Pentalithic Ramblings

The pantheon of Tarosir can be divided into three main parts: the primordial pantheon, some of whom are now deceased; the main pantheon, worshipped by most humanoids and even quite a few non-humanoids; and a collection of minor deities. This post only covers the main gods. The appearances described here are those normally used when appearing to humans, elves, gnomes, dwarves, hobbits, or similar humanoids; some of the deities listed here may take different forms when appearing to orcs, goblins, or other less human-looking creatures.

Most of the common races have one or two favoured deities that the common people usually worship. The favoured deities for the standard player races in the SRD are shown below; some of them are minor or primordial deities not covered in this post. Since duergar are a subrace of dwarves, they have been omitted from the table.

By race	Deities
Human	Sarenrae (NG) or Yendor (NG), or by class and alignment
Dwarf	Torag (LG) or by class and alignment
Gnome	Shelyn (NG) or by class and alignment
(Half-)Elf	Gozreh (TN) or Cayden Cailean (CG), or by class and alignment
(Half-)Orc	Gorum (CN) or Rovagug (CE), or by class and alignment
Drow	Aranei (CN) or Zon-Kuthon (LE), or by class and alignment
Hobbit	Erastil (LG) or Shelyn (NG), or by class and alignment
Elan	Irori (LN) or by class and alignment
Maenad	Shelyn (NG) or by class and alignment
Xeph	Pharasma (TN) or by class and alignment
Dromite	Balzub (NG) or by class and alignment
Half-Giant	Gorum (CN) or Irori (LN), or by class and alignment
Lizardfolk	Azureus (TN) or Gozreh (TN), or by class and alignment
Minotaur	Adumra (LN) or by class and alignment
Gnoll	Calistria (CN) or Lamashtu (CE), or by class and alignment
Scorpionfolk	Elbereth (NG) or Marduk (CN), or by class and alignment

Many classes similarly have favoured deities; in some cases, such as the monk and paladin, worshipping these deities is a prerequisite for taking the class. Commoners also often worship different deities based on their profession (for example, a farmer will likely worship Erastil more than the favoured deity of his or her race), but such associations are not listed in this table.

By class	Deities
Ardent1	Irori (LN)
Barbarian	Gorum (CN), Rovagug (CE)
Bard	Shelyn (NG), Lamashtu (CE)
Beguiler2	Nethys (TN), Calistria (CG), Zon-Kuthon (LE)
Cleric	Any
Divine Mind1	Any
Dragon Shaman2	Tiamat (LE), Bahamut (LG), Azureus (TN), Aidakedo (CN)
Druid	Gozreh (TN)
Erudite1	Irori (LN)
Fighter	Iomedae (LG), Gorum (CN), Rovagug (CE)
Monk3	Asmodeus (LE), Iomedae (LG), Irori (LN)
Ninja4	Irori (LN), Calistria (CN), Lamashtu (CE)
Paladin5	Asmodeus (LE), Cayden Cailean (CG), Iomedae (LG), Rovagug (CE)
Psion	Irori (LN)
Psychic Warrior	Gorum (CN), Rovagug (CE)
Ranger	Gozreh (TN), Gorum (CN)
Rogue	Calistria (CN), Lamashtu (CE), Cayden Cailean (CG)
Sorcerer	Nethys (TN), Cayden Cailean (CG)
Soulknife	Gorum (CN), Irori (LN)
Spellthief4	Nethys (TN), Calistria (CN)
Spirit Shaman6	Gozreh (TN)
Warlock7	Usually none
Wilder	Irori (LN)
Witch8	Nethys (TN), Gozreh (TN)
Wizard	Nethys (TN)

Note that, while each deity has some titles listed after it, there may be other less common titles attributed to some of the deities.

Abadar (Lord of the Land; The Impartial Judge)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: A towering spire
• Home Plane: Mechanicus (The Library)
• Alignment: Lawful neutral
• Portfolio: Cities, wealth, merchants, law
• Worshippers: Paladins, mayors, misers, merchants, lawyers, judges, kings, knights
• Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG, TN
• Domains: Earth, Greed, Law, Nobility, Protection, Travel
• Favoured Weapon: Light crossbow

Abadar appears as a tall black-haired man in merchant’s clothing. He is solemn and fair, and strict in following the laws of the land. Abadar rarely appears on the Material Plane, though he’s occasionally seen in the context of important trials or council meetings. His consort is Iomedae.

