
The Gods
Worship in the Scarred Lands has real and immediate consequences.
It was only a century-and-a-half ago that the gods' avatars walked
the land, contesting the titans for supremacy, while mortal races
sided with the gods or titans and fought at their feet.
With such colossal events in recent history, religious practice is never a matter of rote ritual or prayers mumbled to an unresponsive heaven. Certainly the most audacious displays of divine might occur when the gods allow their divine power to flow through chosen saints and champions, granting these mortals the strength to perform miracles. The gods respond regularly to any of their worshipers, however, whether favorably or not. The smith who fails to have his forge blessed to Corean finds that his ironwork shatters under the hammer. The doctor who fails to draw wards on her medicines, displaying the proper fear and respect for Vangal, invites plague upon herself and her patients. Madriel's voice resounds like a deafening wind through a temple of farmers who fail to pray for a good harvest. The gods and goddesses of the Scarred Lands make their presence known daily across the world.
The intelligent races of the Scarred Lands openly worship the eight major deities, and the sole remaining titan Denev, the Earth Mother. Though these deities have begotten many lesser demigods and goddesses who are also worshipped, these nine are venerated (or appeased) above all others.
Corean
(CORE-ay-ahn), the Avenger, the Champion (LG; Chivalry, Craftwork,
Strength, Protection, Wisdom)
The very picture of the paladin's ideal,
Corean is an unflinching crusader among the gods. He has the strength
of mountains, and his smoky armor reflects his ties to the earth
and the metals that run through it. He bears a longsword that
he forged himself from scraps gleaned from a titan's forge - that
of Golthagga, who was the first to taste the blade's edge. Corean
is generally unwilling to compromise, although he generally errs
on the side of compassion rather than on the side of law. Many
people praise him as the ideal of virtue, although more people
pay lip service to him than are willing to live up to his standards.
Domains: Fire, Good, Law, Protection, War
Holy Symbol: Four longswords forming a compass rose
Madriel
(MA-dree-el), the Redeemer, the First Angel of Mercy (NG; Sun,
Light, Sky, Redemption, Healing, Agriculture)
Madriel flies on wings of peacock feathers,
an armored angel with a spear formed from the purest, whitest
sunlight. Although relentless in her struggle against suffering
(and particularly against her rival Belsameth), she is the most
merciful and compassionate of the gods. Her temples are popular
across the Scarred Lands, particularly in areas where people pray
for fertility to return to their fields.
Domains: Air, Good, Healing, Plants, Sun
Holy Symbol: Spear with a tassel of peacock feathers
Tanil
(TAH-nil), the Huntress (CG; Travel, Hunting, Forestry, Music,
Archery, Freedom, Good Fortune)
Of all the gods, Tanil is most likely to
spend some of her time quietly walking the face of the Scarred
Lands. However, this doesn't make her sociable - she prefers back
roads and untrod wilderness to highways and villages. The ultimate
champion of the underdog, she is the queen of archery and stealth,
generally favored by rogues, bards and wayfarers. She appears
as a lithe archer wearing flexible bronze armor. Her arrows are
silver-tipped, as she dislikes the poor treatment of animals and
considers the world's werebeasts an insult. Many elves venerate
her; her other servants include dryads and unicorns.
Domains: Animals, Chaos, Luck, Plants, Travel, Trickery
Holy Symbol: Three bronze arrows lying parallel
Hedrada
(heh-DRAH-dah), the Lawgiver, the Judge (LN; Law, Justice, Wealth,
Order, Cities, Knowledge)
The Lawgiver is keeper of all the things
that civilized beings have learned, and is the patron of society
itself. He is the ultimate impartial judge, striving to make certain
that each person receives what he or she has earned (for good
or ill). He's commonly shown as a stern man in somber robes, crowned
with gold and wielding a massive two-handed hammer. He is particularly
popular among dwarves, mages, prosperous merchants and regional
governments, and is the patron of many cities (foremost of which,
of course, is Hedrad).
Domains: Knowledge, Law, Protection
Holy Symbol: Two-handed hammer
Denev
(den-EV), the Earth Mother (N; Earth, Nature, Death - natural,
the Seasons)
The only surviving titan, Denev sided with
the gods - in particular, her children - against her brothers
and sisters who ravaged Scarn. However, the long battle left even
more wounds on the world's surface, driving her to retreat to
its heart in frustration and fatigue. She still answers prayers
from those who venerate her, and is honored by the other gods.
She is not a generous or merciful mother, though; she respects
nature at its bloodiest as well as at its most beautiful. She
is rarely depicted in humanlike form - tales paint her as a mountain
range or forest come to life - although she is said to wield a
stone sickle when roused to make war. She is venerated by cults
of druids who stubbornly refuse to pray to any of the newcomer
gods, and by many elementals and other spirits of the land.
