Welcome to Ætherius (ayth-EER-ee-us)
The cradle of we, the children of the gods
Welcome to the world of Ætherius! Many ages ago, Ætherius was created by the king of the gods, now only remembered as He-Who-Was. Before departing the Material Plane, he created the world as a sort of playground for his children, the primal gods. The husband and wife gods, Ajax and Lyra, first began populating the world with their children, the humans. They created four men and four women. While the humans grew in number and awareness, they began to exhibit certain traits based on the circumstances surrounding their births and growth. The four brothers named Torgul, Morgoth, Tirith, and Delion, were separated along with their wives and children, for their families continued to fight each other to no end. The brother Tirith and his family remained in the same land where all of the humans were originally created, and his name became synonymous with innocence, for truly they never held significant conflict between the rest of the god-born. There they lived in solitude, away from the paradise of Minas Delion, but still safe from the perils of Minas Torgul, and the punishment of Minas Morgoth. The brother Morgoth, for reasons lost to time, killed the eldest son of the brother Torgul. In retaliation, Torgul attempted to kill Morgoth's son but was convinced to stay his hand by the brother Delion. So came it to be that Delion's family was given a continent of his own for his family to spread, and the gods spoke thusly, that he and his kin live in plenty to the end of their days, for truly theirs was the greatest lot. With that, the brother Delion's name became synonymous with plenty. The brother Torgul, who some purport to be the eldest interestingly enough, was given perhaps the biggest plot of land, but also perhaps the greatest burden. The gods gave them the most strenuous trials, but after every one, the sons of Torgul grew stronger, and they were good. With that, the name of Torgul became synonymous with Struggle. The sons of Morgoth were sent to their own land, and the gods chose to turn their eyes away from Minas Morgoth. Theirs was the most painful and harsh lot, and unlike those living in Minas Torgul, they did not grow strong from their perils, instead living their lives in pain and torment, for however long their lives lasted. After the Dividing, the name Morgoth became synonymous with Malice. Eventually, the children of other gods such as the elves and the dwarves were sent to Ætherius for one reason or another, and as the eons have passed, the world has become their own. In the current era, known as A.F. or After Founding, there is one kingdom that stands as a pinnacle of acceptance, peace, and fortitude, such that its founding ushered in a new era for Minas Torgul. This kingdom, named for the range of mountains surrounding it and the mountains scattered around its land, is known as The White Mountains.
Factions Across the White Mountains
White Mountain Government:
Ruled by King Darrius Moltenshield. He has two sons named Darrius and Randith, the oldest and youngest sons, respectively. His two twin daughters, Artemis and Fiona were born in between his two sons, and his late wife Liora died giving birth to his youngest daughter, Vahliora. Vahliora has been missing for almost seven years now, having disappeared without a trace at twelve years old. The different holds are governed by Dukes, and the smaller towns and hamlets have a single Count or Countess in charge of them, advised by three other nobles.The White Mountain Thieves Guild:
Brug, the leader of the Obsidian Guild, began to overtake and absorb the thief guilds across the White Mountains. He began by expanding across his home city of Illuria, and his conquest officially began when he had completely taken over the criminal underworld of Minervus. The Conquest of the Night officially ended when Brug snuck into King Darrius' bedroom and dealt with him, with both of them signing the Treaty of Two Kings on the next day, which quite appropriately was Ineveramholt. They signed it at dawn, the moment when the night and day become one. The new White Mountain Thieves Guild would be given much more leeway with their criminal activity from the guard, and in return Brug would control the criminals, using their contacts and power to ensure the relative safety of the population. Murder and Grand Larceny would still be investigated, and private citizens can still conduct their own personal investigations and utilize bounty hunters and mercenary guilds to seek retribution, but the Grand Guard would not investigate petty crimes by the White Mountain Thieves Guild. In return for leniency, Brug ensures that there is no more gang violence and the citizens no longer have to worry about leaving their houses at night.The Grey Hand:
Guildmaster: Arannis Galanodel, A high-elven mastermind rogue. He is the greatest and most remorseless killer across the Jade Isles. There are five different criminal enterprises that the Grey Hand focuses on, one for each finger on a human hand. They are: Murder/Assassination, Burglary/Theft, Drug Trafficking, Slave Trafficking, and Corruption. The guild is based in Valkynaz, and much like the White Mountain Thieves' Guild, has completely conquered the criminal underworld of their home country.Churches of Ætherius:
