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Gillespie’s Trilogy

Religion, Faith, and The Gods


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Arcantryl Malachai

Baracus Nergal

Bormanus Orcus

Crom Set

Denara Silvanus (Green Man)

Dogma Fortuna St. Ygg

Herne the Syldina

Hunter Valdghar

Imperiosa Vol

Impurax Zuul
Old and New Gods:
(Anganach and Futurus)

The Ancient Ones, called the Anganach by the people of the region,
represent the elder gods. Some believe they pre-existed in the
forests, swamps, and streams of the land—such as Silvanus (Green
Man), Cromm Cruach, Herne the Hunter, Malachai, Nergal, and
Impurax. Others believe the first nomadic humans brought their gods
with them. No one knows for certain. With the founding and growth
of the popula�on of Threshold, new religions sought to expand into
the Northern Reaches. These faiths are called the New Gods or the
Futurus.

The church of St. Ygg has been the most aggressive in establishing
itself in the realm and The Prelacy of Middenmark. The church has
been less successful in more peripheral, and more tradi�onal, regions
like The Duchy of Aerik. The priests of St. Ygg are dismissive of the
Ancient Ones and posi�on them as backward, primi�ve, and
irrelevant. In addi�on to St. Ygg, the followers of Arcantryl have also
established churches and followers. However, they are less aggressive
than the priests of the Red God.

Despite the success of the New Gods in The Red Prelacy, local people
s�ll consider it a good omen to wander across the face of the Green
Man carved into a great tree
or rockface in the wilderness.
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St. Ygg
God of Righteousness
Lawful
Symbol: A red cross on a white field

St. Ygg is the deity of righteousness and light. St. Ygg believes in
the highest moral standards. He is sanc�monious and has an
indignant temper with those who fail to see the just nature of his
ac�ons. The faith of St. Ygg is the most well-known of the new
organized religions in the Northern Reaches.

Arcantryl
Goddess of Magic
Neutral
Symbol: A star within a star

Arcantryl derives her power from knowledge of the laws of


the universe and existence. She believes in understanding the
structure of the cosmos and harnessing (and bending) that
knowledge to express magical energies.
Orcus
God of the Undead, Death, and the Underworld
(Not openly worshipped)
Chao�c
Symbol: A white ram head on a black field

Orcus and his brother Set combined their power to overthrow their
father Nergal. A civil war resulted with both brothers possessing a
por�on of their father’s power. The acolytes of Orcus are commited
to annihila�on of Set and his followers. Set and Orcus currently share
the spheres of Death and the Underworld

Set
God of Serpents, Death, and the Underworld
(Not openly worshipped)
Lawful
Symbol: Two snake heads facing each other

Set and his brother Orcus deposed their father Nergal for control of
the underworld. A�er comple�ng the task, they turned on each other
to establish complete control over their father’s spheres of power. A
war for control of the underworld began. A stalemate ensued with
each son controlling a por�on of Nergal’s power. Followers of Set are
commited to the destruc�on of Orcus and his faithful. Set and Orcus
currently share the spheres of Death and the Underworld.
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Crom
God of Strength and Batle
Neutral
Symbol: A silver crown over a white-capped mountain

Crom, or Crom Cruach, is worshipped largely by warriors,


mercenaries, and humble fron�ersmen. Crom is considered grim
and gloomy. He prizes feats of strength, valour, and daring in batle.
He rarely answers prayers. Instead, he prefers to watch resilient and
resourceful warriors blaze their own path to glory. His followers use
his name as a blessing, a curse, or in astonishment

Silvanus, also called Green Man


God of Nature and the Balance
Neutral
Symbol: A face carved of leaves

Silvanus’ faith arrived with the first human setlements. His


religion has been largely, but not exclusively, replaced by the
worship of St. Ygg. Silvanus, also called Green Man, oversees the
balance in nature: law and chaos, light and dark, growth and decay,
life and death. For genera�ons the rangers and druids looked to
Silvanus for guidance and protec�on. Faces of Silvanus have been
carved into trees and rocks for centuries in the region. Tales say
good fortune befalls those who chance upon his face in the wild.
Herne the Hunter
Demi-God of the Hunt, Swamps and Forests
Lawful
Symbol: An antlered human face or stag head

The Horned God. The worship of St. Ygg has replaced Herne in recent
years, but there are those who s�ll pray and offer sacrifices to him.
Herne is the god of the northern woodlands, swamps, and the
creatures that inhabit them. The people of the region o�en use the
phrase “Herne protect us” or “Herne protect you” as a toast or when
par�ng company.

Denara
Demi-Goddess of Wealth, Bureaucracy, Trade
Lawful
Symbol: The scales of trade

Denara’s sphere includes the areas of trade, wealth, and


administra�on, broadly defined. Her followers include
entrepreneurs, merchants, traders, government bureaucrats, and
the wealthy. Denara is not as fickle as Fortuna. She believes in
judicious treatment of wealth, the hierarchical distribu�on of
capital, and lawful organiza�on of trade and trade agreements.
Fortuna
Demi-Goddess of Luck, Gamblers, Adventurers
Chao�c
Symbol: A coin in the center of a horseshoe

Fortuna is the patron of luck, gambling, and adventuring. She is


some�mes referred to as Lady Luck. Fortuna is known as being flighty,
moody, capricious, and temperamental. Her (notoriously brief) favour
o�en relates specifically to the acquisi�on of wealth (such as gambling
or adventuring). Adventurers o�en pray to her if they face life-or-
death circumstances.

