Gods of the Empire
Gods do not cleave to unquestioned, indivisible identities in the way that mortals do. Each has lived a thousand times in myth and legend, their names and deeds subtly changed with each retelling, and many wear different faces and different names for each legend they appear in. Is Mathlann just another name for Manann, or a separate entity? Is such a distinction even meaningful when discussing the divine?
Still, despite such challenges the scholars of the Empire's great universities and the priests of its respected colleges have largely settled on the following 'core' identities for each of their nation's most significant divinities, each with relatively consistent character traits and domains.
Manann
Commonly regarded as capricious and mercurial, the son of Taal and Rhya rules over sea, storms and the beasts of the deep. From the deepest ocean to the most minor river, all water belongs to Manann, and he may deliver a bounty of fish or a ruinous shipwreck as the whim takes him.
Purviews: Beasts (Aquatic, Albatross), Epic Strength, Journeys, Passion, Sky, Water
Callings: Hunter, Liminal, Trickster
Morr
Sombre and contemplative, the dark god Morr holds dominion over death, darkness and dreams. Husband of Verena and father to Myrmidia and Shallya, Morr knows the secrets of past and future, and stands as stalwart guardian of the restful dead against all that would disturb their peaceful slumber.
Purviews: Beasts (Raven), Darkness, Death, Fortune, Moon, Stars
Callings: Guardian, Judge, Sage
Myrmidia
Principled and insightful, Myrmidia is goddess not just of war, but of all civilised undertakings of men. Reputed to have once lived as a mortal, despite her descent from Death and Truth, Myrmidia is typically portrayed as a tall, well-muscled woman with sun-bronzed skin and piercing gaze.
Purviews: Artistry, Beauty, Epic Dexterity, Order, Sun, War
Callings: Leader, Sage, Warrior
Ranald
Four-Faced and sly, there are as many stories of Ranald's nature and origin as there are mouths to tell of him. The only common elements are that he stands as patron of those whom none other will have, and that the other gods regard him with distrust and distaste for his constant tricks and agitation.
Purviews: Chaos, Darkness, Deception, Epic Dexterity, Fortune, Prosperity
Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Trickster
Rhya
Wife of Taal and mother of Manann, Rhya is the Queen of Nature and all that grows or lives. Commonly depicted as a beautiful matron with flowers in her hair and a dress of evergreen leaves, the Earth Mother is revered by all who depend upon the land for their trade and survival.
Purviews: Beauty, Epic Stamina, Fertility, Sky, Sun, Wild
Callings: Creator, Healer, Lover
Shallya
Merciful and compassionate, Shallya offers care and healing to any who are in need, making her arguably the most popular deity in the human pantheon. Taken as patron by any number of charitable organisations, Shallya is daughter of Morr and reputed to be the only being capable of persuading her dark father to stay his scythe.
Purviews: Beasts (Doves), Beauty, Epic Stamina, Fertility, Health, Passion
Callings: Guardian, Healer, Sage
Sigmar
A mortal man who ascended to godhood, in his life Sigmar laid the foundations of an empire and battled the darkness wherever he found it. His courage, honour and charismatic leadership have become the model humans look to when judging their rulers, and his stern but loving protection the example all fathers strive to follow.
Purviews: Epic Strength, Epic Stamina, Forge, Order, Passion, War
Callings: Guardian, Leader, Warrior
Taal
King of the Gods and Lord of Nature, Taal is often held to be indifferent to mortal concerns. Depicted as either a muscular and bearded male or a magnificent stag, Taal retains his crown of horns in either form and grants favour to those who treat his favoured animals with respect.
Purviews: Beasts, Earth, Epic Dexterity, Epic Strength, Journeys, Wild
Callings: Hunter, Leader, Lover
Ulric
Brother of Taal and Lord of Winter, Ulric is a fearsome warrior and foe of the dark, but he is also an unflinching protector and stern teacher. It was he who led the gods in their war against Chaos, and he who taught man the secret of steel that they might fight against evil in their turn.
Purviews: Beasts (Wolves), Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Frost, War, Wild
Callings: Creator, Hunter, Warrior
Verena
Justice tempered by wisdom is Verena's hallmark, goddess of science and knowledge in all its forms. Wife to Morr, Verena shares her husband's role as judge over mortals, weighing the worth of all who live and inspiring teachers and reformers across the ages. Justice may be blind, but the sword in her hand is all the sharper for the exquisite care with which it is brought to bear.
Purviews: Artistry, Darkness, Forge, Order, Prosperity, Stars
Callings: Creator, Judge, Sage
What are Callings?
