(Homebrew) The gods of Twilight

[Kerrwyn]

Hi, all. I just wanted to share the gods of my homebrew world, Twilight. Constructive criticism is welcome.
The Gods of Twilight
The Human Gods
The human pantheon is a tight-knit pantheon, with Bayl acting as the supreme ruler. Though the gods generally make decisions by council, Bayl casts the deciding vote, even contradicting the majority if necessary. The humans worship all the gods, but many dedicate themselves to one particular deity that exemplifies their beliefs or roles as mortals.
When the cleric chooses his patron god, he may also choose a saint that embodies a particular quality that is important to the cleric. If they choose to do so, they gain access to that saint’s domain and one of the domains of the saint’s deity. If the saint also has a favored weapon, they also may choose that as a favored weapon.
Since the human pantheon is so close-knit, clerics may choose the entire pantheon as a patron, rather than just a specific deity. If they do, they may choose any two domains that the gods themselves hold, but may not choose any from the saints. Clerics of the entire pantheon may be of any alignment, and may choose one of the following as a favored weapon: bastard sword, dagger, greataxe, greatsword, halfspear, light mace, longspear, longsword, maul, quarterstaff, scythe, shortsword, or spiked gauntlet.

 

[Kerrwyn]

Bayl
Gallows God, Lord of the Heavens, Eyes of the Sun and Moon, Blind God, Skyfather
Greater God
Symbol: Two watching eyes
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Knowledge, magic, war, dwarves, elves,
humans, the sun, the moon, the sky, wisdom, inspiration
Worshipers: Bards, storytellers, wizards, soldiers
Clerical Alignments: Any
Favored Weapon: Twilight (Longspear)
Domains: Fate, Knowledge, Magic, Moon, Sun

General Description: Bayl (Bale) is a blind god, having forfeited his eyes to create the sun and the moon. Legends dictate that he created elves and dwarves, and by doing so, was the unwitting creator of humans as well. Reigning supreme above the other gods, Bayl’s blindness neither hinders nor harms him. Tales picture Bayl as an older man, with a wide-brimmed hat, a short beard, dark spots where his eyes should be, dressed in traveler’s clothes and a raven-colored cloak.
History and Relationships: Bayl was present at the creation of the world, and fought the Dragon until it was felled. He created Biral, Ganiel, and Terra soon afterwards.
Bayl is the father of Luther and Talia, and Terra’s consort. He is also the father of Shale and treats him as a son, even though the circumstances surrounding Shale’s birth are less than good. The only divine beings that Bayl harbors a dislike for are Biral, who betrayed him, and Serrah, who tricked him into fathering Shale.
Dogma: Do not rely on physical means to solve problems. The church of Bayl prizes intelligent solutions and planning over brute strength. Gathering new knowledge, using strategy as an advantage, and outsmarting your foes are looked upon with favor by the faithful of the Gallows God. Clerics are expected not to part with hard-won knowledge easily and won’t help those that don’t help themselves, though they will aid someone who has honestly tried.
Holy Days and Holy Ground: Clerics of the Blind God hold days that both the sun and moon are visible as impromptu holy days and are considered extremely portentous. They also celebrate the equinoxes as holidays. The summer equinox known as the Day of the Sun is filled with feasting and dancing, while the winter equinox, called the Night of the Moon, is somber and reserved, marked by fasting and vows of silence.
Followers of Bayl hold that the great Glass Plains in Caldera is holy ground, for that is where Bayl’s eye laid for the six days that Bayl fought Dragon. Each cleric makes it a matter of pride to journey there at least once in his life.
Omens and Prophecies: Dragons may be good or ill, creation or destruction. The appearance of a dragon portents either or. As mentioned above, days where the sun and moon are visible are considered days that Bayl is watching the world. Tales from Bayl’s church suggest that monstrous beings come from the souls of the unhonored dead.
Other Races: Bayl is known as Aurin to elves, and may grant elves the Elf domain along with one other of their choice. If elves choose the Elf domain, it counts as Bayl’s domain choice if they revere a saint as well.
Bayl is known as Od to the dwarves, and may grant the Dwarf domain along with one other of their choice. If dwarves choose the Dwarf domain, it counts as Bayl’s domain choice if they revere a saint as well.
Artifacts: Twilight, the spear that slew Dragon, crafted from the branch of an ash tree.
Clerical Multiclass: Clerics of the Blind God may multiclass freely as bards, sorcerers, wizards, arcane devotees, divine disciples, contemplatives, templars, and spellswords.
Saints:
Mychelle
Saint
Influence: Poetry, music
Worshipers: Bards, aristocrats
Domain: Charm