There are many gods in the world of Ætherius, and as such there are plenty of churches for each god. Each god has its own set of values and tenets, its own sect of paladins and cleric domains, and its own divine jurisdiction. In some smaller towns, there may only be one church dedicated to all of the gods or just a majority of the gods. These churches of the everyman as they are called are almost always led by a child of L'adim, as L'adim's children, as well as his tenets, are usually more welcoming of such things. There are also sacred shrines dotting the world that are located in sacred places for the gods, that hold some of the gods residual energy and influence. For example, there is a shrine of El'myar'ah built upon the hill that Josiah, leader of the Oblivion Knights, died on. Using vague and long-forgotten rituals, it is possible to gain a boon of power from the gods at their shrines, or even speak to them directly.Magic College:
A college dedicated to the study, experimentation, and growth of magic. The central location is located in Luria, and there are locations all around The White Mountains each specializing in different schools of magic. The college is also responsible for the development and production of the anti-magic drug, Mute. The drug is illegal for private citizens to use, however, there are certain licenses for high-class citizens and businesses allowing the purchase of the drug, and there may be sources in the black market for those not looking for legal samples. Aspiring mages who apply to the college must leave their families behind. They may still request and give favors to their old families as they wish, but they may not claim the heritage of their old family for legal reasons, or otherwise, as when the Mage's college was instituted it was decided by the White Mountain government that it would be too much power for a noble family to wield. Once graduated from the college, the mages may reenter their families, however, they will not be under the purview and protection of the college's license, and therefore are very limited in their legal magic use. They must pay for their own license to practice magic, a license that was previously granted to them as part of being a student or alumnus of the college, and there are added legal limitations on what magics can be practiced. Additionally, there are certain places where magic is completely, or just more heavily outlawed at their owner's purview. The White Mountain Arcane University is run by a council of eight powerful wizards, each specializing in a different school of magic, plus the One, a powerful wizard elected by the council of eight to essentially be the Prime Material Plane's ambassador and representative. These wizards each live in one of the capital cities of the holds, and the Conjuration wizard lives in the city of Luria, in the Elder Citadel, in the center of the Arcane University.The Compatriots:
A Hunter's guild with outposts in the wilderness across the White Mountains. Most of their members are rangers of some renown, however, they will accept and train anybody interested in hunting with the belief that anybody can gain the favor of Ahkmora. Their leader, or Harbinger, is Daisy, the one-time protector of Rook Forest. It was destroyed long ago, leading to her forming the Compatriots, until it was restored by use of a Wish spell, however, only Daisy herself knows who cast it. Rumors have stated that it was the goddess of Growth and Nature herself, Amberle.The Brotherhood of Blood:
A mercenary guild that will solve any problem, as long as it does not require them to break any of their tenets, at a price. They are known for being very well disciplined, and are so well-renowned that even the Trifect goes to them for their needs. The leader's name is Harkmir Asuhaming.The Trifect:
Group of the three richest families across the White Mountains. One residing in Illuria, one in Velluria, and one in Luria. They control the vast majority of the White Mountain's import and export.The Sunset Shadows:
A group of lowlifes and bandits roaming around The White Mountains. They're not skilled or organized enough to compare to the two Thief Guilds, but they're intimidating and dangerous enough to be able to survive in the wild away from the guards that patrol the towns and roads. They were once much more funded, skilled, and organized, but they pushed too hard. They attempted to rise up against the White Mountain Thieves Guild. The entire criminal underground rose up and went to war, and most of the country suffered harshly. However, they went too far. Brug, the guildmaster of the White Mountain Thieves Guild, was and is very powerful, more powerful than the Sunset Shadows could imagine. He was trained by the most powerful rogue in the world, Muzien the Obsidian Knight, and he had grown complacent after conquering the White Mountain criminal underworld. The Sunset Shadows captured Brug's wife, Volen, and tortured her to death, before hanging her bleeding and broken body from a bell tower that served as one of Brug's hideouts. This woke up something dark inside of Brug, that had not opened its eyes since Brug conquered the White Mountain's thieves guilds. He utterly destroyed the Sunset Shadows, killing hundreds in a single night, and hundreds more the next, stealing all of the Sunset Shadows' gold, brutally killing all of their leaders, and taking back control of the White Mountains.The Bardic College:
Founded by Faruuk, a half orc bard, not long after the founding of The White Mountains. It is located in the city of Luria, however there are chapterhouses in the other hold capitals for traveling faculty and students.Druidic Circles:
There are several gatherings of Druids of each individual druidic archetype, known as circles. The gatherings are much larger for the more common circles: the Circles of Dreams, Land, Moon, Spores, and Shepherd. The gatherings of Druids of the circles of Wildfire and Twilight are quite small as, in the White Mountains, those circles are fairly rare. Finally, there are only three known Circle of the Stars Druids, as it is a very rare circle.Monastic Orders:
