Continental Makeup:

The world of Alliryme is home to several continents.  Veregar is one such continent, a large land mass north of the middle divide of the world.  It has known many names over the centuries but this one stuck even after the wars between the Herathians and the Veregar.  The Veregar were an ancient barbarian tribe that once dominated the entirety of the lands but have since spread, died out, and formed or been absorbed into other cultures.  But the name remains, at least in the terms of continental makeup of the world.  What used to be one nation is now many.  The Herathians, another ancient tribe, remained in the north and still maintain their tribal barbarian culture though it too has split, grown, and evolved over millenia.

Veregar sports a handful of geographical regions besides the snow covered flats and mountains of Herath.  Though not a nation-state per se, the Crimson Plains are ruled by the Centaur and Minotaur.  Beyond that is the dead country, Detrach, which suffered a mysterious disaster rendering the land lifeless a century ago.  Dominating the eastern part of Veregar is Woodgrave, the great forest of the Elves.  Few know what lies beyond the first few miles of the wood.  There are several other smaller nations at the heart of the Veregar mainland but the big players are the Nimmurian Empire and the Kingdoms of Caladonia.  Many of the smaller nations within the mainland are essentially territories of the two greater nations and only a very few have any real independent power in their own right.

The Caladonian Kingdoms can be described as the only thing keeping the Nimmurian Empire from taking over the entire continent.  That is not to say that they are some bastion of virtue and goodness.  But they are viewed by many as the better alternative to Imperial rule.  That view is, of course, not shared by all.  Caladonia has more gender inequality in some ways in that women are not technically allowed to own property.  Even women of noble heritage are sometimes rulers in name only and do not always hold de facto power.  The Caladonian Kingdoms are also known for less religious and arcane tolerance and even alchemists and herbalists have been known to be condemned as witches if they demonstrate too much skill.  On the other hand, the Empire is marked with well-known corruption.  There is much more crime and an accommodating culture of laws being optional so long as you do not get caught.  Racial intolerance is abound and human supremacists have been gaining power, making the Empire an ugly place for other races to live or even travel.  This culture of racism is aided by legalized slavery that requires little proof that an individual is legitimately enslaved.


Magic:

There are very important cultural distinctions regarding magic in Veregar.  To begin with, one does not go around announcing that they are a sorcerer, wizard, witch, or magus.  It is best to not even look like one.  Adventurers possessing magic ability are usually better off making themselves look like Cleric or at least some kind of warrior.  One also does not go around casting spells willy-nilly, especially not on people.  Even beneficial spells cast on others require express permission in accordance with law.  Even minor uses of magic like prestidigitation or messenger, while allowed, are often not appreciated and better done in private or not at all.  This is especially true in Caladonia where any kind of untoward magic use can get one branded as a witch.  That is not to say that the use of magic itself is against the law.  But then, neither is lynching and that is exactly what can occur when one makes their magic power known.  Necromancy is especially frowned upon, of course, and can often earn the caster a one way ticket to the stake no matter the capacity in which it is used.

The only exception lies in the case of graduates of the Seminaries, Ozymandian Colleges, or Mage's Spires who have presumably learned to use their magicks responsibly.  They are expected to carry their identifying papers with them, such papers have unique identifying marks now requiring very rare and expensive dalaptine to forge.  The existence of these papers does not grant them any measure of leeway when it comes to casting on others or causing chaos or destruction with their gifts, just in general casting (You will have a set of papers identifying you as an apprentice).  The Empire is more forgiving about magic use but much more restrictive about who can and cannot use it.  The Ozymandian Colleges are the only universally accepted source of permitted magicians, but crossing borders is sometimes problematic.  A mage with a license from a College in Caladonia is wise to exercise even more caution than usual in the Empire, and vice versa.  Much like with the Colleges, the Seminary licenses are met with suspicion from places where other churches hold more sway, especially when travelling between Caladonia and the Empire.  The Imperial Mage's Spire license is unsurprisingly accepted in the Empire, but very hard to achieve and sometimes not accepted in Caladonia.  This has led to some Imperial Spires making deals with the Colleges to grant tandem licenses.

The other distinction is the lack of Conjuration magic on Alliryme.  Conjuration (creation) spells are sometimes possible but often require higher spell levels or more expensive material costs, usually two spell levels higher and at least one.  Other Conjuration magic, particularly Summoning (Summon Monster for example), is simply not possible.  This includes, to a certain extent, healing magic.  That is not to say healing magic does not exist, but that it is not Conjuration based.  The way that healing works in Veregar is through chronomancy or time magic.  Healing energy from the Positive Energy Plane is not being used to knit the wounds; rather, it is a localized advancement of time.  This causes any cure spells to accelerate the age of the recipient.  It is for this reason even cure spells and channeling are not just delivered without permission.  This has given rise to the tendency to use Convert spells that, rather than heal wounds, convert the lethal damage into nonlethal damage.  The nonlethal damage can then be healed normally through rest or mundane medical care without aging the subject.  Convert spells exist at every level of spell power, but cure spells are one spell level higher, making even Cure Light Wounds a second tier spell.  The only manner of magical healing that does not age the recipient is the lay on hands ability of Paladins, making their healing especially coveted.

