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THE CREATORS

The Creator gods are the powers who created the known universe. They created form and life from the chaos at the beginning of time. There are various creation myths, giving more or less credit to different gods. From whence the creators came is not known, and if they are the most powerful beings in existence, or if there are beings above them is also unknown.

These gods watch over the entirety of the universe and have their power distributed throughout, which makes them much more distant from their worshipers than their lesser brethren. They seldom act directly upon a world, but when they do manifest, their boons are truly miraculous, and their wrath disastrous

Name: Beory, The Oerth Mother, Gaia Sex: Female Alignment: True Neutral Beory is the goddess of physical neutrality. She is the power of nature and the responsibility of all beings to obey its laws. Some say she is the Oerth itself, and is often viewed an a process rather than a being. Beory strives to maintain the balance of creation and destruction, life and death, and is often viewed as being distant and uncaring in regards to the fate of mortals. This is not necessarily true. Beory strives for, and some say knows to be necessary, is perfect balance. If life or death were to get too great of an advantage than it would be equally disastrous for creation, and so her followers actively pursue this balance.
One creation myth says that when the Oerth was created Beory courted Pelor and their union created life. It further says that at the same time she also courted Nerull, and so the life that she gave birth to was fated to die. She did so behind the back of both Pelor and Nerull, causing them to both father the races of mortals. This idea so angered the two gods that they attempted to destroy the mortal spawn Beory had tricked them into creating. To protect mortals Beory is said to have inhabited the Oerth and use her power to protect the beings upon it, to the point of giving up all influence outside of this sphere. Since the other gods did not wish to focus their power solely within this sphere they were unable to best Beory and were forced to accept the existence of beings constructed both of life and death. Now the two gods have accepted mortals and are trying to win them over to their own side and to reject the other. All the while Beory prevents their direct intervention and strives to maintain the balance that allows mortals to exist. It is also said that Istus herself asked Beory to create mortals, to what reason only Istus, and perhaps Beory know. Beory is called upon by farmers who wish blessings for their crops or herds, or by people who request favor from nature in other ways. Manifestations of her favor are normally rains, especially when no clouds are in the sky.
Priests of Beory are druids and are not very numerous. They do not need to be because their power has her full focus upon the Oerth. Beory’s druids usually travel alone, gathering only four times a year to perform the rites of the seasons. These folk have no hierarchy, usually respecting and following the oldest or the wisest when they gather. They have almost no concern for human affairs, which means they will neither act for or against mortal activities. Only in times of great unbalance will they act, and at these times they are perhaps the most powerful of all priests. The focus of their deity’s power on Oerth alone makes them terrible foes, so most take great pains not to anger them. No temples to Beory exist. Holy sites are places upon the Oerth where Beory’s power seems concentrated and are represented by a natural monolith of stone. These sites are rare but are nearly impossible to destroy or defile, requiring power well beyond mortal means.

Name: Nerull, The Reaper, Foe of all Good, Hater of Life Sex:Male Alignment: Neutral Evil Nerull is the god of the physical evil. His is the power of death and destruction and pursues those states for all things. Nerull is opposed and balanced by Pelor. Nerull is believed to view life as a weak intermediate stage that will result inevitably in death, where in the true power of the body lies. In death things are immune to physical pain and suffering, immune to aging, immune to all the woes of life. For Nerull life is a prison meant to distract and dilute the power of the physical form.

