Primordial Pantheon
Atuin (The World Turtle)
- Overdeity ♂
- Symbol: A turtleshell (often stylized)
- Home Plane: Plane of Water
- Alignment: chaotic neutral
- Portfolio: Water, earth, wisdom, endurance, turtles
- Worshippers: Dragon turtles, sailors
- Cleric Alignments: CN, CE, CG, TN
- Domains: Community, Creation, Earth, Healing, Knowledge, Luck, Nobility, Travel, Water
- Favoured Weapon: Scimitar
Atuin is a gargantuan dragon turtle who spends his time lazily swimming through the Plane of Water. Unlike the more-worshipped lesser deities, Atuin either does not have a divine realm of his own or rarely returns to it. His scales are gold instead of green, though they retain the silver hilites typical of dragon turtles.
Atuin occasionally appears on the Material Plane, out at sea. Shrines to him can sometimes be found in larger port cities, but typically he has little to do with humanoids and as such is rarely worshipped by them; the only purpose of such shrines is to ward off his anger.
Azureus (The Searing Mind)
- Greater Deity ♂
- Symbol: An asterian gem, especially a star sapphire
- Home Plane: Plane of Earth
- Alignment: true neutral
- Portfolio: Crystal dragons, status, wealth
- Worshippers: Crystal dragons, neutral dragons, lizardfolk
- Cleric Alignments: TN, NG, NE, CN, LN
- Domains: Dragon, Knowledge, Mind, Nobility, Protection, Scalykind, Wealth
- Favoured Weapon: Scimitar, claws
Azureus is a colossal great wyrm diamond dragon1. As a dragon deity, he is rarely seen in the civilized lands south of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains. When he assumes humanoid form, it’s usually that of a bronze-skinned humanoid with pointy elf-like ears and long black hair falling past his shoulders, clad in leather armour with a scimitar at his belt; sometimes, half-dragon traits (such as wings) are included. Shrines to him are common amongst lizardfolk as well as any humanoids living in the Dragon’s Teeth. There are a few temples to her on the continent of Manchevris, where dragons are generally held more in admiration than fear.
Bahamut (The Benevolent Flame)
- Greater Deity ♀
- Symbol: A flame
- Home Plane: Plane of Fire
- Alignment: lawful good
- Portfolio: Metallic dragons, wind, wisdom
- Worshippers: Metallic dragons, good dragons, noblemen, kobolds
- Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
- Domains: Air, Dragon, Good, Luck, Nobility, Protection, Weather
- Favoured Weapon: Heavy pick, teeth
Bahamut is a colossal great wyrm platinum dragon2. As a dragon deity, she is rarely seen in the civilized lands south of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains. When she assumes humanoid form, it’s usually that of a busty pale-skinned woman with pointy elf-like ears and white hair falling to her feet, clad in a dress of mithril mail and carrying a wizard’s staff; sometimes, half-dragon traits (such as wings) are included. Shrines to her are common amongst kobolds as well as any humanoids living in the Dragon’s Teeth. There are a few temples to her on the continent of Manchevris, where dragons are generally held more in admiration than fear.
Cosmeon (The World Snake)
- Overdeity ♀
- Symbol: Ourobouros
- Home Plane: Astral Plane
- Alignment: true neutral
- Portfolio: Creation, destruction, the universe
- Worshippers: None; worshippers of Cosmeon are rare, but may stem from pretty much any race or society
- Cleric Alignments: TN, NG, NE, LN, CN
- Domains: Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, Magic
- Favoured Weapon: Halberd
Cosmeon is a colossal dragon-scaled serpent, a member of a little-known race called the julunggali3. There are no reliable records of sighting her; she’s only known to be a serpent due to a single cosmogonic myth that is only barely remembered. A few myths mention contact with a being claiming to be Cosmeon, but it’s believed that if she interferes at all, she prefers indirect and subtle methods. Some of these myths describe her as half-elf, half-snake, with four arms, long black hair, green eyes, and blue or silver scales. Shrines and temples to her are almost nonexistent.
Danube (The River of Life)
- Overdeity ♀
- Symbol: A butterfly, often with leafy patterns
- Home Plane: Astral Plane
- Alignment: lawful neutral
- Portfolio: Earth, life, death, love, renewal
- Worshippers: Farmers, lovers
- Cleric Alignments: LN, LE, LG, TN
- Domains: Animal, Artifice, Charm, Earth, Law, Plant, Repose
- Favoured Weapon: Heavy mace
Danube is a colossal thunderbird4 who can also assume human form. Her typical human form is dark-skinned girl clad only in feathers, which form a skirt, choker, anklets, bracelets, and headdress. Sometimes, the feathers also form a garment that covers her chest. In contrast to her almost black skin, her hair is red and curly (but not to the extent of real-world African hair), tumbling down past her waist, and her eyes are a startling shade of magenta. She’s not often seen in the Material Plane, though. Shrines to Danube are not uncommon. They are usually found in rural areas, especially places of significant power along the shore of a river.
Io (The Concordant Dragon)
- Overdeity ♀
- Symbol: A sphere with rainbow-coloured swirls
- Home Plane: Astral Plane
- Alignment: true neutral
- Portfolio: Dragonkind
- Worshippers: Dragons
- Cleric Alignments: TN, NG, NE, LN, CN
- Domains: Dragon, Knowledge, Magic, Scalykind, Strength, Travel, Wealth
- Favoured Weapon: Scimitar, claws
Io is a colossal great wyrm prismatic dragon. As a dragon deity, she is rarely seen in the civilized lands south of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains. When she assumes humanoid form, it’s usually that of a small-chested bronze-skinned woman with pointy elf-like ears and hair falling to her knees in all the colours of the rainbow, clad in a leather dress with a scimitar at her belt; sometimes, half-dragon traits (such as wings) are included. The hair grows such that any individual hair is a single colour; to her left of the central part at the front, the hair is red, while to the right of said part, it’s violet. Shrines to her are common amongst any humanoids living in the Dragon’s Teeth. There are a few temples to her on the continent of Manchevris, where dragons are generally held more in admiration than fear.
