Lore
The world wasn't what it once was. There was a time when the Kingdom of Arvale was a peaceful and prosperous nation. It was a marble that remained untouched to all the chaos the world had to offer. However, above in the heavens and below in the hells, the gods prepared for war, a celestial battle for control over the wonderful blue and white marble that Gaia gave birth to. So, the gods broke the balance and fought each other in their celestial plains - dragons and dragons, celestials and fiends, gods against gods. Each battle brought disturbance to the realm wedged between heaven and hell; the realm of mortals who were unaware of the troubles in heaven and hell. Those who can remember or recall the story of the destruction and changing of the land remember it in two horrifying words, 'The Cataclysm'.
This catastrophic event changed the land as those of that time knew it. Hurricanes blew in off the seas with powerful winds as earthquakes shook the foundations of civilization. Millions of mortals perished to the great upheaval of land and earth. It was Ryzlah that was swallowed by the sea from the hurricane floods, and Shiverton that felt the effects of the moving ground, twisting its earth into a tall mountain side village covered in snow and battered by the harsh winds. It was then that the Great Capital Corollah was struck by the earthquakes that riddled the world, destroying all its beautiful palaces, buildings and the Great Bridge that connected the city to Pranisburg. The land that once connected the southern lands was severed, leaving the great South Cities to turn into a barren desert. It was the dwarves whom were once a great race under the lordship of Rawrex XXX, who suffered the worst of The Cataclysm. The great Dwarven Halls collapsed under the world's stress - quakes destroyed their civilization and trapped its survivors in what was known as Blackrock. Though as uncanny as it may seem, the elven Farseers of the Ancient Forest foresaw this great time of trouble and warned the King of Arvale which. In turn, the warning was dismissed. The great prophet Azeral Nightstar returned to the forest after her failure in the royal human courts and warned of the dark days ahead, and so their preparations though magical and divine ways protected there forest from the great change in the landscape that was said to come true.
Night fell upon the world as the first day of the cataclysm was drawing to an end. The storms still swept across the lands and ravaged all those trying to survive the beginning of the dark ages. Although the earth had finally become calm, it was left devastated. The great quake occurred some time in the early morning of the second day. The ground split all over the continent, allowing the Mist of chaos to seep out into the world. The storms picked up the Mist and moved them across the lands, flooding parts of the world with darkness. Many were unsure about the Mist. Some say it has a life of its own and those exposed to it would become 'corrupted'. However, by break of day, the elves of the Ancient Forest would find themselves deep among the clouds of sin. Their only salvation was to escape into the tree tops for safety however, those exposed to the dark Mist become corrupt, thus giving birth to the dark elves.
For years after this, the winds brought the Mist of sin to towns and across the sea. The darkness would roll in and out of areas, consuming those foolish enough to challenge corruption. Such is the world today and the memory of The Cataclysm has turned from a nightmare to a myth and from myth to legend. There are very few who can remember the Cataclysm. But life rebuilds like it always does, and through this, Hamlet Heath has become the place to make strong and start afresh. Much of what was once has been lost and buried by the sands of times. The relics that are discovered are quickly hoarded by the various war lords that rule the land in the efforts to unlock the past and gain power though its secrets. The great kingdom of Arvale is now a shadow of what it once was and the years of the present a dark age.
To this day the 'Mist' appears from time to time, corrupting those exposed. Tremours and strange storms appear out of the blue. Why does this 'Mist' still come for us? Are we to forever live in fear? Are we now being punished? Some say we didn't deserve this, or did we?
Asprilla: He is the god of valour. His title is the invincible. Asprilla promotes justice, valour, chivalry, and honour. The domains he is associated with are good, law, and war. His favoured weapon is the sword, regardless of length, and he is worshipped by paladins, fighters and monks. His archenemy is Aquilla, his younger brother. Ruling from the heavens, with his council of gods around the celestial table, he often finds company among demi-gods who are allies to his ways.
