Callings

Origin Callings: main article Callings

Creator: Almost every religion in the World has an explanation for where the universe, or its contents, came from. While the initial act of genesis is usually (though not always) ascribed to a Titan or Primordial, most pantheons include at least one member responsible for bringing something new into the World and giving shape to its myriad forms. Some Creators shape raw Primordial chaos and bring the World itself into being, some bring life or fertility as gardeners, child-bearers, and lifegivers, and still more consume or use raw materials as divine artists, craftsmen, builders, and artisans. Finally, some Creators don’t make anything physical at all, but instead inspire or guide others as inventors or architects. Many Creators are destructive in equal measure, taking a balance for their gifts from the World, but by no means all.

Guardian: Many Gods and lesser Scions become associated with a territory, concept, class of people, or a place, acting as its defender, patron, or steward. Where the Legendary being has authority over her protectorate as a participant, a Scion who is king of a small nation, for example, the Leader Calling is more appropriate, but those who stand back from their charges and promote them, protect them, and act on their behalf are Guardians. A Guardian’s protectorate can be as specific or general as her Legend dictates; a patron goddess of a city is a Guardian, but so is a Scion known as the defender of children, or a Demigod who fights for anyone lost in darkness.

Healer: Any animal can destroy, injure, or kill, but to take the broken and repair it is divine. Healers are those divine beings whose Legends feature restoration in any form — godly doctors, true, but also Scions who purify the corrupted, repair broken treasures, and put things right. Many Healers demand conditions or repayment for their miracles (an altruistic attitude is also common, but not necessary), but this isn’t the Calling for charlatans or quacks. A Healer’s Legend comes from success, turning back the clock to make something as it once was.

Hunter: Truly the world’s oldest profession, mortal hunters gave the very first Gods their Legends, calling on now-forgotten deities for assistance and telling tales of Scions who brought down impossible prey. Guardians fight to protect, Judges to punish, and Warriors simply to fight, but the violence of the hunt’s end is only part of the divine Hunter’s Legend. This Calling is held by Scions and Gods who pursue prey or a quarry, whether traditional (a God Legendary for skill with a bow, who brought down an infamous titanspawn) or more metaphorical (a Scion private detective that always finds her missing person).

Judge: Someone has to enforce the rules. Cultures all over the World have stories of divine Judges, Gods, Demigods, and Scions who weigh mortal lives. Sometimes, the Judge herself creates the laws she imposes. Others are dispassionate enforcers of cosmic (or pantheon) law, or serve another character of the Leader Calling. Either way, a Judge is Legendary for finding transgressors against her rules and what she does to them, which doesn’t have to be horrific punishment. Some religions praise their Judges for their mercy, or for dutiful neutrality.

Leader: All Gods command respect, with authority over their purviews, but some divine beings are Legendary for leadership itself. Divine kings, queens, CEOs, and motivational speakers, Leaders are those Gods, Demigods, and Heroes who make decisions for others, lay down laws, inspire their followers, and lead from the front. Although some Leaders are Judges, the two Callings are distinct; Leaders show their subordinates what’s expected, while Judges discern if they’ve followed it.

Lover: Gods marry, Gods fuck, Gods cheat on one another. The pantheons are extended families of parents and Scions, with complex relationships between members. When those relationships become central to a God or Hero’s Legend, they’re a Lover. The Calling encompasses Legendary seductresses and divine cads, but also those famous for commitment to a single partner, those who fall into serially deep love affairs, or even the asexual but romantic.

Liminal: In any large gathering of divinities, at least one will stand apart. Most pantheons have a member or two defined by being on the outside of the social order, either metaphorically (a Hero in a legalist pantheon who represents lawbreakers, for example) or literally (the God of a particular Underworld or Overworld separate from the pantheon’s usual meeting grounds). Liminals are Legendary for crossing boundaries and thresholds, venturing out of the pack, rejecting society (rather than subverting it as a Trickster) and going on journeys.

Sage: The pen — or the thought — is mightier than the sword. To teach, or to learn, is divine. Sages are Legendary for their use of thought; teachers and students, custodians of knowledge and wise fools, riddle-solvers and namers. Being Legendary for knowing many secrets does not necessarily imply that a Scion must pass those secrets on, only that the Scion’s Deeds include using that knowledge effectively.

Trickster: Some Scions never take the expected route, but see and take the unexpected path out of a problem. Tricksters succeed by breaking conventions, solving situations with cleverness, flouting society’s rules, and often tricking others into going along with it. They survive by their wits, empowered by transgression. Some pantheons (especially those led by Leaders or Judges) dislike Tricksters for flouting heavenly law; others take a more pragmatic view and use them as problem-solvers and tests of their ideals, the exceptions that prove the rules. A Trickster’s schemes can sometimes cause more problems than they solve — more than one Trickster God is Legendary for leaping from frying pan to fire and dragging others in their wake.

Warrior: The World teems with the enemies of the pantheons, enemies for whom force is the only answer, and Warriors are Legendary for applying that force. The Calling encompasses fighters, combatants, and soldiers of all sorts, as long as they fight themselves. Legendary strategists are more often Sages (and sometimes Leaders), while Warriors are the Scions who get their hands bloody. Whether by individual martial prowess or leading thousands into battle, killing their opponents outright or accepting surrender, Warriors perform Deeds of violence.