god of the forest and nature; patron of the elves

Seldarine is the ruler of the gods (along with his brothers Voluge and Grummish), and is the patron deity of the elves, forests, and guardian of the wilderness. He doesn’t oppose mortals (i.e. humans) logging or hunting, but does rule that no one take more than their share. When seen, his avatar takes the form of a very short elf, often seen wandering the elven lands at night.

Seldarine’s priests are the most powerful clergy in Aromathus, particularly in the lands of the Malinari elves and in Sandore. They are not as common outside of elven lands, but priests of Seldarine can be found in almost any land.

Relvith (Mistress of the Seasons, Earthmother)

goddess of agriculture and fertility; patron of farmers

Relvith is the patron of the fields and of all things that grow. She is a goddess capable both of great evil and great good, for there are those who worship her out of respect, such as farmers, and those who worship her out of lust, such as prostitutes. As such, almost anyone can be a follower of Relvith.

Relvith’s avatar is that of a nymph clothed in garments of sparkling white. Because of her exquisite beauty, anyone who sees her must cover their eyes, or they will become her willing servant for life, giving up all they see to please their mistress.

Relvith, in keeping with her nature as a fertility goddess, has an extremely varied priesthood. Preists with good leanings tend to emphasize her role as patron of the crops and fields, while those who tend toward evil emphasize her more sexual aspects, engaging in drunken revelry and temple and other prostitution.

Voluge (The Soul Forger, The Lord of Valor)

god of Earth and forge, lord of courage and justice, patron of the dwarves

Voluge is the god of Earth and forge, and the lord of courage and justice. He is the most powerful of the gods next to Seldarine, and is also the god of noble (i.e. non-aggressive) warfare. He constantly opposes, and is opposed by, his brother Grummish, and the two of them have much more than a brotherly rivalry. His avatar is a powerfully built dwarf wearing resplendent armor and wielding a massive war axe.

Priests of Voluge are most common among the dwarves, but can be found in any land as advisors to kings and rulers. Larger temples outside of dwarven lands often serve as bases for legions of temple soldiers led by paladins.

Urnomox (Lord of the Deep, The Sea Father)

god of the sea, patron of the humans

Urnomox is the patron of mariners and explorers, and thus is widely worshipped among the people of Narvith Empire and other human lands. In fact, the humans now revere him as their creator, even though he did not, for no one living can remember who did create the humans, nor can they remember a time when the humans didn’t worship Urnomox. He has power over the oceans, as well as all those creatures who live near, on, or under it.

Urnomax’s avatar is frequently seen roaming the coastal waters and windswept bays of Aromathus, appearing as a wise old man in white robes surrounded by waves that obey his unspoken commands.

Urnomax’s priesthood is powerful among the people of the Narvith and Averic empires, as well as the minotaurs, but is a minor faith elsewhere, practiced mainly by those who live near the sea and by sailors.

Charith (Queen of Beauty, Mistress of Fire)

goddess of love, beauty, and art

Charith is the fiery goddess of love, beauty, and the arts. She is not jealous or vain, and freely rewards any who create beauty regardless of whether they worship her or not. However, she can be moved to heated anger by those who deny love or delight in destroying beauty.

Charith doesn’t take physical form very often, but legends say that from time to time she has appeared in disguise to arrange lovers tyrsts or to help an artist complete a work. When she does, she takes on the appearance of a beautiful maiden, robed in beautiful garments of scarlet and white.

Few temples are devoted to Charith’s worship, but many who worship other gods call upon her in matters of romance. Her priests tend to be wanderers who ally themselves with established temples of other priesthoods.

Traalar (Mistress of Knowledge, She-Who-Knows-All)

goddess of wisdom, reason, and logic

Traalar is the goddess of wisdom, reason, and logic. As such, she is worshipped by those who chose the life of scholar or teacher, and by those of advanced years who hold wisdom above all. The peoples of the Plains of Dust believe that Traalar keeps the sun as her palace, and that her house circles the desert each day.

Her avatar is rarely seen by mortals, although she visits Aromathus frequently; she takes the form of a bright beam of sunlight – the light of reason.

Traalar is worshipped among the desert peoples, and by those who seek knowledge of any sort. Her priests tend to be sages, scholars or teachers, and her temples resemble universities or libraries.