The forces of magic on Veregar are not fully understood.  The most learned of practitioners have experimented and studiously traced at least three sources of magical power.  They are called the Crown, the Crux, and the Cull.  There are several schools of thought regarding these empirically distinct sources.  The Talosian churches claim to have a monopoly on the Crown, claiming it to be purely divine.  It is thought to be high energy linked to the gods.  The difference between Crux and Cull are, to them, the difference between arcane destructive and non-destructive magicks.  The Imperial Church has a more generous view of the sources.  They do not see divine magic as separate from the arcane.  They are much less concerned with the sources of magic than they are who is using those magicks.  It has been left to the Colleges and Spires to track down the source of magic in regard to spell power.  Some work on the hypothesis that the Crown, Crux, and Cull are divine, arcane, and eldritch power respectively.  Others do not think everything is so cleanly delineated, and that each individual spell or perhaps how or where that spell is used determine the magical ties to the Crown, the Crux, or the Cull.


Slavery:

Societal slavery exists in Veregar in many forms.  Centaur and Minotaur cultures possess slaves much as others would possess a dog.  That is to say that other races are considered non-people.  A similar sentiment within the Empire often applies to many of the so-called Monster races such as Orcs and Half-Orcs.  The barbarians of Herath enslave women as a matter of course, both their own and outsiders'.  Within the Empire, the Dwarves are a veritable slave race used mostly for labor.  Imperial Slavers capture other races for gladiatorial and sexual purposes.  There is also debt slavery within the Empire and, to a lesser extent, within Caladonia.  Debt slavery is technically the only kind of slavery allowed in Caladonia but protections have recently been ratified to ensure that this form of indebtedness cannot last an inordinate amount of time or be extended through expense of care arising during the enslavement.  There has also arisen a recent push to ensure that debt slavery be required to take the form of productive work.  That is to say not sexual slavery, prostitution, or other abusive activity.

Human supremacy sentiment has grown in within the Empire recent years and has bled over slightly into the Kingdoms.  Human supremacist groups have begun to gain power or at least a voice.  This has given rise to legal arguments that some races are not people and therefore cannot be considered to be enslaved any more than a dog or horse can.  Thus far, these legal arguments have not been upheld by any legal presence in the Kingdoms.  On the contrary, royal decree has increased the severity of punishment for illegal slavery and some cities even started cracking down on human supremacist groups.  This has led to underground slave rings or outright execution of non-Humans by mob in some cases.  Abolitionist groups have formed in the Kingdoms and isolated spots within the Empire to combat the rising wave of supremacist sentiment.

A holdover of the Dwarven enslavement of humans in ancient time was their tendency to measure, weigh, and otherwise evaluate Humans.  This led to a measurement of men's genetalia and women's breast size referred to as Scale.  The scale was ordered in terms of precious metals meant to correspond to inches of length for men or inches the bust stood out from the chest for women; 1" Brass (A-scale), 2" Bronze (B-scale), 3" Copper (C-scale), 4" Deleterium (D-scale), 5" Electrum (E-scale), 6" Silver (F-scale), 7" Gold (G-scale), 8" Platinum (H-scale), 9" Palladium (I-scale), 10" Jade (J-scale), 11" Diamond (K-scale), 12" Lyrium (L-scale), 13" Mithral (M-scale), 14" Adamantine (N-scale), 15" Orichalcum (O-scale).  Since the time of the Dwarves the values of some of these materials has changed in comparison to one another.  Deleterium, for example, has become so valuable that it stopped being used as currency and is arguably as valuable as Mithral.  Electrum, on the other hand, fell out of favor as a currency because it was so exceedingly common that forgery became a matter of course.  Orichalcum, however, remains the most valuable substance in Veregar both due to its scarcity and its utility.  It is both one of the hardest metals when forged and one of the most magically amplifying.  It is second only to Adamantine and Lyrium, respectively.  None-the-less, the order remains mostly due to the scale falling out of use.  It is rare that these systems are applied in regard to slaves any more though many Imperial and some Caladonian fashions and armorers still use the scale system to measure bust.


Special Metals:




Races:

Humans dominate the landscape of Veregar.  They almost exclusively hold power and wealth in both the Kingdom and the Empire.  Humans are varied in culture, language, values, and beliefs.  A few things translate across all borders and languages though; distinctly Human traits.  Adaptability is the chief among them, being able to adapt to the challenges of any environment and thrive through ingenuity has contributed to their spread throughout the continent.  As many of them build social networks and mix with others as eschew and destroy what is alien.  As many of them yearn to discover as fear and resist the unknown.  As many of them seek to help and elevate others as absolve themselves of social responsibility.  They are a dichotomy that other races find as too varied to possibly be unified.  But the other trait chief among Humans is unity and mutual cooperation.   Though the reasons can be varied, when the Human race unifies they become unstoppable.  Their drive is unparalleled and can be used to create wondrous things or to power greed and dominance.

Elves are a rare sighting through much of the Empire and the some of the Kingdoms but the further East you venture, the more likely you see their kind.  Some have woven into the community, others travel back and forth from Woodgrave for trade, and still more come seemingly to simply visit and observe.  Elves and humans find each other fascinating, though for short periods of time, and their couplings are common.  The result of the unions has created many Half-Elves who can sometimes find it difficult to grow up in Human society, especially in the Empire.  In the Kingdoms they may run into bullying, insensitivity, and sometimes even cruelty in rare and extreme cases but are mostly accepted.  In the Empire, however, they are treated with cruelty as a matter of course.  They are considered non-people and are more often enslaved than allowed freedom.  Mothers of Half-Elves have been known to flee to the Kingdoms to keep the children from being killed or taken from them.  Others have taken measures to hide their ears, going so far as to cut the tips to keep their nature hidden.  These Half-Elves find little solace in the forests of Woodgrave, at least none that is known.  The enigmatic Elves tell little of their homeland and offer only cryptic phrases to Human and Half-Elf alike.  Many Half-Elves become Rangers of the wood, living in the outskirts, venturing deeper than many others.  But Woodgrave is a dangerous place and Half-Elves that venture far into the forest seeking Elven cities often do not return.

