The following are gods and goddesses of the Dawn War Pantheon. This is but one of many pantheons in Gokiya. Note that the cleric domains listed under each god are meant to be guidelines, not hard restrictions.
Avandra, The Goddess of Change
Avandra delights in freedom, trade, travel, adventure, and the frontier. Her temples are few in civilized lands, but her wayside shrines appear throughout the world. Many people raise a glass in her honor, viewing her as the god of luck. Her commandments are as follows:
- Luck favors the bold. Take your fate into your own hands, and Avandra smiles upon you.
- Strike back at those who would rob you of your freedom, and urge others to fight for their own liberty.
- Change is inevitable, but it takes the work of the faithful to ensure that change is for the better.
Worshippers: Halflings, merchants, adventurers
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Typical Cleric Domains: Trickery
Bahamut, The Platinum Dragon
Bahamut is the god of justice, protection, nobility, and honor. He is said to be the only platinum dragon, and his is eternally opposed to his sister, Tiamat. Monarchs are crowned in his name. He commands his followers thus:
- Uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice
- Be constantly vigilant against evil and oppose it on all fronts.
- Protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order.
Worshippers: Paladins, metallic dragons
Alignment: Lawful Good
Typical Cleric Domains: Life, Order, War
Corellon, The God of Spring, Beauty, and the Arts
Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. He seeded the world with arcane magic and planted the most ancient forests. His shrines can be found throughout the Feywild. He despises Lolth and her priestesses for leading the Drow astray. He urges his followers thus:
- Cultivate beauty in all that you do, whether you’re casting a spell, composing a saga, strumming a lute, or practicing the arts of war.
- Seek out lost magic items, forgotten rituals, and ancient works of art. Corellon might have inspired them in the world’s first days.
- Thwart the followers of Lolth at every opportunity.
Worshippers: Artists, musicians, spellcasters
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Typical Cleric Domains: Arcana, Light
Erathis, The Goddess of Civilization
She is the muse of great invention, founder of cities, and author of laws. Her temples hold prominent places in some of the larger cities of Gokiya. Her laws are many, but their purpose is straightforward:
- Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
- Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habitation, and defend the light of civilization against the encroaching darkness.
- Seek out new ideas, new inventions, new lands to inhabit, new wilderness to conquer. Build machines, build cities, build empires.
Worshippers: Rulers, judges, pioneers
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Typical Cleric Domains: Forge, Knowledge, Order
Ioun, The Goddess of Knowledge, Skill, and Prophecy
Ioun is revered by all who live by their knowledge and mental power. Corellon is the patron of arcane magic, but Ioun is the patron of its study. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name. Her commands are also teachings:
- Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
- Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
- Be watchful at all times for the followers of Vecna, who seek to control knowledge and keep secrets. Oppose their schemes, unmask their secrets, and blind them with the light of truth and reason.
Worshippers: Sages, seers, tacticians
Alignment: True Neutral
Typical Cleric Domains: Arcana, Knowledge
Kord, The God of Storm and Battle
Kord revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and thunder. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. He gives few commands:
- Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.
- Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.
- Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.
Worshippers: Fighters, athletes
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Typical Cleric Domains: Tempest, War
Melora, The Goddess of the Wilderness and the Sea
She is both the wild beast and the peaceful forest, the raging whirlpool and the quiet desert. Sailors make offerings to her before beginning their voyages. She is sometimes referred to as Gaia the Earth-Mother. Her strictures are these:
- Protect the wild places of the world from destruction and overuse. Oppose the rampant spread of cities and empires.
- Hunt aberrant monsters and other abominations of nature.
- Do not fear or condemn the savagery of nature. Live in harmony with the wild.
Worshippers: Elves, rangers, hunters
Alignment: True Neutral
Typical Cleric Domains: Nature, Tempest
Moradin, The God of Creation
He carved the mountains from primordial earth and is the guardian and protector of the hearth and the family. Dwarves from all walks of life follow him. He demands these behaviours from his followers:
- Meet adversity with stoicism and tenacity.
- Demonstrate loyalty to your family, your clan, your leaders, and your people.
- Strive to make a mark on the world, a lasting legacy. To make something that lasts is the highest good, whether you are a smith working at a forge or a ruler building a dynasty.