Grummish (The Champion of Evil; The Scourge of Battle)

god of war, patron of the orcs

Grummish embodies the belief that might makes right; all those who follow him believe that strength and savagery are all a true warrior needs. He is the third of the triumverate of ruling gods along with Seldarine and Voluge, and opposes and is opposed by his brother Voluge.

Grummish has many followers among the evil races, and among evil societies as a whole. Worship of Grummish was also common among the humans during the “wars of conquest,” as the human kings led many of their people to follow him..

Grummish delights in bloodletting and often enters into battles. His avatar can be seen near orc war bands or armies, carrying a giant axe and calling the orcs to battle. Grummish is revered by the orcs and other “monstrous” races of Aromathus, and by many in parts of Averim as well.

A priest if Grummish can never back down in battle and must demonstrate that he is worthy to serve his god by showing strength and bloodlust.

Hadar (Lord of the Underworld, Father of the Damned)

god of death, patron of the drow

Hadar is the god of death, the lord of the underworld, and the patron of the drow. Hadar delights in all things evil, and his realm is dark and violent. Hadar is always an hour ahead of the dawn, collecting the souls of the dead and bringing them into the world beyond.

Hadar is said to live in every shadow and to hear all words whispered in secret. He is the keeper of the abyss and the shadow world, and as such his avatar roams the world, collecting the souls of the dead. His avatar is the classic image of death; am man in hooded in dark robes, carrying the giant sickle of death.

Above ground, Hadar’s priesthood is almost unknown, sought out by dark mages and those clerics of the deepest evil. Below ground, however, his worship is widespread among the beings of the deep places – especially the drow and other “fallen” peoples.

Larathane (The Mad God, Lord of Pain)

god of disease and suffering

Larathane has power over all illnesses, diseases, and plagues in the world. While not a particularly violent power, he does delight in suffering and cruelty, and will generally go out of his way to inflict it. He opposes and is opposes by his sister Mareth.

Larathane’s avatar can be seen hovering around plague-infested areas, often relishing in the suffering of those around. His avatar, when seen, takes the form of a necromancer in pure black.

Few people follow Larathane, but those who do tend to be extremly sadistic people who delight in pain and suffering. They generally tend to ally themselves to the temples of other evil dieties.

Mareth (The Shining One, The Lady of Purtity)

goddess of peace and healing

Opposed by Larathane, Mareth has power over the health and well being of all who live on Aromathus. She tends to the sick and injured, granting them ease from their suffering.

Mareth’s avatar can be seen anyplace their is suffering, laying hands on those who feel pain. When she is seen, her avatar takes the form of a beautiful woman in shimmering robes of white.

The priests of Mareth are the healers in the land of Aromathus; they are often out in the world performing good works. They are utterly pacifistic, and will not pick up weapons even to defend themselves. Their reputation precedes them, and only the truly depraved and insane (or a follower of Larathane) would ever harm a Marathite.

Temples to Mareth often serve as hospitals and plague relief centers, and at times only the most devout enter in, for only the priests seem unaffected by the sickness present.

Naranes (Daughter of the Night, Sister of thieves)

goddess of stealth, cunning and trickery

Naranes is the goddess of night and the sister of thieves. While she is generally not a malicious power, she is capricious and selfish, and loves to embarrass or trick her enemies, sometimes with lethal results. She is also not above taking money or riches to achieve an end – whatever that end may be, and so assassins also call on her as well. She is opposed by both Voluge and Seldarine, who treat her as a wayward younger sister who they hope might someday return to the light.

Naranes is said to live in every shadow and to hear all words whispered in secret. She is also said to be an hour ahead of the dawn, aiding rouges and thieves. Her avatar is said to be a quick and nimble thief.

Few honest folk worship Naranes, but every rouge knows the sister of thieves and seeks her blessing before setting to work. Only a few small shrines are scattered throughout the larger cities of Averim and Sandore, but rumors persist of secret societies that worship her.

Toronar (The Archmage of the gods; Ruler of all that is Hidden)

god of magic

Toronar is the god of magic – the guardian of the world’s arcane forces and places of mystical power. All the mages of Aromathus acknowledge him, even if they don’t worship him.

Toronar’s avatar can be seen anywhere mage’s are gathered. He takes the form of a slender, dark haired youth in gray robes, and his only concern is the use or misuse of magic.

While all mages revere him, few priests of the reclusive deity exist. His temples are usually places of enchantment hidden in the depths of the wilderness, but in Averim, a few of his temples take interest in the affairs of the outside world.