Dwarves have had a rough lot in Veregar.  At one point, this was their Kingdom.  The barbarian tribes the roamed the north were nothing more than brainless savages to them.  Dwarves enslaved humans and used them to forge their empires.  The Half-Dwarf offpsring were very rare and became a sought after commodity.  The Half-Dwarf, a unique mix of Dwarven toughness and rigidity as well as Human ingenuity and prowess, became venerated.  Purists at the height of power made sure they could never gain true authority; that they were little more than figureheads.  But the Half-Dwarves were crafty and they made in-roads, alliances, and turned politics and sentiment in their favor.  Soon Dwarven society was divided against itself and in the midst of this the barbarians that the Dwarves had enslaved rose up and overthrew their oppressors.  Since that day, Dwarves have been out of favor.  They are treated mostly well in the Kingdoms as they are wont to keep to themselves and craft all manner of items with incredible skill.  Most of the Dwarves, however, exist as a slave race within the mines and homes of the Nimmurian Empire.  The Half-Dwarves, once again coveted, are used as house slaves and are seen as status symbols.

Halflings were yet another native species of Veregar, sharing lands with the Dwarves and Humans, staying out of the Elven forests.  It was the Dwarven Expansion that ultimately ended them.  The Dwarves and Halflings always coexisted in relative harmony.  The Dwarves never set their sights on what Halflings had because they were a simple folk.  They enjoyed peaceful lives, and kept their villages small.  However, in the Dwarves' quest to enslave Centaurs as beasts of burden they drove the herds ever northward until the Centaur clashed with the peaceful Halflings.  Many Halflings retreated into the Dwarven cities, others fled into Woodgrave, many more pressed on to the Crimson Plains.  Many of their ilk met their demise in the years to come.  The Dwarves pushed the Centaur further until the Crimson Plains were their only refuge.  Between the barbarian tribes to the north and the Centaurs to the south, the Halflings were trapped with the native to the Crimson Plains: Minotaurs.  The Centaur and the Minotaur clashed to make the Crimson Plains their home and their skirmishes last to this day.  A result of this ongoing war was the effective genocide of the Halfling race.  Those that did not perish in Woodgrave or the Crimson Plains died in the human uprising against Dwarven slavery, an innocent bystander to other races wars.  There are very few Halflings left in the world and the ones that are around hold bitter grudge against both Centaurs and Minotaurs.  This enmity does not extend to the Dwarves that actually caused the problem nor the Humans for fighting for their freedom in most cases.  This is mostly due to the lack of understanding of the history that drove them to near-extinction.

The ongoing war with the Minotaur has occasionally displaced Centaur populations.  There were many tensions in the Human lands to the south on several occasions due to these re-locations.  However, almost two hundred years ago the Church of Talos conspired to allow the refugees in (but under oppressive restrictions).  The Queen who ruled these lands at the time stood against them but the Church was able to twist the information to make this an unpopular move.  As a result, a large population of Centaurs immigrated to the Kingdom.  The Church used this population to build a powerful cavalry, requiring able-bodied Centaur to enlist in mandatory service.  Eventually the Queen was able to maneuver politically and lift the yoke of these laws off the Centaur population.  Further, she continued the open border policy in regard to Centaur refugees.  This caused the name of this city to be colloquially referred to as New Path.  Despite their military service no longer being mandatory, there was already a cultural shift.  The Centaur had a strong fighting background and inroads in the military and it was the easiest way for a Centaur to make a living.  Further, the central Kingdoms incentivized the centaur to relocate and join the Caladonian Cavalry.  While half of the Centaur live in a tribal culture constantly at war with the Minotaur in the Crimson Plains, the other half have made themselves an integral part of the Caladonian military.

Planar Races

The Aasimar among the Human population are widely accepted, even in the Empire (though still treated as somewhat lesser than in the Kingdoms).  Tiefling do not enjoy the same level of tolerance.  They are sometimes treated as monster races, but larger urban centers seem to be as safe a haven as they can manage.  The Succubi are another race whose features are not always obvious.  Their charm and beauty are often coveted but there is the occasional ugly incident where they are accused of ensorcelling the male population.  There is no male version of the Succubus known to the Kingdoms.  Perhaps the most enigmatic among the races of Veregar are known as Titans.  No Titan is known to have been born and many think they are created or perhaps simply put on the earth by the gods.  They are thought to be hundreds or even thousands of years old though the few that have answered the question do not always claim such advanced age.  They are exceedingly rare and some hesitate to call them a race in their own right as there seems to be at least one of every race.  However, something always distinguishes them from others of their kind.  This can be size, beauty, skill or any number of other attributes but always includes incredible power.  Their level of might leads many to believe them to be demi-gods but the Titans themselves outright deny they are the offspring of gods.

