Lore24 Roundup 3
- Aelyrya Payne
- Jan 28, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 2, 2024
January 15th-21st (Days 15-21)
Welcome to Lore24 Roundup number 3!
Marching on with "Gods and Spirits", I covered a broad variety of topics within the theme, introducing some deities, spirits and pantheons. All original posts can be found on my Mastodon.
Remember, all Lore24 posts are initial thoughts - they are not finalised at this stage!
Breakdown of Lore24 Roundup
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15. Haul, the Blessed Sun
A Greater Deity and Leader of the A'arden Pantheon, Haul is the God of the Sun, Order and Time. He is the husband of Selene and the Father of Lune and Maya. By extension, he is the Brother-in-Law of Boone and the Uncle of Eislyn. Haul has a hostile relationship with Fachnan, the God of Chaos and Destruction, but has close relationships with Adarvan, Silvanus, Warde and Evander.
Haul operates in the Domains of Light, Life and Order. His symbol is a golden sun with six rays of light, his sacred mineral is topaz and his favoured colours are gold and white. His favoured animals are eagles and lions, and he shows preference to charismatic leaders that rule with empathy and compassion.
Haul tends to influence his followers using omens sent in the form of eagles. He is fond of children and is always happy to bless them. Haul is fond of both music and tests of athleticism, and is often invoked alongside Orino in celebration of Midsummer.
Haul is the big cheese of the A'arden Pantheon, and while he considers himself their leader, he doesn't see himself as the chief of A'arde as a whole. His dedication to Aegis is absolute, and he would do anything to protect A'arde from those who would attempt to destroy it. He feels partially responsible for what happened with Ythrynaar, and it was his order than shut down the Beacons during the Age of Dragons.
16. The Five Divine Serpents
The serpentine Gods of the Naga and Serpensia rarely show themselves to outsiders. For this reason, some rumours say that the Divine Serpents are in fact dead, and that the so-called "Gods" are just Naga pretending to be them. But the truth is perhaps a little more worrisome, as the Serpents genuinely believe the squabbles of Mortals to be below them, and are instead engrossed in their own plans and machinations.
Other than a desire to bring their "lost or rebellious children back into the fold", be that through gentle persuasion or outright subjugation, the Divine Serpents pay little attention to the exploits of the Serpensia. Instead they focus on their "Divine Purpose", directing the Naga to ensure that their Sacred Obligations are met. The Serpents will join with other Gods if it suits their purposes, but will otherwise remain apart from the day-to-day workings of the other Gods.
The Five Divine Serpents are named as Uroboros the World Serpent, Mucilinda the Guardian, Nidhoggar the Consumer, Melasoneiros the Night Terror and Nehushtan the Waymarker.
I researched Divine Serpent myths from all over the world while trying to build this Pantheon, and still found myself struggling with certain aspects of it. Snakes themselves tend to be looked upon as negative, while Divine Serpents are usually positive, or at least neutral, and I wanted to embody all aspects of snake-lore with my own Pantheon. In the end, it took a bit of shuffling and a lot of creative liberties, but I think I made something interesting!
17. Sileas, the Pathmaker
A Solitary Deity of the Sylvan Pantheon, Sileas is the Goddess of Fate, Guidance and Lost Things. She is considered a beautiful but terrifying individual, and was one of the original seven members of the Sylvan Pantheon of A'arde. It is said that she foresaw the Fate of the Ancients which ultimately led to their entombment, and she blames herself for being unable to change it. Sileas has a daughter named Ninianne, who is also an Oracle.
Sileas operates in the Domains of Nature, Life and Knowledge. Her symbol is a white spider, though she is also known to use the Ogham symbol for Straith. Her sacred plant is the Blackthorn and her favoured animals are owls and spiders. Sileas tends to favour those who dedicate themselves to helping others, and is especially fond of those that return the lost to their rightful place.
Sileas is generally quite reclusive, responding to prayers and petitions with subtlety. If a more obvious sign or gift requires delivering, she often asks the Prince of Lost Things to deliver it. When Sileas Marks a Favoured, which is incredibly rare, she is known to do anything it takes to protect them from dark forces.
Sileas is one of my favourite Goddesses, as she is incredibly special to an NPC I created for my games, Neyon (see his portrait post here). When creating her, I knew I wanted her to be beautiful but creepy, so she has aspects of both spiders and owls about her visage!
18. Favoured, Chosen and Divine Marks
Gods often have favourites among Mortals, even if those individuals don't actively worship them. Perhaps their actions or deeds caught the eye of the Deity involved, or perhaps their exploits are simply amusing. No matter the reason, these Favoured are gifted blessings, tokens, or even artefacts by the Deity as a sign of their interest.
