessing requires a correspondingly great sacrifice. Token sacrifice, such as a few drops of blood, a cup of alcohol, or a piece of food, is common in the Old Faith, with high holy days or unexpected disasters calling for more - animal sacrifice, the offering of a large value of material goods, or possibly even a sapient life. This has given the Old Faith a dark reputation to some.

While the High Church has its demigods and saints, those who follow the Old Faith revere the spirits of the land, often embodied in the form of particularly impressive animals or natural features. A tree that has stood for hundreds of years, a famous, one-eyed grizzly bear, a particular stream believed to be the abode of a powerful spirit, all may be "saints" of the Old Faith. Unlike the High Church, the Old Faith holds no illusions on the immortality of its patrons - the spirits are mighty, but the can be slain. All things die in time.

While the Old Faith has no true priests, those who dedicate their lives to it are known as '''druids.''' Often misunderstood as "priests of nature," druids are more akin to wizards, for their power comes from accumulated knowledge. A druid is one who lives their lives to the rhythms of nature and balance, and in so doing learns to draw upon the power of the natural world. Druids tend to learn much of the spirit world as well, and in so doing learn how best to approach and interact with the spirits of beast and bird, the trees and the elements.

== The Dark Ones ==

The gods of evil are little-known to most folk, and never openly worshiped. They are respected, and offerings are made to avert their wrath, but there are no churches to their glory or priests who revere them. Some are holdovers from earlier pantheons, while others are dark and dangerous entities of godlike power but unknown origin. Their followers are the witchfolk as well as certain rare individuals who seek power and wealth without regard to the cost. Occasional cults to the Dark Ones will spring up, preying on the deluded or the desperate, but it is rare for more than a handful of cultists to know the true nature of the being they serve.

Unlike the High Gods, the Dark Ones are all too eager to deal with mortals, occasionally walking the land in mortal guise and offering poisoned bargains and two-edged gifts to those foolish enough to accept.

{| class="wikitable"
|'''Deity'''
|'''Symbol'''
|'''Origin'''
|'''Portfolio'''
|-
|'''Asmodel'''<br>''The Laughing Liar''<br>''Lord Misrule''
|Two dice showing snake eyes
|Gnome
|Trickery, deception, misfortune
|-
|'''Grum'''<br>''One-Eye''<br>''The Strong''
|A fist clutching an eye
|Orc
|Strength and conquest, gluttony
|-
|'''Samaeus'''<br>''The Spiteful Queen''<br>''The Golden Hoarder''
|Golden crown
|Halfling
|Greed, pride, rulership
|-
|'''Tharizdun'''<br>''The Mad God''<br>''Lord of the Outer Abyss''
|Black spiral
|Unknown
|Madness, entropy, the void
|-
|'''Tymath'''<br>''Mother of Monsters''<br>''The Egg-Breaker''
|Broken egg
|Kobold
|Monsters, curses, aberrant births
|-
|'''Ze'thir'''<br>''The Venomous Shadow''<br>''Lord of the Knife''
|A coiled serpent
|Goblin
|Poison, murder, betrayal
|-
|}

== Small Gods ==

[[File:SmallGod01.jpg|right]]
Saints, folk heroes, and legendary figures are also revered, sometimes as agents of a deity, sometimes just as powerful and charismatic heroes of yore. Some are old gods whose time has passed, lesser survivors from the ancient pantheons; others are mighty elemental spirits, powerful fey, or lost and forgotten things. Although they lack the power of the High Gods, these figures can still have worshipers and grant spells, although most have only a small handful of true clerics. Some act as patrons for warlocks, especially those of a more sinister bent. They tend to be more broadly known as names out of songs and legends, morality tales and ballads of forgotten heritage.

Unlike the true gods, small gods and their kind often meddle in the lives of mortals, and can even be found walking the land in mortal guise at rare times.

There are many small gods, and most villages have a few local legends; only a few are listed here.

* '''Black Anna:''' The queen of the hags, this ancient elven outcast haunts the land, searching for children to eat.
* '''Bladderbottom:''' A trickster spirit known to the Wolfsblood goblins, he may come as a hare, a goat, or a toad. You can tell it is him for all the flowers turn their heads away. Do likewise, turn your head and block your ears and you will be safe. And if you want to make your camp safe, pluck up a live plant and pin it to a tree. Its crying will drive Bladderbottom away. But if you need a boon, put a frog in a pot and play with it, Bladderbottom will come and will help. Or not.
* '''Riddi:''' A small god of forest paths, known to those who dwell in the Harken Wood.
* '''Rond the Iron Hunter:''' A mighty hunter of witchfolk, he wields a cleaver of supernatural iron which cannot abide the touch of evil. It is said that he tricked this cleaver from Asmodel. All the races claim Iron Rond as their own.
* '''Silver Jon:''' A bard of legendary skill, believed by most to be a halfling, Jon does battle with evil beings wielding a fiddle with silver strings. 
* '''Uktena:''' A mighty horned serpent; wise, cunning, and deadly venomous. Associated with waterways, and said to have powers of transformation and healing.
* '''The Witch-King:''' Said to be a powerful witchfolk of ages ago who was slain by a mortal hero, his spiteful spirit lingers in dark and forgotten places. The Witch-King is believed to command the witchfolk, and on occasion to bargain with mortals, searching for his lost bones.

== Elven Gods ==

The elven religion is secretive, and they perform no religious rites outside of their homeland. They are known to revere a moon god named Vorynn, patron of magic and change, but beyond that little is known.