Star Shepherds

Born beneath the endless skies of eastern Aurumreach, where a vast ring of plains and prairies cradles a windswept steppe, the Star Shepherds the sacred heartbeat of nomadic herders who traverse the land in an eternal, seasonal circuit. The Star Shepherds arose from the rhythms of hooves and hearths, guiding clans who drive reindeer, yaks, and saiga antelope across 2,000 miles of rolling plains, their journeys timed to the constellations and the thawing of frost-locked earth. These gods are both wanderers and wardens: nine divine shepherds tend the herds, their forms echoing antlered giants, storm-riders, and bone-clad sages, while three steadfast deities guard the settled towns where herders trade wool, hides, and sacred metals at bustling seasonal markets. To honor the Star Shepherds is to trust the land’s cycles, to know that forest groves will shelter, rivers will rise when it rains, and the steppe’s golden grasses will always regrow under the watch of sun, moon, and star. Their myths are etched in caravan songs and the smoke of market fires, binding nomad and townsfolk in a dance of survival and abundance.

Gradovlad, The Smith of Cities

A towering, soot-streaked god whose hammer strikes echo across the steppe, Gradovlad shapes iron into bridges, spires, and plowshares. He inspires architects and blacksmiths, his molten breath fueling forges that birth thriving market towns. His presence is strongest where hearths burn and anvils ring.

Domains
Cities, Creation, Wealth, Metal

Rodina, The Mother Hearth

A matron with sun-warmed hands, Rodina stitches wounds with golden thread and sings lullabies that mend weary hearts. She blesses marriages, christens newborns, and ensures ancestral tales pass unbroken through generations. Her touch lingers in homes where bread bakes and laughter thrives.

Domains
Family, Repose, Healing, Soul

Strazh, The Eternal Sentinel

A colossus of stone and steel, Strazh stands immovable at city gates, his unblinking eyes scanning horizons for threats. He teaches guards to honor their posts and scribes to record history without bias. His voice, deep as bedrock, recites laws that bind communities in trust.

Domains
Protection, Vigil, Duty, Truth

Koldun, The Goat’s Muse

A bearded wanderer with a flute of hollowed bone, Koldun herds goats through mist-shrouded hills. His music stirs visions in sleeping shepherds, revealing hidden trails and forgotten truths. His goats graze on twilight herbs that sharpen dreams.

Domains
Delirium, Dreams, Nightmares

Leshyar, The Yakalo Herder

A moss-bearded spirit with bark-skin and owl eyes, Leshyar herds yakalo through ancient forests. He carves healing runes into trees and teaches herders to read the wind’s secrets. His groves hum with vitality, sheltering beasts and wanderers alike.

Domains
Wood, Glyph, Darkness, Air

Molnir, The Antelope Guide

A laughing youth with hair like charged clouds, Molnir rides ahead of saiga antelope herds, his spear splitting the sky to herald rains. He emboldens shepherds to embrace new trails and trust the tempest’s guidance. Thunder rumbles where his chariot wheels touch earth.

Domains
Lightning, Change, Confidence, Fate

Morozhen, The Reindeer Shepherd

Cloaked in pelts of ice-bear fur, Morozhen guides reindeer herds beneath constellations only he can read. His breath paints frost patterns on tents, and his songs teach herders to navigate blizzards. Where he treads, the northern lights shimmer brightest.

Domains
Cold, Travel, Freedom, Star

Pustyn, The Camel Teacher

A turbaned sage with a staff of petrified wood, Pustyn leads camel caravans to hidden oases. He deciphers mirages, maps aquifer veins, and shares tales of distant lands. His riddles guard the steppe’s deepest wells, rewarding the wise with life-giving springs.

Domains
Water, Knowledge, Introspection

Roj, The Musk Keeper

A skeletal figure trailed by locusts and crows, Roj drives musk oxen across millennia-old paths. His insects cleanse carrion, and his voice recounts forgotten eras. Herders honor him by leaving honeyed offerings at cairns, ensuring his swarms spare their flocks.

Domains
Swarm, Time, Undeath, Void

Serebro, The Karakul Caretaker

A silver-veiled shepherdess, Serebro spins starlight into wool so fine it glows. She blesses flocks with healthy lambs and traders with fair winds. Her loom weaves tapestries that foretell prosperous routes, their threads shimmering like celestial rivers.

Domains
Magic, Moon, Perfection

Yarilo, The Horse Breaker

A golden-skinned rider with a crown of wheat, Yarilo drives horses across sunlit plains. His voice ignites courage in herders, and his flame purges blight from pastures. Where he passes, the steppe blooms, and weary souls find renewed vigor.

Domains
Sun, Zeal, Fire, Passion, Tyranny

Zemlyak, The Yak Driver

A mountain of muscle and grit, Zemlyak drives yaks through valleys, his calloused hands carving paths through bedrock. He gifts herders the strength to endure long treks and blesses the soil where hooves tread, ensuring grasses regrow thick and green.

Domains
Earth, Toil, Might, Nature, Dust