Religion
Tempestadt Pantheon
The primary pantheon of 13 gods correspond to the 13 clerical domains, and are each honoured by one of the 13 months of the year. Though they are each assigned a domain, in truth their powers and attributes often overlap. The following is true for Tempestadt, but the primary pantheon differs in other countries (for example Tebbet is considered the head god and worshiped as the god of light in Ermentrude).
Allandria is the wife of Quetta and the mother of most of the other gods (some where forged, as was Allandria, some born out of this primordial wedlock)
Thoth is the Lawful neutral god of Knowledge, communication, magic, learning, writing and reckoning. He is often symbolised as a bird headed man, and birds are often seen as his messengers and patron beasts (although, in some cultures this is replaced by the cave baboon). He is said to be the scribe of the gods, a peacemaker, and adviser to Quetta and Pelor, and is responsible for the creation of language, sciences, and the formalised magic used by the Schools of wizardry.
It is said that in his role as arbitrator of the gods, he attempted to broker peace between the divine pantheon and the Thora, which ultimately lead to the betrayal of Gruumsh and the sundering of the lands.
Thoth is opposed by the chaotic god of the arcane, Gorrex, who claims all magic as their own, and despises Thoth's ordered, Lawful nature.
Bahamut is the deity of Good Dragons, worshipped at the Temple of the Dragon King.
The Temple of the Dragon King
The Temple of the Dragon King was established after the Dracoliche Turmult, in an attempt to lead the surviving dragon worshippers into the safe worship of Bahamut. Initially successful, in recent years the temple has seen a downturn in its supporters and their tributes.
Nonetheless, due to its unusual location so far north, the temple is well known, and receives a great number of pilgrims every year passing through the port city. It’s also a notable spot for questing members of the Order of the Golden Claw when their adventures lead them to the region.
The temple is a simple, elegant building. The shrine at its core houses a statue depicting Bahamut in both his dragon and wise man forms, with tables around it for debate and discussion. Rooms leading off the chapel are alternately used for quiet worship or as dormitories for visiting worshippers.
The Temple is attended by a Silver dragonborn Cleric, Brother Drask. He has a kind and friendly demeanour, but has been known to possess a great temper when roused.
Pelor is the main deity in Tempestadt, worshipped at the Cathedral of the Sun.
The Cathedral of the Sun
The primary god worshiped in Tempestadt is Pelor, God of the sun. At the Cathedral, he's praised in his aspects as a healer, a patron of travellers and a bringer of light and good weather. As a bustling trade port, tributes are often given to the Temple of Pelor in hopes of bringing sailors and fishermen good luck by their families, and by farmers in the region making pilgrimage to pray for a good harvest.
The Temple of Pelor is a large Cathedral in the south of Tempestadt. It has tall stain glass windows and a domed glass ceiling allowing the light of the sun to fill the space. The central window, set behind the altar, depicts Pelor’s light defending the 5 legendary warriors as they battle Stormwing, the ancient blue dragon said to have been slain on the site of Tempestadt. Pelor's Temple also contains a hospital wing, where the sick can be tended by the temples clerics and healers for a modest fee.
GORREX, the Formless God of change and wild magic
The Chaotic neutral god of Change, the arcane, progress, revolution, and inspiration. Oft associated with aberrations, demons and the deformed, but also with creative pursuits such as sculpture and painting.
It is said that when Gretta cast the gods from his holy forge, there was a crack in the bottom of Gorrex mould. Too much godstuff did Gretta allow to flow into the mould, and it spilled from the hole until that mould did crack. Thus was Gorrex born without a true form, being still the fluid power of godstuff.
Although often aligned with the dark half of the the High Pantheon, Gorrex is truly neutral. They detest stagnation and the status quo, and ever promotes change for changes sake. They are often the patron god of revolutions. Gorrex is opposed to Thoth, as the impetuous and impulsive nature of its followers clashes with the slower, methodical way of the Thoth sages.
Evil dragon goddess lady D:
It is said that once this role was held by Gruumsh, creator god of the Orcs, but after being exiled from the Pantheon it was taken up by Gloria, goddess of Victory.
Umberlee is the goddess of the sea and its destructive might. Worshipped at the Shrine of the Bitch Queen.
