afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII

[Tzardok]

Clarify?

I recently stumbled over this little piece of white text:

Meriadar did not make them, but conversely it's hard to conclusively state whether Meriadar predated them and adopted them, or whether he arose due to their beliefs. [COLOR="#FFFFFF" Unless you follow afro-canon in which case Meriadar definitely came first and adopted them.[/COLOR]

and wanted to know wether there is more to it.

Preserver metamorphosis is a very different process. Instead of force-hijacking magic and using psionics to make your own body a filter, you're following altogether different methods that actually tie in to forms of magic not descended from the gnomish/draconic tradition or even the elven tradition; it's the closest thing to the lost magic of the spaakiil that there has been in the multiverse in quite some time, and the resultant metamorphosis pays homage to that shape. Preservers are using magic and psionics to filter life energies (not just positive energy, but positive energy bonded to the necessary building blocks of living things) through their bodies and out into the world. It's an act of sacrifice as much as one of transcendence.

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with those, and google fails me. What are they?

Edit: I'm also a bit confused by the pyreens. Let me try to get this straight: The rhulisti were the ancient halflings who ruled (and ruined) the Blue Age through their usage of life-shaping. The rhul-thaun are their modern-day descendants, the last remnant of their society that still practices a lesser form of life-shaping. The halflings split off some time ago from the rhul-thaun, are the ones most likely to be encountered in the Tyr region and don't remember anything about their rhulisti origins or life-shaping. And the pyreen are a race that arose in the Green Age who look like idealized amalgams of other humanoid races, but are still considered halflings? Or at least, Rajaat thinks of himself as a halfling and that's the reason why he has this insane plan to eradicate the other races that appeared in the Green Age and tries to return to the Blue Age. Did I understand all of that correctly?

[afroakuma]

Hmm, maybe more background on the Thulkarr? And/or any notable Maug heroes you may want to mention.

Can do, tag me back in a couple of days. Tail end of April into top of May was a bit of a zoo.

Meriadar

When Hruggek attacked Kikanuti, she was not idle. She fought back, and tore some of him away in turn. She bore a child, a child that inherited his father's patience and his mother's desire to protect. Considering himself to be broken and warped because of his lack of connection to his mother's own people, Meriadar stayed apart from the bhukas and confronted his father, who rejected him as weak. He also confronted Maglubiyet, the ultimate origin of his other half, who cast him aside as well. Seeing the harm of their callousness, wickedness, and disorder, he vowed to be a shield for those like himself. Ultimately, he discovered the mongrelfolk, who believed in a "Hidden God" that never showed and never granted favors, and offered them his protection.

That's about it.

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with those, and google fails me. What are they?

I mentioned them back during the Ilkahhval posts, but the tl;dr is they were one of the earliest species of the Prime, sort of musical flying manta rays. They all sacrificed themselves in the creation of the original Spelljammer, the ultimate work of their magic.

Edit: I'm also a bit confused by the pyreens. Let me try to get this straight: The rhulisti were the ancient halflings who ruled (and ruined) the Blue Age through their usage of life-shaping.

Aye.

The rhul-thaun are their modern-day descendants, the last remnant of their society that still practices a lesser form of life-shaping.

Yessir.

The halflings split off some time ago from the rhul-thaun, are the ones most likely to be encountered in the Tyr region and don't remember anything about their rhulisti origins or life-shaping.

Still correct.

And the pyreen are a race that arose in the Green Age who look like idealized amalgams of other humanoid races, but are still considered halflings?

Yes to the first, no to the second.

Or at least, Rajaat thinks of himself as a halfling and that's the reason why he has this insane plan to eradicate the other races that appeared in the Green Age and tries to return to the Blue Age. Did I understand all of that correctly?

Again, no. Rajaat doesn't think of himself as a halfling; he has the rather insane notion that he was born deformed in body and spirit compared to his counterparts because he was born into a world tainted by "lesser races" - essentially he believes all these lesser knockoffs running around somehow poisoned the well for his own emergence and the world will only be fixed, the "good genes" scooped back into place, when all the little gene-thieves have been culled.

Why yes, he is a complete lunatic.

[Tzardok]

When Hruggek attacked Kikanuti, she was not idle. She fought back, and tore some of him away in turn. She bore a child, a child that inherited his father's patience and his mother's desire to protect. Considering himself to be broken and warped because of his lack of connection to his mother's own people, Meriadar stayed apart from the bhukas and confronted his father, who rejected him as weak. He also confronted Maglubiyet, the ultimate origin of his other half, who cast him aside as well. Seeing the harm of their callousness, wickedness, and disorder, he vowed to be a shield for those like himself. Ultimately, he discovered the mongrelfolk, who believed in a "Hidden God" that never showed and never granted favors, and offered them his protection.

That's about it.

Nice. And also fits with his desire to become the god of peace and unity for all the vilekith he had in Monster Mythology.

