The Faiths of Baltia

Baltia is dominated by two pantheons of deities which reign side by side: The Old Gods, and the New Gods. Most individuals worship some combination of the two, though there are also a number of prominent heresies.

When the Cataclysm began, the first order of business for the Forgotten Chorus was to eradicate the most powerful potential enemies it would face. This meant the gods that reigned at the time were the first targets of its wrath, and even as they allied against this unprecedented threat, it would completely destroy them.

When the Chorus was defeated, the Heroes of the Cataclysm were left facing a void in the world of the divine that they were uniquely suited to fill, and thus 18 of them made the decision to ascend to godhood to act as the new divine beings maintaining the order and function of the world. They would become the Old Gods.

The balance carefully crafted by the Old Gods would be shattered with the return of Idakor, which would result in the rise of the New Gods. This dynamic would further skew with the Song of Rage, where half the Old Gods would die in the war with the Nameless One. Today, a delicate balance has once again been established between the deities, but for how long remains an unanswered question.

With the exception of the especially devout, most individuals tend to worship all or most of the Old Gods to some degree, and one New God that most aligns to the belief of the worshiper. This is due to the fundamental difference in what each Pantheon represents to each person.

The Old Gods are seen as similar to divine custodians, all equally necessary to ensure balance in the world and its continued function. The New Gods, meanwhile, each represent something more. They elicit a stronger reaction from their worshipers, but are less “vital” to the operations of the world itself.

This distinction is quite important for the gods. Each mortal soul constantly releases energy that flows to the gods they worship, granting them their power.

In a practical sense, the rituals conducted by individuals in the mortal world typically serve to redirect some of the energy created by the soul. For example, funeral services are usually devoted to the Merchant, and grant him power in exchange for the safe passage of the soul of the deceased. Combat training devoted to the Army will grant power to that deity, and is said to grant favorable odds to the most devout force.

Those who worship the Old Gods typically worship the pantheon as a whole in some way, with a few exceptions. This is due to the understanding that the Old Gods maintain the normal functions of the world, and thus are all equally in need of worship. Without this equal distribution, it is feared that the world's laws may unravel to some extent.

Of course, their are rivalries between the gods, and the more devout toward particular old gods one individual is, the more likely they are to exclude the enemies of their favored deities from their various acts of worship.

While mortals are inclined to spread their worship between Old Gods, there is no such inclination for the New Gods. Rather than maintain the normal function of the world, the New Gods instead represent ideological forces. As a result, worship of a New God is more of a philosophical or moral decision than a pragmatic one, and so typically only a single New God will find themselves subject to the worship of an individual mortal.

However, the worship that New God receives will typically be more dedicated and purposeful. While many mortals worship the Old Gods with the same enthusiasm they reserve for paying taxes, they're far more likely to truly believe in the message of a New God.

The Old Gods are composed of some of the Heroes of the Cataclysm and their allies, and their primary purpose as deities was to ensure the continued functioning of the world in the wake of the Cataclysm. In a way, they can be viewed as caretakers of the world.

The Army is the god of honorable warfare and chivalry, defining for mortals what true and honorable battle should be, and acting as patron god of soldiers. Its first member was a capable female dragonborn commander from before the Cataclysm by the name of Luna.

The Army is actually a collection of deceased soldiers who were recruited after their valiant death in battle. Each soldier proved themselves to be a just an righteous warrior, and so they were rewarded with a scrap of divinity. This means that the Army has become several thousands of separate individuals as time has gone on, each wholly committed to the preservation of honorable warfare.

Each member of the Army is a soldier that's far more powerful than any mere mortal, but this power amplifies as the soldiers fight together, and it becomes more than the sum of its parts as a result. Each soldier adds their experience and unique skills to each challenge faced by the Army, and the flexibility of being composed of many individuals allows the god to act in ways that are impossible to other gods.

The Army holds its true followers to very high standards, and it's said that they will only grant their aid to those in battle if its rules are upheld throughout. This typically means that a force must extend every courtesy to their enemies, through acts such as sparing the surrendered and leaving non-combatants unharmed. In exchange, those who invoke the name of the Army in battle may find their forces bolstered, and clerics of the Army can turn their allies into frightening combatants.