Most major cities have at least one prominent church dedicated to Abadar. Some of the largest cities, like Elyria, may also have a scattering of smaller temples or shrines. His clergy usually works closely with the law enforcement of the city, for example providing the town guard with healing when needed. They also often provide their services protecting merchant caravans.

Asmodeus (The One Free-Willed Man; The Master of Lies)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: A snake coiled around a sceptre
• Home Plane: Hell (Erebor)
• Alignment: Lawful evil
• Portfolio: Tyranny, slavery, pride, contracts
• Worshippers: Monks, paladins of tyranny, blackguards, tyrants, lawyers, politicians, slave-traders, chessmasters (of the metaphorical type), enchanters
• Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE, TN
• Domains: Evil, Fire, Law, Magic, Mind, Trickery
• Favoured Weapon: Mace

Asmodeus appears as a tall, richly-dressed man with dark hair and a goatee. He wishes to become the ruler of the material plane, and often works with mortals towards this goal; although unscrupulous, he never goes back on a promise.

Asmodeus may be an evil god, but that just makes it more important to have shrines to him to keep him happy. Any city of appreciable size has at least one small shrine to him; actual full-fledged temples, however, are less common, and are often hidden away or disguised. Monasteries dedicated to Asmodeus are normally hidden away in remote areas. There’s even an order of paladins dedicated to Asmodeus that strive for tyranny; they don’t usually make their allegiance known, however, posing instead as paladins of Iomedae’s order.

Calistria (The Seductress; Queen of Trickery)

• Intermediate deity ♀
• Symbol: A heart crossed by a wilted thorny rose
• Home Plane: Errata
• Alignment: Chaotic neutral
• Portfolio: Trickery, lust, revenge
• Worshippers: Rogues
• Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, CE, TN
• Domains: Chaos, Charm, Knowledge, Luck, Scalykind, Trickery
• Favoured Weapon: Whip

Calistria appears in many different forms. One common form is that of a blonde or red-haired woman in a revealing leather outfit. Another common form is of a shirtless bronze male with dark hair and leather pants. A third common form is a woman dressed in black, form-fitting clothes, with long, dark hair in a ponytail. She often takes other forms as well, to disguise herself; no-one knows what her true form is.

Calistria is well-loved by thieves in particular, and as such there are temples to her in most cities. Even smaller towns often have a shrine to her. Calistria loves to play pranks on her followers, though only rarely are they malicious. She also has something of a tendency to break promises, though not frequently enough that people never trust her word.

Cayden Cailean (The Wild Warrior)

• Lesser deity ♂
• Symbol: A half-empty mug
• Home Plane: Heaven (Asgard)
• Alignment: Chaotic good
• Portfolio: Freedom, wine, bravery
• Worshippers: Barbarians, paladins of freedom, drunkards
• Cleric Alignments: NG, CG, CN
• Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Strength, Travel
• Favoured Weapon: Rapier

Cayden Cailean appears as a man with messy blonde hair, usually wearing simple peasant’s clothes, though sometimes he’s dressed more like a soldier with a rapier at his hip. Most of his appearances on the Material Plane, rare though they are, involve him disguising himself and getting drunk, though usually this does in some way service the cause of freedom.

As a champion of freedom, he has at least a small shrine in any place where people gather. In some larger cities he has a full temple. His temples tend to be quite popular and are often busy even late at night; usually the temple priests also run a bar next to the temple. There’s an order of paladins dedicated to Cayden Cailean, which fight for freedom across the land.