Dogma
God of Knowledge, Scholars, Learning
Lawful
Symbol: A sunrise within a book

The Learned One is the patron of those who seek knowledge and those
who create new knowledge, such as scholars, inventors,
alchemists, and mages. Dogma embodies the no�on of
enlightenment through higher educa�on.
Malachai
Demi-God of Agriculture (Corn) and the Harvest
(Not openly worshipped)
Lawful
Symbol: A black face crowned with corn stalks

He-Who-Walks-Between-the-Stalks. His followers believe that they


must make ritual blood sacrifices to appease Malachai or he would fail
to provide them with a boun�ful harvest. The arrival of St. Ygg to the
realm has all but ex�nguished Malachai’s faith, although some peasant
folk s�ll uter his name in hushed tones. Some believe he may be
connected to the sphere of fer�lity.

Zuul
Demi-God of Chao�c
Elements (Not openly
worshipped) Chao�c
Symbol: The four elements

The Destructor, embodies the chao�c and deadly nature of the


four elements. He appears as a winged demon with four arms.
When the land cracks open and swallows the earth, or a harsh
winter culls the living, or extreme heat dries rivers, or tornados
destroy villages, Zuul is said to be displeased. The
Elemental God is uncaring, uncompromising, and cruel. The
status of his cult is unknown.
Imperiosa
Goddess of Tyranny, Domina�on, Destruc�on
(Not openly worshipped)
Lawful
Symbol: A clawed black fist

The Conqueror, appears most o�en as a beau�ful black-skinned


human warrior. Her church is militaris�c and encourages conflict and
hate. They seek to iden�fy weakness and destroy it, both within their
faith and without. She is the patron of all those who seek military
conflict, destruc�on, and domina�on. Her moto is “By our swords, we
rule.

Impurax
God of Rot, Decay, Corrup�on, and Pes�lence
(Not openly worshipped)
Chao�c
Symbol: A ro�ng fanged hand or a ro�ng raven’s head

The Roten God or The Fanged God, is a deity cloaked in


mystery. Impurax was an ally of Nergal (the apparently deceased
God of the Dead and the Underworld) and his faith seemed to
disappear for a �me un�l their recent resurgence in The
Forbidden Zone. Impurax tradi�onally granted his followers power
of pes�lence, rot, and fungal life.
Nergal
Greater God of Death, Undead, and the Underworld
(Not openly worshipped)
Chao�c
Symbol: A single white skull

Nergal once ruled the Underworld and the spheres of Death and the
Undead. He was deposed and presumably destroyed by his sons Orcus
and Set.

Valdghar
Demi-God of the Valdghardt, Nomadic barbarians, Bloodlust
Chao�c
Symbol: A woolly mammoth

Sages are unclear as to whether Valdghar is a dis�nct demi-god, or


an aspect of Crom acclima�zed to northern warrior tribes and
barbarians. The Valdghardt barbarians consist of a number of small
dis�nct tribes, they have their own dialect, totems, worldviews, and
spiritual beliefs. The tribes are fiercely independent and will
occasionally ally themselves with neighbouring clans for security or
war.
Vol
God of Evil Dragons, Dracoliches, and Dragonmen
Lawful
Symbol: A rampant dragon

Followers of Vol, called the Volsectum Draconis, are humans who


support the machina�ons of evil dragons and their transi�on into
undeath as dracoliches. Vol blesses his closest and most devout
followers with transmuta�on into dragonmen, although very litle is
known about this process. Vol is dedicated to the destruc�on of
human civiliza�on in the Northern Reaches and, specifically, the Free
City of Threshold.

Syldina
Demi-God (Heroine) of the Northern Wilderness
Neutral
Symbol: Spear with severed head of a man

Like Herne the Hunter, Syldina was a worshipper and the chosen of
Silvanus in life. Upon sacrificing herself in a great batle against
overwhelming odds, she was called upon to serve the Green Man in
the a�erlife. She champions the Northern Wilderness and its
peoples. Archers, and those who hunt and range across the far
forests of the Northern Reaches, also worship Syldina.
Baracus
Demi-God of Wrestling and
Athle�cs Chao�c
Symbol: Two tatooed arms wrestling

Baracus is the demi-god of warrior-athletes, especially wrestlers.


Warriors of all types and those who wish to hone their bodies through
personal discipline and exercise worship Baracus. He is a gregarious
and boisterous figure who lives large, drinks hard, and laughs harder.
Baracus is primarily worshipped in the northernmost expanses of the
Northern Reaches where feats of strength are common and wrestling
is the sport of choice. He is closely associated with Crom.

Bormanus
Demi-God of Salt and Minerals
Neutral
Symbol: The symbol of earth inside the symbol of salt

Bormanus appears as a rough-hewn golem made of salt with


expressionless blue glowing eyes. His worshippers include
prospectors, miners, diggers, panhandlers, and those in related
mining industries. O�en his followers will carve small effigies from
salt and leave them at his shrines and places of worship. The
common people in Thatchum and Woodvale hold fes�vals of salt in
his name.

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