Know Your Deities: Heironeous & Hextor, The Basics

The war gods, Heironeous and Hextor, are half-brothers and arch-enemies. In many ways they are the good and evil sides of the same coin, making them both very similar and diametrically opposed.

Heironeous

Title: The Invincible
Home Plane: Celestia
Symbol: A fist holding a lightning bolt
Portfolio: Valor, Chivalry, Justice, Honor, War, Daring
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Good, Law, War, Glory*, Inquisition*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Longsword

The good war god, Heironeous promotes justice, valor, chivalry and honor. Temples to Heironeous are typically built like fortified castles, particularly in unsettled areas where they double as fortresses. Even in settled areas, a temple to Heironeous will have a large grassy area where soldiers can drill and knights can joust. The interiors are decorated with blue and silver trappings and often feature stained glass and tapestries of Heironeous standing triumphant. They always have well-stocked armories.

Heironeous is most closely aligned with Bahamut, St. Cuthbert and Pelor, though he considers all who stand against evil and injustice to be allies. He finds Olidammara annoying at times, but has been known to enjoy his charm and humor. He opposes all who spread evil and suffering, especially his half-brother, Hextor.

Appearance
Heironeous appears as a tall human man in a full robe of chainmail. He has coppery skin and auburn hair. His skin is said to be impervious to all but the mightiest of weapons.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Heironeous expects his followers to uphold the highest ideals of chivalry and justice and to treat adversity as a challenge to be met and overcome, just as evil should be overcome. The world is a dangerous place where those who fight for justice and who protect the weak and the innocent face a never-ending series of challenges. He exhorts his followers to act honorably at all times, and to uphold the virtues of justice and chivalry with deeds, not just words. Those who face danger with certainty and calm will prevail against evil, Heironeous advises.

Clergy
The religious order of Heironeous is organized much like a military order, with a clear chain of command. When not battling against Hextor, clerics of Heironeous protect civilized lands from threats of evil. Older clerics often serve as strategists, judges and military instructors. Priestly vestments involve suits of chainmail and blue robes or tabards with silver trim.

Clerics of Heironeous are widely admired, though many find their high ideals and intense devotion to their cause intimidating. This admiration stems mostly from the fact that they battle genuine evils with little concern for monetary gain. "Glory is the reward for defeating evil."

Clerics of Heironeus may be lawful good, lawful neutral or neutral good. Heironeous counts many paladins as followers.

Planar Allies
Typically, Heironeous sends Hound Archons, Trumpet Archons, and Hound Archon Heroes as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Heironeous has access to the Glory, Good, Law, Nobility and War domains.


Hextor

Title: Champion of Evil, Herald of Hell, Scourge of Battle
Home Plane: Acheron
Symbol: A black gauntlet holding six red arrows
Portfolio: Tyranny, War, Discord, Massacres, Conflict, Fitness
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Law, War, Domination*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Flail

The evil war god, Hextor commands his followers to reign supreme over all lesser beings. Temples to Hextor take the form of large, forbidding fortresses, built to impress the common-folk of Hextor's power. His temples are typically built at mountain passes, river-crossings or other locations of great strategic importance. These are also often sites where great battles once took place. They often have massive forges to equip entire armies and their armories are always well-stocked.

Hextor has a strong, if often uneasy, alliance with Gruumsh, Nerull, Tiamat and Wee Jas. He utterly despises his half-brother, Heironeous, and has a long-standing rivalry with Erythnul. Otherwise, he opposes almost all other deities (exceptions include Olidammara, whom he finds annoying but tolerates, and Boccob and Vecna, whom he basically ignores).

Appearance
Most of the time, Hextor appears as a horrible, gray-skinned, six-armed humanoid male. He carries a weapon in each hand and wears black scale armor. Sometimes, particularly when portrayed as the god of fitness, he appears as a young, handsome human male with light skin and dark hair.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Hextor seeks to conquer or destroy any that oppose him. He tells his followers that the world is a dark and bloody place where the strong rule the weak, and power is the only reward worth anything. The cruel and unrelenting pursuit of one’s goals is the only reliable path to success. Order must be forged out of chaos and law out of anarchy. Tyranny brings order out of chaos. Dissenters must be oppressed or destroyed lest anarchy reign.