Monster Races

Some races with more obvious animal-like ancestry are called monster races.  The Centaur seem to be relieved of this classification, at least in the Kingdoms as a result of their respected contributions to the military.  The Beastmen that are spread throughout Veregar do not share in the respect granted to Centaurs, though they resemble Humans much of the time.   They are possessing of bestial features of some kind and can shift into a feral form that amplifies these features.  Their bloodline happens to be tied to lycanthropy and no one has a good explanation as to why, but they are exclusively male.  It is often hard to tell who is or is not a Beastman as it does not always become obvious until they can shift (usually during puberty).  Some are exiled to the Northlands where the Herathian barbarians venerate them and provide them places of honor in their society.  The majority, who live among Humans, do so with no small degree of intolerance.  Black Elves, Half-Orcs, and Minotaurs are also considered monster races.  A sighting of one of these is very rare whether in Caladonia or the Empire.  In some places they are attacked on sight, in others they are sought as slaves due to their physical attributes.  Many Half-Orc pregnancies are terminated, the babies slaughtered or drowned, or they are given up.  Those that are abandoned often find themselves raised in hostile Half-Orc barbarian tribes, Garian Mercenary Bands, or less commonly Orc or Goblin tribes.  The Minotaur that find their way into the Empire and the Kingdom are exiles or prisoners.  The Imperial slavers often seek them out for use in gladiatorial spectacle.  Human supremacists in the Empire and Caladonia tend to kill them outright.  They are incapable of siring a half-breed with humans.  The Black Elves are even more mysterious than their light-skinned cousins.  Very few are sure of their origins, intentions, or nature.  They are viewed with utter suspicion in the Kingdoms but are, oddly, completely accepted in the Empire.


The Talosian Pantheon:                        The Imperial Pantheon:

Foralayne - Good & Life                       Nimmur - King of the Seas, Rightful Ruler of the Gods
The Infernal King - Evil & Death              Rexzartosarius - The source of all magic and wonders of the world
Talossus - Order & Light                      Hadogar - Son of Nimmur, brother of Raelnagar, seen as the underdog prodigy
Desolayne - Chaos & Darkness                  Halicarnassus - God of not just commerce but human ingenuity, drive, and superiority

Raelnagar - War & Strategy                    Foralayne, Miralayne, & Desolayne - Sister Gods, triplets, the Mother, the Lover, the Rebel
Hadogar - War & Destruction                   Ozymandius - Neutral party to the rivalries of Nimmur & Herath
Miralayne - Love & Beauty
Rexzartosarius - Magic & Monsters             Herath - Rival Brother to Nimmur, King of the Lands, associated with barbarians and savages
Herath - Nature & Beasts                      Talossus - God of the Sun and Life, he seen as the life part of the life and death cycle
Nimmur - Oceans & Storms                      Infernal King - God of Death & Shadow, seen as two sides of the same coin with Talos
Halicarnassus - Craft & Commerce              Raelnagar - Son of Nimmur, brother of Hadogar, seen as oppressively ordered
Ozymandius - Time & Healing


Religion:

There are many religions in Veregar.  The Herathians are tribal and their worship of ancestral spirits and animal totems is said to blur lines with demon worship.  Other times the line is not blurry at all as some tribes, and the Orcs that hold sway in Eastern Herath, outright worship demons.  Centaurs and Minotaurs are known to be star worshippers, drawing their power from mythological figures they find in the night sky.  Their crown constellation is that of Herath himself.  This is actually what gave way to people describing the tribes of the north as Herathians when they meant to refer to Centaur.  Meanwhile, the barbarians call their land Herath.  Confusing things further, mainstream religion sees Herath as the son, or perhaps lesser brother, of The Four.  But the inhabitants of the Crimson Plains say he was the progenitor of the natural world and predates even the existence of the human race let alone The Four.  Differing still is the rising Imperial Church who sees Herath as the brother and rival of Nimmur, the rightful ruler of the gods.  Many leading religious scholars in the mainstream church dismiss these alternative views of Herath as the same name for a different divine force altogether.

The Elves of Woodgrave have their own set of gods that they do not discuss with outsiders.  What scholars and more civilized elves have described sounds much like worship of elementa or ancient natural forces.  Others have gotten the idea that, much like the Quadrum, Elven gods are ancient heroes excepting that the Elven heroes continue to walk among them.  But it should be noted that none of what has been written seems to get to the heart of the matter.  Some Druids and Rangers also lean toward the religious philosophy of the worship of some natural force but getting them to explain it is like pulling teeth as they are an extremely secretive, even cultish, lot.  There are some violent sects of Druids and Rangers, more huamn-centric, who worship a god called Herath (Herathian Cultists) but who do not worship the primal forces most others of their ilk seem to and engage in what can basically be described as eco-terrorism.  Once again, the prevailing theory is that this Herath is an entirely different entity.

The major nations and smaller nation-states around them have all united under the Talosian Pantheon, also known as the Quadrum or Quadrumvirate.  Talossus, Foralayne, Desolayne, and the otherwise unnamed Infernal King are referred to, sometimes blasphemously, as the Big Four.  It is documented historical fact that the Big Four were once mortal men and women.  How they became gods is much less well-known but these events are thought to take place during a calamity widely known as the Godfall.  The gods of Man, Elf, and Orc; the gods of Dwarf, Halfling, and all other form person.  All came to their end in a war between gods.  Even those who did not do battle fell to other invading forces.  In the end, a pantheon of more than a score of gods was obliterated.  The world of Alliryme was open to any god that wished to take hold.  It was in this time that four heroes emerged.  In the midst of war and apocalypse, the heroes ascended to godhood.  They took the place of the gods of old and cut the world off from the planes, preventing the invading gods from taking hold in the world of Alliryme.

