The Forged Province is a fantasy setting I've been toying around with for some time. The first major idea for the setting was in regards to the arcane (my first Savage Worlds character was a shaman in Deadlands, the second was a magician from King Arthur's time - seems I've got a thing for magic). And no fantasy world would be complete without a pantheon of gods for clerics and paladins to draw their powers from!
The five great gods are not known to have specific races. Rather, each race makes them in their own image, with physical similarities to differentiate them from one another.
Simply called “The Father,” the god of time and destiny is believed to be the
first of the gods to enter existence. His appearance varies wildly, with his major
distinguishing mark being the third eye on his forehead. His true powers are
unknown, as only the gods and long-dead priests have ever spoken to him
directly, but it is believed that he is all-powerful. Very few temples to him
exist in the world; it is inferred that this is because he prefers to not be worshiped. Rather, he lets his children watch over the world while he travels
the land in various forms.
Inara, goddess of
the world, is considered to be the mother of all races. She is a figure with skin
and hair as white as crisp snowfall. The firstborn of The Father and his only
daughter, Inara is naturally a very curious and creative goddess. She was
tasked with creating the land and the inhabitants therein.
Baal, the god of the
sun and the stars, was tasked with the creation of the heavens above. This
included creating and naming the constellations. He was born alongside his
brother Ragnok, though Baal argues he was born first. He is well-built with
dark hair and tanned skin – what many would consider the ideal form.
Ragnok, the god
of death, was born at the same time as his brother. To truly understand the
task he would undertake, the Father had him live his first thousand years of
life alongside the creatures of the world, living, dying, and being born again
several times over. After this time, he took on the role of the overseer of
Amortis (the afterlife), watching over the souls who have passed on. He is thin
and tall, his skin is a light gray, and he has no hair to speak of. Despite this
unnerving appearance and unfortunate role, he is quite warm and even humorous.
Melchizek, the
god of justice, is the youngest son of the Father. He has extremely dark
features. At his birth, he was tasked with watching the inhabitants of the land
and taking their actions into account. He does not act upon this information;
rather, he passes it along to the respective deities via the fey that help him
gather information. After an encounter with a beautiful Elven woman who nearly
caused him to forsake his task, Melchizek took a vow of chastity of his own
volition so that he would never again be tempted or swayed from his tasks.
While he rarely interacts with the races, his fey do occasionally reward or
punish those who work for or against true justice.
Following the Eternal
War, Baal and Inara were tasked by The Father to have four children together.
Each child was given the appearance of one of the four major races, and each was
tasked with control over the four major elements.
Xydros, god of
the seas, appears as a lithe and light-skinned human. He is one of the most
difficult gods to contact (second only to The Father). His reign is over everything
from the great ocean to the smallest lakes and streams. Sailors and fishermen
pray to him in times of dire need.
Mara, goddess of
the wind, appears as a well-built, barrel-chested orc with deep green skin. She
controls the weather, the winds, and storms in conjunction with Xydros. Due to
her fearlessness and her thirst for victory, she is also often hailed as the
goddess of warriors. Some goblin clans fervently worship her as a surrogate
god.
Ignis, god of
fire, has domain over the burning core of the planet, as well as man-made fire.
He appears as a stout dwarf with a singed black beard and soot on his
fingertips. As he also looks over the fires that burn in forges, craftsmen of
all kinds often pray to him.
Talie’sin, goddess
of earth, appears as a beautiful, dark-haired elf. She watches over nature, its
creatures, and the hunters that keep it in balance. It is also believed that
her domain reaches deep into the great caverns beneath the earth, though others
argue that this belongs to Ignis. Occasionally, she will recruit sentient
creatures to assist her in keeping the delicate balance of nature.
As the years passed, minor
gods and demigods were born or made. Though their powers and their domains may
be smaller, they are no less important.
Iliadora is the
goddess of healing and prosperity. She was born after Talie’sin, disguised as a
mortal, nearly lost her life on a pilgrimage, only to be saved by a human
medicine man named Praedith. They began a love affair, and from their time
together, Iliadora was born. She has qualities of both her father and mother
and is worshiped by healers, farmers, and those who simply hope for protection.
As the child of the elf goddess and a mortal human, she is considered the
goddess of half-elves.
Esme is a celestial
being most often associated with love, fertility, and virility. No one ever
expected Ragnok to fall in love, especially not with Iliadora, the goddess whose
job prevented the races from entering his realm. But love is rarely ever so
straightforward. The two had a child together, a creature of pure love. Esme is
portrayed as an androgynous fey and is prayed to by those seeking true love or
hoping to conceive a child.
Mar and Yiet are the literal product of Inara’s
mind. After creating the world and its inhabitants, Inara’s intellect and
creativity were in such constant conflict that it eventually became
overwhelming and threatened her very existence. The Father feared that she had
taken too much of his life force when he created her, and to save her, he
pulled a portion of her mind out of her. This mental energy formed into two
separate figures. Mar, a dark-skinned male, is the god of knowledge. Made of
Inara’s wisdom and intellect, he is worshiped and prayed to by scholars and
those who seek out knowledge. His sister, Yiet, has much fairer skin and is the
culmination of Inara’s creativity. She is the goddess of the arts, dance, and
storytelling, and is worshiped by artistic types and especially bards. The two
are also the gods of duality.
Atheon is a trickster
god, the product of Baal’s tryst with a human female. His form is something
between a halfling and a gnome, and he is often considered the god of both
races. Though not accepted by many of the gods (most notably Inara), he was
nevertheless tasked with being the messenger of the gods. Highwaymen and rogues
rarely find themselves praying to the gods, but when they do, it’s to Atheon.
Thanks for taking the time to check this out. This is a work in progress and may change over time. If you have any feedback or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them!
Thanks for taking the time to check this out. This is a work in progress and may change over time. If you have any feedback or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them!
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