The Forbidden Isles Pantheon (Gods and Deities)

The world of HotB is filled with a great number of various gods and deities, reminiscent of the Greek pantheon. Here are some that were charted. Please do create your own, even if you don't use it for your character in any way! It might inspire others to great ideas. Enjoy~

Janur - The God of the Sun
One of the four elder gods Janur has the second biggest following. Generally unpleasant and wrathful bloke. Supposedly has a big crush on the Moon Goddess, but will melt off your face if you ever mention it. Very rarely appears outside of the Forbidden Isles. His physical form is unclear due to his blinding glow getting in the way of anyone getting a good look at him. According to Arbos, however, he has "the dorkiest freckles this side of Jaw Pass".

Valeria - The Moon Goddess
One of the four elder gods. Calm and quiet Valeria has never appeared to any of her adepts, however many claim to have seen her wandering the still nights. She's described as a beautiful woman with long flowing white hair wearing a long black dress. The only mortal ever recorded to have spoken with Valeria is Arbos, possibly due to him using the Moonstone. However details of the conversation are unknown, and the spectre refuses to ever talk about it.

Say - The god of the Earth
One of the four elder gods. Very little is known about him, due to him living underground. According to the legends, Say was the one to create the Grato race. Same legends claim that following their extinction he secluded himself underground in disappointment. Say still however continues to watch over miners and diggers, with many stories telling of him saving workers from cave-ins and earthquakes. His physical form is that of a white rock golem, however he''s known to appear as an old man with a shovel, too.

Erios - The God of the Wind
One of the four elder gods. Erios often appears a blond kid, flying through the fields and forests. He's very laid back and cheery, often making incredibly lame puns that his adepts religiously document. Arbos says that half the stuff Erios says is incredibly stupid just for the sake of messing with his followers. However despite his appearance and attitude he is actually the eldest of the four gods, and the guardian of Life. Erios was the one to create the race of Fartrey.

Dasius - The God of Beer and Debauchery
Although technically a lesser god, Dasius has the single largest following on all three continents. There really is not much to him. He almost never stays on the Forbidden Isles, instead travelling from city to city, visiting parties and getting drunk. If Dasius appears on your party and you tell him a good joke he hasn't heard before - he will reward you with a bottomless barrel of beer, that will never run out as long as you don't try to sell it.

Matal, God of the Kill.
He is an ancient god who's obscure lore is scarce and largely ignored. He is a stalker of beasts and a slay of monsters and men and though his iconography seems intimately related to blood and slaughter doesn't seem to lean toward evil or sadism. The motive behind the choice of his prey, though often undecipherable, does not seem to be mere bloodlust and number of his accounted appear to have prevented major disasters.
He takes the form of a huge man with snow white skin and extremly long and messy black hair and eyes with dark orange eyes. He is most often represented wearing a kilt and cape made out of the freshly flayed skin of beasts, still dripping with blood and carrying a bladed weapon of any kind.
He is also sometimes represened as a large bipedal wolf with the horns of a goat, the fangs of a snake and hawk talons for paws.


Hemat, Goddess of Lust
She is the goddess of carnal and carnivorous lust. Often associated with the thirst for blood and sadism she serves as a figure of deity for those too far gone to pretend to any other forms of morality and piousness.
She takes the form of a beautiful seductive woman with a porcelain skin, grizzled hair, yellow eyes, wearing black lipstick a fastuous red and gold dress with long black drapes wrapped around her shoulders.

She is sometimes represented as a massive male deer with large blood dripping antlers, fangs, snake eyes, a crocodile's tail and the sharp talons of a carnivorous flightless bird in place of hooves.

Well, I decided to focus on expanding the pantheon first, these are what I came up with for now. Expansions will surely follow.