Rushmon: He is the god of strength and symbolizes chaotic good. He is also known as the brawler. Rushmon is the patron of athletes, especially wrestlers. His worshippers include fighters, barbarians and rogues. The domains he is associated with are chaos, good, luck, and strength. Rushmon's favoured weapon is the great sword. He is often depicted as a giant half-orc barbarian who likes to drink and start brawls in bars.
Helor: He is the god of the sun and symbolizes neutral good. His title is the Shining One. Helor is the creator of many good things, a supporter of those in need, and an adversary of all that is evil. He is the most commonly worshipped deity among ordinary humans, and his priests are well received wherever they go. Rangers and bards are found among his worshippers. The domains he is associated with are good, healing, strength and sun. The mace is his favoured weapon. Helor is generally depicted as a giant human dressed in a roman like toga.
Luna: The priestess of the Moon and symbolizes neutral good. Beloved of Helor, she is known for pacifism and kindness. She is always watching over the world while Helor rests throughout the night, for the moonlight is always shining, chasing away the darkness. This goes with exception on the new moon days where the moon has disappeared from the sky once each month. It's on this day that Luna and Helor spend the night together. The domains she is associated with are Good, Healing, and Magic. The quarter staff and mace are her favourite weapons. Luna is generally perceived as a beautiful woman whose hair is ankle length, dressed in a roman toga.
Rawrex: The god of the dwarves is lawful good. His titles include the Soul Forger, the all-father, and the creator. It is said that he created the first dwarves out of materials of the earth and breathed life into them. He governs the arts and sciences of dwarves: construction, metalworking, engineering and war. The domains he is associated with are Earth, Good, Law and Protection. His favoured weapon is the war hammer.
Goddess of Life (Gaia): Gaia is the mother of all that lives. Scholars have said that she first created life in the world and now protects all who continue to bring new life into the world. She is often known as the goddess of life and the forests. Gaia watches over all creatures that live in the forest, those that love the woodlands or who are female. She is worshiped by rangers, druids and mothers. The domains she is associated with are Animal, Plant, Earth, and Water. Her favored weapon is the long bow.
God of Nature (Heronous): He is the god of nature and is neutral on all grounds. He is often called the God of Storms. Some say that it was he who summoned the earth's fury down on the people of Avarel. Heronous rules nature and the wilderness and he is friend to all who live in harmony with the natural world. Barbarians, rangers and druids sometimes worship him. The domains he is associated with are Air, animal, Earth, Fire, Plant and water. Because Heronous strictly adheres to neutrality, he is a rival of Gaia. His favoured weapon is the quarterstaff.
Goddess of Pleasure (Sharass): She is the goddess of love and more importantly pleasure. Beautiful and lavish life styles are what symbolize her role as a goddess. Her alignment is neutral, for love and pleasure has no bounds in morality. Those who love make their mates lovers, while those who do not use their mates for pleasure. Her domains are Luck, Trickery, and Healing. Based on those who worship her, many images have been developed. Those of the lighter folk see her as a beautiful and sexy woman. Those of dark alignment see her in bondage. Her favoured weapon varies between lighter and dark aligned worshipers. Some say the Goddess of Pleasure has no favoured weapon others say it s the whip.
God of Knowledge (Boccob): The god of magic, Boccob, is neutral. His titles include the Uncaring, Lord of All Magics, and the Archmage of the Deities. Boccob is a distant deity who promotes no special agenda in the world of mortals. As a god of magic and knowledge, he is worshipped by wizards, sorcerers, and sages. The domains he is associated with are knowledge, magic, and trickery. The quarterstaff is his favoured weapon.
God of Vagabonds (Olidammara): The god of rogues, Olidammara, is chaotic neutral. His title is the Laughing Rogue. Olidammara delights in wine, women, and song. He is a vagabond, a prankster and a master of disguise. His temples are few, but many people are willing to raise a glass in his honour. Rogues and bards are frequently found among his worshippers. The domains he is associated with are chaos, luck, and trickery. The rapier is his favoured weapon.
