Recently in my high seas Sea Princes campaign I've been using alot of deities that I normally didn't care much about in campaigns past. The reason for this usually because my games tended to be set inland on the Flanaess, centered on core type deities that everyone has heard of like St Cuthbert, Vecna or Wee Jas. With a setting now centered on the coastal realms of the Azure Sea and far-flung adjacent waters like the Oljatt Sea, Vohoun Ocean, and Jeklea Bay, I can now concentrate on the dangerous and exotic gods of the sea that would only concern sailors and other denizens of the waters.
Skimming through the entries in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer one can see that coastal nations tend to worship many of the same gods whether they are Suel or Oerid in origin. I think the reason for this is their overlapping concerns. A sailor can never be certain which sea or wind god is angry and needs to be appeased. A rivalry does exist between Procan and Xerbo for instance but it's not a dichotomy we can easily understand like Hextor-Heironeous or Pelor-Nerull. In my opinion, centuries of seafaring history has mingled some of these religions into a pseudo-mythos that all sailors should pay homage to, be they from the Hold of the Sea Princes, Lordship of the Isles or the Sea Barons. With these common gods comes even more associated myths of the deep: unnatural monstrous gods, demons and legendary forces of nature that superstitious sailors must keep in mind. Adventuring around Greyhawk City might be dangerous, but adventurers on the high seas put their lives in the hands of the gods every day.
Procan the Storm Lord, Sailor of the Sea and Sky (Seas, Sea Life, Salt, Weather, Navigation)
his children, known as the Velaeri: (normally agricultural deities, at sea they are sought for their favorable air currents)
Atroa the Sad Maiden (East Wind)
Sotillion the Summer Queen (South Wind)
Telchur the Icebrother (North Wind)
Wenta the Harvest Daughter (West Wind)Velnius the Elder Breeze (Sky, Weather, oversees the four winds)
and his occasional consort
Osprem the Sea Princess, Lady of the Waves (Sea Voyages, Ships, Sailors)
Eadro the Bather of Gills (Locathahs, Tritons and Merfolk)
Deep Sashelas the Lord of the Undersea (Sea Elves)Vogan (Touv god of Storms)
Tlaloc (Olman god of Rain)
(Navigators)
Celestian the Far Wanderer (Stars)
Pholtus of the Blinding Light (Light, Moons)
(Pirates, Swashbucklers, Corsairs)
Istus the Lady of Our Fate
Kelanen the Sword Saint
Kord the BrawlerKurell the Vengeful Knave
Norebo the God of Gambles
Rudd the Duelist
Olidammara the Laughing Rogue
(Evils to Avoid)
Blipdoolpoolp the Sea Mother (Kuo-Toa)
Sekolah the Great Shark, the Caller From the Depths (Sahuagin)
Panzuriel the Deep Old One, the Banished One (Evil aquatic creatures, Kraken)
Incabulos the Black Rider (Sickness, Nightmares, Famine)
Nerull the King of All Gloom (Death, Darkness)
Ralishaz the Unlooked For (Ill-luck, Misfortune)
Yan-C-Bin the Evil Elemental Prince of Air
Olhydra the Evil Elemental Princess of Water
Dagon the Demon Prince of the Darkened Depths
1 comment:
Great ideas. I've always loved the idea that different cultures might interpret the same gods in different ways, with different representations or with different names. To me, it makes the game cultures that much more alive. Procan's children interpreted as the tradewinds is awesome!
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