I mentioned them back during the Ilkahhval posts, but the tl;dr is they were one of the earliest species of the Prime, sort of musical flying manta rays. They all sacrificed themselves in the creation of the original Spelljammer, the ultimate work of their magic.

Right, I remember them. Did you invent them?

Again, no. Rajaat doesn't think of himself as a halfling; he has the rather insane notion that he was born deformed in body and spirit compared to his counterparts because he was born into a world tainted by "lesser races" - essentially he believes all these lesser knockoffs running around somehow poisoned the well for his own emergence and the world will only be fixed, the "good genes" scooped back into place, when all the little gene-thieves have been culled.

Why yes, he is a complete lunatic.

Ah, that explains it. Pretty stupid of him to use "lesser races" as his tools for eradicating them, but I assume that neither the halflings nor the kreen would have been open to his advances.

I had another question... I wrote it down somewhere... ah, here it is.

You mentioned that the ancient Nomoi had been created by a deity called Arumdina. Is there anything else to tell about their gods? Also, when Garl freed the gnomes from their stasis... where did he come from? What's his origin?

[afroakuma]

Hmm, maybe more background on the Thulkarr? And/or any notable Maug heroes you may want to mention.

The world from which the first maugs hailed is not known (though their history records its name as Tanu in a sphere called Tigespace), but they are suspected to have had ties to Acheron from the beginning, for modern maugs appear indistinguishable from their forebears and are carved of Thuldanin stone. Originally created as war machines by the lost empires of Ghaap and Kagu, the maugs proved far too effective at their tasks, decimating both empires and causing the horrors of conflict to become all too real. When the empires turned on their own creations, the maugs lost all respect for them and their leaders broke the magical bonds commanding their service, resulting in a calamity wherein various means were used in an attempt to eradicate the maugs. Ultimately, while these efforts succeeded in reducing their numbers, the greatest among them were not easily struck down, for they had grown experienced through decades of war and acquired power beyond that their creators had envisioned. A powerful spell was crafted, exploiting the planar essence in their construction, a variation of banishment that would force them to Acheron and prevent them from returning under their own power.

The maugs didn't care.

The survivors of the Great Banishing learned much, including the means to create more of their kind, and in a realm of abundant materials they set to work building new armies and searching for new purpose. How many Thulkarr exist is not known, though they are believed to number less than a hundred. The greatest of their kind are the Thulgalon, a group of six who each hold an eternal duty to their people. All Thulkarr are spellcasters of at least moderate ability (able to cast spells of at least 4th level) and many of them (including all of the Thulgalon) have internalized magical abilities developed over long centuries. At the command of any of the Thulgalon, all Thulkarr will gather at Dahoz, the greatest fortress of their kind, to take part in the Thauga, the Grand Assembly. Here, they plan how many new maugs need to be carved, which ranks to assign, and of course, the most enduring and difficult question of all...

...what to do with them?

For all of their power and independence, maugs remain constructs, devoid of souls and in need of some form of direction. The process used by the Thulkarr to make new maugs is the same as that originally used by the empires that created them, meaning all new maugs have the same expectation that they will receive orders and prosecute wars. It remains the hope of some Thulkarr that by making enough new maugs, they will eventually create ones that can supplant their elders, maugs with true individual needs and desires unrelated to taking instruction from others. This hope is tempered, however, by the simple fact that all of them, no matter how unique, remain tethered to the fundamental ideas behind their creation.

Maugs can be contracted in many places, but for those wishing to visit their territories, the great fortress of Dahoz is closed to outsiders; the closest alternative is Baugog, the Unbreakable City, a foreboding and uncomfortable place of stone and dust with few amenities for fleshly visitors. Here, one can enlist the martial prowess of the thoben (the newly-carved), the maz (combatants of at least 2nd level, generally fighters or warblades), and the zargath (commanders and mighty warriors, generally with at least one level of marshal^Mini and at least seven more class levels).

Spoiler: The Thulgalon

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Most ancient of the ancient, the Thulgalon know more than any other maug the hollowness of feeling without purpose. They each hold a great responsibility to their kind, tenuously derived from orders given to them back when two empires warred with maugs as their pawns.

• Dahi, the Watcher, is charged with command of Dahoz and ensuring that the maugs will always have a fortress to fall back to.
• Dalak, the Speaker, coordinates all mercenary hires via the Thulkarr and ensures resources paid to recruit maug services are appropriately collected and allocated.
• Det, the Crusher, seeks out and eliminates rogue maugs and anyone seeking to exploit their kind.
• Dibin, the Prophet, foretells conflicts that may seek out maug services, hoping to put their people to use.
• Thaug-Ze, the Listener, keeps all history and secrets of the maugs and ensures a record is kept.
• Thaut-Marr, the Carver, leads the Thulkarr in the creation of new maugs.

Nice. And also fits with his desire to become the god of peace and unity for all the vilekith he had in Monster Mythology.

Also why he's particularly focused on bugbears.

Right, I remember them. Did you invent them?

If I invented them, they'd have a better name.