During the Song of Rage, the Army was given the difficult task of attempting to turn the New God Vacal against its master, the Nameless One. The Army faced Vacal in open battle, suffering the full wrath of the vicious deity, and after a brutal conflict they managed to sever one of its four arms. Impressed with the performance of the Army, Vacal agreed to join them against the Nameless One, refusing to retake its severed limb until the Army was crushed by its hand.

Since then, the Army has guarded the Black Gate which houses the Lower Three New Gods. It serves as the first line of defense against those who would seek to try to free the Nameless One from its prison, constantly training in preparation for their next challenge. Vacal frequently sends some of his forces to attack the Army to test them for weakness, in the hopes of one day regaining his lost limb.

The Admiral is the patron god of sailors, holding the domains of the sea and sailing, as well as naval warfare and artillery. Once known as Tordek Torrun, he served as the admiral of a navy belonging to a nation destroyed shortly before the Cataclysm, who joined the Heroes to continue fighting for his people.

While the stout and industrious mining people of Solaria are typically referred to as “Dwarves” by most, most are unaware that this is simply their common name. In actuality, the people are properly referred to as “Torrunians” in all scholarly contexts, as well as most most noble ones. This name comes from that of the Admiral, taken in honor and remembrance of his work during the Cataclysm.

Additionally, his direct descendants live on as the ver Torrun noble line of Solaria, currently having significant influence over the most mountainous regions of the continent.

Those who invoke the Admiral's name are expected to respect both the seas and those who travel them. Worshipers must fly honest flags, save the lives of those in peril without an expectation of reward, and ensure the reasonable care of passengers on their vessels. In exchange, they may find their travels to be safer, or their crew more prepared to face challenges as their arise.

In the Afterlife, the Admiral sails the sea that surrounds the great continent, constantly patrolling to destroy those who would harm simple travelers of the seas. Most of the foes he encounters are fiends, though he does sometimes come to blows with the Gambler and the Capitalist, or the followers of either. While he does not necessarily hate either god, the domains of piracy and exploitation that they command disgusts him into action against them at times.

During the Cataclysm, the Heroes found themselves allied with the artificer Arthur Dryanni. His grand ideas proved immensely useful to their goals, and as a result, the Heroes of the Cataclysm elevated him to Godhood after their victory. He became the god of crafting and technology, and is the god of choice for those who craft items of any kind.

Despite living nearly a millennium and a half ago, Arthur Dryanni is responsible for the creation of the modern world. His most impressive invention, the Dryanni Chamber, is used in all aspects of modern technology, and is responsible for groundbreaking innovations from the Airship to the Firearm. It was only with modern abilities to refine fuel for the Dryanni Chamber that his ancient invention was able to reach such potential.

The Maker is not an especially demanding god, simply wanting his followers to put their heart and soul into their creations. It is his preference that the items created by his followers be used for good, but he also believe that merely introducing new creations into the world is good in itself. His devoted followers often spend the majority of their days testing new ideas and creating new items that they can then release into the world.

The Maker today resides within a vast workshop located in the afterlife, where his followers converge once they shed their mortal coils. Those most devoted to him are given a single chance to craft a masterpiece, and the greatest creations allow their masters to enter the Maker's service for eternity. From then on, they may spend each day creating and crafting.

The construct god of Order and Law, the Sentinel acts as the enforcer of divine rule. He was a construct found and repaired by the Heroes of the Cataclysm, and served them with such dedication and loyalty that he was elevated to godhood after the Cataclysm.

The Old Gods, despite allying with one another to defeat the Forgotton Chorus, were not all friends. Some distrusted out outright despised one another, and so it was agreed that the majority would enforce laws that all gods must follow. When the issue of enforcing these laws was raised, it was agreed that the only deity outside the bickering of the Old Gods was the Sentinel.

As such, the construct was given the role of enforcing divine mandates, both for gods and mortals. As such, he is one of the few gods able to directly influence the world of mortals without the need to use Clerics, able to animate constructs in the mortal world with the souls of his angels.

He was also the deity responsible for turning Euries against the Nameless One during the Song of Rage. Allegedly, understanding the dark god's desire for order, the Sentinel noted that the destruction the Nameless One sought would likely result in the world being replaced only with the chaotic Outside, and that to assist it would be against her true nature.

Worshipers of the Sentinel are those who seek stability and order. They are the ones who fight to ensure the cracks in the foundations of societies are repaired as they appear, and that laws are obeyed. His followers may be simple constables enforcing the order of a backwater town, or as important as heroes standing in the way of foes that seek to unravel reality.