-Way of the Drunken Master
Started by Haymitch Asuqeran, a once-renowned drillmaster in The White Mountain military, until he lost a limb during the Sunset Shadows' uprising. He quickly sank into alcoholism after the shame he felt at not being able to continue fighting. Even after he obtained a new prosthetic leg, he couldn't find a way to stop drinking. So he incorporated his drunken gait into his combat style, inventing the Way of the Drunken Master martial arts style. He built his martial arts dojo in Illuria, adjacent to the Sleeping Tiger Tavern.-Way of the Four Elements
It was started by Iroh Asuazulon, a martial artist who learned how to control the four elements, by observing the various creatures and forces of nature capable of controlling them naturally. He observed the dragons who channel their fire with their breath. He observed the aarakocra who flow with the wind instead of resisting it, thereby controlling it. He observed the Giant Purple Worms of the Underdark, and how they forced their way through the earth without allowing it to resist. Lastly, he noticed the way the moon and the ocean interacted with each other, in a constant state of push and pull. With these findings, he developed his own fighting style, the Way of the Four Elements. Sometime after developing this style, he eventually retired from his adventuring and teaching, and opened up his tea shop, The Jasmine Dragon.-Way of the Kensei
The Way of the Kensei wasn't developed by one monk in particular, but is a broad type of fighting that many monks emulate in their developing styles. Many Kensei monks can be found across the many large cities in the White Mountains.-Way of the Long Death
A style of fighting developed by Araela, prophet of Ni'Akros, god of natural death, as a way of keeping balance in the world. Rumors purport that Araela continues her training, secluded in the Redwood forest in the hold of Arborlon.-Way of the Open Hand
Perhaps one of the more widely-practiced monastic traditions, there can be found a dojo in every capital city in the White Mountain kingdom. One of the more prominent practitioners of the Way of the Open Hand is the Devil of Malluria, a blind vigilante dressed in red and black, who wages a one-man war against crime across Malluria.-Way of Shadow
A style of fighting invented by the first Ra's Alghul, the leader of a mystical League of Assassins that died out long ago. Though the League's beliefs and customs died out, their fighting styles lived on in the few members that left with their lives before the League died out. Aspiring monks who wish to study this style of martial arts may journey to Nanda Parbat, at the peak of Mt Argenthryxus, to learn from the various texts and tomes in the Great Library of Ra's Alghul. Their base, Nanda Parbat, is located in the northwestern reaches of The White Mountains.-Way of the Sun Soul
A fighting style popularized by the people of Tasavalta, that only recently spread to the White Mountains. Nobody knows who originally started the monastic tradition, but many a master can be found in the country that it originated from. Only a fair few monks following this path can be considered to be masters in the White Mountains.-Way of Tranquility
The Way of Tranquility was developed by Alianor, a wood elf hailing from the city of Luria, who now lives in the forests of Minervus. Hers is a tragic tale. She was originally a psychiatrist, who traveled to different prisons across the White Mountains, whose job it was to decide if prisoners were rehabilitated, and could be trusted to walk free. One day, she ventured home to Illuria, to interview a prisoner known as Jurim Asukaji, imprisoned for some truly horrible crimes that Alianor does not reveal. She saw through his facade, realizing that he was a truly evil man, and would never repent. Jurim, realizing that she knew who he truly was, dashed over the table that they were eating at and attacked her. He attempted to strangle her, but just before she lost consciousness, she twisted him onto the ground and incapacitated him with the techniques she had taught herself. She ensured that he would never be able to leave prison again, or tried to at least. Jurim hatched a plan to escape prison, and walked over to Alianor's house and murdered her sister, children, and her niece and nephew. Then he simply walked back to the prison, covered in the blood of her family, and turned himself in. He told the authorities that he only broke out so he could destroy Alianor's life. Alianor left the house she had lived in with her family and built a cabin in Minervus to live out the rest of her life in solitude. Eventually, she built an iron cell in the cabin, with the intention of taking her revenge on the man who took everything from her. She hatched a plan to kidnap Jurim from prison. She must've had a god on her side, because the plan went off without a hitch, and she successfully knocked him out and smuggled him out of the city. She locked him in the iron cell in the cabin she had built, and watched day after day, as he starved to death. It took 47 days, and the moment Jurim died, the good in Alianor went with him, she was gone. She couldn't find peace in what she had done to Jurim, and she was lost. She only found her peace when she decided to never kill again, for she came to discover that all life truly was precious. Now she trains day after day in her homemade dojo next to her cabin, hoping that one day she can find a reason to keep living. Upon the arrival of the authorities sent to investigate the disappearance of their prisoner, they listened to her story and saw the grave she dug for the man, and decided not to prosecute her for her crimes, provided she never returned to civilization.-Way of the Cobalt Soul