Ah, that explains it. Pretty stupid of him to use "lesser races" as his tools for eradicating them, but I assume that neither the halflings nor the kreen would have been open to his advances.

I mean he wouldn't have been happy about the thri-kreen either. He considered them little more than animals. He chose humans because he wanted easily manipulated minions with great potential for evil and ease of corruptibility toward xenophobia.

You mentioned that the ancient Nomoi had been created by a deity called Arumdina. Is there anything else to tell about their gods? Also, when Garl freed the gnomes from their stasis... where did he come from? What's his origin?

The Ladies of the Golden Hills were the mother goddesses of the Nomoi, and loved their creations dearly. They intervened to save them from themselves when they accidentally breached the Far Realm at full force and unleashed Urdlen, and were eradicated preserving the souls of the Nomoi and their essence in gems to be recreated. Before they faded, the goddesses created golems imbued with motes of their will and divinity, charging them to safeguard their children. Each made a golem from a different material: glittering gold, sturdy steel, wild wood, resolute rock, and so forth. Each was given a sparkling heart of gemstone. When the gnomes were reawakened, they took these golems to be their gods, and their belief transformed these great protectors accordingly. The Lords of the Golden Hills know of their own history, and reflect on what was lost with a deep sadness.

[Thurbane]

@afroakuma - thank you so much, it's great. I will definitely be incorporating that into Maug lore in my own games!

[Fero]

This is an amazing set of threads and I suspect you are a demigod of planar lore somehow bound to these forums. [Far Realms questions retracted]

[enderlord99]

I have four questions about the Far Realms:

Oh no. I think we might all be in the splash-zone for this...

[Fero]

Oh no. I think we might all be in the splash-zone for this...

Are Far Real questions verboten? I feel really dumb if they are 😞.

[enderlord99]

Are Far Real questions verboten? I feel really dumb if they are 😞.

kinda sorta

[Fero]

kinda sorta

How embarrassing. I will retract my questions. Thank you for the heads up.

[afroakuma]

This is an amazing set of threads and I suspect you are a demigod of planar lore somehow bound to these forums.

Not untrue...

1- The Far Realms exist outside time, both before and after. Does this mean that a traveler who goes to, and then leaves, the Far Realm may emerge at a completely different time relative to when they entered? In other words, do the Far Realms allow for time travel (albeit insane time travel).

They do not; contact with the Far Realm is beyond time, which means you can't actually exit to a different time - the concept does not exist. It's so severe that if you spent a week in the Far Realm (and didn't die or otherwise cease to meaningfully exist in horrible fashion) you'd return to the same moment you left. This effect has been known to not happen in rare cases, but those cases invariably involve something in the Far Realm taking a rather active interest, and even then we have no records of any such case where it resulted in travel into the past.

2- As the Far Realms exist outside time, do cause and effect have any necessary relationship in the Far Realms? Can effect precise cause? Can one exist without the other?

Parts of the Far Realm may invert causality, and still more parts might experience concurrent causality or worse. In general, the mere fact of you being a contaminant means you obey some of the laws of your home, usually. As a result, you generally start out "fine" and become "less fine." There's absolutely nothing that prevents the Far Realm from making you simultaneously fine, not fine, a squid, and a colossal architectural marvel made out of spinach and the dreams of dyspeptic leopard cubs.

3- Can a god die in the Far Realms? In other words, does it retain its divine spark in so distant a locale?

We don't really cross those lines because gods don't cross those lines. There is no documented case of a god ever going to the Far Realm and they very much do not want to; even the most insane gods don't. What would happen is impossible to predict given that the Far Realm explicitly does not obey the laws of this cosmology. All I can say is that we do know clerics are able to make use of their spells and prepare new ones there, though usage of this power is subject to the Far Realm twisting any form of magic. I would suggest, however, that a god in the Great Wheel sending divine power through a breach to the Far Realm to support their cleric is much less hazardous and much less difficult than the god having to maintain all spiritual conduits to themselves outside the cosmology, which should in effect be impossible. It might even be the case that a god quite simply cannot enter the Far Realm, any more than a god can enter Sigil.

In short, this is the question that got you the warnings. Gods and the Far Realm don't mix and I don't like dealing with questions that try.

4- If a spellcaster where insane/stupid enough to create a bubble of the Far Realm on the prime (Planar Bubble spell, etc.), what would that look like and how would it function.

It sort of works and sort of doesn't; a boundary zone forms around the breach called a cerebrotic blot, which is uneven, ragged, and may even be discontinuous. The appearance of this region may remain fairly normal, but some flora and fauna will become twisted by the proximity, temperatures will shift to become higher or lower as the laws of thermodynamics bend, and toxic elements may emerge which accommodate Far Realm aberrations. At a few anchor points called foci, reality bends to allow access to a "deeper" realm of contact, the marrow, where everything goes to hell quite rapidly. The skies melt and shift, the earth heaves and quakes, amoebic ichors rain down or ooze out of thin air, and precursor entities such as wystes and dharculi are likely to run rampant, emerging and vanishing as they like.