Though death is his ultimate goal Nerull also seeks destruction of any physical creation. His followers believe that possessions tie peoples to the falsehood of life and so the destruction of material goods will lessen the desire for life and make embracing death easier. The worship of Nerull is extensive and can be found in every land across the Oerth, usually his temples are secret, underground places kept hidden from the forces of good, but in some lands, like the former Horned Society, his worship is open and prominent. Temples act as meeting places and places for communion with Nerull. It is worth noting that Nerull's priests usually don't kill themselves, or each other, instead they bring Nerull's teachings and desires to the unfaithful and unsuspecting in an attempt to enlighten them, or eliminate those who oppose Nerull. Folk sometimes make homage to Nerull in an attempt to save loved ones who are near death. Such tribute is considered dangerous by many since to even utter his name is said to draw his fell gaze and invite death. Desperate folk will sometimes even beseech Nerull to return loved ones to life, this often requires seeking out a priest and performing some task that the Reaper would consider reimbursement for the dead ones life. Priest of Nerull are generally very secretive and operate in independent covenants, creating as much death and destruction as they can before being forced to relocate, or embrace their teachings firsthand. Priest of Nerull tend to be powerful, possessing a variety of very deadly spells and powers, this is to make up for their need to operate individually or in small groups, without an overall hierarchy. The ultimate goal of these priests is a state of undeath much akin to lichdom so that they may embrace the teachings of their master while continuing his work on Oerth. These priests often surround themselves with the remains of their victims, animated to serve Nerull. Assassins find good employ with Nerull's priests and many are worshipers, if not a part of the clergy. Also, there are a few rare temples that train a small number of monks to the goal of embracing death and perfecting the unliving body. Rarely a sect of Nerullar will lean towards the more neutral aspect of their deity. These priests are sometimes allowed to construct temples openly within cities. These priests still preach the virtues of death but concentrate more on the voluntary abandonment of life in its flock. They encourage suicide and provide means for those seeking deaths embrace. Temples to Nerull resemble cathedrals when possible. Within these dark halls are sections of absolute darkness and altars to sacrifice the living. Undead do not serve the priests but are considered equal, if intelligent. In lands where Nerull is persecuted the temples will be underground, often beneath buildings owned by worshippers. Extensive, well-ordered subterranean chambers lead to the temple's inner heart where the altar will be located. In either case, temples will be as close to major centers of population when ever possible.

Name: Pelor, The Great Sun God Sex:Male Alignment: Neutral Good Pelor is the god of the physical embodiment of goodness. His portfolio consists of every physical emboiment goodness can take, such as light, strength and physical perfection, and healing of the body. Pelor is opposed and balanced by Nerull. Many believe without Pelor the world would be void of light and be engulfed by eternal darkness. The rising and setting of the sun is thought to be the physical representation of Pelor's constant opposition to Nerull, and the balance they are currently in. In every priest of Pelor there is an tiny part which dreads the day the sun fails to rise, indicating evils victory over the physical form and the coming death to all that lives.

Another embodiment of this stuggle is in the cycle of birth, life, death, unlife, and rebirth. Pelorites believe that life is the ultimate achievement of creation and strive to make it as hearty and resilient as possible. Pelor fights against Nerull but he hates the fell god Incabulos more. Incabulos' twisting and poisoning of the physical form is an atrocity to all that Pelor holds dear. Pelor is widely worshiped throughout all lands, from the commoners to the kings. Due to his very large following many people mistakenly view him as the most powerful god, or the god most worthy of praise. Temples and shrines to Pelor can be found almost anywhere: -road-side shrines offering healing and aid to the sick and wounded -large city temples which collect donations from the rich to help the poor improve their quality of life -quasi-military compounds where people are invited to practice the arts of physical improvement. Pelor's priests are very compassionate folk, they are always ready and willing to aid those in need. This compassion is has a backbone of steel and when the need to defend the cause of good arises they are always eager to join the fight. Due to a concentration on healing and physical strength Pelor's priests are not always the most powerful on the battlefield, but they can hold their own in a fight and their healing makes them more than welcome afterwards. It should be said that while Pelorites focus on physical perfection this doesn't mean they are vain. In fact physical appearance is of almost no concern to them, instead they focus on health and hardiness. Pelor's temples are always made of very strong buildings. White stone and gold are the two physical elements that are holy to Pelor and his temples are always decorated in them. Temples containing large amounts of gold are often cited as hypocritical by Pelor's opponents, but the genuine good nature and caring of Pelorites is usually enough of a rebuttal.

Name: Boccob, The Uncaring, Lord of All Magic, Archmage of the Powers Sex:Male Alignment: True Neutral Boccob is the god of mental neutrality. Magic, Time and Knowledge are his charges. He doesn't seem to care whether or not any worship him. Boccob only seems interested in maintaining the availability and integrity of the magical weave that seems to background all of creation. Boccob either doesn't believe magic can be abused, or doesn't care whether it is abused or not. He ensures its availability to all. His followers profess the freedom of all knowledge, specifically that of a magical nature. Everything that the magical weave has touched is open to Boccob, all times, all planes. He is the most knowledgeable of all gods and diviners often beseech him for omens and lore.

