The Lords of Men

St. Cuthbert
￼St. Cuthbert is one of the older deities of the united Pantheon, but the Wise Fool did not start his existence as a diety. Aeons before the Madness, Cuthbert was a paladin of good and law, spending the majority of his time wandering the country side, righting wrongs and aiding the general population. Cuthbert, as he was known, was commonly mistaken for a beggar due to his poor appearance and simple, tattered clothes; the experiences he had while outside of his armor greatly influencing his ministry. Cuthbert would cheer the generosity of other whilst collecting alms for those less fortunate than himself and struck back with furious retribution on those who would seek to molest the downtrodden.

Saint Cuthbert hates evil, but is more concerned with law and order, with converting the uninformed, and preventing backsliding among the faithful. He does not support laws designed to support the wicked and crush the just, but works within those laws to uplift the people they exploit rather than circumvent them entirely.

Source: Dungeons & Dragons, The Dragon Magazine issue 2

Pantheon: The Twelve

Alignment: LN trending towards LG

Favored Weapon: Mace, both Heavy and Light

Symbol: A starburst set in two concentric circles with rubies inlaid at the intersection, a wooden billet, or a crumpled hat

Sacred Animals: Sea Otter

Sacred Colors: Tan and Grey

Domains: Archon (Law), Community, Cooperation, Defense, Destruction,, Ferocity, Heroism, Home, Honor, Judgement, Law, Leadership, Legend, Legislation, Loyalty, Martyr, Protection, Rage, Redemption, Strength

Inquisitions: Conversion, Fervor, Final Rest, Heresy, Imprisonment, Justice, Order, Persistence, Redemption, Reformation, Zeal

Mysteries: Battle, Streets

Blessings: Destruction, Law, Protection, Strength

Worship of St. Cuthbert

Cuthbertines (that is, worshipers of Saint Cuthbert) are most prevalent in the lands surrounding the Central Ocean. The saint has churches in Carcerus, Furyondy, the Gran March, the Free City of Greymaine,Kiriland, the Aristocratic Municipality of Sasserine, the Shield Lands, Tenh, the Principality of Everglow, the County of Skag, the Duchy of Ioma, Vealan, and, inexplicably, the Ochlocratic Anarchy of the Other. These churches can be large cathedrals, but most commonly are wayside shrines and small, crude chapels.

On other planes, Saint Cuthbert is the most favored god of the Harmonium faction, who appreciate the god’s uncompromising nature. The current leader of the faction, Faith, is a cleric of Saint Cuthbert.

Clergy

Saint Cuthbert’s priesthood is divided into three major orders.

The Chapeaux, whose symbol is a crumpled hat, seek to convert people into their faith. They are equally divided between lawful good and lawful neutral characters. Paladins of Saint Cuthbert, known as Votaries or Communicants, have an honorary position in the Order of the Chapeaux. Their role is not just to convert others, but to actually fight enemies of the faith.

The Stars, whose symbol is a starburst, seek to enforce doctrinal purity among those already dedicated to the saint. Most are lawful neutral, and they do not shy from using mind-reading magic in order to ensure that even the private thoughts of their flock are pure.

The Billets are the most numerous of Saint Cuthbert’s clergy. Most are lawful good, and they seek to minister to and protect the faithful. These are well-beloved by the common folk. Their symbol is a wooden club. The Chapeaux often come into conflict with the Billets, because the former order wants to seek new converts while the latter wants to care for the worshipers they already have.

Kord
￼Kord (pronounced KORD) is the God of storms and is the patron of athletes, especially wrestlers. His worshipers include good fighters, barbarians, and rogues. He is known as the Brawler. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and noise; his blows are said to summon lightning and his raucous shouts cause thunder. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. Those who hope for strength and prowess on the battlefield recite prayers and battle cries in his name.

Kord is commonly depicted as a human-statured male, barrel-chested and with massive muscles. He wears iron bracers around his wrists. His beard is long and goes down to the middle of his chest. In one hand he carries a long, thick greatsword. His legs and midsection are clothed in furs and leathers. Dwarves and humans have heated arguments over which race more closely resembles Kord’s idealized visage, with each making subtle changes to the statues in their temples. He is a foe of dragonkind, especially lawful evil dragons; many of his faithful can be prejudice against Kobolds, not seeing them as removed from their famous masters in the Madness.