Note that this all assumes the bubble is maintained in some way; normally, opening a point of contact with the Far Realm is likely to result in immediate and horrific repercussions and reality will attempt to scab over it posthaste. It takes sustained and powerful forces to keep a breach to the Far Realm open long enough to cause a cerebrotic blot to form, but any Far Realm contact will always leave some kind of atrocious stain.

[Fero]

Thank you for the amazing response. I also have questions about the dream planes if you are willing to answer some more.

1. Both the Manual of Planes and Heros of Horror describe dream planes but I am unsure if they are both describing the same thing or distinct dream plane systems.

2. How do dream planes connect to other planes. Are they simply coterminous to all dreamers?

3. As with my Far Rralm bubble question, what happens if someone creates a bubble of a dream plane on the material? I am particularly interested in how the aspect of Dreams that makes it so actions in dreams often have no consequence would interact with a more mundane plane.

[redking]

Is alignment extant in the far realm, or do far realm entities only manifest an alignment when they cross over into the normative multiverse?

[SirKazum]

Is alignment extant in the far realm, or do far realm entities only manifest an alignment when they cross over into the normative multiverse?

I don't know that much about the far realm, but my impression would be that its entities have such a completely alien and bizarre mindset that the very concept of alignment does not apply to them at all. Their morality and ethics, if any, are completely incomprehensible to us and incapable of being categorized with alignment. Blue-and-Orange Morality at its purest.

[afroakuma]

1. Both the Manual of Planes and Heros of Horror describe dream planes but I am unsure if they are both describing the same thing or distinct dream plane systems.

I assume you're referring to Chapter 3 of HoH here, which comes close to describing the same thing but doesn't come right out and capitalize it.

2. How do dream planes connect to other planes. Are they simply coterminous to all dreamers?

The Region of Dreams is the "dream plane" and is essentially a kind of halo or donut around the Astral Plane, except it's not hollow in itself. It is constituted of dreamscapes - individual "bubbles" that dreams from all planes touching the Astral can produce - and the actual planar medium between them, which whirls toward a maelstrom called the Dreamheart at its core. The Region of Dreams is coterminous to all dreaming planes, yes.

Around some Material Plane worlds, the Region of Dreams operates differently, becoming a sort of pseudo-Transitive Plane, pseudo-coexistent plane in the manner of the Plane of Faerie, called the Dreamtime.

3. As with my Far Rralm bubble question, what happens if someone creates a bubble of a dream plane on the material?

Given the nature of the Region of Dreams, that doesn't really work; it would be like trying to create a bubble of Ethereal or Astral energies on the Material Plane. Further, since physically entering dreams (as via dream travel) results in real hazards to the real self, creating such a bubble wouldn't produce the effect you sought; outcomes would be horribly factual. The only difference I could see happening is that you'd be able to use the Lucid Dreaming skill within the bubble.

Is alignment extant in the far realm, or do far realm entities only manifest an alignment when they cross over into the normative multiverse?

The latter, and even then it's more this multiverse providing a very tenuous approximation.

[Fero]

Thank you!

[Tzardok]

No, the death giants bound their souls to something in exchange for power - and that means vestiges. Allow me to introduce an ancient vestige from the Negative Energy Plane, a being of nihilism and entropy whose legend was too successful for his own good. This is Ur, Worm of Night and Nothing, a powerful entity of entropy who fell victim to paradoxical godhood and soul-starvation and ended up becoming a vestige. Ur made a massive and unprecedented collective pact with the people who became the death giants, who display his signs constantly. The power of this collective pact has resulted in Ur being partially pulled back from the Near Realm into the Great Wheel, but he is incapable of fully manifesting himself. With every new pact or soul that is devoured, he inches that tiiiiny hair closer to full reality (note that this method only worked for Ur, as we've discussed previously about each vestige needing their own unique way of restoring). Ur's Negative Energy powers instilled the death giants with everything they needed to survive Atropus - survive, but not thrive. No, not that at all. They were instead empowered with abilities that would do duck-all against the World Born Dead. Ur doesn't care. That's ur problem, not Ur problem.

Not to worry, my vestige guy and I are already on it. I needed a consult to make sure the chosen epithet was a decent one.

Say, did this ever go somewhere?

[Thurbane]

Not sure this is the best place to ask, but sems pretty appropriate: has anyone ever compiled a list of the "setting neutral" deities published in 3.5 books? Specifically, those not based on real-world mythology (so not the Norse or Egyptian pantheons from

Things like the Warrior Pantheon in Complete Warrior, the racial gods in the "Races of" books etc. Would be interested to see such a list, or I'd be happy to help compile one.

Also, in case it's not obvious, by "setting neutral", I'm obviously excluding things like Forgotten Realms deities, Eberron deities, Dragonlance deities, Greyhawk* deities etc.