The Shrine of the Bitch Queen
On the eve of a great voyage, travellers and the families of seafarers will often visit the Cathedral of the Sun to pay tribute to Pelor, and ask for fair weather during the voyage.
However, a true sailor knows better.
“Pay your dues to the Bitch Queen, lest you end up in her bed.”
Umberlee is the goddess of the sea and its destructive might. She controls the winds and the waves. With fair tribute, she may allow safe passage, but she is an evil and chaotic mistress prone to fickle changes of heart. She is rarely worshiped out of love, but out of fear and respect for her might.
Her shrine is said to be hidden in the cellars of one of the many inns that dot the docks. Only a sailor would know for sure, and they fear her wrath too greatly to tell.
Kamorror was originally one of the Thorra, she is an enemy of the gods, twin sister of Beala.
See Beala for more information.
Thorra
A primordial race of giants who once ruled over the Mortal Planes. Being created before time they do not age or wither, being effectively immortal. Most of the Thorra were killed at the Fields of Annwyn when they refused to bow down to the gods. A few escaped including Kamorror who now resides in the nine hells and s collecting an army of mortal souls. Kamorror's twin sister is Beala, who was spared on the condition that she stop as many souls as she can reaching the nine hells.
When the gods first discovered the material planes they were ruled over by a race of immortal giants, the Thorra. Pelor demanded these giants give fealty to the gods. Some of the Thorra agreed to the gods terms, including their Queen Beala. Many of the Thorra though rose in rebellion, lead by Bealus's twin sister Kamorror, they met the gods for battle on the Fields of Annwyn. Most of the Thorra were slain but Kamorror fled to the nine hells.
Kamorror united the demons and fiends of hell against the gods, and though they were not powerful enough to retake the mortal realms they managed to forever prevent any god setting foot in the nine hells. Kamorror began collecting the souls of dead mortals, building an army that would one day be powerful enough to vanquish the gods.
In a bid to stop Kamorror's collection of souls Pelor pardoned Beala and charged her with preventing the souls of the dead reaching hell. Instead collecting them and taking them to Arcadia where they wait, ready for the final battle when Kamorror will move against the gods. The better a life a mortal leads, the more likely it is that their soul will be collected by Beala before Kamorror gets to them.
The first god.
Quetta made himself from the mud of the primordial ooze. He then forged a wife, Allandria, in the fires at the heart of the world. These two then had many children (the other gods) and Quetta also forged some more. When the gods where numerous enough they challenged and eventually beat the Thorra for control of the world. It was during this time that Pelor took over as head god from his father. Some cultures still worship Quetta as the rightful king of the gods.
As well as the Thirteen Divines, other gods are also worshipped In Tempestadt, including those not deemed powerful enough to be in the High Pantheon, or those originating from other realms. These include:
Stormwing, the Tempest Dragon
Myths about a battle against an ancient Blue dragon have existed since Tempestadt was founded.
With those myths arose cults worshipping the mighty beast.
The cults have always appealed to those who sought to disrupt the status quo of the city. Criminals, the poor or downtrodden, and opponents of the political elite. They have no fixed dogma, nor set places of worship. Instead they meet in the shadows, praising Stormwing's might, and preaching that she will one day rise again.
The greatest event in the history of these cults was the Dracoliche Turmult. Agents of the Red Empress, one-time ruler of the Dragon lands, infiltrated the city and attempted to create turmoil by filling the cults with the belief that Stormwing could be raised again. Riots ensued, and much of the city was damaged. Subsequently the worship of Stormwing was illegalised as heretical false dogma, and her worshippers were encouraged to follow the path of Bahamut instead.
Tebbet is mostly revered as a folk god, in the more rural parts of the Free States. He is popular with Satyrs and is often depicted as one. He is the god of drink, music and celebration. In the area which is now Ermentrude an official church of Tebbet was set up, which sanitized his image and made him a clean living hermit. Such is the power of the Church of Tebbet that the counts of Ermentrude have sworn allegiance to the Arch Bishop making him the defacto monarch.
Quesh (The Hermit)
Quesh is often considered to be one of the Thorra, the race of immortal giants who ruled the mortal planes before the gods came into existence. And yet the Thorra themselves say that he is older even than them, that he existed before time and does not really belong to any of the known planes of existence.