Clergy
Hextor's priesthood is organized in military fashion, with training being very rigorous and harsh (failure is usually fatal). When not battling against Heironeous, clerics of Hextor are often planning or leading attacks against rebels and do-gooders. They are constantly scheming to overthrow regimes that seem likely targets for conquest.

It is often joked that clerics of Hextor know how to say "He must be obeyed!" in every known language.

Hextor's sect is not as secretive as most evil deities, and temples operate openly in many settled areas. Clerics of Hextor may be lawful evil, lawful neutral or neutral evil. They wear scale armor and black or blood-red robes or tabards.

Planar Allies
Typically, Hextor sends Bearded Devils, Barbed Devils, and Horned Devils as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Hextor has access to the Destruction, Evil, Law, Strength and War domains.

Know Your Deity: Garl Glittergold, The Basics

Titles: The Joker, The Watchful Protector, The Priceless Gem, The Sparkling Wit
Home Plane: Bytopia
Symbol: A gold nugget
Portfolio: Gnomes, Humor, Wit, Illusions, Gemcutting, Jewelrymaking
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Good, Protection, Trickery, Community*, Creation*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe

Garl Glittergold discovered the gnomes and led them into the world. Since then, he has been their protector. Temples to Garl take the form of small shrines and chapels, built wherever gnomes congregate. Many of these are underground and almost all are magically hidden. Their clerics fill them with beautiful (often golden) things and many have archives of illusion spells, trap designs, jokes and stories. Shrines to Garl will typically include at least one trap to harass unwelcome visitors. These traps are seldom fatal and usually quite whimsical.

Garl Glittergold is most closely allied with Corellon Larethian, Moradin and Yondalla, though he is on good terms with Pelor. Garl is renowned for the pranks he plays on the other deities; however, not all deities laugh off the jests. Garl once collapsed the cave of Kurtulmak (god of kobolds). Since then, gnomes and kobolds have been mortal enemies.

Appearance
Garl Glittergold appears as a handsome, golden-skinned gnome with gems for eyes. He is well-dressed, usually in a silk jacket with long tails. He always wears a lot of gold jewelry and accoutrement.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Garl promotes a doctrine of practicality tempered with humor. Ignorance and complacency are dangerous, warns Garl, and he urges his people to explore not only the world around them but new ways of doing things. Garl also emphasizes brains over brawn, and he teaches that befuddling or embarrassing a foe can be just as complete a victory as slaying or capturing that foe.

Clergy
Clerics of Garl Glittergold combine both a sense of duty towards their community with a mischievous sense of humor. Pranks are a sacrament and clerics with authority never take themselves too seriously. Indeed, it is said the first thing Garl did upon discovering the gnomes was tell a hilarious joke.

Clerics of Garl serve as guardians and teachers in their communities. They maintain a careful vigilance against hostile races (particularly kobolds) and they instruct the young using a mixture of practicality and humor. For garments, clerics of Garl Glittergold prefer gold or the color of their favorite gem(s). They always favor gold jewelry.

Clerics of Garl Glittergold may be of any good alignment and must be gnomes. Gnomes rarely heed the call of paladinhood but many become druids.

Planar Allies
Typically, Garl Glittergold sends Bralani Eladrins, Leonal Guardinals, and Elder Xorns as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Garl Glittergold has access to the Artifice, Community, Good, Protection and Trickery domains.

Know Your Deity: Pelor, The Basics

Title: The Shining One
Home Plane: Elysium
Symbol: A face in a sun
Portfolio: Sun, Light, Healing, Strength
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Good, Healing, Strength, Sun, Glory*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Mace

Pelor is the creator of many good things, a supporter of those in need, and an adversary of all that is evil. As the sun god, Pelor plays a major role in agriculture. That, along with his teachings of healing and strength, make him very popular among humans. Pelor is often seen as the unofficial patron deity of humans (though humans technically do not have one). Pelorian temples can be found almost anywhere. His temples tend to be tall, airy buildings with large windows (in more affluent areas these are often stained-glass). They are blindingly white and often placed in areas where the sun can shine into most of the rooms for most of the day. They often feature large, open, sunny courtyards as well. They are kept scrupulously clean and most have hospital wings.

Among the core deities, Pelor is most closely allied with Heironeous, St. Cuthbert, and Yondalla, though he is friendly to all good-aligned deities. He opposes all evil deities (especially Nerull) and his clerics avoid neutral deities whose teachings are counter to Pelor's (such as Wee Jas).