Worshippers: Dwarves, artisans, smiths, miners
Alignment: Lawful Good
Typical Cleric Domains: Forge, Knowledge, Order, War
Pelor, The God of the Sun and Summer
Sometimes referred to as the Dawnfather, Pelor is the keeper of time. He supports those in need and opposes all that is evil. As the lord of agriculture and the bountiful harvest, he is the deity most commonly worshiped by ordinary humans and his priests are well received wherever they go. He directs his followers thus:
- Alleviate suffering wherever you find it.
- Bring Pelor’s light into places of darkness, showing kindness, mercy, and compassion.
- Be watchful against evil.
Worshippers: Commoners, farmers, paladins, rangers
Alignment: Neutral Good
Typical Cleric Domains: Life, Light
The Raven Queen, The Goddess of Death
The name of the goddess of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed from he curse of undeath. She expects her followers to abide by these commandments:
- Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life.
- Bring down the proud who try to cast of the chains of fate. As the instrument of the Raven Queen, you must punish hubris where you find it.
- Watch for the cults of Orcus and stamp them out whenever they arise. The Demon Prince of the Undead seeks to claim the Raven Queen’s throne.
Worshippers: No specific groups
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Typical Cleric Domains: Grave, Life
Sehanine, God of the Moon and Autumn
Sehanine is the patron of trickery and illusions. She has close ties to Corellon and Melora and is a favourite deity among Elves and Halflings. She is also the god of love, who sends shadows to cloak lovers’ trysts. Her teachings are simple:
- Follow your goals and seek your own destiny.
- Keep to the shadows, avoiding the blazing light of zealous good, and the utter darkness of evil.
- Seek new horizons and new experiences, and let nothing tie you down.
Worshippers: Elves, Halflings, rogues, scouts
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Typical Cleric Domains: Trickery
The gods listed above represent all that is good in the world of Gokiya, but they are not the only deities in this realm. Where there is light, there is also dark. The following gods represent those evils that haunt the world and cause strife to the living.
While players are restricted from playing as characters that are neutral evil and chaotic evil, all of the following gods are fair game to worship.
Asmodeus, God of Tyranny and Domination
He rules The Nine Hells with an iron fist and a silver tongue. Aside from Devils, evil creatures such as Rakshasas pay him homage and evil Tieflings and Warlocks are drawn to his dark cults. His rules are strict and his punishments harsh:
- Seek power over others, that you might rule with strength as the Lord of Hell does.
- Repay evil with evil. If others are kind to you, exploit their weakness for your own gain.
- Show neither pity nor mercy to those who are caught underfoot as you climb your way to power. The weak do not deserve compassion.
Worshippers: Devils and other evil creatures
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Typical Cleric Domains: Order, Trickery, War
Bane, The God of War and Conquest
Militaristic nations of humans and goblins serve him and conquer in his name. Evil Fighters and Paladins serve him. He commands his worshipers to:
- Never allow your fear to gain mastery over you, but drive it into the hearts of your foes.
- Punish insubordination and disorder.
- Hone your combat skills to perfection, whether you are a mighty general or a lone mercenary.
Worshippers: War-driven societies
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Typical Cleric Domains: Death, Forge, Order, War
Gruumsh, God of Destruction
Gruumsh is the lord of marauding hordes. Where Bane commands conquest, Gruumsh exhorts his followers to slaughter and pillage. Orcs are his fervent followers, and they bear a particular hatred for Elves because Corellon put out one of Gruumsh’s eyes. The One-Eyed God gives simple orders to his followers:
- Conquer and destroy.
- Let your strength crush the weak.
- Do as you will, and let no one stop you.
Worshippers: Orcs
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Typical Cleric Domains: Death, Tempest, War
Lolth, The Demon Queen of Spiders
Lolth is the goddess of shadow, lies, and spiders. Scheming and treachery are her commands, and her priests are a constant force of disruption in the otherwise stable society of the evil Drow. She demands that her followers:
- Do whatever it takes to gain and hold power.
- Rely on stealth and slander in preference to outright confrontation.
- Seek the death of Elves at every opportunity.
Worshippers: Drow
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Typical Cleric Domains: Trickery
Tharizdun, the Chained God
Tharizdun is the evil god who created the Abyss. A few scattered cults of demented followers revere him, calling him the Chained God or the Elder Elemental Eye. Tharizdun doesn’t speak to his followers, so his commands are unknown, but his cults teach their members to:
- Channel power to the Chained God, so he can break his chains.
- Retrieve lost relics and shrines to the Chained God.
- Pursue the obliteration of the world, in anticipation of the Chained God’s liberation.
Worshippers: No major groups
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Typical Cleric Domains: Trickery