Deities of Good

Azora is the patron goddess of fire,  the sun, and luck. Azora worship is particularly common amongst nomadic and in cultures who live far closer to the land than city dwellers or agrarians. Azora is strongly tied with the changing of the seasons. Her high holy days occur at the summer solstice and the fall equinox - the former for the long daylight ours and the later in an effort to convince Azora not to withhold all her warmth during the winter.

Azora's teachings focus on facing challenges of daily living ardently. More extreme churches focus on burning those who stand in your way, while some more peaceful practices focus on treating others with warmth and kindness.

Tholic the Rock is the patron god of all that resides underground - including metal and gems. As such, his following is particularly strong amongst dwarves and to a lesser extent gnomes. Tholic espouses excellence in craft, particularly in stone and metal working. Unlike Tabinite, whose appreciation of aesthetics often outweighs function, Tholician followers find beauty in functionality and simplicity. Cavern dwellers who make good use of raw materials draw the favor of Tholic; however, those cavern dwellers who seek destruction draw his ire.

Tholician Law-Keepers are a sect of paladins, priests, and administrators who seek out the lawbreakers and serve as adjudicators for legal disputes. They are famed for binding legal agreements in thin slate tablets clearly etched with the binding agreements of two or more parties; while the details are scribed on parchment between. Law-Keepers are often found within Dwarven enclaves around Lorem.

The Tholician church in Waymeet is the current head of the more craft-oriented tradition of Tholic-worship. It's a skillfully carved stone cathedral, patronized by smiths and masons on Waymeet and tended by the expatriate enclave of Keldar-that-Was. The Tholician church has a strict hierarchical leadership structure, with roles being carefully allotted based on skill and deed.

Priests of Sestrig are either itinerant wanderers or cater to their needs. Carvan guards and the merchants they escort often seek the blessings of their order and many an inn has icons to the Divine Wanderer and Lord of Roads on near the door of their establishment. Priests of Sestrig tend to espouse beliefs in understanding and accommodation to ones fellows, not out of altruism, but instead of out of shared experience. Exploration of untamed wilds, forging new paths through the wilderness, and long distance travel are all worthy causes for Sestrigian devotees. Sestrigian followers may lend their services to caravanners, provided their tithes are appropriate to the risk. The accommodations made between merchants and Sestrig give rise to his domain of commerce and trade.

Sestrig does not generally draw the service of paladins, but a surprising number of monks tend to follow his teachings and find the road and traveling as means to seek inner perfection. A few druids compelled to wander through nature heed the call of Sestrig, too.

Sestrigian temples, such as they are, are simple affairs, often roadside shrines at cross-roads or fjords. It is uncommon to find these shrines particularly well-tended, but it's not unheard of for caravanners to stop for the night near a shrine and affect repairs or clear overgrown plants. The largest temple to Sestrig is in the merchant city of Waymeet. The southern gate of the city, which discharges from the merchant warehouse quarter, was transformed into a temple nearly a century ago. The gates are rusted with age, having never been shut, as a Sestrigian group of acolytes have taken responsibility for making sure the gate is manned and the appropriate customs are paid.

Hendra is the androgynous personification of nature and the natural world. Hendra's worshippers include druids, rangers, and some monks.

Hendran teachings largely focus on the need to coexist and respect the natural world and the place all creatures play in the orchestrating of natural ecosystems. Hendran rangers and druids often spend much of their time seeking out aberrations that occur as a result of arcane hubris or incursions from the Far Realms.  Hendran priests are often found in rural communities, providing expertise in forest management and resource extraction that does not imperil the local flora and fauna. An extreme Hendra-worshiping group, the Circle of Fire and Ash, seeks the violent overthrow of modern living in favor of small, dispersed communities.

The Gersan church is found in large cities and in secluded monasteries. The adherents of the faith are all scholars of one type or another, magical or mundane. Since the Upheaval, the Gersans have been far more active that in eras past. The followers of Gersa seek new knowledge and magical skills, whether that is by conducting original research, unearthing lost knowledge, or patronizing inventors and academies. The most humble members of the church often found public schools or libraries.

Gersans believe knowledge is sacrosanct and should not be destroyed. That said, not all knowledge is meant to be disseminated widely those who know to ask and demonstrate their needs may be granted information that they seek. Gersans also advocate for the judicious use of magic - magic untethered by ethics is magic run amok. Secrets that die with their keeper is knowledge lost with no gain.

The largest Gersan Temple in Lorem is Tulan - a vast library and study. It is said that all knowledge may be found there. The Gersan clergy regard the fall of their temple in Coren as the greatest atrocity since the Upheaval and almost all blame agents of Fasker.

The Gersan church is found in large cities and in secluded monasteries. The adherents of the faith are all scholars of one type or another, magical or mundane. Since the Upheaval, the Gersans have been far more active that in eras past. The followers of Gersa seek new knowledge and magical skills, whether that is by conducting original research, unearthing lost knowledge, or patronizing inventors and academies. The most humble members of the church often found public schools or libraries.

Gersans believe knowledge is sacrosanct and should not be destroyed. That said, not all knowledge is meant to be disseminated widely those who know to ask and demonstrate their needs may be granted information that they seek. Gersans also advocate for the judicious use of magic - magic untethered by ethics is magic run amok. Secrets that die with their keeper is knowledge lost with no gain.

The largest Gersan Temple in Lorem is Tulan - a vast library and study. It is said that all knowledge may be found there. The Gersan clergy regard the fall of their temple in Coren as the greatest atrocity since the Upheaval and almost all blame agents of Fasker.

Followers of Urgar are the hoi polloi, often the downtrodden; although a few are wealthy. Very wealthy.

Urgar is the patron god of thieves. The more brazen the theft or duplicity involved, the better. Urgar's priesthood is not formalized and few public shrines exist. The tenants of the faithful are equally slim, focusing on living in the now, bold actions, risk taking, and the joys of the flesh. Urgar's blessings are often sought prior to engaging in acts of skullduggery.

The "cold bitch of the sea", Sha-leashas doesn't particularly have loving adherants, but grudging ones. The Ocean Mother is known to be cruel and callous. Her worshippers are often the same - not out of malice, but out of pure self-centeredness.  Sha-leashas has shrines at many a water front and some small temples, too. Her worshippers are sailors, sea-based merchants, and fisher-folk.