The Sentinel is posted at the Tear, where the barrier of the Afterlife is weakest, with both the Void and the Outside looming overhead. He stands a vigilant watch there, the first line of defense against any potential intruder into the world. His followers surround him, and are often deployed to various locations to enforce the divine decrees that are the Sentinel's burden to uphold. He keeps a close eye on the Inciter, as the two are natural adversaries.

The Balancer was once better known as Methricus Fairdawn, a minor elven noble and capable wizard. Following the Cataclysm, he would ascend to godhood and devote himself to curbing the excesses of his fellow gods and mediating issues between them. He is also the guardian of Forgotten Chorus, and views the containment of that force as his most important responsibility.

As one of the more military-minded of the Heroes of the Cataclysm, it is no surprise that the ver Fairdawn bloodline that descends from him would become the military arm of Solaria. Even in the afterlife, the angels of Methricus are often the ones at the forefront of organizing raids against the various fiends that threaten mortal souls.

However, his primary role has become one of a mediator. He is often the one responsible for arbitrating disputes amongst the Old Gods, acting as a voice of reason when old rivalries cause tempers to flare. He's typically understood to be on good relations with all the Old Gods, as well as the New Gods.

Those who worship the Balancer before all other gods are expected to curb excess when it is found, be it good or bad. Society and nature, good and evil, kindness and cruelty must all be allowed to exist as the struggle between them is ultimately better for all things. Allowing one to dominate the other stifles life and only causes harm. Druids and Rangers are often followers of the Balancer, as his creed reflects the natural cycle of society.

The example of creeping vines is the best example of their beliefs. While the flowering plants may be beautiful and natural, they may choke the life from any other plants nearby, and they may damage buildings they cling to the sides of. Therefore, they require regular pruning to keep them in check.

Since the establishment of the nation of Church, destruction of its faithful has also become a priority to his most zealous followers. This nation, which seeks to release the Forgotten Chorus, is a threat that the Balancer seeks to destroy with every resource available to him.

The Balancer resides in a tower located in the direct center of the afterlife. This stone spire is said to be a mile in diameter, and acts as a city where the Angels of the Balancer reside. The deity himself lives at the top of the spire, where the prison of the Forgotten Chorus is located, and keeps it under constant guard.

The Inciter was the patron of one of the Heroes of the Cataclysm, who was granted divinity at her request. His primary interest is in preventing the stagnation of the world by invoking constant change, for better or worse, so as to force the world to adapt and evolve. As such, he is known as the god of Revolution and Uprisings.

Followers of the Inciter claim that it is not a malicious god, being comparable to a tornado or a flood. He is simply devoted entirely to constant change, demanding that nothing stay in place too long, good or bad. Under his name, both tyrannical dictatorships and peaceful democracies have been burned to ashes and replaced with cobbled-together governments of desperation that bloomed into systems of power drastically unlike their predecessors.

Those who admit to worshipping the Inciter are some of the most devout believers the Old Gods can claim. If one is willing to risk becoming a pariah to civilization in the way that his worshipers are, they are typically quite self-assured and convinced of the necessity of the disorder their god demands, but they vary widely in the application of their faith. Some suave followers may plot in secret for years, living a normal life before springing their plans to disrupt some aspect of society great or small.

Others may act as wrecking balls, attempting to dismantle institutions with the speed and grace of a rampaging gorilla. In either case, the upheaval they cause is its own reward, and they rarely have a greater goal beyond forcing society to adapt to the trouble caused in one way or another.

The Inciter is unique among all gods in that he refused to reside in the Afterlife. Finding the prospect to be hellishly boring, he instead demanded to be allowed to reside within the world of mortals. This was granted, though at a cost. He is similarly unable to flaunt his divine power directly in any meaningful capacity, typically unable to do anything more than parlor tricks himself. However, he is able to witness events firsthand, and speak directly with mortals. He uses this primarily to antagonize mortals and goad them into chaos, if rumors are to be believed.

In exchange for the freedom of movement that the Inciter enjoys in the mortal world, he does not have the ability to make his followers into angels, and thus is served only by mortals. As a result, he lacks much of the raw power that many other gods can claim, and is forced to rely on misdirection and subterfuge to get his way.