The Way of the Cobalt Soul was a tradition developed by the Order of the Cruciform Sword, as a way of studying and better combating the evils that they face. The Order of the Cruciform Sword, or OCS is a religious sect of the Church of Uriel that is dedicated to defending Ætherius from otherworldly threats. They reside in the Great Library, a demiplane accessible from within all of the churches of Uriel, created by one of the founders of the OCS, Adriel the Cobalt Wizard.-Way of the Astral Self
The Astral Monastery was built in the Grand Gate Pass just east of Luria, a naturally-formed pass between the two peaks of the mountain where the Gate to the Astral Sea forms on the summer solstice. It is currently run by a former Astral Sea Pirate, who only recently changed his ways to become a monk. His name is Farengar, and his son Falion took over the ship when he retired.The Pantheon of Ætherius
Lesser gods/Virtue gods
God of Truth and Love; L'adim: Life Domain or Beauty Domain (LG) Clerics of L'adim have an innate ability to know immediately when they hear a lie. Clerics of L'adim do not automatically know if they are being lied to by a cleric of Briael, unless they pass an insight check contested by the other cleric's deception check. His symbol is a white heart, and his favored animal is the dove. He typically manifests as a soft, white, shining light, or as a kind-looking middle-aged man, in fine white robes. God of Courage and Honor; B'aal: Order Domain (LN) Clerics of B'aal are immune to being frightened. His symbol is a crossed sword and torch, and his favored animal is the lion. Goddess of Deception; Briael: Trickery Domain (CN) Clerics of Briael automatically succeed on deception checks made to tell a lie, unless they are attempting to lie to a cleric of L'adim, in which case they may attempt to lie, but they must make a Charisma (deception) check. Her symbol is a black heart, and her favored animal is the serpent. She is the patron deity of all snakes and serpent creatures, including Nagas. God of Treachery; Al'a'mira: Trickery Domain (CE) Clerics of Al'a'mira have advantage on checks against being charmed. His symbol is a pair of hands, clasped in embrace, both wrists concealing blades, and his favored animal is the crocodile. God of Wrath and Hunger; Kh'shaad: Death Domain (CE) Clerics of Kh'shaad have advantage on charisma (Intimidation) checks. His symbol is a crushed skull, and his favored animal is the Hydra. Goddess of Madness; Dæamata: Trickery Domain (CE) Clerics of Dæamata are immune to effects that would cause any type of madness, but also receive a type of indefinite madness (up to the DM's discretion) upon completing their training. Her symbol is a pair of men, one upside down and framed in white, symbolizing the twisted visage the man sees in the mirror. Her favored animal is the hyena. God of Crafts and the Forge; Mallus: Knowledge Domain (TN) Clerics of Mallus gain a permanent +2 to Intelligence, and have advantage on ability checks made using tools and kits of any kind. His symbol is a forge hammer, and his favored animal is the Elephant. Goddess of Loyalty and Retribution; El'myar'ah: Order Domain (LN) Clerics of El'myar'ah have advantage on all Charisma (persuasion) checks, and grant all friendly creatures within 30ft advantage on saving throws made to avoid being charmed and frightened. Her symbol is a human with their right arm crossed over their chest, and her favored animal is the wolf. God of Academics; Ecthelion: Arcana or Knowledge Domain (TN) Clerics of Ecthelions' maximum Intelligence score is 22. His symbol is an open book, and his favored animal is the owl. Goddess of Perserverance, Ambition, and Devotion; Inevera: Ambition or Zeal Domain (TN) Twin sister of Everam. Clerics of Inevera are immune to the effects of exhaustion. Her symbol is an open hand, with a bleeding cut on the palm, and her favored animal is the horse. God of Honorable Combat; Everam: Forge Domain or War Domain (TN) Twin brother of Inevera. Clerics of Everam gain access to the spell Compelled Duel. They always have the spell prepared and it doesn't count against the spells they have prepared for the day. They can also cast it once without using a spell slot. If they want to cast it more than once per long rest, they must expend a spell slot. His symbol is a pair of swords crossed over a red heart, and his favored animal is the hound dog. God of Debauchery, Indulgence, and Simple Pleasure; Azrael: Trickery Domain (CN) Clerics of Azrael gain the ability Gaze of Desire. You may expend a use of your channel divinity to force a creature you are making eye contact with to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target tells you a hidden desire of theirs, and must indulge in it. If the task is harmful to the target or morally out of character, the target must make another Wisdom saving throw against your persuasion check, performing the task anyway on a failure. His symbol is a liquid (presumably alcohol) pouring out of an open bottle, and his favored animal is the house cat. God of Politics, Society, and Manipulation; Neron: Trickery or Order Domain (LE) Clerics of Neron have advantage on persuasion and intimidation checks against creatures who are lower in authority than you, and have disadvantage on those checks against creatures who are higher in authority than you. His symbol is a set of manacles, and his favored animal is the scorpion. God of Vengeance, Resentment, and Absolution; Al'm'alak: War or Trickery Domain (CN) Clerics of Al'm'alak have advantage on Charisma checks made to rally other creatures, and are immune to being frightened. His symbol is a sword crossed over a shield, and his favored animal is the warhorse. God of Murder and