Powerful clerics of these gods have made independent, and thus widely accepted, claims that some of the lesser gods are their children: Raelnagar, Hadogar, Miralayne, Herath, & Nimmur.  The remaining three, Ozymandius, Halicarnassus, and Rexzartosarius, have never been claimed to be such and their origins remain mysterious.  Some churches even count them as being outside of the Pantheon or do not acknowledge their existence at all.  Some worship these three not as outsiders at all but as a Triumvirate of the true gods, with the others being considered pretenders and invaders.  Some historians and religious scholars have dedicated their lives to finding these origins, as well as the sites and artifacts that these mortals-turned-divine have touched.  Few know much about the old gods that perished in the Godfall, called the Ancient Ones, as they have faded from the hearts and minds of the people of Alliryme.  Some of the most learned have the books and tomes of the ones that came before, but that knowledge is sparse and the Church restricts the dissemination of this knowledge with ardor.

The Quadrum are all seen as responsible for life as it is today and, because of that, all four are honored.  The Church of Talos and The Church of the Four are the major religious powers in the nation-states.  The Imperial Faith is an offshoot of said same that puts more emphasis on the roles of the so-called minor gods in the daily lives of citizens of the Empire.  In particular Nimmur, whom the capital city is named for.  He is considered the King of all Gods, the God of the Oceans, and the brother of Herath.  Herath is seen as his rival, trying to usurp the rule of Nimmur.  The Four are provided no special dispensation in this pantheon.  Talos & The Infernal King are depicted together most times as part of the cycle of life and death.  Foralayne and Desolayne, meanwhile, are relegated to neutral positions and said to share sisterhood with Miralayne.  This flavor of Imperial Faith has a good way of getting around the issue of true worship of the pair that has come to be called the Opposers or the Opposition.

The Opposers, The Infernal King and Desolayne are controversial figures.   Worship of The Infernal King and Desolayne are somewhat taboo across all versions of the Quadrum religion in both the Empire and the Kingdoms.  It is fine, it seems, to worship them in conjunction with the Four but not to worship them on their own.  Worshippers of Darkness, Chaos, Evil, and Death and practitioners of necromancy are unsurprisingly frowned upon.  In most parts of the land, it is something that is seen as strange but allowed so long as one keeps it to themselves.  Desolytes prefer it this way; secrets are their currency after all.  Other parts of Veregar, however, are more adamant to put it lightly.  Some countries, mostly Talosians in the Kingdoms, think themselves righteous when putting worshippers of the Opposition to the stake and have even gone so far as to declare the Opposers dead gods.

The Church of Talos does little to dissuade this line of thinking publicly.  The Church of the Four is less inclined to downplay the influence of the Opposers.  Both churches' holy text however, The Book of The Four, is a rather incomplete history of the great heroes and leaves out much of the contributions of the Opposers.  The vague mystery surrounding the Opposition and the varying degree of persecution of their worshipers has sparked cult worship in many places.  And they are not the only ones with cults.  Besides the eco-terrorist Herathians there are pirates who have eschewed all gods but Nimmur as their way of rebelling against the rigid laws of Caladonia and the Empire.  Arguably this is less about Nimmur, and more about piracy, but it has not stopped the people from dubbing them Nimmurian cultists.  There are followers of Miralayne whose temples have sprung up all over the nation-states.  Many of the Miralytes are true believers in art, beauty, and love.  They see it as their duty to educate people in the ways of sex just as a chef wishes to show people the art of combining flavors.  Some, though, are there because it is a place where a woman can ensure she will not be abused when engaging in sexual acts.  Still others are simply plying the salacious trade of prostitution under the guise of religion.

Some would argue that the Paladinhoods are cults of their own.  The Holy Orders of Nimmur, Raelnagar, and Talossus are fervent and fanatic believers in their god, their way.  That includes the Sisterhood of Foralayne, an all-female Paladin Order.  Then there is the enigmatic and misunderstood group of slayers known as Avengers.  Incorrectly thought of as Anti-Paladins, the Avengers are worshipers of Hadogar who dedicate themselves to the slaying of vicious monsters.  Other Hadogar cultists managed to unite some years back and ensure across all nation-states and the Empire that you must come to the Garians to be approved as a mercenary band.  Then, of course, there are the Rexzarians who are said to be the secret power of the Nimmurian Empire.  The Cult of Rexzartosarius is a dragon cult dedicated to the worship of arcane magic and the creation of mutants and other abominations, as well as the awakening of their great dragon god.


Foralayne:

Symbol - The Lioness or other Great Cat
Colors - White & Blue, Red, or Gold
Devotees - Foralyte Diplomat, Sisterhood of Foralayne, Defenders
Weapons - Varied, often a Staff, Flail, or Mace
Domains - Charm, Community, Good, Healing, Protection, & Water
Invocations - "By Fora", "Fora protect you", "Foralayne's blessing upon you", "Fora's blessed cunt"

Foralayne's mortal contributions in the Book of the Four have not been hidden as they have with the Opposers.  Yet there is no clear answer when it comes to the question of her role in the Godfall.  She is described as fighting alongside the others, keeping the peace between them, and there are vague mentions of protecting them in their travels.  Whatever she was in life, Foralayne is now seen as the mother god.  She is associated with protection (particularly of women), family, goodness, diplomacy, as well as healing, birth, and life.  She is often invoked in terms of goodness and charity, hope, wisdom, community, marriage, and friendship.  Often referred to as Fora, one might hear "Fora bless you" when someone refuses pay from a poor widow, when a woman announces she is pregnant, or when someone undergoes an endeavor for the good of the community.  There are many though, who see her as a fearsome protector.  Many warrior women invoke her in battle.