There are few known images of Quesh, when he is depicted it is as a shadowy and indistinct figure, be-robed, his face obscured by a hood, his gnarled hands gripping a shimmering silver staff.
In the wars between the Thorra and the Gods, Quesh refused to take any side. When the Gods finally won Pelor declared this inaction was a betrayal and banished Quesh to the plane of Ysgard, where he resided for many hundreds of years among the beautiful but barren mountains of that realm.
At the same time that Quesh was banished a new moon appeared over Tarranniss. The Thorra said Quesh wacthed over the mortal realms through this moon.
When Gruumsh stood against the other gods Quesh returned from exile and, to the surprise of everyone, stood with him, saying that he had seen the future and if Pelor became to powerful that the world would burn in his heat.
Even with Quesh’s aid Gruumsh lost and Quesh was slain in the battle, it is said his body still lies somewhere in the mortal realms.
Foreign Gods
One of the Chaotic Elvish gods of the Kashte coast. Chaotic Neutral
Boar god of the northern people. His followers forsake pork. Chaotic Neutral.
The elvish god of suffering, healing, and death. Unlike other gods with death in their portfolio, Naralis was caring and benevolent https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Naralis_Analor
Gnome deity of illusion and deception
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Baravar_Cloakshadow
Bananarama is a goddess of life. Popular with Dwarfs. Her symbol is a golden crescent banana.
Bananarama is, according to her followers, the one true god. Her cult started a few hundred years ago in the town of Nero, in the Purple Mountains. A dwarf, known only as Robert was her first profit. He had an epiphany in the halfling town of Mornington, where the golden orb of Bananarama was revealed to him, though mostly eclipsed by the dark sphere that is hatred. Her followers believe in a blissful afterlife. It is told that when they die Robert of Nero is waiting. The cult claims to be rediscovering a primordial truth.
Rules wise Bananarama is a goddess of life. Her symbol is a large yellow crescent, the Mornington Crescent.
“All we can truly hope to know is how ignorant we are.”
- Missives 4:16
“And so having spent three moons in the cave with no food but bread and no drink but water Bananarama finally visited upon me the truth of the creation of the world and its peoples and the fall from grace.
“At first all the peoples of the world knew Bananarama and they were glad. Their minds were empty but their hearts were full. Their ignorance was blissful.
“The elves, who always valued knowledge over wisdom, wished to look upon the visage of Banarama. They worked their clever magicks and gazed into the abyss. And yet their minds were unable to comprehend what they saw. They perceived a fragmented view of the Almighty, and distorted reflections of themselves. In their foolish erudition they declared that there was not one god, but many.
“Humans, being ever followers, shared in the elvish blasphemies. These false views of Bananarama were named and worshipped. Devils, seeing the folly of the new priests, came to them disguised as yet more gods and were taken into their pantheons, so deceit was built upon fallacy.
“Eventually even the dwarves forgot the honest ignorance of their forebears and embraced the flawed knowledge of this new age and Bananarama was forgotten, her temples left to ruin, her name unspoken by mortal lips.”
- Visions 1:7
"Is it folly to talk to a horse? The horse looks at you and yet knows not what you say. It hears the words that come from your mouth, but they are but sounds, indecipherable to the horses ears. "Why should this be?" thinks the horse, for my ears are large. And so the horse decides you are a moron, a babbling fool, the horse thinks he knows all. But the horse is a bloody fool."
-Equines 12:3
“We are all looking for a horse. Some claim to have found theirs. Yet really they ride donkeys. In truth we shall never find our horse. Not in this life. We do now know how. But still we must keep looking. For searching in this life is the only way we may find it in the next.”
-Equines 17:42
In some parts of south-east Gef, and the Southlands across the sea from here the demon Levann is still worshipped as a god.
Levann is a demon who the gnomes tell made a pact with the elves during the cataclysmic war which destroyed the eastern continent. He was found out as a traitor and cast out by his brethren. For a time he hid on Taranis, in the depths of the sea between what is now Gef and the Southlands. Such was his power that many races in this area began to worship him as a god. Such worship is now generally banned as his true nature has become known, but isolated cults still cling to the old beliefs.