Hatred; Al'a'mumin: Death Domain (NE) All living creatures nearby a manifestation of Al'a'mumin feel uncontrollable anger and murderous rage. It is said that a small number of people across the multiverse have proven to overcome Al'a'mumin's Rage Aura, but these are mere rumors, unproven and unlikely as even the kindest and pacifistic individuals have been driven to murder after minutes within Al'a'mumin's unholy grace. Clerics of Al'a'mumin are immune to effects that would suppress their lemotions, and the DC for their death saving throws goes down by 2. His symbol is a bloody sword, and his favored animal is the great ape. God of Protection, Duty, and Sacrifice; Sampson: Life or Protection Domain (LG) Sampson was originally a human in a small town village, who was raised to godhood after his death on the 26th of Hearthfire, in 465 AC, for his deeds in the town of Karthspire, where he sacrificed himself so all of the citizens of his hometown could escape a bandit raid. Clerics of this god gain a special ability to be used when they see an allied creature drop to 0 hit points. Using their reaction, the Cleric immediately drops to 0 hit points and is dying. The target creature then regains half of their maximum hit points. His symbol is a cracked shield, and his favored animal is the jackal. God of Blood and Coin, Paragon of Assassins; Muzien the Obsidian Knight: Trickery and Twilight Domain (CN) A master thief named for the volcanic glass as black as night. He is of high elven heritage and is immortal like his comrades due to the vanquishing of a powerful demon prince. Muzien created the White Mountain Thieves guild merely by training a child to be a master thief and pointing him in the direction of founding it, this way the White Mountains would have a unified criminal underworld to rival the Grey Hand, Valkynaz's thief guild pushing into the White Mountains to weaken their infrastructure. Muzien has the wisdom and authority to recognize potential for greatness, which is how he recognized the potential of a young elven gang leader named Arannis Galanodel, as well as a young abused orcish urchin named Brug. God of Psionics and Horror, Aberrant Archon; Vishtana the Amethyst Knight: Knowledge and Trickery Domain (CN) Vishtana broke the slave Trog out of a kingdom's dungeon after the kingdom was razed in battle with another kingdom to the east. Vishtana then told Trog that he had annihilated the citizens, as they had been evil, and that he had to do what he had to do. Trog fled in terror, and Vishtana knew he would run into a nearby forest and survive in the wild, and save the forest from being burnt down by pirates searching for Yevelda. Vishtana ascended to godhood with the rest of his comrades, the Knights of Old, and became a patron god of those who specialize in the Far Realms. God of Potential, Personal Growth, and Cosmic Energy, Ascended Knowledge Cleric; Ma'fel'no'sei'kedeh'naar the Crystal Knight: Knowledge and Arcana Domain (TN) He saved a young Yevelda from death in a forest nearby her now-defunct childhood home of Barad Dur. He taught her how to survive in the wild, how to live off nature, and how to grow alongside nature. This leads her to then cultivate a small grove into a large forest encompassing an entire hold. This forest proves to be instrumental in many ways in the war between Valkynaz and The White Mountains, since the forest was so thick and dangerous that Valkynaz's armies could not simply march through it, and Yevelda living as the queen of Rook Forest also allows Trog the Jungle Vestige to live on and grow strong, granting The White Mountains another powerful ally. God of Oaths and Heroism, Rune Knight Dreadnaught; Batiatus the Cobalt Knight (LG) He saved the life of Balogrog and taught him combat and how to survive, pushing him to become a sailor. With Balogrog's strength and wisdom, the navy of The White Mountains becomes legendary forty years later, protecting them from the attack of Leviathan around five years before the invasion of Valkynaz. While most of the navy was destroyed and a large portion of Phorcys obliterated, The White Mountain Kingdom is able to push forward. God of Humility and Royalty, Enlightened Fist of the Open Hand; Hath-Set the Pale Knight (NG) Hath-Set pulled a lowly Bolg from a life sentence in Duke Synderion's dungeons, and brought him to the church of Ashhur in lower Luria. Bolg eventually grew to be the bishop of the church of Ashhur, allowing them to be strong enough to oppose Valkynaz, as opposed to how they would've been under the influence of another high priest of the church, who was weak and would've cowered in fear of Valkynaz. God of Satire and Eloquency, Truespeaker of Whispers; Drem the Emerald Knight (CN) He fathered Faruuk, a politician who was one of the key mechanisms allowing The White Mountains to be founded from the ashes of Paranor. Faruuk also ended up founding the Bard's College in The White Mountains, an enormous part of the White Mountain kingdom's culture, albeit inconsequential to the kingdom's survival. He was known as the most powerful and talented bard known to mortalkind.Greater gods/Primal gods/Primordial gods