Source: Dungeons & Dragons 4e (Diety originates in 1st edition but did not gain storm aspect until much later.)

Pantheon: The Twelve

Alignment: CG

Favored Weapon: Greatsword

Symbol: Lightning bolt clenched in a gauntleted fist

Sacred Animals: Dire Bear

Sacred Colors: Grey and Indigo

Domains: Chaos, Competition, Duels, Fist, Glory, Good, Lightning, Monsoons, Storms, Strength, Weather

Inquisitions: Conversion, Excommunication, Execution, Heresy, Redemption, Reformation, Valor

Mysteries: Battle, Streets

Blessings: Chaos, Glory, Good, Strength, Weather

Worship of Kord

Would-be clerics of Kord come into the faith one of two ways. Most succeed on some feat of strength (often at a local carnival or sporting competition), drawing the admiration of a cleric of Kord. Less often, a youth attains notoriety for his sickly nature, but a cleric of Kord notices how passionately the child craves strength. Either way, becoming a cleric of Kord involves rigorous physical training, including calisthenics, running, and practice in any number of specific sports.

Kord gives few commands:

* Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.

* Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.

* Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.

Valkur
￼Valkur (pronounced val-KURR) is a demipower deity of sailors, ships, favorable winds and naval combat. Valkur’s philosophy puts him in conflict with the thousands of capricious ocean gods and goddesses. Changeable as the winds, the Captain of the Waves is a fiercely loyal leader.

He appears as a jolly sea captain who can pilot any vessel. His moods are as mercurial as the weather, but he is always incredibly loyal to his crew. He is usually jolly, always lucky, emphasizes his points by shaking his fist in the air, and has a great belly laugh. Valkur never holds a grudge, but when angered, his voice cracks like rolling thunder. Valkur epitomizes the daring sea captain who can sail his ship through anything theThousand Oceans can unleash. It was believed that Valkur may have once been a mortal sailor who challenged Stalag to a race and arrived safe on the shore of the new world; the race is purported to have happened during the Madness, as the Mad God conjured numerous waves and storms in the cataclysm that madethe world.

Source: Stormwrack and Faiths and Pantheons from Dungeons and Dragons 3e

Pantheon: The Twelve and The Elemental Council

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Favored Weapon: Cutlass

Symbol: Shield with a cloud and three thunderbolts

Sacred Animals: Sea Hawk

Sacred Colors: Indigo and Cyan

Domains: Air, Chaos, Competition, Defense, Exploration, Freedom, Glory, Good, Leadership, Loyalty, Monsoons, Oceans, Protection, Trade, Weather, Wind

Inquisitions: Banishment, Conversion, Excommunication, Execution, Heresy, Order, Persistence, Redemption, Reformation, Tactics

Mysteries: Battle, Waves

Blessings: Chaos, Glory, Good, Protection, Strength, Travel, Water, Weather

Worship of Valkur

The church of Valkur was loosely organized. Many clerics served as captains or sailors aboard ships and they usually met each other only if they happened to serve on the same ship or be in the same port. The clergy was known for helping sailors who were down on their luck. Valkur’s name is used throughout the Thousand Oceans to bless the spirits of dead sailors and lost ships. Valkur’s dogma emphasises living life with vigor and striving against the elements.

In the past, Valkur was not always responsive to his followers’ prayers, and, as a result, worship among northern sailors was often more in line with trying to placate wind demons than seeking protection from them through him – protection that might never come. In more recent times the god of sailors has become more responsive to the entreaties of his faithful, although he is still somewhat unreliable, and as his worship has spread rapidly along the coasts, the ranks of his faithful are swelling with new converts. If Valkur reduces the high number of ships that are still lost his popularity is sure to soar even further.

The Kord and Valkurian churches celebrate the relationship between the Stormlord and the Anchor. He gets along well with Kord, and the two churches engaged in a friendly rivalry; just as Kord tries to knock Valkur down, Valkur tries to keep his feet.