Desna (The Lady of Hope; The Dream Watcher)

• Greater deity ♀
• Symbol: A six-sided die with the following symbols: six-pointed star, two parallel horizontal wavy lines, cloud, coin, sailing ship, a pair of crossed bones
• Home Plane: Plane of Dreams
• Alignment: Chaotic good
• Portfolio: Dreams, stars, travellers, luck
• Worshippers: Gamblers, sailors, merchants
• Cleric Alignments: NG, CG, CN
• Domains: Chaos, Dream, Good, Liberation, Luck, Travel
• Favoured Weapon: Starknife

Desna appears as a tall, dark-haired woman in a flowing dark blue dress; her ankle-length hair typically falls partly across her face, casting it into shadow. Looking into the fabric of the dress is like looking out into a void full of stars. Desna rarely interferes with the world in major ways, but often provides little nudges here and there where luck seems to be going too much in the wrong direction. When she does appear to an individual, it’s usually in their dreams.

Desna is a much beloved deity, such that even a small village will often have a shrine to her. Most larger cities have a temple to Desna. Cayden Cailean is known to have a fondness for her which is sometimes described as love, though they are by no means consorts.

Erastil (Bringer of Civilization)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: Shepherd’s crook with a set of scales hung on it
• Home Plane: Heaven (Utopia)
• Alignment: Lawful good
• Portfolio: Farming, hunting, trade, family, fertility
• Worshippers: Druids, farmers, hunters, herders, merchants, housewives, judges
• Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
• Domains: Animal, Community, Good, Law, Plant
• Favoured Weapon: Longbow

Erastil appears as a grey-haired man with a beard, dressed in shepherd’s garb. He rarely makes an appearance in the world, preferring to just watch over the farmers, hunters, and herders, but in times of famine or drought he can sometimes be seen.

Although a well-liked deity, most cities don’t have a church to him, only a shrine. Churches to Erastil are more common in rural areas where farming or herding is prevalent; such churches usually serve a whole region encompassing several villages. A few cities do have a church to Erastil, such as Elyria; usually these churches are near the city’s edge.

Gorum (The Immortal Onslaught)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: A pair of crossed swords
• Home Plane: Heaven (Asgard)
• Alignment: Chaotic neutral
• Portfolio: Strength, battle, weapons
• Worshippers: Orcs, goblins, fighters, soldiers, warlords, bandits, gladiators
• Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, CE, TN
• Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Glory, Strength, War
• Favoured Weapon: Greatsword

Gorum appears as a somewhat short, stocky man in full steel armour and a greatsword across his back; usually he appears without his helm on, revealing his short-cropped brown hair. He sometimes interferes in battles, turning the tide in favour of a smaller army; it doesn’t matter to him which side is “good”, only that they’re valiant.

Gorum is not widely worshipped among the common people; he’s a god both liked and feared. Most large cities have a temple dedicated to him, and smaller towns often have a shrine; villages rarely have a shrine to Gorum unless they’re in a region which sees a lot of conflict.

Gozreh (King of the Sea; The Storm King)

• Greater deity ♂
• Symbol: Lightning bolt
• Home Plane: Arborea (Canopea)
• Alignment: True neutral
• Portfolio: Nature, weather, the sea
• Worshippers: Druids, hunters, sailors, farmers
• Cleric Alignments: LN, NG, TN, NE, CN
• Domains: Air, Animal, Plant, Scalykind, Water, Weather
• Favoured Weapon: Trident

Gozreh usually appears as a man with short hair and a long beard flecked with grey. He wears a tattered grey robe, and his feet are bare. He’s sometimes seen in particularly stormy weather, both at sea and inland; on occasion he has been known to defend his followers by summoning such a storm.

Many cities have a temple to Gozreh, especially if they sit on the coast or a lake. Smaller inland towns almost never have a shrine to him, but coastal towns and villages nearly always do.

Iomedae (Our Lady the Most High and Bringer of Steel)

• Intermediate deity ♀
• Symbol: An ornate shield emblazoned with a golden eagle
• Home Plane: Heaven (Utopia)
• Alignment: Lawful good
• Portfolio: Valour, rulership, justice, honour, loyalty
• Worshippers: Paladins of honour, monks, lawyers, monarchs, generals, officers
• Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
• Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Sun, War
• Favoured Weapon: Longsword

Iomedae typically appears as a winged figure in full steel armour, usually with her helm off to allow her long, blonde hair to fly free. Her helm and boots both have wing-like decorations on them, and her breastplate is emblazoned with the same eagle that appears on her shield. Like Gorum, she sometimes interferes in battles, though she favours the righteous side rather than the valiant; this sometimes puts the two of them in opposition.