Goddess of Hidden Secrets, Prophecy, and Divination; At'oum: Knowledge Domain (TN) As opposed to S'adim and Salorna, who control the fates of mortalkind, At'oum controls the fates of immortalkind, and the entire multiverse, the exact limits of her power are unknown, as she tends to control the multiverse through the acts of many others, rather than directly controlling the fates of the worlds. She gave seven prophecies to the Knights of Old, foretelling seven major points throughout the destiny of the Material Plane, including the inevitable, inexorable end of all mortals. Clerics of At'oum gain access to the Divination Wizard's Portent feature, but only get one dice per long rest. Her symbol is the infinity sign, and her favored animal is the giraffe. God of Natural Death; Ni'akros: Grave Domain (TN) Ni'akros has the authority to merely command a living creature to die, and it will drop dead of natural causes. Clerics of Ni'akros have the ability to use their reaction to give a creature they can see disadvantage on a death saving throw when the Cleric sees a creature make one. His symbol is a grave stone, and he, unlike most gods of Ætherius, has no favored animal, as all animals die eventually. Goddess of Childbirth, Youth, Vitality, and Spring; Shadim: Life, Light, or Beauty Domain (NG) Clerics of Shadim are immune to magical aging and do not suffer any of the frailty of old age. Her symbol is a tree sapling, and her favored animal is the rabbit. Goddess of Nature's Wrath; Al'Akil: Tempest Domain (CE) Clerics of Al'Akil gain the ability to transform into an air elemental, water elemental, fire elemental, or earth elemental, by expending a use of their Channel Divinity. They retain their alignment, mental ability scores, and class features, however they cannot cast spells in these forms; clerics who have multiclassed into druid lose the use of their wild shape when they transform using their channel divinity. They can however concentrate on spells in their elemental forms, provided the spells were cast in their base form. The transformation lasts for 1 hour and cannot be ended early at will. At the end of the hour, the cleric gains a level of exhaustion. Her symbol is a lightning bolt, and her favored animal is the squid. She is also the patron goddess of Krakens, and favors them for their twisted nature. Goddess of the Ocean; Olphean: Tempest or Nature Domain (CN) Clerics of Olphean gain a swimming speed equal to 10×their wisdom modifier, and can breathe air and water. Her symbol is a line curling outward, symbolizing a whirlpool, and her favored animal is the shark. God of Underwater Creatures; T'ym'ora: Nature Domain (TN) Clerics of T'ym'ora can speak to underwater creatutes at will, using telepathy. Depending on the creatures' intelligence scores, the amount of information they can relay may be limited, but they, at least, can communicate the events of the last 24 hours, including sights they have seen, sounds they have heard, and places they have been to. Her symbol is a fish, and she, unlike most gods of Ætherius, has no favored animal, as she is the goddess of all underwater creatures. God & Goddess of Fate & Fortune; S'a'dim & Salorna: Knowledge or Trickery Domain (CN) From the beginning of time, the stories regarding these two have always had one constant. S'a'dim and Salorna are closer than any other pair of gods, with the possible exception of Inevera and Everam. In one life, they were brother and sister, children of At'oum and Ni'akros. In other lives, they were mother and son, father and daughter, and husband and wife. Most of the time, when one of these two are mentioned, it is alongside the other, as while they themselves are close, their domains are also close. A small percent of the population tends to envision the pair as one and the same, due to how closely intertwined and related their domains are. But it is very clear that the two are separate entities. S'a'dim is the god of Fate, meaning long-term goals, successes, failures, and endings. Salorna is the goddess of Fortune, meaning success or failure in day-to-day activities. A hero who slays a dragon that it has been hunting for decades, probably has gained the favor of S'a'dim to complete such a quest. But if that same hero tripped and fell, throwing his sword into the monster's throat, and killed it that way, it's a safe bet that Salorna isn’t a fan of this hero. Clerics of S'a'dim or Salorna gain the ability to expend a use of their channel divinity to give themselves advantage on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. They must do this before they make the roll, and they may do this once per long rest. Alternatively, they may use their reaction when a creature within 30ft of them makes an ability check, attack roll, and saving throw, to immediately negate any advantage or disadvantage that it has, and give the creature advantage or disadvantage on the roll. Their symbol is a set of six-sided dice, and their favored animal is the deer. Goddess of Morning and Rebirth; Alma: Life, Nature, or Peace Domain (LG) Clerics of Alma are immune to all manner of poison and disease. Her symbol is a rising sun, and her favored animal is the butterfly. Goddess of Stars and Healing; Lyra: Life, Light, or Beauty Domain (NG) Clerics of Lyra regain the maximum possible healing whenever they are targeted by a healing effect. Her symbol is three stars in a triangle formation, and she favors her children, the humans. Goddess of Twilight; Anwyn: Death, Grave, or Twilight Domain (TN) Clerics of Anwyn have advantage on death saving throws if they have two failures already. Anwyn is the goddess of the ends of all cycles. She is the goddess of dusk at the end of the day. She is the reaping ritual to guide the souls to their afterlife. She is the prayer at the reaping hour, she is the burial mask, and she is the pyre. Her symbol is a porcelain mask, half black and half white, and her favored animal is the raven. Goddess of Growth and Nature; Amberle: Life or Nature Domain (CG) Clerics of Amberle regain 1 hit point at the beginning of every turn. Her symbol is a white cross, and her favored animal is the swan. Goddess of Fire and Destruction; L'fæ: Forge Domain (CE) Clerics of L'fae have resistance to fire damage. Her symbol is a broken torch, still lit, and her favored