*And yes, I know some of the Greyhawk deities were made setting-neutral by the PHB, but I still consider them Greyhawk deities, and always will.

Also, good chance I have asked this question before: if I have, I'm sorry, my memory isn't what it used to be...

[Tzardok]

afro and I are working on a list of all gods. I'll go through it and filter for setting neutral deities in 3.x (note: even though most of the racial deities only got write-ups in Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk publications, I'll still consider them setting-neutral if they weren't explicitely called out as setting-specific in older editions):

Spoiler: Long List

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• The Complete Warrior gods:
  
  • Altua, Goddess of Honor
  • Halmyr, God of Strategy
  • Konkresh, God of Brute Force
  • Lyris, Goddess of Victory
  • Nadirech, God of Cowardice
  • Sulerain, God of Slaughter
  • Syreth, God of Protection
  • Typhos, God of Despotism
  • Valkar, God of Courage
• The Dwarven pantheon (most of those got a write-up in either Faiths and Pantheons or the Lving Greyhawk deities document):
  
  • Abbathor, God of Greed
  • Berronar Truesilver, Goddess of the Home
  • Clangeddin Silverbeard, God of War
  • Dennari, Goddess of Life and Endurance (Deities and Demigods)
  • Dugmaren Brightmantle, God of Scholars
  • Dumathoin, God of the Earth and Death
  • Gorm Gulthyn, God of Guards
  • Haela Brightaxe, Goddess of Luck in Battle
  • Hanseath, God of Alcohol (Races of Stone)
  • Moradin, God of Creation and Smithing
  • Muamman Duathal, God of Wanderers
  • Mya, Goddess of Wisdom (Races of Stone)
  • Roknar, God of Lies (Races of Stone)
  • Sharindlar, Goddess of Love
  • Thard Harr, God of the Wilderness
  • Tharmekûl, God of Fire (Races of Stone)
  • Thautam, God of Magic and Darkness (Races of Stone)
  • Valkauna, Goddess of Oaths (Races of Stone)
  • Vergadain, God of Trickery and Wealth
• The gods of the Duergar (Faiths and Pantheons):
  
  • Laduguer, God of Duergar, Drudgery and Magic
  • Deep Duerra, Goddess of Strategy and Psionics
• The gods of the derro (Monster Manual or Faiths and Pantheons):
  
  • Diinkarazan, God of Revenge
  • Diirinka, God of Derros and Betrayal
• The Orc pantheon (Faiths and Pantheons or Living Greyhawk Deities document)
  
  • Bahgtru, God of Loyality and Stupidity
  • Gruumsh, God of Orcs and Conquest
  • Ilneval, God of Strategy
  • Luthic, Goddess of Home and Healing
  • Shargaas, God of Darkness and Rogues
  • Yurtrus, God of Disease and Death
• The Gnome pantheon (most of those got a write-up in either Faiths and Pantheons or the Lving Greyhawk deities document):
  
  • Baervan Wildwanderer, God of Forest Gnomes and Nature
  • Baravar Cloakshadow, God of Stealth and Deception
  • Callarduran Smoothhands, God of Svirfneblin and Stone
  • Flandal Steelskin, God of Forging
  • Gaerdal Ironhand, God of War
  • Garl Glittergold, God of Gnomes, Humor and Gemcutting
  • Gelf Darkhearth, God of Entropy (Races of Stone)
  • The Glutton, God of Disasters and Greed (Races of Stone)
  • Nebelun, God of Inspiration
  • Rill Cleverthrush, God of Invention (Races of Stone)
  • Segojan Earthcaller, God of Earth and Death
  • Sheyanna Flaxenstrand, Goddess of Beauty (Races of Stone)
  • Urdlen, God of Hatred and Evil
• The Drow pantheon (most of those got a write-up in either Faiths and Pantheons or the Lving Greyhawk deities document):
  
  • Eilistraee, Goddess of Dance and Good
  • Ghaunadaur, God of Oozes and Rebels
  • Keptolo, God of Manipulating your Wife with Sex Hedonism
  • Kiaransalee, Goddess of Undeath and Revenge
  • Lolth, Goddess of Drow and Spiders
  • Selvetarm, God of Warriors
  • Vhaeraun, God of Rogues and Men
• The Elven pantheon (most of those got a write-up in either Faiths and Pantheons or the Lving Greyhawk deities document):
  
  • Aedrie Faenya, Goddess of Winged Elves and Weather
  • Alobal Lorfiril, God of Parties (Races of the Wild)
  • Corellon Larethian, God of Elves, Magic, Art, etc.
  • Deep Sashelas, God of Sea Elves and the Ocean
  • Elebrin Liothiel, God of Gardens (Races of the Wild)
  • Erevan Illesere, God of Mayham
  • Fenmarel Mestarine, God of Wild Elves and Isolation
  • Hanali Celanil, Goddess of Beauty and Enchantment
  • Labelas Enoreth, God of Time
  • Rillifane Ralathil, God of Wood Elves and Nature
  • Sehanine Moonbow, Goddess of Moon, Dream and Death
  • Solonor Thelandira, God of Archery
  • Vandria Gilmadrith, Goddess of Grief and Vigilance (Races of the Wild)
• The Halfling pantheon (Races of the Wild or Faiths and Pantheons):
  