Appearance
Pelor appears as a tall, elderly human with long, wild hair and a beard of shining gold. He is garbed in shining white robes.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Though widely revered as a peaceful and gentle deity who alleviates suffering, Pelor also has more martial aspects. He brings his wrath to bear on darkness and evil, and he invigorates and heals those who champion the cause of good. Pelor teaches that the energy of life originates from the sun. This light brings strength to the weak and health to the injured, while destroying darkness and evil. He urges his followers to challenge the forces of corruption aggressively, but also to remember that just as staring at the sun can cause blindness of the eyes, relentless attention to the destruction of negative forces can blind the heart to the true essentials of life: kindness, mercy, and compassion.

Clergy
Priests of Pelor are well-received wherever they go. They are kindly people with backbones of steel. They are nurturers and protectors first, though they are not afraid to take arms against evil when necessary. They heal the sick, bless crops and otherwise help any in need. They oppose undead more so than clerics of any other deity. They wear yellow robes.

Because of Pelor's popularity among the common folk, he attracts many earnest youths who want to make the world a better place. While his clerical training is not unduly harsh, it is rigorous enough to send many of these well-meaning youths back to their farms and workshops.

Clerics of Pelor may be of any good alignment. Despite his good alignment, paladins of Pelor are not common (though they do exist). Druids sometimes revere him and Pelorian druids tend to be less reclusive than others of their order.

Planar Allies
Typically, Pelor sends Hound Archons, Astral Devas, and Planetars as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Pelor has access to the Glory, Good, Healing, Strength and Sun domains.

Know Your Deity: Wee Jas, The Basics

Titles: The Witch Goddess, The Ruby Sorceress, The Stern Lady, Death's Guardian
Home Plane: Acheron
Symbol: A red skull in front of a fireball
Portfolio: Death, Magic, Vanity, Law
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (some lawful evil tendencies)
Domains: Death, Magic, Law, Domination*, Mind*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Note: Neutral clerics of Wee Jas may not choose to spontaneously channel positive energy.

Wee Jas is a demanding deity who expects obedience from her followers. Clerical training is done in an academic fashion, with classroom instruction punctuated by increasingly difficult examinations. Her temples are typically built in or near graveyards or crypts. Few and far between, they are typically built much like wizard towers, with extensive libraries filled with arcane and legal knowledge and decorated with beautiful art. They also contain crypts where powerful wizards are buried. Many powerful sorcerers and wizards (especially necromancers) count among her followers. She respects Boccob, though the two do not have any sort of alliance.

She thinks of herself as the steward of the dead and it is said that the souls of those who don't worship any single deity go to Wee Jas by default when they die. Though a relatively benign death goddess, Wee Jas does not have any qualms about raising undead, so long as they are not being reanimated against their will and that their remains were procured lawfully. Wee Jas is unconcerned with questions of morality; if it can be done within the confines of the law, it's permitted.

Appearance
Wee Jas appears as a highly attractive human female, though specific details vary widely. It is suggested that she alters her appearance to fit what her followers in a given area consider most attractive. Wee Jas wears her holy symbol as a piece of jewelry.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Wee Jas promotes using spells and magic items (though many of her followers insist she favors the creation of such things). Wee Jas tells her followers that magic is the key to all things. Wee Jas promises that understanding, personal power, security, order, and control over fate come with the study of magic. She admonishes her followers to respect those who came before, because they left their knowledge and died to make room for them. She reminds them that death is inevitable, but she promises that their learning and memory will be honored by those who come after.

Clergy
Wee Jas' priesthood has a strict hierarchy. Her clerics are known for their discipline and obedience to their superiors. Clerics of Wee Jas arbitrate disputes, give advice on magic, investigate magical curiosities, create magic items and administer funerals. Her clergy wear black and/or gray robes.

Clerics of Wee Jas may be of any lawful alignment; however, lawful good clerics of Wee Jas are exceedingly rare (you'd almost have an easier time finding an efreet city in the elemental plane of water). Wee Jas has very few priests from the other divine classes; her views on death are not condusive to paladinhood or druidism and favored souls are too "flashy" and undisciplined for her strict priesthood.

Planar Allies
Typically, Wee Jas sends Formian Taskmasters, Formian Myrmarchs, and Horned Devils as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Wee Jas has access to the Death, Knowledge, Law, Magic and Repose domains.