The Merchant was a necromancer by the name of Constantine Aurelius, who ruled a nation that existed in the time just prior to the Cataclysm. He provided invaluable service to the Heroes of the Cataclysm, despite some minor conflict between them. He is the god of death and commerce, as well as deception. Those who have seen him and returned from the dead claim he always has a large and intelligent bear by his side.

The Merchant, like the Sentinel, is able to directly influence the world of mortals. However, this is due to what could be considered a loophole rather than agreement by the gods. As the god responsible for the passing of souls to the afterlife, he can be more selective in his enforcement. He is able to allow those he sees fit to return to the world of the living, though he does not do so for free.

Those who agree to his terms will find that the Merchant retains half their soul, augmenting his power ever so slightly, while also giving them some dark powers when they return to life. They are also expected to be the most devote of his followers, following his doctrine relentlessly and hunting those who would defy his will. Failure to do so means an end to the deal, and the Merchant uses the fragment of the soul in his possession to recall the remainder back to the afterlife.

The Merchant claims dominion over souls, and is responsible for ensuring the natural order of life and death is followed. As such, his primary directive for his worshipers is to bring death to those who think they are above it and who have unnatural longevity. His followers, therefore, seek to purge any undead which have a soul as well as those who create them.

This does not mean that all undead must be purged, only those which are animated by souls. Necromancers who animate Skeletons and Zombies with arcane energy do not suffer his wrath, as they do not prevent a soul from reaching the afterlife in doing so. However, Wights and Wraiths are examples of undead that are made from souls that refuse to pass on naturally, and they must be made to do so.

The Merchant also actively calls on his followers to target those of the Capitalist, though not with the same fervor. The followers of the two rival gods are eager to spill the blood of one another, though it's a conflict that the Merchant appears to have the leading position in.

The Merchant is never known to remain in a single place, moving from location to location within the afterlife in fairly short order. Part of this is attributed to be due to boredom, as remaining in a single location lacked the excitement that he enjoyed, and also to create a greater challenge for those who wish to seek his aid to return to life.

However, the Capitalist is also known to go out of his way to antagonize the Merchant, and so the God of Death wishes to remain in hiding to avoid dealing with the nuisances created for him by his nemesis. His angels remain in a single place within the afterlife, a castle of the dead far from most other locations in that world, and he sometimes returns when needed to manage affairs there.

During the Song of Rage, the Merchant managed to find Ahris, a feat that impressed the God of Secrets sufficiently to allow the Merchant an audience. While what was shared between them is unknown, Ahris would later be revealed to have defected from the Nameless One following this conversation, betraying her master at the perfect moment.

The Gambler is among the oldest of the Old Gods, having been born as Vicril Eboncross over a thousand years before the Cataclysm. He was a notorious pirate with a gambling addiction for much of his life, and thus he has taken on the domains of chance, gambling, and piracy. However, after several years of activity, he became far less prominent as his addiction consumed him. This has continued after his ascent to godhood, and he's typically viewed as one of the least active gods because of it.

Unlike most gods, the Gambler is not known to have any meaningful agenda or overarching goal. By most accounts, he cares only for the thrill that gambling provides, and ascended to godhood following the Cataclysm only so he could increase his bets as the previous ones gradually became less and less exciting for him.

However, this means that he is not a god which stands for very much. Pirates and thieves pray to him as their patron god before raids, and those making risky decisions hope for his indirect influence to turn the odds in their favor. However, most find very little reason to devote themselves wholly to the Gambler, and so few do so.

Those that follow the Gambler are encouraged to take chances, giving themselves to the thrill that doing so provides. He is indifferent to the specific risks that are taken, and so his most devout worshipers may choose any manner of expression. This may take the form of high-rolling gamblers, serial killers who provide a means for their victims to survive, or adventurers who take especially risky missions.

The Gambler is said to frequently see through the eyes of his most noteworthy followers, getting his thrill vicariously though them, and rewarding them for taking greater and greater risks. Of course, the Gambler is as limited as all other gods in how he can influence the world, and those who take some risks may be beyond his help. Even those he can help may not always receive his aid, as if the odds were always stacked in their favor, there wouldn't be much room for chance.

The Gambler resides in a ship converted into an enormously large casino. While not experiencing meaningful thrills through his followers or in the afterlife, the Gambler is said to spend most of his days idly playing the games available in his personal casino to hold himself over until his next proper gamble. What angels he has spend their days similarly, sometimes leaving the ship to raid a potentially vulnerable target.