Greyhawk Deity Poll Results

Hey Greyhawkers, here is the results and commentary on my latest Greyhawk poll: "What Cult is the Next Threat?" This is to mean of course, we have been inundated with Iuz, Nerull, Tharizdun and Vecna cultists over the editions. What other evil gods might pose a good threat to your players?

Incabulos god of nightmares and disease, leads the pack by a mile at 44% of the vote. His versatile portfolios makes his cultists capable of many dastardly plots. Plague the wells of a city? Check. Torture the dreams of a princess? You bet. Bring drought and famine on the local countryside? Every day. These cultists have to be hard working and delight in their work for Incabulos. To make matters better, he is served by Night Hags, the meanest of all hags. There is no deity more terrifying than the Dark Rider. His cult has been woefully ignored in Greyhawk canon but is definitely ripe for DMs to use in their own games.

Next up is the ever-popular Wastri (22%) god of amphibians and bigotry. There has always been something appealing about Wastri, be it his demi-god status makes him a viable foe for PCs and that his followers include amphibians, especially bullywugs (which always remind me of the 80's cartoon). His cult have to be among the most eccentric and crazed followers out there. Their plots are probably not complicated and are centered around stuff like hurting elves or spreading fear from the swamps. Check out this great quote by Rob Bricken on Wastri to inspire your Wastri cult usage:

"The god of amphibians… and a god of self-deception and bigotry. Now, obviously, being a god of frogs and bigotry is amazing, especially this very like means that all amphibians in Dungeons & Dragons are unrepentant bigots, to the point where they pray for help in maintaining their bigotry. But let's not overlook the fact that Wastri is also the god of self-deception. If you're praying to Wastri so you don't realise something... haven't you already failed? And if you have deceived yourself, how do you know to pray to Wastri for thanks? I don't think Wastri thought this through. Probably too busy dealing with all those racist frogs."

Next is Erythnul (17%) the god of massacre and hate; another underused deity in publications. He is not only a very violent evil god, but his worshipers include your typical list of monstrous enemies like orcs, ogres, trolls and bugbears. Cult actions for Erythnul are nothing short of open warfare on populations or other vile atrocities. Interestingly Erythnul is a rival of the more popular canon god of war, Hextor, which could lead to some nice headaches for PCs caught in the middle. Also, Erythnul is the official deity of Stonehold (Hold of Stonefist) so there, you go from cult threat to state threat real fast. Good luck heroes.

Wee Jas the goddess of death and magic and stuff, comes in at a paltry 15% probably because she isn't evil per se. The Stern Lady's cult, called Jasidans, is more an accepted religion in most lands, being strongest among Suel locations like the Scarlet Brotherhood. Her priests are generally stewards of the dead and would be counter to most evil cult's plots but her love of magic might lead her followers to oppose heroes during a quest for an artifact. Her followers, like their mistress, are lawful and probably vain, which can make them good foils for PCs rather than traditional villains. Despite all this, there could always be a cultist gone heretic in her service, employing shady wizards and planning to do evil in her name. So many possibilities.

Lastly poor old Telchur god of winter, failed to get a single vote. This is a travesty cause he has the potential to have the most dastardly cultists so far untapped next to Incabulos. Telchur has already shown evil plots on an epic scale having trapped Vatun and sided with slaad lords and the arch-fiend Belial. Stories say Telchur was once left in charge by his father Velnius and froze the Oerth for a thousand years. While most worshipers seek to placate him, a truly crazed cult of Telchur could be the catalyst for a truly epic Oerth-shaking event. Something to ponder...


Until next time.