Most cities have churches to Iomedae, and monasteries dedicated to her are often within a day’s travel or so of well-settled areas. Smaller settlements sometimes have shrines to Iomedae as well. Iomedae is the patron of the best-known order of paladins, the ones who spread the notion of chivalry and fight for honour. Iomedae is the consort of Abadar.

Irori (The Ivory Mask; The Scholar of Life)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: A mountain with a seven-pointed star above it
• Home Plane: Mechanicus (The Library)
• Alignment: Lawful neutral
• Portfolio: History, knowledge, self-perfection
• Worshippers: Monks, historians, the disabled
• Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, TN, NG
• Domains: Healing, Knowledge, Law, Mind, Rune, Strength
• Favoured Weapon: Fists

Irori appears as a man in monk’s robes (a gi) with a belt of gold and an ivory mask covering his face. He usually goes barefoot or clad in simple rope sandals. Irori tends to stay aloof from the material plane, content just to watch as events unfold, though occasionally he may favour a specific individual, giving them occasional tips for self-improvement.

Churches to Irori are usually common only in big cities, where people have more time for the pursuit of knowledge. Some smaller towns may have shrines to him, but villages generally don’t.

Lamashtu (The Destroyer of Hope; Spinner of Nightmares)

• Greater deity ♀
• Symbol: A black widow spider in the centre of a web
• Home Plane: Plane of Dreams
• Alignment: Chaotic evil
• Portfolio: Madness, monsters, nightmares, discord
• Worshippers: Rogues, madmen, liches, warlords, nightmarish creatures
• Cleric Alignments: NE, CE, CN
• Domains: Chaos, Dream, Evil, Madness, Mind, Strength, Trickery
• Favoured Weapon: Falchion

Lamashtu appears as a drow woman clad in a black dress with spider emblems, her long dark hair pooling at her feet. She enjoys sowing discord in the world, and does so whenever she sees a good opportunity. Small-scale discord isn’t to her liking; she’d prefer the sort of slights that might lead to war, though she doesn’t care whether or not they actually do.

Temples to Lamashtu generally don’t exist in cities, but shrines are common, as people need a way to placate her. Smaller villages generally don’t have a shrine to her, but most towns have at least one, and larger cities often have several. There are some temples to Lamashtu in remote areas, where her priests can practice their dark rituals away from the prying eyes of cityfolk.

Nethys (Knower of Secrets; The Divine Archmage)

• Greater deity ♀
• Symbol: A pentagram inscribed in a pentagon inscribed in a circle
• Home Plane: Astral Plane
• Alignment: True neutral
• Portfolio: Magic
• Worshippers: Wizards, sorcerers
• Cleric Alignments: LN, NG, TN, NE, CN
• Domains: Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, Magic, Protection, Rune
• Favoured Weapon: Quarterstaff

Nethys appears as a tall woman with long red hair in a braid reaching to her feet, wearing blue robes and sandals. Like Irori, she prefers to watch rather than interfere, but may sometimes select a promising individual to nurture.

Most cities have a temple to Nethys, and most towns have a shrine or maybe even a small temple. Whether a village has a shrine depends very much on the role magic plays in the community; villages where mages are held in respect and act as shamans for the village usually have a shrine.

Norgorber (The Spy Amongst Spies)

• Greater deity ♂
• Symbol: A small dagger with a skull in the pommel and a scroll engraved on the blade
• Home Plane: Hell (Gehenna)
• Alignment: Neutral evil
• Portfolio: Greed, secrets, poison, murder
• Worshippers: Assassins, spies, misers, beguilers, hitmen
• Cleric Alignments: TN, LE, NE, CE
• Domains: Charm, Death, Evil, Greed, Knowledge, Scalykind, Trickery
• Favoured Weapon: Short sword

Norgorber usually appears as a short man, possibly an unusually tall gnome, clad in black leather with his equally black hair and beard cropped short. His influence on the world is never seen directly, but some claim they can see his hand in shadowy events that play out. Indeed, he prefers to work from the shadows and not let his influence be made clear.