  • Arvoreen, Goddess of Defense
  • Brandobaris, God of Rogues
  • Cyrrollalee, Goddess of Hospitality
  • Dallah Thaun, Goddess of Secrets
  • Sheela Peryroyl, Goddess of Nature and Beauty
  • Urogalan, God of Death
  • Yondalla, Goddess of Halflings and Plenty
• The Raptoran pantheon (Races of the Wild):
  
  • Duthila, Goddess of Autumn and Abundance
  • Kithin, God of Winter and Death
  • Lliendil, God of Storms and Change
  • Nilthina, God of Summer and Lore
  • Tuilviel Glithien, Goddess of Raptorans and the Night
  • Ventila, Goddess of Spring and Fertility
• The Goliath pantheon (Races of Stone):
  
  • Kavaki, God of Goliaths and Competition
  • Kuliak, Goddess of Death and Exile
  • Manethak, God of Hunting
  • Naki-Uthal, God of Mountains
  • Theleya, Goddess of Fertility
  • Vanua, God of Disasters
• Illumian pantheon (Races of Destiny)
  
  • Aulasha, Goddess of Learning and Grief
  • Glautru, God of Prophecy
  • Soorinek, Goddess of Doubt and Betrayal
  • Syeret, God of Inspiration
  • Tarmuid, God of Illumians and Magic
  • Wathaku, God of Endings
• Urbanus, God of Cities (Races of Destiny)
• Zarus, God of Human Supremacy (Races of Destiny)
• Aengrist, God of Frontiers and Glaciers (Frostburn)
• Gods of the uldras (Frostburn):
  
  • Hleid, Goddess of Uldras and Winter
  • Iborighu, God of Murder
• Kikanuti, Goddess of bhukas (Sandstorm)
• Al-Ishtus, God of Scorpions (Sandstorm)
• Solanil, God of Oases (Sandstorm)
• Tem-Et-Nu, Goddess of Rivers (Sandstorm)
• Zoser, God of Whirlwinds (Sandstorm)
• Aventernus, God of the Aventi (Stormwrack)
• The Whale Mother, Goddess of darfellans (Stormwrack)
• Taiia, Goddess of Creation and Destruction (Deities and Demigods)
• Elishar and Toldoth, dualistic gods of Life and Death (Deties and Demigods)
• Kurtulmak, God of Kobolds (Deities and Demigods)
• Maglubiyet, Creator of goblins and hobgoblins (Monster Manual or Faiths and Pantheons)
• Hruggek, God of Bugbears (Monster Manual or Faiths and Pantheons)
• The Giant pantheon (Monster Manual or Faiths and Pantheons):
  
  • Annam, Creator of Giants
  • Diancrasta, Goddess of Trickery
  • Grolantor, God of Hill Giants
  • Hiatea, Goddess of Nature
  • Iallanis, Goddess of Love
  • Memnor, God of Ambition
  • Stronmaus, God of the Sky
  • Skoraerus Stonebones, God of Stone Giants
  • Sutr, God of Fire Giants
  • Thrym, God of Frost Giants
• Vaprak, God of Ogres and Trolls (Monster Manual or Faiths and Pantheons)
• Gods of the Nagas (Monster Manual or Faiths and Pantheons)
  
  • Shekinester, Goddess of Nagas
  • Parrafair, God of Riddles
• Laogzed, God of Troglodytes (Monster Manual)
• Merrshaulk, God of Yuan-Ti (Monster Manual)
• Semuanya, God of Lizardfolk (Monster Manual)
• Blibdoolpoolp, Goddess of Kuo-Toa (Monster Manual)
• Eadro, Creator of merfolk and locatha (Monster Manual)
• Panzuriel, God of Krakens (Monster Manual)
• Sekolah, God of Sahuagin (Monster Manual)
• Sixin, God of the Xill (Monster Manual)
• Skerrit, God of Centaurs (Monster Manual)
• Kaelthiere, Goddess of Burning (Monster Manual)
• Yeathan, God of the Deep Sea (Book of Vile Darkness, Stormwrack)
• The Patient One, God of Aberrations (Book of Vile Darkness, Lords of Madness)
• Karaan, God of Bestial Behaviour (Book of Vile Darkness)
• Rallaster, God of Serial Killers (Book of Vile Darkness)
• Scahrossar, Goddess of Sadism (Book of Vile Darkness)
• The Xammux, Gods of Forbidden Knowledge (Book of Vile Darkness)
• Ayailla, Goddess of Light (Book of Exalted Deeds)
• Chaav, God of Joy (Book of Exalted Deeds)
• Estanna, Goddess of Family (Book of Exalted Deeds)
• Lastai, Goddess of Pleasure (Book of Exalted Deeds)
• Phieran, God of Matyrium (Book of Exalted Deeds)
• Valarian, God of good magical beasts (Book of Exalted Deeds)
• The Dragon pantheon (Draconomicon):
  