Domains: Air, Animals, Earth, Fire, Plants, Water
Holy Symbol: Stone sickle with a flowering wooden hilt
Enkili
(en-KEE-lee), the Trickster, the Shapeshifter, the Unlucky (CN;
Storms, Trickery, Chaos, Misfortune)
The real wild card of the gods, Enkili can't
really be said to be on anyone's side - not even his own. His
tempestuous and stormy personality is mirrored in each freak storm
or sudden calm. He commonly shapeshifts from form to form, even
changing gender so regularly that no two temples portray the same
image of him (or her). As the trickster figure of the pantheon,
he also gets into trouble far more often than any divine being
should. When he uses a weapon, he commonly wields a thunderbolt-hurling
flail that lashes so wildly that others doubt it's under his control.
Domains: Air, Chaos, Luck, Travel, Trickery
Holy Symbol: Mask decorated with lightning shooting from
the eye slits
Chardun
(char-DOON), the Slaver, the Overlord, the Great General (LE;
War, Domination, Conquest, Avarice, Pain)
Tyrant among gods, Chardun exemplifies the
worst traits of the most despotic generals, emperors and masters.
His weapon is a golden macelike scepter that's stained deeply
with blood. He wears the white regalia of a conquering hero, but
his robes and sandaled feet are splattered with blood and dusted
with powdered bone. He is particularly venerated by militaristic
people with powerful ambitions, but anyone who craves domination
is a worthy follower. A general who seeks a throne and a man who
covets absolute obedience from his woman are both near to Chardun's
black heart.
Domains: Evil, Law, Strength, War
Holy Symbol: Blood-soaked golden scepter, crowned with
a thorny laurel wreath
Belsameth
(BEL-sa-meth), the Slayer, the Assassin (NE; Darkness, Death,
Nightmares, Deception, Witchcraft, Madness)
The vulture-winged goddess Belsameth is
the incarnation of everything people fear about the night. Her
basalt throne sits on the dark side of the moon; her power over
the moon grants her power over lunacy and makes her the patron
goddess of Scarn's werebeasts. Her preferred weapon is a jet-black
dagger, and she is favored by evil sorcerers and witches, Scarn's
harpies, wily and murderous goblins, and of course by werewolves
and their like.
Domains: Death, Evil, Magic, Trickery
Holy Symbol: Thin silver circle on a black field (signifying
the lunar eclipse)
Vangal
(VAN-gahl), the Reaver, the Ravager (CE; Destruction, Pestilence,
Famine, Bloodshed, Thunder, Disaster)
The volcano-god Vangal is the very embodiment
of war. He is commonly depicted as a huge charioteer in filth-covered
armor, beard and dreadlocks matted with blood. He wields two massive
axes still encrusted with the blood of the titans he overcame.
He has few human followers, as it's said that when he gains sufficient
power, he'll bring about the destruction of Scarn itself. The
few cults dedicated to him, called the Horsemen, are much-dreaded
doomsayers and warriors.
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Strength, War
Holy Symbol: Cloven shield dripping blood
The Titans
Many of the various races created by the titans survived the Divine War and still populate the Scarred Lands. Whether they are pockets of brigands, remote remnants of shattered civilizations or sovereign nations still contesting the people of the gods for supremacy, the titans' races have not walked meekly into oblivion. Many carve out power in the new world, drawing on what latent vitality they can from their fallen masters. Other titan races seek to resurrect their fallen lords and rule the world at their side.
A few of the titans are listed here.
Mormo, Mother of Serpents, Queen of Witches
This gruesome crone was the patron of all witches and hags and was responsible for the creation of serpentine races such as the medusae. Her spilled blood has turned the Hornsaw Forest into the homeland of mutated terrors that it is today. Some say her followers seek to recover the pieces of the Serpent Mother that were strewn across the Scarred Lands. They hope to bring these grisly trophies together so that Mormo may be reborn.
Gaurak, the Glutton
A hideously obese and always ravenous titan, Gaurak is said to have devoured all the life from the once verdant moon. After his defeat, the gods pulled out every last one of Gaurak's hundred teeth before burying him deep in the earth. His fallen teeth are said to have taken the form of mountains, colossal obelisks and even trees, always tainting the land near them.
Kadum, the Mountainshaker, the Bleeding One
This great beast would uproot entire mountains when enraged, but his strength alone could not save him. Belsameth cut his heart from him and Chardun chained him to a rock, which Vangal in turn sank to the bottom of the deepest ocean chasm. To this day, the deepest waters of the Scarred Lands run red with the Bleeding One's ichor. It is said that whole new races of horrific merfolk, krakens and other fell sea monsters have arisen from exposure to Kadum's blood.