Despite being an evil god, small temples to Norgorber are common in larger cities, populated with true neutral clerics. Larger temples are usually located in remote areas where the priests can conduct their dark rituals without interference, and they’re often very well hidden from passing eyes. Shrines to Norgorber can be found in many smaller towns and cities.

Pharasma (The Ambivalent Judge; The Scion of Time)

• Greater deity ♀
• Symbol: A set of scales and a raven feather
• Home Plane: Arborea (Avernum)
• Alignment: True neutral
• Portfolio: Fate, death, prophecy, birth, fertility
• Worshippers: Druids, monks, scholars, undertakers, fortune tellers
• Cleric Alignments: LN, NG, TN, NE, CN
• Domains: Creation, Death, Healing, Knowledge, Repose, Water
• Favoured Weapon: Dagger

Pharasma appears as a woman with short brown hair clad in a flowing navy blue dress. She sometimes appears at particularly auspicious births, deaths, or other events of note, occasionally even giving a prophecy. She is as likely to support evil as she is to support good. When a person dies, if they’re not quickly resurrected, one of the first things they see is Pharasma, who weighs their soul and sends them off as a petitioner to the appropriate outer plane.

Most cities and many towns have a temple to Pharasma; those that don’t generally have a shrine. Some villages may lack a shrine to Pharasma, but this is relatively uncommon.

Rovagug (The Slayer; The Destroyer)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: A pile of skulls
• Home Plane: Hell (Cocytus)
• Alignment: Chaotic evil
• Portfolio: Wrath, disaster, destruction
• Worshippers: Paladins of slaughter, blackguards, warlords, cultists, madmen
• Cleric Alignments: NE, CN, CE
• Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, War, Weather
• Favoured Weapon: Great axe

Rovagug generally appears as an orc clad in spiked leather armour wielding not only his favoured great axe but also a spiked mace or morningstar. Rovagug enjoys spreading chaos and terror across the land, but fortunately he’s under a geas from some of the more powerful deities to prevent him from directly ravaging the land. As such, he spreads chaos mainly by inciting violence in people. The tarrasque is a beast of Rovagug, and he takes every opportunity to send the beast down on the land, which thanks to the geas has only occurred once so far in history.

Temples to Rovagug do not exist, for that would require cooperation between his clerics; instead, they usually try to kill each other on sight. Most larger cities have a shrine to him for placation, though. There’s even a small order of paladins that follow him, dedicated to slaughter and chaos, though their tendency to kill each other keeps their numbers small.

Sarenrae (The Light of Redemption)

• Intermediate deity ♀
• Symbol: A circle with wavy lines radiating out from it
• Home Plane: Heaven (Elysium)
• Alignment: Neutral good
• Portfolio: Redemption, honesty, healing, the sun
• Worshippers: Healers, herbalists, reformed criminals, optimists
• Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG, TN
• Domains: Fire, Glory, Good, Healing, Sun
• Favoured Weapon: Scimitar

Sarenrae appears as a blonde woman with long hair clad in a white dress with a yellow sun emblem embroidered on it. She wears a golden tiara, also with a similar sun motif, and gold sandals on her feet. Sarenrae most often appears to people seeking redemption, helping them in their quest. Sarenrae is the consort of Yendor.

Most cities and towns have a temple to Sarenrae; some even have more than one, as the temples often also serve as hospitals. As a well-loved goddess, Sarenrae also has shrines in many villages. A temple of Sarenrae never turns away someone seeking shelter or healing, and many nations recognize the right of asylum in a temple of Sarenrae; woe betide anyone trying to abuse this, though.

Shelyn (The Muse of Life)

• Intermediate deity ♀
• Symbol: A harp
• Home Plane: Heaven (Orpheon)
• Alignment: Neutral good
• Portfolio: Beauty, art, love, music, dance, humour
• Worshippers: Bards, women, artists, lovers, dancers, musicians, poets
• Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG, TN
• Domains: Air, Charm, Creation, Good, Luck, Protection
• Favoured Weapon: Glaive

Shelyn appears as a short woman with long, curly red tresses and a white dress similar to a modern wedding dress. She wears sandals and a wreath of laurels, and is rarely seen without a harp or other instrument.