This includes the Sisterhood of Foralayne, an all-female Paladin Order.  The Paladins of Foralayne are fierce knights who have dedicated themselves to protecting the innocent.  They are particularly protective of women, who have quite a difficult time of it in this day and age.  They are within their legal rights to invoke the Law of Hearth which states that a home where there is abuse is no home.  The abuser is driven from the home and exiled from his land.  He is given to the custody of the furthest Garian mercenary band and indentured to serve with them for three years (actually 1,111 days).  Most do not survive, still others stay on, and those that do come back are delivered to the Sisterhood to be interviewed before being allowed to return to their family.  The Sisters also extend their protection to prostitutes, sex slaves, and so forth but there is a law which supercedes their own throughout the land:  The Law of Commerce.  The Sisters, and everyone else for that matter, cannot interfere in legal commerce.  Prostitution and slavery being legal throughout the continent often prevents them from protecting these women.

The protection of women is not the only call of the Sisterhood, however.  They, like any Paladin, are fearsome forces on the battlefields of the nation-states to which they swear fealty.  They are also more often than not the defenders of borders.  They often find themselves along the northern expanse, protecting small towns from barbarian raids from Herath.  The Sisters are often the ones asked to solve border disputes between lands and nations.  They are an increasingly powerful political force in Caladonia as well.  They are not entirely exclusionary toward men either.  It is very rare but there are men within their ranks, often asexual or homosexual, who are granted Paladinhood.  The other males in their ranks that are straight more often than not act as a kind of police force within the Order itself, called the Defenders, and defend the lands and properties of the Order when the Sisters are called to war.

Foralyte Diplomats used to be nothing more and nothing less than priestesses in the Church of the Four.  They dedicated themselves to study of the Book of the Four.  This study drew debate among these religious scholars and over time this made them the foremost experts on the Four.  Arguably, this is still the case to this day but their study and debate fostered something else:  namely, a dedication to the peaceful ways of Foralayne and expert level skills in debate.  As time wore on, their ranks grew to include all lovers of the Book and of debate.  They came to be called upon to settle arguments on scripture and then to settle disputes between the Church and other religions, races, even governments.  They built a school in Caladonia, a college dedicated to teaching debate, philosophy, law, history, negotiation, and of course relgion.  Foralyte Diplomats are sought throughout the Kingdoms for this expertise.


The Infernal King:

Symbol - Horns on Human Skull (various kinds of horns)
Colors - Black or Gray & Purple
Devotees - The Graved, Necromancers, Blood Mages, The Dead Riders
Weapons - Varied, often serrated weapons and swords
Domains - Death, Disease, Destruction, Evil, Fire, & Vermin
Invocations - People rarely invoke the name of the Infernal King, even his worshipers exalt him by his full name.

Clerics in the Church of the Four invoke the Infernal King during funerary ceremonies, especially when the death is wrongful in some way.  The Infernal King is known by no other name save The Infernal or The Infernal One.  His role in the Book of the Four is thought to be that of the mage as he is mentioned to have wielded great power, but these mentions are vague as his contributions to the Book have been even more hidden than those of Desolayne.  While she was known as a sower of dissent he has been associated with betrayal and wrongful usurpation.  His part in the Godfall seems to end with him taking the lands of Detrach to himself.  Some say this was calamity or curse for his betrayal, but others say this was his goal.  Detrach is a dead land infested with a deep rot known as the Creeping Cull.  The Cull has been slowly spreading from Detrach for many years now and few have been able to halt its progress.

Specializing mages and clerics of the Infernal King are Necromancers.  They practice their craft sub rosa due to the persecution throughout the kingdoms and even the Empire.  Those who have gained enough power to survive the unforgiving environment of Detrach can afford to be much more bold.  The mages do not hold as much sway over the undead but they are also known to practice a unique form of sorcery known as blood magic.  Sacrifices and self-harm enhance their power and it is considered a form of necromancy in most Kingdoms.  Whilst any mage who specializes in necromancy can be called a necromancer there are few who do so without dedicated worship of The Infernal King.  Moreover, the practitioners not dedicated to the Infernal King end up worshiping him over time the more they delve into necrotic and blood magicks.  There is little understanding as to why but even augurs, mediums, and spiritualists feel a pull to Detrach the more they practice.

Not all undead are beholden to Necromancers.  All manner of undeath falls under the purview of the Infernal King some of whom command undead in their own manner.  Whether it is The Infernal King or the Necromancers that concoct the wide variety of undead is unknown.  Zombies, Ghouls, Vampires, and Liches are all examples of his work.  Some are mindless, some are sentient.  Necromancers and blood mages are known to turn into Liches over time.  Undoubtedly though, the favored child of the Infernal King are skeletons seemingly set aflame.  The flames vary in color and type but they are invariably infused with negative energy.  These abominations have come to be known as The Graved.  Over the years they have come in increasingly more powerful varieties and in ever-increasing numbers in the dead lands.  There have been rumors of sentient Graved commanding hordes of others in attacks on settlements.

Anti-paladins of The Infernal King start mortal and slowly pass over into undeath just like the Necromancers and Blood Mages.  They are known as the Dead Riders, a fearsome cadre of death knights who hold immense powers.  They travel alone and wreak famine, disease, and bloodshed on the places they stop.  Some folk have abandoned settlements simply because a Dead Rider passed through.  No one knows why or when one will appear.  They travel the countryside endlessly it seems and then pick a town seemingly at random to visit misfortune upon.  When they are met with resistance, they are known to flee but occasionally one will fight to the death against a squad of The Sisterhood or The Order and eliminate as many of their number as possible.  When fighting in this manner they have been known to somehow corrupt a Paladin they touch or wound.  This Paladin finds themselves drawn to Detrach soon after.