A compendium of gods, written by a mad one. 1

Hethus  - God of fire, volcanoes and the forge
Oh poor Hethus, born to the powerful and popular sun god Janur. But so ugly he was that he threw him all the way from the sun down into the earth. Not only did it mess up his face even more, it created the largest volcano in the world. Mt. Hethus!  Here he lives and works his forge. A small amount of pilgrims find themselves a way to this place every year. But one can never hope to meet the god themselves, unless they are capable of descending into the lava pits.  For none but those who can withstand the greatest heat are allowed to see the face he is hiding, both ugly and scarred.

Nyxis –  goddess of shadows and night
Why she is called a goddess is beyond me at times. All she does is help her mother, Valeria, a little by turning the lights out.   Other than that, she often keeps tabs on her mother, making sure no mortal shall ever near her unless Valeria herself wishes so. But is her eye absolute? Well why should I tell you, puny mortal? Oh, and some say she creates every shadow cast in the world from her black hair that is many times longer than herself, as a method to pester “uncle” Janur a little.

Somna and Revus
Twins.Somna’s appearance is that of a rather fragile girl that only barely reached adulthood. She sleeps eternally on  a bed of golden flowers, hidden somewhere in the underworld. The opposite of lively, and very moody during the rare occasions she is awake. It is said that the sound of prayers works as a lullaby for her. However, those with prayers that are not honest or otherwise disturbing, disrupt her sleep. Those who do this are said to sometimes be cursed with eternal insomnia.  

Revus is the god of dreams, both good and bad. He randomly appears at the bedside of sleeping people and blesses them with great dreams, or he gives them a terrible nightmare. This depends on the mood of Revus himself. Quite a creepy fella if you ask me.

Thanatos – god of death (Unchanged from greek, for I refuse to rename him xD)
Well, with a title like that most things kind of speak for themselves do they?  He’s the grim reaper who drags those down to the underworld where they will be judged.  He keeps Elios in check when It comes to the protection of life.  Now, the real interesting thing is that he has an undying(HA!) love for Somna.  Crazy fella once tried to crawl in her bed.  And you wonder why death never sleeps?!

Marus - messenger of the gods,god of traders and thieves
Here’s a fella that spectre guy of yours would like! He is involved with what involves both traveling and speed. He enjoys watching a cat and mouse game between traders and thieves more than once a day. Some say it’s Marus’ hand that guides thieves to their targets and influences their luck. He decides the fate of every thief and therefore you want to befriend him! He also delivers messages from the elder gods to anyone they ask. He doesn’t always seem to like his job as delivery boy though, poor fella.

Aleron- Wisdom, scholars and sanity
OH NO NOT THIS SUCKER. He tends to the wise and makes sure that science thrives. Nothing much to say about this one I assure you. He lives in the library of infinity, where one is certain to find the knowledge he seeks. However, some say you are only allowed to seek wisdom here once, and only about one topic. Other than that, this is just your stereotypical old goofy with a long grey beard. Move on.

Seto god of tricks, deceit, conspirations and insanity
FINALLY, IT’S MY TURN. Well you see I like pegasi, gorgon blood juice mixed with grapefruit along with some hyrdra eye snacks. … not what you wanted to know?
Well all right then, I aid those who seeks to cause chaos in this boring world! I am the one associated with a great amount of trickster spirits and other creatures willing to pesters others for their own pleasure.  But I also revel in chaos caused by war and any form of confusion.  Those who anger me are to be caught in an unsolvable puzzle, having to try solving it until they go mad.
I have a small cult of followers people call the doomsayers. Madmen and madwomen who spout hellish prophecies everywhere they go. One part is truth, the other part blatant lies!
My form changes wherever I go. But my face bearing an ever hellish smile never changes. My usual form is that of a blood-covered jester laughing at other’s misery!

Oh, and Dasius and me have this kind of feud going on. I kind of ruin some of his parties.