Aquilla: The god of tyranny, Aquilla is lawful evil. His titles are champion of evil, herald of hell, and scourge of battle. Aquilla is the demon noble of war, conflict, and destruction. Aquilla's worshippers include evil fighters and monks. The domains he is associated with are destruction, evil, law and war. His favoured weapon is the sword, regardless of length. He sends his followers to commit evil and their special purpose is to see the overthrow of Aquilla s brother Asprilla. Through this, chaos, and the love for, they see the destruction of stable society. He is often portrayed as a Doom Knight or a Demon Balor. Similarly to the ways of his brother, he rules alongside a council of demi-gods, but over hell as oppose to heaven.
Bane: The god of slaughter is chaotic evil. His title is The Many. He delights in panic and slaughter. In civilized lands, his followers (including evil fighters, barbarians and rogues) form small criminal cults. In savage lands, evil barbarians, gnolls, bugbears, ogres and trolls commonly worship him. The domains he is associated with are chaos, evil, trickery and war. His favoured weapon is a Morningstar or a great axe.
Lolth: The Goddess of the Dark Elves and more commonly called the Dark Mother or the Spider Queen. Most of her followers are made up by the elves (mostly females), who were corrupted by the winds of chaos that were released during the Cataclysm. She is the lady of chaos and death and completely opposes the orders of good gods. However, her arch-enemy is the Goddess of Life; she seeks to destroy life as it is, especially with her followers' sacrifice rituals of every third male child. As an advocate of strength, she forces her followers to purge the weak from her worshippers' society through survival of the fittest and social satisfaction in the underdark, to create the perfect elven race. Her favoured weapons are maces, whips and flails.
Vecna: Vecna, the god of secrets, is neutral evil. He is known as the Maimed Lord, the Whispered One, and the Master of Secrets. Vecna rules that which is not meant to be known and that which people wish to keep secret. The domains he is associated with are evil, knowledge, and magic. He usually appears as a lich who is missing his left hand and left eye. His favourite weapon is the dagger.
Nerull: The god of death is neutral evil. He is known as the Reaper, the Foe of all Good, and Hater of Life, Bringer of Darkness, King of Gloom and Reaper of Flesh. Nerull is the patron of those who seek the greatest evil for their own enjoyment or gain. The domains he is associated with are death, evil and trickery. His worshippers, who include evil necromancers and rogues, depict him as an almost skeletal cloaked figure whom bears a scythe, his favoured weapon.
This catastrophic event changed the land as those of that time knew it. Hurricanes blew in off the seas with powerful winds as earthquakes shook the foundations of civilization. Millions of mortals perished to the great upheaval of land and earth. It was Ryzlah that was swallowed by the sea from the hurricane floods, and Shiverton that felt the effects of the moving ground, twisting its earth into a tall mountain side village covered in snow and battered by the harsh winds. It was then that the Great Capital Corollah was struck by the earthquakes that riddled the world, destroying all its beautiful palaces, buildings and the Great Bridge that connected the city to Pranisburg. The land that once connected the southern lands was severed, leaving the great South Cities to turn into a barren desert. It was the dwarves whom were once a great race under the lordship of Rawrex XXX, who suffered the worst of The Cataclysm. The great Dwarven Halls collapsed under the world's stress - quakes destroyed their civilization and trapped its survivors in what was known as Blackrock. Though as uncanny as it may seem, the elven Farseers of the Ancient Forest foresaw this great time of trouble and warned the King of Arvale which. In turn, the warning was dismissed. The great prophet Azeral Nightstar returned to the forest after her failure in the royal human courts and warned of the dark days ahead, and so their preparations though magical and divine ways protected there forest from the great change in the landscape that was said to come true.
Night fell upon the world as the first day of the cataclysm was drawing to an end. The storms still swept across the lands and ravaged all those trying to survive the beginning of the dark ages. Although the earth had finally become calm, it was left devastated. The great quake occurred some time in the early morning of the second day. The ground split all over the continent, allowing the Mist of chaos to seep out into the world. The storms picked up the Mist and moved them across the lands, flooding parts of the world with darkness. Many were unsure about the Mist. Some say it has a life of its own and those exposed to it would become 'corrupted'. However, by break of day, the elves of the Ancient Forest would find themselves deep among the clouds of sin. Their only salvation was to escape into the tree tops for safety however, those exposed to the dark Mist become corrupt, thus giving birth to the dark elves.