Talossus:

Symbol - The Rising Sun, The Starburst
Colors - Red & Silver, Purple & Gold
Devotees - The Order of the Last Watch (Talosian Watchmen), Caladonian Cavaliers, Talosian Colossi
Weapons - Varied, often morning star and traditional swords
Domains - Glory, Good, Law, Nobility, Strength, & Sun
Invocations - "Glory of Talos", "Talos' Light!", "Talos rights" (short for rights all wrongs), "Talossus had his hand in it" (fortuitous event)

Talossus is arguably the most powerful god in all of Alliryme if it comes to sheer numbers and fervent belief.  Talossus is considered to be the great hero of the Book of Four.  He is associated with glory (particularly in battle), justice, righteousness, and the sun.  He is associated with rightful rule and many in the nobility invoke him to justify their claims to land and title.  Talossus is known as a slayer of evil and the undead.  The Church of the Four and especially the Church of Talos feature his contribution to the good of the world more than any other, sometimes to the exclusion of the other gods (even the rest of the Quadrum).  While the Church of the Four is the most common throughout Veregar, the Church of Talos has begun to gain foothold in the Caladonian Kingdoms.  The Church of Talos is as close to a monotheistic religion as any in Veregar.  They are also the most intolerant when it comes to specific worship of the other gods, worship of the Opposers, and the practice of necromancy and witchcraft.

One arm of the Church of the Four is the Order of the Last Watch.  The Watchmen are dedicated slayers of the undead.  Clerics and Paladins of Talos stationed in a stronghold called Dawnborne Keep which is forbidden to visitors and known to be uniquely designed, though for what only the Order knows.  It has been noted by military experts that the Keep is poorly designed for defense and another castle, Castle Dawnhold, has been built to protect the Keep.  The Watch has also dedicated itself to cleansing the land of the Creeping Cull from the dead lands of Detrach.  They alone have been able to mount successful campaigns against the undead armies of the Graved that spew forth.  They have little care of political influence but have garnered much despite this.  They have often been pulled into advisory positions where there are issues with necromancy and undead, especially in lands that border Detrach.

Often mistaken for Paladins of Talossus, the Caladonian Cavaliers are an elite military group based out of Hellstag.  They wear his crest upon their shields and armor, invoke his name in battle, and are even sanctioned by the Church of Talos.  Their upper ranks are known to be devotees of Talossus though their ranks contain almost no divine power.  The Cavaliers are a highly organized and powerful dragoon, horse archer, light, and heavy cavalry force whose leadership is almost exclusively Centaur.  The Centaur of Caladonia are the undisputed experts in mounted combat and have spent more than a century adapting their expertise to human military capabilities and tactics.  No army has been able to withstand a charge from the Caladonian Cavaliers and there was even a time when their mere presence in a neighboring land was used to force an enemy's surrender.

Talosian Colossi are some of the most powerful people in Veregar.  The Church of the Four and The Church of Talos both sport these elite clerics.  Their churches have become so rich and they have been so shrewd with its use that they have wealth to rival nations.  The highest ranking among them are called Talosian Sun Clerics who select paragons among their ranks to become a Colossus.  The Talosian Colossus is capable of becoming an armored giant, a being of pure energy, and even a powerful Gryphon.  The Colossi are a true conduit of the divine and channel seemingly unlimited power.  No military or divine force can match their raw power and they act a major deterrent to any serious threat against Caladonia.


Desolayne:

Symbol - The Chaos Star
Colors - Gray or Black & Yellow
Devotees - The Dark Court, Imperial Spies, Succubi
Weapons - Varied, often Axes or Whips
Domains - Chaos, Charm, Darkness, Knowledge, Madness, & Trickery
Invocations - "Desolayne's whisper" (rumormongering), "Doing Desolayne's work" (spy work or thievery), "Dess has his tongue" (lying or keeping secrets), "By Dess" (concerning a mystery or a discovery), "In Desolayne's shadow" (don't know what happened), "Dess, take my eyes!" (when seeing something horrific)

Desolayne, sometimes called Dess, is thought to be the rogue in the Book of the Four.  There is no doubt in its pages that they could not have ascended without her.  But she is also known to have sown discord among the Four.  She is known to be a goddess of darkness, secrets, lust, trickery, and revenge.  Thus she is favored by rogues, assassins, and spies though passingly in most cases.  A burglar might give a wink and a nod to Dess before he climbs into a second story window but it hardly makes him a worshiper.  Some worship Desolayne as a man, others a formless being, but most have come to associate Desolayne as a female.  It should be noted, however, that there is no one right way to worship a god of chaos.  But those that do, do so secretly.  Desolytes are rightly thought to be rather mercenary and receiving her blessings almost always comes with strings attached.  She is known to have many aspects and there is no particular place of worship where Desolytes congregrate...unless you count shadows.

The Imperial Spies are led by a devotee of Desolayne and it is said they hold the favor of the goddess.  Who they are is harder to say as only the name of their leader is widely known, Cronos.  He is said to be a Black Elf but is just as widely known to be a master of disguise or perhaps even a changeling of some kind, though many believe he is nothing more than a boogeyman.  The Imperial spy network is thought to be vast, containing ears in every inn of the Empire and eyes in every port of Caladonia.  Many are common laborers or prostitutes, bought with coin.  Some are rogues or assassins at various levels of employ to the Empire.  A few, though, are true spies trained in tradecraft and nation building.  The Imperial Spies are considered one of the most feared groups throughout the Empire and the Kingdoms.  The knowledge that they have been able to gather is staggering and recently they are even thought to be making use of ninja to further their ends.