Shelyn is a well-loved goddess, and most cities and some towns have a temple to her; those that don’t usually have a shrine. Villages generally don’t have a shrine, but villages populated primarily by hobbits, gnomes, or maenads often do have a shrine to Shelyn.

Torag (The Ironsmith)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: An anvil with a pickaxe over it
• Home Plane: Heaven (Bifrost)
• Alignment: Lawful good
• Portfolio: Protection, strategy, the forge, mining
• Worshippers: Dwarves, blacksmiths, generals, craftsmen
• Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG, TN
• Domains: Artifice, Creation, Earth, Good, Law, Protection
• Favoured Weapon: Warhammer

Torag appears as a dwarf with a braided beard in full armour. He usually keeps his helm on. Torag doesn’t often appear to mortals, though on occasion he has been known to support a righteous fortress under siege.

Most big cities have a church to Torag, but smaller towns and villages generally don’t. Mining towns do tend to have a shrine to him though, sometimes even a temple, and towns or villages where dwarves make up a significant proportion of the population usually also have a shrine to Torag.

Urgathoa (The Raiser of Strife; The Sick One)

• Lesser deity ♀
• Symbol: A black skull
• Home Plane: Hell (Gehenna)
• Alignment: Neutral evil
• Portfolio: Gluttony, disease, undeath, famine
• Worshippers: Necromancers, warlords, conspirators, liches
• Cleric Alignments: TN, LE, NE, CE
• Domains: Death, Evil, Magic, Strength, War
• Favoured Weapon: Scythe

Urgathoa appears as an ancient-looking woman with long, straggly white hair, wearing tattered grey robes and no shoes. Whenever she appears, disease or famine generally follows, or worse, the dead rise.

Temples to Urgathoa are very rare, and where they exist they’re generally tucked away in remote areas or disguised as something other than a temple. Shrines to Urgathoa, on the other hand, are relatively common; most towns and cities have one, and even some villages.

Yendor (The Guilty Repenter)

• Intermediate deity ♂
• Symbol: A crescent moon
• Home Plane: Heaven (Elysium)
• Alignment: Neutral good
• Portfolio: Remorse, healing, dark, tides, the moon
• Worshippers: Druids, the repentant, sailors, vampires, lycanthropes
• Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG, TN, CG, CN
• Domains: Darkness, Good, Healing, Moon, Water
• Favoured Weapon: Sickle

Yendor appears as a dark-haired man with long hair clad in black robes with a blue crescent moon emblem embroidered on it. He wears a silver circlet, with a similar moon motif, and silver sandals on his feet. Yendor sometimes appears to those with a guilty conscience to convince them to do the right thing. Yendor is the consort of Sarenrae.

Most cities and towns have a temple to Yendor, usually near a temple to Sarenrae, as the two deities are inextricably linked. As a well-loved god, Yendor also has shrines in many villages, though shrines to Yendor are a little less common than those to Sarenrae. Villages in areas with a lot of lycanthropes will often have a larger shrine or a small temple to Yendor.

Zon-Kuthon (The Lurker in the Dark)

• Greater deity ♂
• Symbol: A black heart, quartered and engraved with four symbols: a bleeding cut, a skull, a sword, and a barbed whip
• Home Plane: Hellish Shadow Plane
• Alignment: Lawful evil
• Portfolio: Hate, envy, pain, darkness, loss
• Worshippers: Torturers, beguilers, shadowdancers
• Cleric Alignments: LN, LE, NE
• Domains: Darkness, Death, Destruction, Evil, Law
• Favoured Weapon: Spiked chain

Zon-Kuthon appears as a drow man dressed in black leather (pants, jacket, boots) with his head and face covered in black cloth, like a ninja or an assassin. On the rare occasions he removes the cloth, he’s shown to have short black hair. When he appears, usually shrouded in shadows, it’s certain that someone is going to suffer. One thing Zon-Kuthon is famous for is inducing the split between drow elves and surface elves.

Churches to Zon-Kuthon are occasionally found, tucked away in hidden places, off the main roads. Shrines to him are considerably more common, appearing in most towns and cities. Villages typically don’t have a shrine to him.