On Deities
"The gods are just, and of our our pleasant vices / Make instruments to plague us"
-Shakespeare, King Lear
"Are you a god?"
-Gozer the Gozerian, Ghostbusters
I think it does not go far enough to say that gods have always been an integral part of fantasy. I think that gods are the root and cause of fantasy. Our earliest tales are without exception efforts to explain the origins and motives of the gods, attempts to understand the world around us by understanding its creators. From Gilgamesh to the Bible, everything that modern fantasy is based on comes from various ancient mythologies. While there is modern fantasy that does not contain any overt references to any deities or higher powers the very building blocks of story telling itself are crafted from the bones of gods.
Modern fantasy literature is also fascinated with the subject of gods and religion. Neil Gaiman's novel "American Gods" is a recent outstanding example. "The Lord of the Rings" has a rich mythology starting with the creation of the world, though little of this comes out openly in the trilogy. And mainstream culture is still very much concerned with theology. It is at the center of the ongoing clash between Western and Muslim societies. Let us not even wade into the murky waters of "intelligent design" and all the other debates centered around our own culture's dominant religion. Instead I will stick with fiction and just mention such diverse treatments as C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" and Kevin Smith's movie "Dogma" as evidence of how many modern stories have been driven by Christianity.
So in a game such as D&D where heroes strive against dragons, the forces of Hell, and assorted other evil forces the presence of gods has been a given from the very beginning. It's built right into the structure of the game. Clerics and paladins derive their powers from the gods, after all. And there are rules and mechanisms in the game governing their appearance, abilities, and effects.
Yet individual DMs have an enormous latitude in determining exactly what shape this important part of their game world takes. There was nothing specified at all about gods in the original D&D. First edition AD&D introduced "Deities and Demigods", a wonderful book that sketched out various pantheons from both mythology and literature. With "Monster Mythology" in the second edition some original deities for the demi-human races were introduced, and more deities were created and detailed for the Forgotten Realms setting. By the time of third edition an official "D&D pantheon" of original deities had emerged and been codified in print.
But even as detailed as the game's deity structure has become over the years no individual DM is forced to use it. DMs who create their own worlds can deal with the issue of gods in their campaigns in many different ways. One could create a monotheistic universe, or one where the gods dwell on earth and rule as kings, or one where the gods are giant boulders scattered around the world, or even one where there are no gods at all and clerics draw their powers from The Force or some other wellspring.
The gods of Elcea have evolved and changed along with the campaign over the years. Early on I did not deal with the issue very much. Since there were only three alignments, and all the PCs were Good, I came up with Eru as the deity that the clerics prayed to. A bit later I selected a range of my favorite deities from various parts of "Deities and Demigods" and cobbled together a pantheon out of that, retaining Eru as one of these and tossing in a couple of others of my own invention. This served well for a number of years, but after a time I became dissatisfied. I wanted something more cohesive and organic, something that better reflected the evolving and emerging character of the world of Elcea.
I therefore launched an project to create a large mythology out of whole cloth. Because the scope of the task was such a large one I turned to Leanne for help, and that turned out to be a good idea. Having someone else's input allowed me to create something more creative and original than I would have come up with on my own. This was the origin of the current pantheon used in the game. Many of these gods have become as familiar to the players as the gods of Greek or Norse mythology - Erivita, Suth, Parados, Fialle, Ussiska, and all the others.
One other person besides Leanne and myself had a role in shaping this pantheon. To give credit where it is due, Pete actually influenced the current structure in several ways. First, he was the creator of Buroc, who I incorporated into the current pantheon when I created it. Second, I took the character name generator he had created and seeded it with names of gods from many different mythologies. Almost all of the names currently used for the gods came directly from the resulting output. Finally, through the background work he did for his character Postumus he contributed quite a bit of material that I still use involving the structure and organization of Eru worship.
Three of the current gods, as I have mentioned, were actually created much earlier in the campaign. Eru, Beniceem, and Fangtheme were the originals who I carried over to the new pantheon. Eru and Beniceem have always been the two best known and most influential gods in the campaign. Together they form a kind of Old Testament/New Testament duality, justice (Eru) tempered by mercy (Beniceem). Fangtheme, as Beniceem's evil twin brother, mostly came along because of his link to his sibling.