For years after this, the winds brought the Mist of sin to towns and across the sea. The darkness would roll in and out of areas, consuming those foolish enough to challenge corruption. Such is the world today and the memory of The Cataclysm has turned from a nightmare to a myth and from myth to legend. There are very few who can remember the Cataclysm. But life rebuilds like it always does, and through this, Hamlet Heath has become the place to make strong and start afresh. Much of what was once has been lost and buried by the sands of times. The relics that are discovered are quickly hoarded by the various war lords that rule the land in the efforts to unlock the past and gain power though its secrets. The great kingdom of Arvale is now a shadow of what it once was and the years of the present a dark age.
To this day the 'Mist' appears from time to time, corrupting those exposed. Tremours and strange storms appear out of the blue. Why does this 'Mist' still come for us? Are we to forever live in fear? Are we now being punished? Some say we didn't deserve this, or did we?
Deities of Arvale (Good)
Asprilla: He is the god of valour. His title is the invincible. Asprilla promotes justice, valour, chivalry, and honour. The domains he is associated with are good, law, and war. His favoured weapon is the sword, regardless of length, and he is worshipped by paladins, fighters and monks. His archenemy is Aquilla, his younger brother. Ruling from the heavens, with his council of gods around the celestial table, he often finds company among demi-gods who are allies to his ways.
Good Demi-Gods
Rushmon: He is the god of strength and symbolizes chaotic good. He is also known as the brawler. Rushmon is the patron of athletes, especially wrestlers. His worshippers include fighters, barbarians and rogues. The domains he is associated with are chaos, good, luck, and strength. Rushmon's favoured weapon is the great sword. He is often depicted as a giant half-orc barbarian who likes to drink and start brawls in bars.
Helor: He is the god of the sun and symbolizes neutral good. His title is the Shining One. Helor is the creator of many good things, a supporter of those in need, and an adversary of all that is evil. He is the most commonly worshipped deity among ordinary humans, and his priests are well received wherever they go. Rangers and bards are found among his worshippers. The domains he is associated with are good, healing, strength and sun. The mace is his favoured weapon. Helor is generally depicted as a giant human dressed in a roman like toga.
Luna: The priestess of the Moon and symbolizes neutral good. Beloved of Helor, she is known for pacifism and kindness. She is always watching over the world while Helor rests throughout the night, for the moonlight is always shining, chasing away the darkness. This goes with exception on the new moon days where the moon has disappeared from the sky once each month. It's on this day that Luna and Helor spend the night together. The domains she is associated with are Good, Healing, and Magic. The quarter staff and mace are her favourite weapons. Luna is generally perceived as a beautiful woman whose hair is ankle length, dressed in a roman toga.
Rawrex: The god of the dwarves is lawful good. His titles include the Soul Forger, the all-father, and the creator. It is said that he created the first dwarves out of materials of the earth and breathed life into them. He governs the arts and sciences of dwarves: construction, metalworking, engineering and war. The domains he is associated with are Earth, Good, Law and Protection. His favoured weapon is the war hammer.
Deities of Arvale (Neutral)
Goddess of Life (Gaia): Gaia is the mother of all that lives. Scholars have said that she first created life in the world and now protects all who continue to bring new life into the world. She is often known as the goddess of life and the forests. Gaia watches over all creatures that live in the forest, those that love the woodlands or who are female. She is worshiped by rangers, druids and mothers. The domains she is associated with are Animal, Plant, Earth, and Water. Her favored weapon is the long bow.
Neutral Demi-Gods
God of Nature (Heronous): He is the god of nature and is neutral on all grounds. He is often called the God of Storms. Some say that it was he who summoned the earth's fury down on the people of Avarel. Heronous rules nature and the wilderness and he is friend to all who live in harmony with the natural world. Barbarians, rangers and druids sometimes worship him. The domains he is associated with are Air, animal, Earth, Fire, Plant and water. Because Heronous strictly adheres to neutrality, he is a rival of Gaia. His favoured weapon is the quarterstaff.