Accepted

Punla, the proud
Punla is the personification of the star of the same name, the brightest star in both Hemispheres' night sky and a major reference in navigation. He has been a major symbol for travellers and marching armies and is revered and prayed by warriors asking for his guidance and protection. He is well known for being a figure of honour, he is bold and adventurous, and doesn't really seem to think things through.
He takes the form of a very large buffed man with a skin of the colour of tarnished gold. His head is very much bald and shines blindingly.

What lies below.
Punla's great epic tells of a journey he took through the world hidden below the surface of which he was curious, not being able to see it from his place in the sky. The story tells of a creature quite like a god in power but as far as one could be in nature. The creature had the aspect of a man with limbs similar in anatomy to those of a lion. It had no hair, nor did it have any signs of gender, its skin was so pale its blood vessels were visible even dim lighting. A long tail made up half of its length. It had no nose and its ears were entirely fused to its skull, it had large spheric eyes but no breach in his eyelids allowed it to open them.
Punla himself describes it as fearful yet aggresive. It was attracted by the light he emitted but couldn't bear it's burn. Most disturbing is the description Punla makes of the beasts behavior. As much as it needed darkness, it was terrified by it. Its mind bordered the line between sentience and bestiality, seeming intelligent but struggling with self awareness. It's mind was barely sentient enough to be driven insane by its condition.
The tale says that the beast was utterly incapable of dying or being killed.

Mainly thought of this for my char but it's still a God.

Nevael, Goddess of the forests
Daughter of Erios, Nevael is the Goddess and the protector of all forests, woods and trees, including the creatures that live within. She is sometimes spotted as a young, beautiful woman with oak leaves in her long light green hair clad in a green robe walking among trees with a staff. In most cases she sends the spirits of the trees to talk to her followers. Most think of her as a kind and loving Goddess, however she does not tolerate those who destroy her forests and will curse them as punishment.

accepted and accepted.

Oh golly, I get to do another part, AHEM. Well boys and girls hold on to your eyes, otherwise I’ll eat them while you’re reading this! … YUMMY

gods:

Irtha – god of judgement, gatekeeper of hell

The god stationed just beyond the gate of the underworld. Cerberus lies next to him as watchdog.  Every new soul to enter must first stand before him on a pedestal. The motionless blind god can only see the life of those standing there. Based on the actions of their life he points them to a specific path into the underworld, leading to different sections.  Anyone who tries to go against his decision becomes a snack for the gargantuan dog  He also stops anyone from entering the underworld who doesn’t belong there.
Remember good boys, go to the bad side of hell, that’s where the bad girls are!

Aluthea – goddess of beauty, Love and birth

This lass is basically the wet dream of every goddamn cauhri out there. She usually does not deal with mortals directly. She has many minions and messengers to watch over her followers. What she does herself... is rather unknown.

Nautilus - God of the ocean
The grumpy old guy living in a sea palace, likes his own shack and hates the land.
Despises land dwellers trying to traverse the sea. Basically every man eating sea monster out there is his mate. Mermaids are said to be the daughters of this god. They are really kind creatures really, as long as you aren’t a mortal, sucks to be you eh?

Hahahahah, accepted xD

-- From the anonymous reports stored in the Great Central Library of Raveros, chapter 7 / year 157 --

Tristers, god of Fair Chance and Balance

The first mention of this god was found in the personal diary of a 25 year old woman, found beheaded near the White Caves, at the southernmost point of the Raveros land:
She described him as her only friend, who would help her each time she was lucky. For every dangerous situation she found herself in, he would stop the time and come to her, roll a dice, and give her enormous amount of power the value was above 3.
The second mention was found inscribed in a plaque, near the grave of a 25 year old man :
Do Not Listen to its whispers, Do Not Look at him, and whatever the situation you are in, never let Tristers roll the dice for you
Upon enquiriy at his family, it appears that this late man was driven mad in his last year through paranoia (quote : "he jumped at every sound, and kept muttering something about losing his luck and that he was coming for him"), he apparently wrote in his own blood the text found in the plaque.

Several other indication of this god, Tristers, have been found in various place in this continent. The only connection are the age of death, 25 year old, the mention of "Luck running out", the time stopping and the roll of dice.


