Thanks! That's the exact class I was looking for! I'm really bummed that Circle hasn't been active lately; he was a cool fella!

Thanks also for the Tolkien quote. I think you'd be a fool to consider yourself a Mythopoeian without taking a page from the Grandfather himself.

Speaking of mythopoeia, I've been jotting down notes about the various pantheons of gods for awhile now. The Blackwood has no gods--only ancestor spirits and magical/mythological creatures--but the other regions have pantheons that are all inspired by their real-life counterpart cultures in one way or another. I've finally got short blurbs for the pantheon from the Petty Kingdoms, and I'd like to share those here to get some feedback! In particular, across all of the pantheons I seem to be gravitating toward a theme of "the old beings were supplanted by the new, and now the old beings are beyond evil."

Gods of Vindland

The deities of the Petty Kingdoms have a wealth of stories relating their deeds, their feuds with one another, and the prophecy concerning their demise. Though they form alliances with each other--some even share familial bonds--it would be foolish to think of them as a unified pantheon. They range from exemplars of the human condition to personified forces of nature, and none of them could be considered to be truly cooperative or altruistic.

Vald, God of War and Truth ("Power")
The Highest King, Lord of Storms
Spoiler
Show
His name is power, and his hands are the fury of the storm. He sits on the Highest Seat, which rests at the top of Jorthond (“Earth Breath”), the tallest mountain in the Petty Kingdoms. From there, he gathers tidings of the world from his Ravenmen, and listens to the wisdom of Foldormr, the earth serpent. Many are the tales that recount his rise to power and the sacrifices he has made, and no figure in all of the north is so respected for their deeds.
Vald teaches that the will is the highest good in this life. A man must live and die for his will, but he must learn service first, so that his will cannot lead him astray. It is Vald alone that can lead thanes through the Path of Ice, and he alone can ordain them into the Shining Path. It is said that at the End of Days, Vald will do battle against Foldormr; he will lay the serpent low, but he will drown in the venom of its fangs.


Skina, Goddess of Magic and the Night (“Shine”)
The Mother
Spoiler
Show
She dwells in the upper air. The stars are her children, and it was she who passed down the secrets of the runes to mortal man. The Northern Lights are the great train of her gown. Their presence is a warning to Ice Giants to avoid those men that she holds dear, and the Lights increase the power of runes. It is known that in the End of Days, Skina will come into the midst, and the light of her arrival will wake the Kraken from its slumber. they will do battle with one another, and each will slay the other.


Flaerd, God of Trickery (“Deceit”)
The Liar, Father of Ice Giants
Spoiler
Show
The father of all Ice Giants, Flaerd is a deceiver amongst the gods. It is said that he can change form at will, and that he taught all the ways of civilization to man so the struggle of man vs. Ice Giants would be longer and bloodier. His voice accompanies thanes on the Path of Ice; his was the voice that spurred them on toward greatness, but so too does he tempt them to dishonor and ruin. At the End of the Days, Flaerd is fated to do battle with Rond, and they will die upon each other’s swords.


Rond, Guardian God (“Shield”)
The Judge, The First Thane
Spoiler
Show
Shieldbearer to Vald himself, Rond is also the judge of the gods. His eyes see and his ears hear all things, even unto the End of Days. Only he can pass judgement, and charges with caution all those who pass his post. His flesh is pure white, and his armor and raiment are of shining gold. As a god of devotion and loyalty, thanes of the Path of the Ox hold Rond as their highest exemplar. He will do battle with Flaerd at the End of Days and will end his life, but only at the cost of his own.


Vinna, God of Labor (“Work”)
The Tireless, The Craftsman
Spoiler
Show
A craftsmen of the gods whose hammer is the purest expression of his craft, Rond creates weapons, tools, and all goods for the gods and their servants. Only Vald himself can boast a greater knowledge of the runes and their use. He teaches that labor is the surest path to honor, and is worshipped most often by the common man. When Vedr’s wind blows at the End of Days they will blow away Vinna’s memories, but he will be the only thing to survive into the next age. With no recollection of the world before, he will bend to his forge and create the new world.


Dauth, Goddess of Death (“Death”)
The Queen of Tombs
Spoiler
Show
A mysterious, vengeful god whose arms reign over death itself, Dauth is nevertheless worshipped by most Vindlanders. Dauth allows humans to keep their possessions after death, but she demands that they be buried beneath the earth. Thralls are often buried with their masters, and important families often share an ancestral tomb. The soul departs onto the afterlife, but Dauth inhabits the bodies of these devotees until the End of Days, guarding the riches of those who pay her homage. The greatest thanes are cremated, and Dauth does not claim their souls.


Foldormr, Earth Serpent (“World Serpent”)
The Beast, Wrack
Spoiler
Show
You have the feeling of great transportation. When once you gazed up into the knowing blackness of a deep cave, you now feel as though you lay among the very basest of the earth’s bones. There is a presence, wise and scheming, beside you in this place of hyperreality. You are shaken to your core as every fiber of the presence stands, pensive and manipulating. This is Foldormr, the dragon, and this is its realm. Here, where the roots of the earth scrape against its own soul, the world seems to be on the heavy with the crushing weight of knowledge. The atmosphere is so overwhelming that it is difficult to think or speak clearly. Foldormr is known to be the wisest of all things, though it is a schemer. They say that Vindland is but a piece of its outstretched body, and the mountain winds are its breath. Vald is ever locked in a battle of wits with Foldormr to keep the beast from awakening, and through Foldormr he learns much wisdom. It is said that at the End of Days, Foldormr will rise, dragging down the high places into the sea. It will make battle with Vald and will drown the god in its venom, but it will be dealt a mortal blow in the effort.


Vedr, Sky Eagle (“Wind”)
The North Wind, Ruin
Spoiler
Show
You have the feeling of great transportation. When once you stood at the windswept peak of a mountain, you now feel as though you dwell at the outer limits of the sky. There is a presence, proud and rousing, beside you in this hyperreality. You are shaken to your core as every fiber of the presence stands, pensive and full of disdain. This is Vedr, and this is its realm. It dwells beyond the airy reaches of Skina and her retinue, and there is no beast so proud of its power. Here at the outer limits of the sky itself, the world seems to be on the verge of a mighty dawn. The atmosphere is so overwhelming that it is difficult to think or speak clearly. They say Vedr stretches his wings and causes the winds of the world, and that at the End of Days he will stir from his perch, and will topple every tree and burst even the mightiest hall.


Kraken, Sea Beast
The Eye, Madness
Spoiler
Show
You have the feeling of great transportation. When once you looked out and saw nothing but the fathomless sea, you now feel as though you gaze deep into the night-black abyss. There is a presence, mad and stirring, beside you in this place of hyperreality. You are shaken to your core as every fiber of the presence stands, pensive and terrifying. This is Kraken, harbinger of insanity and dweller in the deep, and this its realm. Here at the greatest depths of the sea itself, the world seems to be on the brink of a terrible revelation. The atmosphere is so overwhelming that it is difficult to think or speak clearly. They say that --in the End of Days--the Kraken will be awakened from its lidless sleep by the dancing colors of Skina’s veil. Its waves will rise to dash all ships and drown the world. They say that it will do battle with Skina on that day, and they will slay each other.


There you have it! There are lesser deities and spirits alongside these (the Norns being an excellent example), but these are the major players. What do you think? I tried to capture a sense that--even though some of these are basically "good" or "evil"--their relationship with one another isn't black and white. Vald keeps Foldormr as a prisoner to safeguard the world, but he also recognizes the value of the beasts' wisdom... that sort of thing.