“At the beginning of time, the primeval god Los wandered through the Eternity of Nothingness and met the earth giantess Sumu, who had created herself. Her appearance deeply angered Los, as he had thought himself the only being in Eternity, and thus he decided to kill Sumu. The earth giantess fought bravely and wounded Los before he managed to defeat her. Twelve drops of blood fell from Los’s wound onto the dead body of Sumu. Suddenly, the primeval god felt remorse for what he had done, and he shed many a thousand tears that also fell on the earth giantess. From the twelve drops of blood, the Twelvegods emerged, and from the teardrops, the humans and all living creatures.”This is the official Aventurian creation myth that the Churches of the Twelvegods teach; this is the most popular religion in Aventuria. We want to take a closer look at these beliefs. Priests of the Twelvegods are usually called deonts; they can work wonders that invite the gods to meddle in the affairs of mortals.The Twelve form a pantheon: a society of gods. Although the centuries have seen many arguments and even open fights that threatened the unity of the Churches of the Twelvegods, they all recognize one another as being part of the one “true” faith.Each of the Twelvegods has his or her symbolic animal, and the months are each assigned to one god (both the symbolic animal and the month are listed in the paragraphs that follow). The Aventurian year begins in summer (to be more precise, at the summer solstice), on the first day of Praios (written as 1 Praios).More information about the gods and their priesthoods, their liturgies, and their deonts, especially as player character professions, can be found in the upcoming Gods and Demons supplement.
Praios (Griffin, 2nd summer month)
The prince of the gods is Master of Light and Sun and also the god of Truth, Law, and Rulership. The most magnificent and wealthy temples are dedicated to him—they are mostly found in larger cities, not so often in the countryside. His deonts, clad in gold and red, are known for their strictness and truthfulness. The cult of Praios is traditionally very widespread among the nobility and does not trust magic at all.
Rondra (Lioness, 3rd summer month)
Rondra is the goddess of War, Courage, Anger, Honor, Thunder and Lightning—these are her domains. Rondra’s temples are often well fortified. Her deonts wear a white tabard bearing a red lioness over a chain mail shirt as a uniform. The priest ranks are similar to those in the military. Priests are proud and never shun a challenge. The biggest forms of blasphemy for them are cowardice and deceit.
Efferd (Dolphin, 1st autumn month)
Efferd is the god of Water and Sea, patron god of seamen and fishermen. Temples dedicated to him are found in every port and in regions plagued by aridity. Efferd’s deonts wear vestments in blue and green, shun fire, and eat uncooked food. Their temples are usually lighted by the wondrous gleam of turquoise or yellowish-red Gwen Petryl Stones.
Travia (Wild Goose, 2nd autumn month)
Hearth and Home, Hospitality, and Faithfulness in Marriage are sacred to Travia. Her temples are in almost every town—they are usually not as magnificent as those of other gods, since most of the gold and silver offered there goes to feed the poor and provide quarters for the homeless. The deonts, clad in orange and red, are usually mild-mannered and friendly, but they certainly know how to convince a visitor to part with some of his money and give it to the needy—especially if you are someone who tries to make money through hospitality (such as innkeepers).
Boron (Raven, 3rd autumn month)
Boron is the god of Sleep, Oblivion, and especially Death. His temples are dark, forbidding buildings made of black stone. His temples are visited by the living only if someone they know has died. If an undead creature haunts a region, locals might seek the advice of the silent, serious deonts in their black robes. In Al’Anfa, Boron is the highest of the gods—even humans are sacrificed to him. This, as well as certain other “differences” has long caused a schism between the Al’Anfan and the Punin rites.
Hesinde (Snake, 1st winter month)
Hesinde is the goddess of Wisdom, Science. The Arts, Magic, and Alchemy also fall into this category. Her deonts, who are clad in yellow and green, seek out knowledge to collect and keep as well as magical artifacts that their temple might want to own. You can find temples dedicated to Hesinde in every large town, and most of them are of astonishing architectural beauty.
Firun (Polar Bear, 2nd winter month)
Firun is the god of Hunting and Winter. He has earned himself the name “The Grim” and is seldom approached directly in prayer. Most of the time, people pray to his daughter, Ifirn, who is friendlier. Few temples of Firun exist; they most often lie at the northern outskirts of a settlement and look more like hunting lodges than proper temples. His deonts are clad in fur and leather and are very serious, silent types, who are closer to the laws of the wild than to compassion and mercy.
Tsa (Rainbow Lizard, 3rd winter month)
Tsa, also called “The Young Goddess”, is Life, Renewal, and Change. Her deonts, in their rainbow-colored robes, are well liked wherever they go. People prefer to travel in their company, as the blessing of Tsa is obviously more popular than that of Boron among Aventurians.Temples to Tsa can be found in all larger towns and often lie in parks or groves.
Phex (Fox, 1st spring month)
Cunning Phex is the patron god of Thieves and Merchants, and it is said that the stars are blessed by him. The Cunning One (or The Fast One) has temples in almost every town, both official ones that are visited by merchants, and—so it is told—secret ones where thieves go to pray. His deonts try to be utterly inconspicuous and don’t wear any kinds of robes, just a brooch in the form of a fox. Phex is also patron god to many adventurers. Even hardened warriors sometimes send a quick prayer to the Fox if they can’t get to their goal by fighting, but only through cunning.
Peraine (Stork, 2nd spring month)
Agriculture, Herbs, and Healing Lore are the domains of Mistress Peraine. Thus, you can find her temples in nearly every village, but also in larger cities, where the deonts, clad in green, often run hospitals. Obviously, traveling heroes sometimes need Peraine’s help—some wounds and illnesses can be healed only at her temples.
Ingerimm (Hammer and Anvil, 3rd spring month)
Hammer and Anvil (instead of an animal) are the sacred symbols of Ingerimm. He is the god of Fire, Artisans, and Smiths, so it is not surprising that the dwarfs revere him, usually as their sole god. The deontship of Ingerimm has a temple in almost every larger town, and these mostly look like large forges and not traditional temples. Sometimes, they organize exhibitions of precious works by artisans.
Rahja (Mare, 1st summer month)
Rahja is the goddess of Wine, Intoxication, and Love. She protects lovers, but also dancers and courtesans who pray to her. Her deonts are clad in translucent robes of a brilliant red and are experts in integrating visitors to the temple into the Eternal Feast of the Goddess and communicating her wondrous excitement.
Demigods
Aventurian mythology calls all descendants of the gods “demigods,” no matter if they were parented by other gods, giants, or mortals. Of these, far too many exist to be listed in this short chapter. The one we must mention here is Swafnir, son of Rondra and Efferd according to traditional mythology, who travels the oceans in the form of a giant whale. Swafnir is the most important god of the Thorwalians and is more revered in Thorwal than the Twelve themselves—which also means that whaling ships are not at all liked in Thorwal.
Other Gods
First we must mention The God Without a Name, or Nameless One, the nemesis of the Twelvegods, whose worship is expressly forbidden in the whole of Aventuria. Still, one hears rumors time and again whispering of secret temples where cultists try to summon the power of the “Golden One.”On Maraskan, the twin gods Rur and Gror are worshipped. Maraskan’s mythology claims that Ethra, the world on which Aventuria is situated, is a discus that Rur has thrown to his brother.Rastullah is the one-god that is worshipped in the Khôm Desert and parts of Mhanadistan, and he does not accept any other gods apart from himself.The Nivese are the nomads of the far North. They revere the Sky Wolves, especially the chief of the pack, Gorfang, and his merciful daughter Liska.The woodsmen in the southern jungles worship countless spirits, the most important being Kamaluq, the Divine Jaguar.