  • Aasterinian, Goddess of Messenges
  • Astilabor, Goddess of Hoards
  • Bahamut, God of Metal Dragons
  • Chronepsis, God of Death
  • Falazure, God of Undeath
  • Garys, God of Destruction
  • Hlal, God of Humor
  • Io, Creator of Dragons
  • Lendys, Goddess of Justice
  • Sardior, God of Gem Dragons (Web Article)
  • Tamara, Goddess of Life
  • Tiamat, Goddess of Chromatic Dragons
• Doresain, God of Ghouls (Libris Mortis)
• Evening Glory, Goddess of Love beyond Death (Libris Mortis)
• Afflux, God of Torture (Libris Mortis)
• Mak Thuum Ngatha, Far Realms entity of Breaking and Entering Boundaries (Lords of Madness)
• The Great Mother, Goddess of Beholders (Lords of Madness)
• Ilsensine, God of Mind Flayers (Lords of Madness)
• Erbin, God of Revenge (Deities and Demigods Web Enhancement)
• Hypnatia, Goddess of Dreams (Dragon #287)
• Phantasia, Goddess of Ideas (Dragon #287)
• Phobetor, God of Nightmares (Dragon #287)
• Erebus, God of Darkness (Dragon #322)
• Ravanna, God of Rakshasa (Dragon #326)
• Linara, Goddess of the Moon (Dragon #340)
• The Eternal Light, God of the Sun (Dragon #340)
• The Moongods, Gods of Astrology and Disaster (Dragon #340)
• Cegilune, Goddess of Hags (Dragon #345)
• Kanchelsis, God of Vampires (Dragon #359)
• Mellifleur, God of Liches (Dragon #359)
• The Queen of Air and Darkness, Goddess of Evil Fey (Dragon #359)
• Raxivort, God of Xvarts (Dragon #359)

Also, there's an example for making a pantheon on your own (called the Mix-And-Match pantheon) in Dragon #283.

Edit: As you can see, most of them are racial deities.

I think that was everyone. I'll go later through the list to clean it a bit up, ordering stuff, adding sources if I can and so on.

Edit: I forgot Garl Glittergold, Rillifane Rallathil and the whole Orc pantheon. Shame on me.

Edit: Added a few deities from the Dragon Magazine I forgot. Some of the gods in the MM also got more complete write-ups somewhere in the Dragon (like Semuanya or Panzuriel), but I'm not up to searching for them.

[redking]

Things like the Warrior Pantheon in Complete Warrior, the racial gods in the "Races of" books etc. Would be interested to see such a list, or I'd be happy to help compile one.

Zarus, racial deity of humans, is a setting neutral deity from races of destiny. He has an interesting backstory. He could make an interesting deity for humans from a non standard fantasy setting where humans are the minority species.

[afroakuma]

I think that was everyone.

Might want to slap spoiler tags around it just so it doesn't blow up people's field of reading through the thread all the time.

Also, technically Ravanna should not be on there.

[Tzardok]

Well, yes. Erebus is technically also historical, but if we go by that standard we would also need to cut out Bahamut, Tiamat, Sutr and Thrym.

Edit: I forgot Garl Glittergold, Rillifane Rallathil and the whole Orc pantheon. Shame on me.

[Thurbane]

Thanks Tzardok, that's great!

[Dalmosh]

What is the dark on the Ingress Mother/Ingress in Agathion? What nature of being are they?

In Afrocanon, what happens to travellers on the Infinite Staircase who perceive their heart's desire through a door? Does the IS transport people to an alternate version of the Great Wheel or generate tailored demiplanes for this purpose? Are there limits to what it can deliver, and is that something that the observer can gauge?

[Tzardok]

What were Diirinka and Diinkarazan like before their fall? What kind of portfolio did they used to have? What caused their transformation from dwarven to derro gods?

Edit: I'm assuming that Laduguer before his fall was the same ornery mirthless bastard of a god of forging magic items as now, but if not, same questions for him.

[afroakuma]

What is the dark on the Ingress Mother/Ingress in Agathion? What nature of being are they?

Unique beings native to Pandemonium itself.

In Afrocanon, what happens to travellers on the Infinite Staircase who perceive their heart's desire through a door?

That's one of those things that I consider best left to the DM to decide - far more fun as a mystery.

My personal read, going by Tales of the Infinite Staircase:

Spoiler

Show

Wherever they end up, they are legitimately fulfilled, that's for certain, and furthermore it's indicated that they can also get there under their own power in theory, so:

• Demiplane is out, at least in the general case. If one's heart's desire is a demiplane, then tada.
• Parallel multiverse is out, again at least in the general case, same gist.
• Whatever it is, it's enough to get someone to cease adventuring and be happy.