Boccob is served by the demi-god Zagyg. This is worth mentioning here because this seems to be Zagyg's primary function, and it is usually he that responds to requests for Boccob's knowledge or divine will. Some have suggested that Zagyg does this because Boccob is missing, or has undertaken a journey that makes him absent from the heavens. Others view this as another sign of Boccob's complete apathy towards mortals. Boccob's priests refute this saying that if Boccob was absent they would have lost their higher divine spells. Whatever the truth is, Zagyg is not saying. Boccob's clergy do not get along well with those who follow St. Cuthbert. The Saint's views on dangerous knowledge and how to deal with it causes Boccob's clergy to call them overzealous book burners. In reply followers of St. Cuthbert refer to Boccobar as irresponsible and short-sighted. The greater power of the Boccobar is balanced by the greater number of the St. Cuthbertians and so no major conflicts have arisen, yet. Boccob is seldom called upon by common folk since his ideals and domains have little to do with everyday life. Wizards sometimes call upon him when researching a difficult spell or when it is necessary for a particular spell to be successful. Sages are also known to call on him from time to time for similar reasons Priests of Boccob are very serious folk who are constantly in search for lost tomes of magical and mundane knowledge. They neither seek out nor avoid combat and are feared for their divine and arcane spell combinations. They claim Boccob provides them with spells from realms beyond the Oerth and rituals that would make magi envious. Priests of Boccob are often sages and are sought for their tremendous knowledge, especially when the workings of magic are concerned. Temples to Boccob are usually in major cities. Due to their tendency to fund schools and magic colleges they are often welcome by the educated and upper class, and feared by the ignorant or lower classes. Because of this, in some less enlightened countries, Boccob's temples are sometimes constructed in remote wilderness areas. Every temple has a library of some sort that is almost guaranteed to contain some unique works. These are, of course, guarded very zealously by the priests and wizards within.

Name: Incabulos, Lord of Evils Sex:Male Alignment: Neutral Evil Incabulos is the god of mental evil thus he is the god of evil, insanity, nightmares, sickness and disaster. Incabulos is the power of evil sendings and is responsible for the depravation found in the minds of mortals. He is opposed and balanced by Rao, whom he hates intensely. To what purpose Incabulos wishes to corrupt intellect as we know it is uncertain, even to his followers. Some believe he is simply the antithesis to Rao and nothing more, forcing his followers to work hard to perfect intellect. Others suggest he wishes to reveal the very secrets of the cosmos to mortal beings, and what we think of as madness is simply a higher state of consciousness.

Finally there are a small group of people who believe Incabulos is twisting minds and bodies in a planned attempt to hasten the return of a totally alien intellect. These people suggest Incabulos should be counted among a race of being they call the Elder Gods. Such speculation are merely flights of fancy since if that were the case it would likely mean Incabulos has not only hidden his true nature from his followers, but also from the gods who are considered his peers. Sickness and disaster are among Incabulos' domains instead of Nerull's because their primary goals are not destruction. True they do affect the physical world with their symptoms but Incabulos' true goal with them is to inflict misery, depression and a fertile ground for insanity. Many people would rather die than be stricken with a disease that slowly wastes them and their loved ones away. A disaster that destroys food and homes is preferable to Incabulos over one that kills because those who have lost everything are the most open to new ideas. Many a priest of Incabulos began as the sole survivor of a village plague, reduced to madness as his family withered and died. Incabulos is hated and feared by all gods even those who are evil. He has a very loose alliance with Nerull simply for the sake of maintaining the balance among the creators. Incabulos especially hates Pelor who's healing powers constantly stymie his plagues and vice a versa. Incabulos is sometimes called upon to ward off pestilence and disease. If a large enough sacrifice is made to the god he will sometimes answer these prayers. His reasons for doing this are his own. Incabulos' priests are highly secretive, and many are paranoid or genuinely insane. They believe Incabulos sends evil tidings to Oerth to further some greater scheme by the god. Some believe the mortal mind as it is now is flawed, almost a prison to contain the true power feared by most other gods. Only by tearing down this mind through madness and horrible nightmares can the true nature of the multiverse be realised. Others simply hate the world and wish to inflict as much pain and disaster as possible. Both types seem to serve Incabulos' will equally. These priests often have vast amounts of forbidden knowledge, which they store in their underground vaults. The often commune with nightmarish creatures for such information and risk mental annihilation on a daily basis. Incabulos' clergy includes a large percentage of non-humanoids, these things that lurk beneath the surface of the Oerth provide an intellect that is other than that of humans and provide the clergy with tortures and nightmares not even dreamed of. For this reason priests of Incabulos are often the most feared of all priests, for even if one is victorious against them one will likely be exposed to powers that will unhinge even the most stable of minds Temples to Incabulos are almost always underground in desolate areas. No civilised area will tolerate their presence and many temples are deep beneath the surface, bordering on the UnderOerth. Within these pits all manner of forbidden magic exists. They are veritable storehouses of diseases and poisons.