Goddess of Pleasure (Sharass): She is the goddess of love and more importantly pleasure. Beautiful and lavish life styles are what symbolize her role as a goddess. Her alignment is neutral, for love and pleasure has no bounds in morality. Those who love make their mates lovers, while those who do not use their mates for pleasure. Her domains are Luck, Trickery, and Healing. Based on those who worship her, many images have been developed. Those of the lighter folk see her as a beautiful and sexy woman. Those of dark alignment see her in bondage. Her favoured weapon varies between lighter and dark aligned worshipers. Some say the Goddess of Pleasure has no favoured weapon others say it s the whip.
God of Knowledge (Boccob): The god of magic, Boccob, is neutral. His titles include the Uncaring, Lord of All Magics, and the Archmage of the Deities. Boccob is a distant deity who promotes no special agenda in the world of mortals. As a god of magic and knowledge, he is worshipped by wizards, sorcerers, and sages. The domains he is associated with are knowledge, magic, and trickery. The quarterstaff is his favoured weapon.
God of Vagabonds (Olidammara): The god of rogues, Olidammara, is chaotic neutral. His title is the Laughing Rogue. Olidammara delights in wine, women, and song. He is a vagabond, a prankster and a master of disguise. His temples are few, but many people are willing to raise a glass in his honour. Rogues and bards are frequently found among his worshippers. The domains he is associated with are chaos, luck, and trickery. The rapier is his favoured weapon.
Deities of Arvale (Evil)
Aquilla: The god of tyranny, Aquilla is lawful evil. His titles are champion of evil, herald of hell, and scourge of battle. Aquilla is the demon noble of war, conflict, and destruction. Aquilla's worshippers include evil fighters and monks. The domains he is associated with are destruction, evil, law and war. His favoured weapon is the sword, regardless of length. He sends his followers to commit evil and their special purpose is to see the overthrow of Aquilla s brother Asprilla. Through this, chaos, and the love for, they see the destruction of stable society. He is often portrayed as a Doom Knight or a Demon Balor. Similarly to the ways of his brother, he rules alongside a council of demi-gods, but over hell as oppose to heaven.
Evil Demi-Gods
Bane: The god of slaughter is chaotic evil. His title is The Many. He delights in panic and slaughter. In civilized lands, his followers (including evil fighters, barbarians and rogues) form small criminal cults. In savage lands, evil barbarians, gnolls, bugbears, ogres and trolls commonly worship him. The domains he is associated with are chaos, evil, trickery and war. His favoured weapon is a Morningstar or a great axe.
Lolth: The Goddess of the Dark Elves and more commonly called the Dark Mother or the Spider Queen. Most of her followers are made up by the elves (mostly females), who were corrupted by the winds of chaos that were released during the Cataclysm. She is the lady of chaos and death and completely opposes the orders of good gods. However, her arch-enemy is the Goddess of Life; she seeks to destroy life as it is, especially with her followers' sacrifice rituals of every third male child. As an advocate of strength, she forces her followers to purge the weak from her worshippers' society through survival of the fittest and social satisfaction in the underdark, to create the perfect elven race. Her favoured weapons are maces, whips and flails.
Vecna: Vecna, the god of secrets, is neutral evil. He is known as the Maimed Lord, the Whispered One, and the Master of Secrets. Vecna rules that which is not meant to be known and that which people wish to keep secret. The domains he is associated with are evil, knowledge, and magic. He usually appears as a lich who is missing his left hand and left eye. His favourite weapon is the dagger.
Nerull: The god of death is neutral evil. He is known as the Reaper, the Foe of all Good, and Hater of Life, Bringer of Darkness, King of Gloom and Reaper of Flesh. Nerull is the patron of those who seek the greatest evil for their own enjoyment or gain. The domains he is associated with are death, evil and trickery. His worshippers, who include evil necromancers and rogues, depict him as an almost skeletal cloaked figure whom bears a scythe, his favoured weapon.