I therefore surmise that it's doing something altogether more simple: it recognizes that nobody actually knows what their "heart's desire" really is until they discover it. One could legitimately believe that only world conquest or vengeance in blood or the love of a particular person or any number of other things is one's truest desire, but the Staircase looks beyond that. With all of its creativity, it probes the traveler and asks what deep-seated hopes and fears inform their conscious wants, what would fill them, and where in all of the vast infinities such a situation could come to pass. It doesn't need demiplanes, parallel multiverses, etc., given that it has 17 infinite Outer Planes, 18 infinite Inner Planes, the infinite Material Plane... everything goes somewhere. It's not like a wish, you see; it's something more tempting in a poignant sense. People can refuse the door, and have done so, but the Staircase will never offer them the chance twice. It's an opportunity for personal growth - or for failure and self-betrayal on such a personal and intimate level that it could lead to madness. Turning from the door for such dark reasons is akin to the Act of Ultimate Darkness that traps new darklords in the Demiplane of Dread. "I could take the chance to be as happy as is literally possible for me, but instead I choose to be angry/wrathful/sad/self-pitying/vengeful/whatever" is not unlike what many of them ended up doing to themselves, after all. No, I don't think it would actually trigger the Mists to come along, nor do I think the Mists and the Staircase have any relation, but it's a worthwhile reflection.

What were Diirinka and Diinkarazan like before their fall?

Still sort of jerks, but much more tepidly, and if it weren't for their greed for power they'd have remained demigods with perfectly respectable realms venerating them. Diirinka was the patron of the old kingdom of Torglor on Faerûn, for instance, while Diinkarazan was patron of Korolnor. Their desire to stand apart, to be preeminent, and to shape the very nature of a people rather than serving as mentors - to be the center of attention rather than one piece in the puzzle - is what drove them to do something stupid.

What kind of portfolio did they used to have?

Diirinka's is easy; he was a god of knowledge, sorcery (not merely enchanting magic items, but actual spellcraft), and magical study. As for Diinkarazan, I'd have to infer a bit from the nature of his avatar and of derro themselves. My conclusion is that he was a god of chance, thievery, subtle skill, and opportunity.

What caused their transformation from dwarven to derro gods?

Diirinka and Diinkarazan were unsatisfied with their position in the Morndinsamman - unsurprising, Diirinka would have been marginalized by other deities to begin with and considered a shortcut-taking cheater by both Moradin and Laduguer; and Diinkarazan no better, as a god of opportunism and theft who unlike Abbathor and Vergadain would have endorsed taking advantage of other dwarves as well. They conspired to increase their territory and sway by creating their own subrace of dwarvenkind who would tap into their own natures and thus be bound tightly to them, not to Moradin. To effect this, they sought out the secrets of lost artifacts that could aid them in funneling their essences into such a creation. They found what they sought in a set of vast caverns beneath the Outlands.

The Caverns of Thought.

As Ilsensine rose from the depths to exhibit its great displeasure, the great betrayal took place. Perhaps fearful that his more agile brother would spring to action or opportunistically sell him out, Diirinka struck first, stabbing Diinkarazan with an enchanted blade and escaping with as many relics as he could. The god of the illithids turned the full force of his wrath on Diinkarazan, imprisoning him deep within the Abyss and binding him with a curse tied to a powerful artifact. Diirinka created the derro with his brother's blood still staining his hands, and the essence of both demigods became part of their unstable creations. Unchecked by his brother's cunning and additionally tainted by the horrific madness that Ilsensine's curse handed down, Diirinka created magically-infused, stealthy, agile dwarf offshoots just as he had planned, but warped by a debilitating lack of sanity and a physiological vulnerability to sunlight.

Edit: I'm assuming that Laduguer before his fall was the same ornery mirthless bastard of a god of forging magic items as now, but if not, same questions for him.

Yeah he's pretty constant and pretty constantly a jerk.

[Thurbane]

Not having much luck in the Q&A thread, so I'll post this here;

This is going to be a really vague question, but, I seem to recall a feat or a spell, designed by Rakshasas, to make them better at being disguised or protecting themselves from divinations.

From memory, it was in an Eberron book, and while designed by Rakshasas, I don't think it was something only they could use?

Anyone know what I'm trying to recall? Google-fu and book diving has failed me.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Not having much luck in the Q&A thread, so I'll post this here;

I think you're looking for cloak of khyber, the spell that prevents even true seeing from revealing a magically-assumed disguise or form. City of Stormreach, page 59.

[Thurbane]

I think you're looking for cloak of khyber, the spell that prevents even true seeing from revealing a magically-assumed disguise or form. City of Stormreach, page 59.

Awesome, that was exactly it. Thank you.

[Tzardok]

If you feel up for it, can you invent some stuff for the minor demon lord Sch'theraqpasstt, the Serpent Reborn, for me? I'm interested in stuff about him and his layer in general, but especially in how the yuan-ti that worship him differ from the usual Merrshaulk worshippers.