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Lord Kjeran
Acolyte
USA
6 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Aug 2014 : 15:44:24
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Well met!
OK, I've been gaming since 1981 and, in all that time, I'm mostly a Hawker. I've have all the 1e Realms publications (although my copy is "Under Ilefarn" is strangely missing) and have enjoyed reading both it and some of the fiction over the years. Now, with 5e coming out and the adventurers focusing on the Realms, well, I'm giving it a good shot.
My dilemma is this: I know Greyhawk deities almost as well as my own roman Catholicism. what are good common gods in the North to use, swear by, see everywhere, etc.? Two fo my daughters are playing a cleric and a paladin of Torm, but I'm a little...lost for want of a better term about the atmosphere.
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"It was an age of dark beliefs and of practises that were no less dark; and witchcraft and sorcery were rampant throughout the land, among all classes."
Clark Ashton Smith, "The Necromantic Tale" |
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Akantor
Acolyte
France
24 Posts |
Posted - 23 Aug 2014 : 22:49:25
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| Selune would be a good start for a good align outside the Loyal Goods. |
English is not my primary language so forgive me for any mistake, I do my best (and spend skill point at my next level) |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
745 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2014 : 00:44:36
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| Tempus is everywhere. Mysta is popular among cities mostly. Melikie has a large following in the North. Helm is common. Silvanus is also popular among druids etc. Just read through the campaign setting (any of them). They give you a good overview of each deity. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2014 : 01:05:02
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And Lurue, for whom the city of Silverymoon is named. 
For the evil side, you're also going to have Bane, Cyric, and most particularly, Malar. |
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Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2014 : 02:43:48
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The North is the major center of Auril's worship in the Realms, especially the further north you go. You can bet that pretty much everyone pays tribute to her as the winters there are very harsh.
Most Greater Deities are going to be worshiped everywhere, so you'll find them all worshiped here. Also, in places like Waterdeep you'll find temples and shrines to pretty much every deity that you can imagine.
There are also some -very- regional deities in the area such as Shiallia and Gwaeron Windstrom. Outside of Tethyr, Siamorphe is best known in Waterdeep. Uthgar's worshipers are also concentrated here, who are primarily the Uthgardt barbarians who worship him via their beast totems. Eldath's primary base of worship is also here located around Silverymoon and the High Forest. |
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Lord Kjeran
Acolyte
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2014 : 03:11:26
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| Excellent! Thank you, hive mind! That gives me plenty to play around with. |
"It was an age of dark beliefs and of practises that were no less dark; and witchcraft and sorcery were rampant throughout the land, among all classes."
Clark Ashton Smith, "The Necromantic Tale" |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
745 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2014 : 18:41:21
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Also don't forget Lathander. Major presence everywhere including the North.
RE: Aldrick's post, don't confuse paying homage to a deity out of fear as "worship". Thousands of folk in the North pay homage to Auril and Umberlee (to appease them in the hopes of good weather).
However, that doesn't make them worshippers, nor does it make the deities "popular". I would just go by the major temples that are present in Silverymoon, as they can only exist with a large devoted following. Lathander, Mystra, Silvanus, Helm, Selune, Melikei. Other smaller off shoots of less acceptable deities include Malar and Loviatar. |
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Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2014 : 20:52:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Cards77
RE: Aldrick's post, don't confuse paying homage to a deity out of fear as "worship". Thousands of folk in the North pay homage to Auril and Umberlee (to appease them in the hopes of good weather).
However, that doesn't make them worshippers, nor does it make the deities "popular". I would just go by the major temples that are present in Silverymoon, as they can only exist with a large devoted following. Lathander, Mystra, Silvanus, Helm, Selune, Melikei. Other smaller off shoots of less acceptable deities include Malar and Loviatar.
To be clear, that's what I was saying. "You can bet that pretty much everyone pays tribute to her as the winters there are very harsh."
The major center of her faith is also located in the North.
Most people pay tribute to all of the deities as appropriate. Someone who never travels the sea is unlikely to give offerings and prayers to Umberlee, but even a cleric of Ilmater who is about to make a sea voyage will likely make a prayer to Umberlee and Talos. Beginning the prayer asking Umberlee to stay her wrath, Talos to send no storms, and likely ending with asking Ilmater to show his mercy to everyone on board the vessel.
Similarly, people living in the middle of the desert or in tropical regions aren't going to pray to Auril. However, in the North in which the winters are often harsh and hard, she is likely to receive regular tribute. Most people (who are rural and work in agriculture) are going to offer her some degree of appeasement.
That's how many evil deities are worshiped in the Realms. When you stop to think about it even the worship of Chauntea is appeasement to some degree. Even though she has a more benevolent guise, most people likely believe that refusing to offer Chauntea praise will directly impact their crops and yields.
There is a fine line between appeasement and worship when it comes to polytheism.
The primary difference between the way Chauntea and Auril are worshiped comes down to how their clergy engage with lay people. Both priests of Chauntea and Auril join those faiths out of reverence for the deity and what that deity represents. A priestess of Chauntea reveres her goddess, and both respects and honors the land that is worked through agriculture. A priestess of Auril reveres her goddess, and both respects and honors the cold and winters that she brings to the land. The primary difference is as follows. The priestess of Chauntea spreads the faith by encouraging lay folk to also respect and honor the land that is worked through agriculture, but a priestess of Auril spreads the faith by encouraging people to fear the wrath of her goddess and the power she wields over the cold and the winter.
The acts of the lay folk are the same in either case. They say the prayers and make the offerings as required, either to enjoy the perceived boons for doing so or to avoid the punishments for not doing so. Whether you as a lay person are getting the carrot or the stick, the end result is the same. |
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Gods in the North