animal is the lizard. Goddess of Winter, Snowstorms, and Beauty; Elliora: Tempest Domain (CN) Clerics of Elliora have resistance to cold damage. Her symbol is a snowflake, and her favored animal is the polar bear. God of Summer and the Sun; Helios: Light Domain (LG) Clerics of Helios see normally in darkness, whether magical or nonmagical. His symbol is, of course, the sun, and his favored animal is the rooster. Goddess of Beauty and Love; Venus: Beauty Domain (CG) Clerics of Venus have advantage on all charisma (Persuasion) checks, and gain immense beauty, without needing to apply makeup or exercise. Her symbol is a pink heart, and her favored animal is the seahorse. God of Law and Justice; Ch'thon: Order Domain (LG) Clerics of Ch'thon have the ability to execute criminals at will, expending a use of their Channel Divinity. As an action, Clerics of Ch'thon can touch a humanoid creature that they have perceived to have broken a law that they adhere to, such as murder, theft, or something else up to the cleric's and dm's discretion, and command the creature to die. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw where the DC is the Cleric's Cleric level + their Wisdom modifier, dying instantly on a failure. His symbol is a set of scales, and his favored animal is the sphinx. Goddess of Evil Magic; Al'Sarab: Death Domain (NE) Clerics of Al'Sarab gain access to the spell Hellish Rebuke, and can cast it once per day without using a spell slot. Her symbol is a skull with glowing eyesockets, and her favored animal is the vulture. God of Good Magic; Quiom: Arcana Domain (NG) Clerics of this god gain access to the spell Heroism, and can cast it once per day without using a spell slot. His symbol is a sapling superimposed over an oak tree, and his favored animal is the sparrow. God of Wisdom and Battle Strategy; Uriel: War Domain (LG) Clerics of Uriel may use a bonus action on their turn to examine a battlefield they are in, and predict the next move of a target creature. The cleric makes a wisdom (Insight) check contested by the target's charisma (deception) check, successfully guessing what the character will do. The player or dm who is responsible for the character must tell the cleric's player whatever their creature will do, and they cannot change their minds after the cleric's turn. However, at the dm's discretion, the person responsible for the target creature may change their character's mind if another creature acts before their turn and their actions directly affect the target character, or if the cleric's actions directly affect the target character. His symbol is a sheathed sword, and his favored animal is the gryphon. God of Time; Chyron: Ambition, Grave, or Order Domain (LE) She, like the other five Dragons of Creation, resides on Ætherius. She is the Dragon of crystal and gemstone, lady of precious metals, Chyron the Beautiful. Clerics of Chyron gain the ability to take an extra action, or to take away a target creature's action by slowing them down. If they are slowing another creature, the target creature must make a Constitution saving throw contested by the cleric's spell save DC, negating the effect on a success. Clerics of Chyron must expend a use of their Channel Divinity for this ability, and it counts as a free action. Her symbol is the clock, and she favors her children, the faeries. God of Space; Kavri: Ambition Domain (TN) Clerics of Kavri can cast Misty Step without using any components, and without using any spell slots. They may do this a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses of this feature at the end of a long rest. His symbol is a globe, and he has no favored animal. God of Chaos; Firenze: Tempest Domain (CN) Clerics of Firenze are immune to the Cleric of Ch'thon Execution feature, and have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. He has no symbol, and his favored animal is the pigeon. Goddess of Disease, Decay, and the Damned; Nerul: Nature or Grave Domain (NE) It is said that any living creature who comes face to face with a manifestation of Nerul, goes through a process whereby their body rots and decays at an astonishing pace, but they don't die outright. The husk stays where it falls, and remains there until it dies of thirst or some other means, however the creature remains too weak to stand up or even move most of its body. Clerics of Nerul are resistant to poison and acid damage, and are immune to diseases and the poisoned condition. Her symbol is a partially decomposed head, and her favored animal is the fly. God of Light and Smiting Evil; Ashhur: Light Domain (LG) Clerics of Ashhur can give undead of all types disadvantage on saving throws against their Turn Undead feature. His symbol is a mountain next to a smaller mountain, and he has no favored animal. God of Order; Karak: Order Domain or Trickery Domain (LE) Clerics of Karak can cast Silence and Darkness without using any components, and without using any spell slots. They may cast one of these spells a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses of this feature at the end of a long rest. His symbol is a lion's head, and he has no favored animal, although he is commonly associated with a lion as he is called the lion god. Goddess of Medicine, Peacefulness, and Prosperity; Rhea: Grave Domain or Nature Domain (NG) Clerics of Rhea can cast Calm Emotions without using any components, and without using any spell slots. They may do this a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses of this feature at the end of a long rest. Her symbol is a cross, and her favored animal is the phoenix. God of Giants, Fertility, and Runes; Odin the All-Father: Nature or Strength Domain (TN) The creator of the Giant race, he created the