We are inclined to think it is an evil god, only by looking at the horrible deaths of each person involved. Not one reference to him talk about how it first made contact, and without any more information, we cannot make any real conclusion.

Interesting, Accepted.

Kitanar: Seer of Visionary Whispers

Essentially a forgotten lesser god, he was never worshiped by a huge following in the first place. While not a major player on the world stage, he generally knows anything and everything that will happen. Although he was specifically worshiped only by a few, nobody's sure what fully happened to them or even where they were based.

His followers (if they had his favor) would sometimes have visions of things that hadn't happened yet, or receive cryptic hints on things they may need to know. If it was serious enough, he would sometimes go out of his way to inform them himself.

Nirjhiana -- goddess of Names.

Although we are certain this is a lesser god, and younger than the 4 Elders, Nirjhiana must have appeared at the same time the concept of names was created for the mortal races. She is the one who approves the Name chosen for any new born. Several reports indicate that for each time she did NOT approve the chosen name (usually from drunken or irresponsible parents), the new born died in his first year.
It appears that, along with the apparition of the goddess, a significant power linked to the Names was created (more information in the chapter 31 / year 220).
Upon fervent prayers and a full-time dedication to her, Nirjhiana would bestow upon its priests and priestess the power of the Names, but coming with that, the life force of the priest(ess) would run out many more times faster, and no child could be born from a practitioner. We believe that last fact is due to the hate Aluthea express for Nirjhiana (as evidenced in the memories of the deities, chapter 28 through 35), and thus forbidding any follower of the last to have the blessings of the first.

Between the heavy restrictions accompanied to being a Nirjhiana practitioner, and the open war with the Order of Nature (Shamans and Druids alliance), the sect has almost been eradicated.
We suspect that at least two priests/priestesses are within the high rank of Nobility in the Xilinth Empire.

Popular demand

Shaggy - god of parrots and messenger of bad sex
First korten and now this thing. I leave a dimensional rift open for a few thousands of years... with a bit of bird food next to it, and this thing came out!
What can I say about this perverted parrot? He harrasses females sexually... his vulgar blurts about some "sayo" absolutely repulses every holy person who hears it. - LOOOOOVE IT
Other than that, I often rent him to Aluthea, he seems to have a knack for cursing people's sex life! Her enemies tend to get insane all the time because of that. She pays her rents in a very fun way, of course

Just to fill in on the divine creature I used in my latest post

Aluthea's Shepherds
Aluthea is a goddess who chooses to do her own thing for the most part. But she does not want to abandon those who pray to her either. That's why she has her servants watching over her faithful 'sheep'.
The only thing the shepherds are obliged to do is watch. The shepherd is allowed to decide for himself what kind of future it wishes for it's sheep. If they do choose for some kind of interference, their options aren't limited. Some choose to unconsciously guide their sheep towards their future. Others choose to interfere through dreams. Some may actually dislike their sheep enough to guide them upon a wrong path leading to a worse fate than if the sheep had been left alone.  Their actions can be seem as whimsical, irrational or completely illogical at times.
Not much is known about the shepherds. If they do choose to appear they take on a form that is not theirs. It can be wondered if they even have a true form. Their numbers are not known either, though there are at least several of them. Their real voice, if they choose to reveal it, betrays their likely gender, which again differs per shepherd. The shepherds are enigmatic beings, only answering to Aluthea herself.

Liarna
The youngest goddess. Protector of druids, she governs medicine. According to the legends she was once a forest deity, who was first to give the then young Cauhri race the gift of medicine. Since then her easy going attitude and her love for all things living have earned her hundreds of thousands of devout worshipers. That earned her the respect of Erios, who in gratitude for all the care she gave the world ascended her to godhood less than 150 years ago. She is the only goddess in teh current pantheon to have never met Arbos - for she was not yet a god when he visited the Forbidden Isles.