In addition to the gods I have created for the campaign I also use the demi-human and humanoid deities created for 2nd edition. I like them, and they have been used long enough to become part of the fabric of the campaign. I had enough trouble replacing the cobbled-together pantheon I formerly used with the new one. Some of those old gods were closely tied to certain characters, which made the change difficult for those characters.
So anyway, we have gods. For those who want to take a closer look at them, you can click here. Simply having a bunch of deities hanging around on some other planes is only a start, however. Even more important is what kind of role and presence they have in the campaign.
My preference is to keep them offstage for the most part. Sure, they have a small daily role in play in granting spells to clerics and paladins and such, but this process is routine and doesn't deserve a lot of attention. I think that even peripheral appearances by the gods should be kept to a minimum, though, and direct meetings should be rare events indeed. This is not just to preserve the sense of awe and excitement that I think such an event should generate. Using them too liberally raises too many temptations in a DM to start using them as a (apt term, in this case) deus ex machina. The player characters should be the focus of the ongoing adventure. It is their decisions, their wit and intelligence, and their actions that should drive the campaign. The appearance of a deity usually results in a kind of "cut scene" in game play, reducing the characters to spectators.
I do, however, value having the deities exert an important offstage presence in the ongoing game. I like having their identities and values flavor the campaign world and exert an influence on PCs and NPCs alike. After all, in the game world these beings really do control the things that fall within their sphere of influence. Consider the difference this makes. In our world complex physical laws dictate the period of the earth's rotation and thus periods of light and darkness on the earth's surface. Each new day comes because it must, "sure as the sun's gonna rise". In Elcea it happens because Tova makes it happen. If Tova decides to do otherwise, or is somehow prevented, there is no sunrise. Elceans know this in their bones. If an Elcean makes a reference to the sunrise they are likely to say "Praise Tova" afterwards, and not just as an automatic conversation filler. This is one of the things that can make the game world seem unique and strange, and thus helps bring the world alive for the players.
Even though gods may not often appear directly, they are wonderful devices for driving plots. The Bloodhawk's Quest of the Avian God adventure was one of the most epic adventures in the history of the campaign and dealt directly with gods and their powers and rivalries. Even at the very end, though, when Maripol became a god, she was whisked offstage in the course of her transformation and her presence was thereafter felt only indirectly. The current overarching plot for Swords and Scrolls began with a meeting with a demi-god. In this case she appeared directly to the players, but of course she was only a demi-god and the circumstances were such that a prolonged or repeat engagement was impossible.
Most gods from Western mythology are presented in the tales as being very much like ordinary people with extraordinary powers. Zeus may be able to hurl lightning bolts and hatch daughters from his forehead, but at his core he has emotions, drives, and passions little different from most men. This makes sense, given the origin of these tales. The ancient Greeks were attempting to put a human face on the unknown. It suits my purposes to have the Elcean gods break this mold a bit. They are more remote, more ineffable, than most mythological pantheons.
There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is this model for them supports their role as largely unseen powers moving mysteriously behind the scenes. The second is that it removes the campaign a step or two from the environment in some campaigns where deities are simply NPCs with unusually high statistics, subject to being attacked and defeated by bands of munchkin PCs. "Hey cool, I just killed Thor and now I have his hammer!"
The background history that I have developed for the campaign also supports this. For the uninitiated, here is a brief recap: long ago (roughly 15,000 years) Elcea was inhabited by entirely different races and ruled by entirely different gods. These races and gods had more than a slightly Lovecraftian flavor. There were no humans, no elves, no orcs, none of the familiar campaign races. At length, and for purposes that are unknown but are the subject of great debate among sages and the wise, the Elder Gods decided to make a change. They banished the Elcean gods and their subjects to some eldritch dimension. There they lurk still, by the way, yearning to return to the world they once ruled. In their place the current group of gods arose.