Morgoth (The Searing Eye)
- Greater Deity ♂ (sealed away)
- Symbol: A dark eye
- Home Plane: Far Realms
- Alignment: chaotic evil
- Portfolio: Darkness, devastation, war, discord
- Worshippers: None; if he has any worshippers at all, they’re mad cultists trying to release him
- Cleric Alignments: CE, NE, CN
- Domains: Chaos, Darkness, Death, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Madness, War
- Favoured Weapon: Pistol
As a colossal xacarba4, Morgoth could almost be called an eldritch abomination, a monicker further supported by his Madness domain and the presence of discord in his portfolio. He has also been known to take humanoid form, whereby he appears as a ten-foot-tall giant in black armour with a horned helmet, wielding a greatsword or firearm. If the helmet is removed, he is usually revealed to have pale skin, short black hair, a pair of glowing red eyes with a third yellow eye set in his forehead, a disturbing lack of a nose, and razor-like teeth.
Active shrines and temples dedicated to Morgoth no longer exist, because he was defeated in an ancient battle and sealed by Cosmeon into a fortress located deep inside the Far Realms. Since magic and divine powers don’t work at all that deep in the Far Realms, he has no means of escape; even if he somehow managed to get out of the fortress, he’d have to traverse thousands of kilometres of Far Realms while somehow avoiding succumbing to the native madness of the plane (since any deity powers rendering him immune or resistant to him are suppressed).
Tethys (The Veil of Stars)
- Greater Deity ♀ (dead)
- Symbol: A scrollcase with a wave pattern
- Home Plane: Astral Plane
- Alignment: neutral good
- Portfolio: Knowledge, magic, travel, dreams
- Worshippers: Couatls and similar beings
- Cleric Alignments: NG, LG, CG, TN
- Domains: Dream, Healing, Knowledge, Magic, Moon, Rune, Travel
- Favoured Weapon: Glaive
Tethys is a huge couatl. When she assumes humanoid form, it’s usually that of a twelve-foot-tall, bronze-skinned woman with blond hair in a high ponytail that falls to her waist, clad in a blue dress which appears to have stars deep within it, hiding her feet entirely, though in some situations it may be seen that her feet are bare beneath the dress.
Shrines to Tethys still exist in some places, such as along ancient roads or in places that have been dedicated to learning since ancient times (often ruined by the present day). There are even some abandoned temples dedicated to her. However, since she died in the war that ended in the sealing of Morgoth, these places no longer have any holy power. Some believe that her body floats in the vastness of the Astral Plane, waiting for devoted followers to appear and revive her.
Tiamat (The Burning Fang)
- Greater Deity ♂
- Symbol: A golden fang
- Home Plane: Plane of Air
- Alignment: lawful evil
- Portfolio: Chromatic dragons, conquest, greed
- Worshippers: Chromatic dragons, evil dragons, kobolds
- Cleric Alignments: LE, NE, LN
- Domains: Destruction, Dragon, Evil, Greed, Law, Scalykind, Trickery
- Favoured Weapon: Heavy pick, teeth
Tiamat is a colossal great wyrm chameleon dragon5. As a dragon deity, he is rarely seen in the civilized lands south of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains. When he assumes humanoid form, it’s usually that of a short pale-skinned man with pointy elf-like ears and short red hair, clad in dark red armour with a sword of some kind on his belt; sometimes, half-dragon traits (such as wings) are included. Shrines to him are common amongst kobolds as well as any humanoids living in the Dragon’s Teeth.
Velka (The Winged Rider)
- Greater Deity ♀ (dead)
- Symbol: A winged spear
- Home Plane: Astral Plane
- Alignment: chaotic good
- Portfolio: Freedom, healing, glory
- Worshippers: Healers, warriors
- Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
- Domains: Glory, Good, Healing, Liberation, Sun, War
- Favoured Weapon: Halberd
Velka is the only one amongst the primordial deities whose base form is humanoid. She is a cloud giant, typically seen clad in golden armour and riding a gargantuan roc. Though her skin is the typical bluish hue of a cloud giant, her shoulder-length hair is pale red and usually flies free even when she wears a helmet.
Shrines to Velka still exist in some places, usually old ruins. Similarly, there are some old abandoned temples dedicated to her. However, since she died in the war that ended in the sealing of Morgoth, these places no longer have any holy power. Some believe that her body floats in the vastness of the Astral Plane, waiting for devoted followers to appear and revive her.
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Diamond dragons are a rare type of psionic crystal dragon, and also an epic dragon. They have three types of breath weapon - a light cone like the quartz dragon, a sonic cone like the emerald dragon, and a dehydration cone like the topaz dragon. Since they’re a custom race they’ll probably be the focus of a future post. ↩
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Platinum dragons are a rare type of metallic dragon, and also an epic dragon. They have three types of breath weapon - a cone of cold, a cone of forced gaseous form, and a focused disintegration blast. Since they’re a custom race they’ll probably be the focus of a future post. ↩
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From Pathfinder Bestiary 4. ↩
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Chameleon dragons are a rare type of chromatic dragon that can shift the colour of their scales, and also an epic dragon. They have three types of breath weapon - a cone of fore, a cone of corrosive gas, and a lightning blast. The colour of their scales also affects their ability set. Since they’re a custom race they’ll probably be the focus of a future post. ↩