Ordning, a system of hierarchy between the races of the giant type. He possesses all of the main traits of the different types of Giant. The Ordning goes as follows: The Storm Giants rule over all other types of Giant, after them are the Cloud Giants, followed by the Fire Giants, then Frost Giants, then Stone Giants, and finally Hill Giants. The other giant kin such as fomorians, ogres, and onis are under Hill Giants, but are all equal in the eyes of Odin. He is married to Rhea, goddess of medicine, peacefulness, and prosperity, and the Giants are all their children, or descendants of their children. Odin decreed that all of his children, while they will have almost incomparable longevity, will be mortal, grow old, and eventually die. That way they would appreciate the life that their father has given them. None of the Giant races are locked into their place in the Ordning, they can move up and down in their rank if they prove their strength or weakness in the eyes of the All-Father. For example, the Stone Giants used to be above the Fire and Frost Giants in the Ordning, but they got lazy and complacent over their place above the others, and fell in the hierarchy. The All-Father chose six of the most powerful of each type of Giant, and gifted them with immortality. He gave them authority over their respective race, and made them representatives of a sort for their race. Clerics of Odin grow a size larger than whatever size is normal for their race. His symbol is a stick figure next to a mountain that must be of equal or smaller size, and his favored animal is the rhinoceros. God of Philosophy, Authority, and Humankind; Ajax: Solidarity Domain (LG) He is the god that created the humans, alongside his wife Lyra, much like how Moradin created the dwarves, or Corellon Larethian created the elves. Long ago, when Tiamat came down to Minas Morgoth and she and her legions of chromatic dragons waged war upon Bahamut and his metallic dragons, Ajax gave his humans a way of protecting themselves better. He gave them a leader in the form of a fellow human. He was born to a virgin girl, as the son of Ajax himself. When he grew up, and came into his own, he spoke with the authority of the gods themselves, altering the world and reality itself with mere words. This man, named Albus, called himself an Ascendant human, and taught many other humans how to follow in his footsteps. These Ascendants protected the rest of mortalkind throughout the war between the armies of Tiamat and Bahamut. Clerics of Ajax gain a +1 to any ability scores that did not get a bonus from their race. If said cleric is a human they get an extra +1 to two ability scores of their choice. His symbol is a stick figure, and he favors dogs of all kinds. God of War and Conflict; Nihil: War, Nature, or Tempest Domain (CN) It is the primal god of all forms of conflict and disagreement, on all scales. It, like the other five Dragons of Creation, resides on Ætherius. It is the serpent in the clouds, its body made of wind and refracted light, and it is said that its body is big enough to wrap around the White Mountains twice. Clerics of Nihil can decide to give themselves advantage on all attack rolls they make on any turn, while also giving all creatures advantage on attack rolls against them until the beginning of the Cleric's next turn. Its symbol is the serpent, and, ironically, is the only Dragon of Creation who favors dragons. God of Change; Niciss: Nature, Trickery, or Twilight Domain (CN) He is the primal god of enforcing change. He is one of very few gods who take an active role in manipulating events in the Material Plane, as well as other planes. He, like the other five Dragons of Creation, resides on Ætherius. He is the crawling mountain, the living stone and flesh, the embodiment of change itself. If he ever feels that something needs fixing or ruining, he enforces said change upon that place. He had a tryst with the Archfey Queen Titania, ruler of the Summer Court, and from their coupling was born Janus, who was half-god, and half-Archfey. Clerics of Niciss gain access to the spell Alter Self, always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the spells they have prepared. Additionally they can cast disguise self at will, without expending a spell slot. He has no symbol or favored animal. God of Primordial Energy; Aethos: Forge, Tempest, or Strength Domain (CN) He, like the other five Dragons of Creation, resides on Ætherius. He is the destructive force of nature, entropy given form, ever-changing and ever-evolving, as he encompasses all four elements at once. Clerics of Aethos gain resistance to fire, cold, and lightning damage. He has no symbol, but he favors elementals. God of Thought, Emotion, and Dreams; Gloam: Arcana, Trickery, or Mind Domain (CN) He, like the other five Dragons of Creation, resides on Ætherius. He is the breathing mind, the slumbering god, the dream given form. Clerics of Gloam gain access to the spell Alter Self, always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the spells they have prepared. Additionally, they can cast minor illusion at will. He has no known symbol, but he favors his firstborn children, the Dyrandar.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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Author's Notes
It is assumed that your characters, if you are a player in a campaign in this world, possess at least a limited knowledge of everything detailed here, as this is basic world information that is known throughout the continent of Minas Torgul. Your character may, however, be an exception due to their lack of formal education and/or parental guidance. You may decide how much, if any, of this information your character does not know.