In the early years there was much strife among the gods as they sought to establish their spheres of influence and assert their powers. They spent much of their time on Elcea itself, and on occasion it became a battleground. In such a way the Earth Wound was created. But the gods soon realized that their strife threatened the world they had been set to rule, and they set aside their differences long enough to create the Compact. This agreement meant that the gods could no longer intervene in events on Elcea by appearing in their full power. They had to work indirectly, through intermediates, or constrain their powers through the use of avatars. And so it has been ever since.
Certainly strife among the gods is not ended, however. Their agendas clash on many different levels. In some cases this takes the form of friendly competition and rivalry, but in others it is a fundamental clash over the future of every soul on the planet. But even though the struggle between Good and Evil is the paramount conflict, there are many other divisions. The conflict between Iymara, god of nature, and Erivita, the god of agriculture, is a good example. Both are well intentioned towards the human and demi-human races, but their visions for them are much different. Erivita likes well-tilled farmlands, and Iymara prefers wilderness. There are many, many places where these goals are mutually exclusive.
The exact number of greater and lesser gods is unknown. This is partly because not all gods seem to be known in all areas, and some gods may be known by one name in some places and by a different name in others. Even the most learned are not sure if in some cases this is a single deity presenting a different aspect or two different deities. The Elder Gods, for their part, are a complete mystery. They play no direct role in Elcea or its surrounding planes at all. What their role is, where they exist, how many of them are there, are all unknown. There are stories that they themselves answer to some ultimate power or powers. But these are only stories.
Looking at this recap, you can see how it supports a couple of things I have already talked about. For one thing, the Compact effectively removes the gods from direct play. It also sets up all sorts of plotlines where the PCs must undertake, willingly or unknowingly, adventures that see them acting as agents of the gods. When the gods cannot take direct action themselves they must find those able to do the work for them. For another thing, the fact that deities can be known by different names in different places gives me a little wiggle room in allowing gods from my previous pantheon to appear on occasions when continuity demands it.
It also sets up a couple of things in the campaign environment that I enjoy. The first is the under layer (literally and figuratively) of Lovecraftian horror, which is fun to allow to bleed through into the campaign occasionally. It also has a lot to do with the unusual cosmology surrounding the world of Elcea itself. Elcea is a flat world, orbited by its sun, set in a region of space where magical laws apply and some scientific laws are suspended. Why it exists, and why the Elder Gods see fit to change management there occasionally, are enduring mysteries to the sages and philosophers who live there.
Below the gods themselves there are many, many other powers. I am much less shy about letting these beings, be they demi-gods, saints, dukes of Hell, or whatever, appear the campaign. Though they are quite powerful their powers and abilities really are not so vast as to dwarf the PCs into nothingness. Sure, Orcus might stomp a PC group into the ground, but they could at least try to take him on, and though I think he could beat the Bloodhawks rather handily he would at least know he had been in a fight. Such beings are much more able to act freely within Elcea, and may even dwell there. An example would be the Three Great Wizards who have appeared or been an influence throughout the campaign - Arturus, Muer, and Gormar the Poisoner.
While properly worshiping one's gods in Elcea does take an investment in time and tribute, there can be concrete benefits to the player as well as roleplaying benefits. Oaths sworn before the gods carry great weight in Elcea. The gods are not kind to oathbreakers, but if the oath sworn is a worthy one the PC might find things happening that support its fulfillment. Likewise characters who pay attention to their gods are much more likely to find their help forthcoming when it is needed. The gods will never intervene unless asked, and even the most devout character has a slim chance of receiving obvious aid, but such intervention has saved groups on several occasions in the history of the campaign.
To conclude, the gods are out there. They are an important part of the framework of my campaign, even if their role is not often in the foreground. In a sense they are the NPCs whose role is closest to my own. They watch, they judge, they nudge things here and there, and when necessary they take action, preferably indirectly. Ignoring them has its perils, as sometimes does invoking them. And beyond them, perhaps, are other powers, slender strings stretching beyond the rim of the cosmos to mysterious hands. And beyond those powers are there other strings? If there are, where do they finally end? Perhaps in my hands. Or perhaps…elsewhere.
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