Mortal beings are vast, and contain multitudes, but the gods are not quite so… chaotic. A Calling is an archetype, a personality and a role all at once, a common theme that persists across all of a God's incarnations and legends. There are a thousand and one stories of Ulric, ascribing him words and deeds beyond counting, but in every single one he is acknowledged and characterised as a Warrior - even if he does not or cannot raise his axe this day, the fact remains that he is a creature of violence and direct hostility. Similarly, Verena's nature as a Judge is an indivisible part of her Legend, granting her both the authority and ability to weigh the worth of a man's soul and act accordingly. Their Callings grant them power and direction, but they also serve to constrain them - Ulric cannot flee from battle without ceasing to be Ulric, and Verena is blind to all considerations beyond the truth of her scales.
Scions possess Callings as well, at least one inherited from their divine parent, but as only semi-divine figures are not so tightly bound to the demands of their role or incapable of changing through personal growth. They may use their Callings to gain access to
Knacks, which enhance their own capabilities in line with their role, and
Legendary Titles, which change the world around them in accordance with their developing story.
Callings include:
- Creator, given to those divinities credited with bringing something new into the world, especially if they then taught the technique to others. Ulric taught the first men the secret of metalworking and how to turn their new weapons against their foes.
- Guardian, the patron and protector of a place, people or concept, though only rarely its ruler or master. Morr is bound by nature to stand watch over the peaceful rest of the dead, and unleashes terrible wrath on those who would disturb his gardens.
- Healer, one who repairs damage or assists others in recovering from harm, who cures the sick and corrects those who stray simply because that is what is right. Shallya is famed for her compassion and love, and her tears are said to cure any ailment.
- Hunter, among the oldest and most primal of callings, belongs to those who find locating their target just as significant as the act of bringing it down, be it to justice or death. Taal stalks his prey through the primordial woods, and blesses those who slay his sacred animal so long as they do so with respect.
- Judge is a title that rests on authority borrowed from another, given to those who interpret and enforce the law but do not ever create it. Verena weighs truth and lies on her scale, and cannot harm those she judges to be innocent.
- Leader refers to those who command not just respect but outright obedience from others, whether they do so via sovereign right or simple inspiration. Sigmar forged his Empire in the span of a mortal lifetime, and for two thousand years men have sought to walk in his footsteps, adding to his legend with each new deed and triumph.
- Liminal refers to that which is transitory and indefinite, and those who bear the calling are likewise set apart from their peers and society in some clear and undeniable way. Manann's domain borders all realms but is part of none, and even his faithful know to simply pass through his oceans rather than attempting to make permanent homes upon it.
- Lover is perhaps the most human of all the Callings, for the gods fall in love and marry and fuck just as their mortal adherents do. Rhya is a mother to both the earth and the gods who rule it, and teaches her faithful to embrace all of life's pleasures to endure all of its pains.
- Sage can mean those who know, who learn and who teach in equal measure, be it the secrets of the natural world or the strange mysteries of prophetic foresight. Morr knows the secrets of fate and what tomorrow holds, which he shares with mortalkind through the medium of dreams.
- Trickster is more often a prerogative than an honour, but nobody denies the wit and cunning of one who bears the title. Ranald is a liar par excellence, a tendency that ensures his survival even as it pushes him to the fringes of respectable society.
- Warrior sees the world in terms of friend and foe, violence and restraint, and there are none so well suited to winning the bloody conflicts that such truths demand. Myrmidia went beyond simple slaughter to invent the concept of war as most humans practice it today, and her teachings are studied by generals and mercenaries alike.
What are Purviews?
When speaking of the divine, priests and laymen alike talk of the "God of This" and "Lord of That". Such clumsy titles gesture in their way to the Purviews, swathes of the natural world over which the gods hold dominion. Sometimes the distinction between god and purview is clear and relatively uncontroversial, but in other cases it can be hard to point to where one ends and another begins. Myrmidia is a Goddess of War, but she is a soldier and general, someone who practices the craft of war rather than embodying it, while Rhya quite arguably
is the Wild in any way that matters.
Notably, most purviews will be shared between multiple deities, though there is no guarantee that the division will be clear cut or particularly amicable. Both Ranald and Morr hold the purview of Fortune, knowing as they do the truth behind the seeming randomness of fate and chance, but what they and their followers do with that knowledge differs significantly.
Scions can claim access to Purviews of their own, though their mastery of the elements of creation is significantly more limited than those of true divinity, and may be reliant upon blessed relics to channel their power. Through such purviews they may attain
Boons, focused and repeatable works of divinity, and
Marvels, freeform miracles that briefly grasp the true expanse of a purview.
The Purviews include:
Artistry, Beasts, Beauty, Chaos, Darkness, Death, Deception, Earth, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Epic Dexterity, Fertility, Fire, Forge, Frost, Fortune, Health, Journeys, Moon, Order, Passion, Prosperity, Sky, Stars, Sun, War, Water, Wild