Post by Pip Mystral on Sept 20, 2015 10:05:38 GMT -5
While the gods already listed in the Gods of Temra are the main deities worshipped by Temrans, there are other, lesser-known deities and heroes that exist and work in the world as well. Some of these are only worshiped by certain races, while others are more like heroes on par with the heroes of Greek mythology in our world, those with powerful connections to the gods who did something important in the past world - or present one. Many are associated with specific greater deities.
Each of the gods and heroes listed here come from different backgrounds and many of these stories are not universal, and they may seem grouped together more by lack of any official category than anything else, but they do all have one commonality: none of the lesser deities and heroes listed here can take Champions. A few of the more powerful ones have churches, and many have at least a few clerics, but none of them have Champions the way the main pantheon does.
Racial Deities
The first group of lesser gods are those who are worshipped by some of the less-numerous races of Temra, those races left out of the main pantheon. Many have their own gods and heroes, and the more commonly-worshiped ones are listed here.
Hanah, the Liberator (CG)
While rarely even heard of, let alone worshiped, by any other race, Hanah is the hero-goddess of the harpies, and is almost universally revered by them. Her tradition is almost entirely oral, going back to the end of the Great War at least, and possibly farther, and numerous legends exist about her great deeds on behalf of her people. She leads a band of five folk heroes, to whom have been attributed great deeds throughout history. Some scholars believe that certain historical harpy heroes have been incorporated into legends of Hanah's Flock, due to the harpies' lack of written traditions, but in either case they form the bulk of harpy mythology. Hanah is credited with leading the harpies out of barbarism, after the Great War stole most of their culture and history from them, and is associated primarily with three of the main deities of the pantheon: Dariel, both as a fellow winged being and as the God of Freedom, whose teachings Hanah is said to follow; Hope, who is a prominent figure in several myths about her, and who is credited with helping heal the harpy people; and, sometimes, Maia, who is said to speak to Hanah in her dreams and have given her the vision which led her to return to her people.
Harpies, as a rule, are not an artistic people - their tribal way of life and lack of manual dexterity making artwork impractical - Hanah is well-described in stories. She is said to be a beautiful harpy woman with sand-colored hair, pale skin, and the aspect of an osprey. Among the deeds credited to Hanah are the original salvation of the harpies from the Dark Ones, during the Age of Heroes; the enlightenment of the harpies following the Age of War; bargaining with Hope on behalf of her people, in the story of how harpies gained their hands; and defeating an army of humans attempting to wipe out a tribe in order to take their forest. Themes in her legends include interfering on behalf of those less fortunate (almost always harpies) against the oppression of those in power, often of other, more powerful races. Another common myth about Hanah is that she has a magic mask which allows her to take on a human form for a short time.
Gyr, the Lost
Another harpy folk-hero, Gyr is a representation of the connection that harpies have with nature, and the double-edged sword that said connection represents.
Davrinn
The primary deity of Nightborn. He represents redemption and the battle between light and darkness.
Each of the gods and heroes listed here come from different backgrounds and many of these stories are not universal, and they may seem grouped together more by lack of any official category than anything else, but they do all have one commonality: none of the lesser deities and heroes listed here can take Champions. A few of the more powerful ones have churches, and many have at least a few clerics, but none of them have Champions the way the main pantheon does.
Racial Deities
The first group of lesser gods are those who are worshipped by some of the less-numerous races of Temra, those races left out of the main pantheon. Many have their own gods and heroes, and the more commonly-worshiped ones are listed here.
Hanah, the Liberator (CG)
While rarely even heard of, let alone worshiped, by any other race, Hanah is the hero-goddess of the harpies, and is almost universally revered by them. Her tradition is almost entirely oral, going back to the end of the Great War at least, and possibly farther, and numerous legends exist about her great deeds on behalf of her people. She leads a band of five folk heroes, to whom have been attributed great deeds throughout history. Some scholars believe that certain historical harpy heroes have been incorporated into legends of Hanah's Flock, due to the harpies' lack of written traditions, but in either case they form the bulk of harpy mythology. Hanah is credited with leading the harpies out of barbarism, after the Great War stole most of their culture and history from them, and is associated primarily with three of the main deities of the pantheon: Dariel, both as a fellow winged being and as the God of Freedom, whose teachings Hanah is said to follow; Hope, who is a prominent figure in several myths about her, and who is credited with helping heal the harpy people; and, sometimes, Maia, who is said to speak to Hanah in her dreams and have given her the vision which led her to return to her people.
Harpies, as a rule, are not an artistic people - their tribal way of life and lack of manual dexterity making artwork impractical - Hanah is well-described in stories. She is said to be a beautiful harpy woman with sand-colored hair, pale skin, and the aspect of an osprey. Among the deeds credited to Hanah are the original salvation of the harpies from the Dark Ones, during the Age of Heroes; the enlightenment of the harpies following the Age of War; bargaining with Hope on behalf of her people, in the story of how harpies gained their hands; and defeating an army of humans attempting to wipe out a tribe in order to take their forest. Themes in her legends include interfering on behalf of those less fortunate (almost always harpies) against the oppression of those in power, often of other, more powerful races. Another common myth about Hanah is that she has a magic mask which allows her to take on a human form for a short time.
Gyr, the Lost
Another harpy folk-hero, Gyr is a representation of the connection that harpies have with nature, and the double-edged sword that said connection represents.
Davrinn
The primary deity of Nightborn. He represents redemption and the battle between light and darkness.