Cassiel
Saint
Influence: Magic, runes
Worshipers: Diviners, wizards
Domain: Rune

Valyr, the Brave
Saint
Influence: War
Worshipers: Fighters, soldiers, warriors
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Domain: War

Alathea
Saint
Influence: Bravery, war, death
Worshipers: Soldiers, warriors
Favored Weapon: Shortspear
Domain: Death

 

[Kerrwyn]

Biral
Trickster, Weaver of Lies, Strifemaker
Greater God
Symbol: Bright blue flame
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Betrayal, deception, lies, illusion, secrecy
Worshipers: Rogues, assassins, tricksters, illusionists
Clerical Alignments: CN, NE, CE
Favored Weapon: Gouger (Dagger)
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Fire, Magic, Trickery

General Description: Biral predates all the other gods except Bayl. He was formed of the Fire that the Dragon brought from the sky and was intended to be Bayl’s scribe and keeper of knowledge. Biral soon rebelled, and has begun to take his intended job of guarding knowledge to the extreme by hoarding the secrets of other beings.
Legends hold Biral as the very concept of Chaos itself, ever changing and unpredictable. His appearance varies from day to day, and the only constant are the piercing green eyes that whatever form he takes possesses.
History and Relationships: Biral betrayed Bayl in the beginning, and has opposed him and his children ever since. Because of this, Biral has but one ally: Serrah, the twisted mockery of Terra that he created from a dead cypress tree. Even Bayl’s dark son, Shale, feuds with Biral.
Dogma: Biral’s clergy believe in secrecy, deception, and lies. A follower of the Weaver of Lies is expected to reveal nothing, hoard knowledge, and spread untruths in his wake. The only purity the church of Biral believes in is that of fire, and it is their ultimate goal to see the world bathed in it. However, this is not the front that the temples put up to society. The faithful have a set place in society, but few respect them, and many actually fear a known devout of the Trickster. On a more positive note, the cult of Biral can be counted on to put people in their place, whether by practical joke, defamation, or, in extreme cases, political assassination, though some faithful excel in the more lethal form of assassination.
Holy Days and Holy Ground: Much of the worship of Biral is kept a secret, but a few holy days are known to the general public, such as the Feast of Fools, held at the beginning of spring, when Biral’s faithful host town-wide feasts. To not attend is to invite disaster and bad luck into your household for the next year, so most common people at least show up for a while. The cult celebrates by telling jokes and performing for the people, and this is the one day that followers of the Strifemaker can be counted on to appear almost normal.
Omens and Prophecies: Biral’s followers find omens in flame, such as when a fire burns an abnormal color. They also see natural, destructive fires as a mark of their god’s displeasure.
Other Races: Biral is known as Lyred to elves, and may grant the Drow domain to especially evil elves.
He is known as Norun to the dwarves, and Byran to giants, but grants neither any extra domain.
Artifacts: Gouger, the dagger that gouged out Bayl’s right eye.
Clerical Multiclass: Clerics of the Strifemaker may multiclass freely as bards, rogues, wizards, arcane devotees, arcane tricksters, assassins, divine seekers, and elemental savants.
Saints:
Allodia, the Masked
Saint
Influence: Illusions
Worshipers: Rogues, thieves
Domain: Illusions

Cyprian
Saint
Influence: Corruption
Worshipers: Politicians
Domain: Charm

Silon
Saint
Influence: Bigotry, hatred
Worshipers: Bigots, racists
Domain: Hatred

 

[gpetruc]

Sounds good.

The saints are ascended mortals or where created as minor gods ?

What makes the gods of different allineaments be toghether instead of fighting each other ? the power of a greater god, the fact that internal fights could make them weaker compared to other racial deities (such as the Asi in the northern myths, that sometimes worked all together) , or something else ?

 

[Kerrwyn]

The Saints are mortals who so exemplified an aspect of the deities' teach that they were pretty much deified after death. They continue to advance the deities' aims and wishes, but can have their domain yanked from them if they fail to live up to expectations.
And the gods don't necessarily get along, but Bayl has declared no infighting among those with divine blood, and the gods occasionally do work together. Usually, the gods with a similar alignment, like the CG, CN, and CE gods are more likely to group together than a LG, a CN, and a NE. The gods recognize the need for each other, and know that each fills a spot that the others have little or no hope of measuring up in. This does'nt stop them from undermining each other, or mortals fighting in their name.
I drew from Norse myth pretty heavily to create these guys.