On occasion, a Deity may be so invested in an individual that they choose to Mark them as their own. These Marked Chosen are gifted a part of the Deity's power through the Divine Mark they leave upon the Mortal's body. These Marks often take on the form of glittering scars, though their shape, colour and location vary from person to person. The Marks grant the Chosen special powers and abilities, which can be taken away should the Chosen lose the God's favour.
While Marked Chosen tend to keep their Patrons and status quiet, it is considered more acceptable to display blessings, tokens or artefacts of favour.
The very first Chosen I created for my world was a Chosen of Warde. He was special, because on the surface he seemed to be a healer and medic, but underneath was a devout protector and shield of A'arde. In my game, Chosen get special Feats related to their Marks, which vary depending on the God that has marked them. One of my players has a Mark now, while another has been bestowed with a Token.
19. The Cearcall Sgàile
The Pantheon of Tìr nan Dubhar, the Shadowlands, the Shade Circle are few in number, reflecting their position as an absence of life. As Tìr nan Dubhar is the shadowy reflection of the Land of the Faerie, the Cearall Sgàile are the counterparts of Na Sìthichean a Dh'eirich; dark Fey representatives of shadow and death. However, the Gods themselves are not considered evil; in fact, they are generally even-handed when it comes to Mortals, seeing shadow as a natural part of the cycle of life and death. All souls must pass through Tìr nan Dubhar on their way to their afterlife, and the Cearcall Sgàile are always careful to ensure that all souls make their journey safely.
The Cearcall Sgàile are the Patrons of the Cysgodellynyn (Shadow Elves), the caretakers of Shadow and the guides of death. They also act as Keepers of Corruption, preventing the spread of Corruption within the Realms and trying to learn more about it. The Cearcall Sgàile are led by the enigmatic Raven Queen, a Goddess of Death, Memory, Shadows, Time, Fate and Souls.
As light cannot exist without darkness, neither can the Land of Faerie exist without the Shadowlands. While it is a dark place, a place where death and shadow linger, it is not necessarily an "evil" place, though emotion tends to wither and fade. It is colourless and desolate, save for a single oasis, where the Hope of Tìr nan Dubhar, the last daughter of the Raven Queen, resides.
20. Jernmand Peder, Mountainforge Hammerer
A member of the Dwarven Pantheon, Jernmand Peder is the undisputed Lord of Mountainforge, and the greatest Master among the Dwarven smiths. He is the God of the Forge, Smithing Weapons-Crafting, and is one of Oluf Mogens' most trusted comrades. He is known to have good relations with Asger Preben and Gunhild Rolf, but he finds Ulric Fritjof quite distasteful.
Jernmand operates in the Domains of Forge and Knowledge. His symbol is an anvil with a stylized mountain depicted upon it and his favoured item is the warhammer. His favoured colours are yellow, grey and silver, and he is known to favour steel and adamantine. While Jernmand favours blacksmiths, he also shows preference to anyone that uses fire in their line of work.
Jernmand is industrious and hands on, valuing tenacity, diligence and a desire to better oneself amongst his followers. He generally sends messages to his followers in the form of omens in the Forge, but has also been known to visit his most faithful directly in the form of a flaming anvil.
Fun fact about Jernmand... in one of my games, the players have actually met a follower of his, but this follower isn't a Dwarf! The follower is in fact a Drow, raised by Dwarves after he was found wandering the mountains with no memory of his family or life. He was only ten at the time, and the only thing he had about his person was a bracelet with a name upon it; this is the name the Dwarves called him by, though they don't know if it is actually his name.
21. Satinka and Kachina, Magic Dancers
The Satinka and Kachina are harmless, benevolent spirits of the Weave; Satinka specifically of the Arcane Weave, and Kachina of the Sylvan Weave. They are purely ethereal creatures with no physical form, instead appearing to Material beings as tiny, Elfin Humanoids made of glimmering energy; Satinka being blue-white and Kachina a greenish hue. The Dancers see themselves as being the friends and assistants of the Weave Gods, particularly Arcania and Silvanus, and are happy to partake in any work they request.
Magic Dancers are primarily tasked with repairing areas of the Weave that have been weakened or damaged. Their dancing acts as a focus for their magic, and the number of Dancers indicates the severity of the damage to the Weave. They are highly sensitive to Weave Fluctuations and Mana Affinity, and their behaviour around a magical anomaly is generally a good indicator of the level of danger to be had.
Despite this, recorded sightings of Magic Dancers are rare as many mistake them for Will o' the Wisps, Arcane Orbs or Marsh Orbs. Befriending Magic Dancers is possible, but they are very particular creatures that will only show favour to those they consider truly deserving.
One of my previous characters, a wizard, has a male-presenting Satinka as a Familiar, though she doesn't know it in her current chronology! He usually prefers to be in the form of a pure white cat with violet eyes, and he goes by the name "Rune".
Lore24 continues as usual over on Socials, so check in to see what's what!
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