The Dark Court are a powerful and mysterious group.  They are said to be a secret power behind many things.  They are the favorites to blame on any conspiracy theories that pop up.  They have been accused of controlling the Church of the Four and the Paladinhoods, being the secret power behind the Kingdoms and/or the Empire, making up the entirety of the Imperial Spies, and trying to take over the barbarian clans of Herath to invade the Empire and lower Kingdoms.  Those who are more familiar with the secret goings-on of governments know only this:  The Black Court is at least a group of assassins in service to Desolayne.  Their services can only be acquired at great personal cost.  Coin does not sway them, only power and influence.  It is unknown how they get their information, how they are contacted, how they choose to reach out to those that need them, or how they assure the death of their targets.  But it is known that the death of their targets in assured.

The Succubi are one of the most misunderstood races in Veregar.  They are thought to have a direct connection to Desolayne, to be her avatars.  They are also thought to be a kind of demon that sucks the life out of men through sexual coupling.  There are grains of truth to both but neither idea tells the whole story.  The fact is they do gain power through sexual contact but they cannot drain a man or woman's soul, even through extended contact.  Their connection to Desolayne is not so clear cut.  Many a Succubus do not worship Desolayne; most worship Miralayne in fact.  Their connection lies only in that while most Succubi are simply born, some can be made through a pact with the goddess of darkness.  The details of this process are known only to devoted followers of Desolayne.  It is these high level priestesses who are responsible for the rumors of draining souls, flying on bat-wings, and clouding men's minds.


Rexzartosarius:

Symbol - Black Dragon, Pentagram
Colors - Black & Red
Devotees - Summoners, Warlocks, Ravagers
Weapons - Any curved blades
Domains - Knowledge, Magic, Scalykind, & Void
Invocations - "Dragon's Breath!" (a curse), "You've got Rex by his tail" (playing with fire), "Rex-touched or Touched by Rex" (cursed), "Rexarcana" (black magic)

Rexzartosarius is an enigmatic god.  His origins and workings are mysterious enough to make Desolayne jealous.  Rexzarians delve into dark magicks like necromancy, but mostly they summon and breed monsters of horror in honor of their god.  They make use of slaves for their pursuits, digging for powerful metals and minerals that aid in their experiments.  They are at the heart of expansive criminal and slavery rings that fund their evil empires.  With countless cult members in positions of influence, they are a secret power within the Nimmurian Empire.  Many have dedicated themselves to bringing forth the great Demon Dragon.  They believe that his true power has yet to be tapped and that his awakening will usher in an age of magic and monsters unlike the world has seen.  Even many Rexzarians consider this to be a bad idea as this would spell the end of life as the world knows it.

Anti-Paladins of Rexzartosarius, exclusively male in this case, are called Warlocks and also have their fair share of both divine and arcane power.  They are one of the only other known wielders of Summoning magic besides the Summoners.  Warlocks have a special place in the Nimmurian Empire as an elite military force.  They are shock troopers sent out to devastate an enemy and destroy morale.  Due to their versatile use of spells, they are highly capable of blending into the ranks of other clergy and paladinhoods, and even into mage conclaves.  Warlocks are useful spies in this regard, and some claim there is a Rexzarian spy in every church.  Many claim their mission is to gather the secrets of the eldritch and arcane possessed by other faiths and powers, rather than Imperial interests.

Rexzarian Clerics are one of the few people capable of using both arcane and divine powers.  They are exclusively female and used to be known only as Witches.  Witch has lately been a term applied to any female practitioner of magic, and has thus fallen out of use among Rexzarians as it fails to describe what they do.  Now these devotees of the Demon Dragon have called themselves Summoners. This distinction is apt as they are one of the only practitioners of magic that are able to summon monsters and creatures from other planes.  No one has been able to offer a satisfactory explanation as to why they have this ability and no one else does.  Summoners, Warlocks, and Rexzarian mages are the only ones who possess the arcane knowledge behind the process of creating Ravagers and there is always a Summoner and Warlock in the Imperial Advisory Council.

Ravagers are one of the trump cards of the Empire.  They are immensely powerful, possessing of super-human strength on level with giants.  Magicks, fire, and mental effects have very little hold on them.  They seem to be little more than cruel, angry, and merciless.  Very few people know exactly what empowers these men or how they are created or controlled.  They do know that they were men but no real humanity remains once the process is complete.  That is not to say they are mindless brutes, just incapable of sympathy toward others.  Ravagers are present in every squad of Warlocks and have been adopted as Imperial bodyguards and protectors of Summoners and Rexzarian mages.


Raelnagar:

Symbol - Shield or Sword/s and Shield
Colors - Red, White, & Blue
Devotees - Raelian Battle Priest, Raelian Sentinels, Raelian Brotherhood of Knights
Weapons - All Weapons, particularly swords and shields
Domains - Glory, Protection, Strength, & War
Invocations - "Raelnagar's Glory", "Raelnagar!" (battle cry), "A Raelian effort" (heroic)

Raelnagar is the god of war in the Talosian pantheon though it is probably more accurate to call him a god of protection.  While Raelnagar is known within the Church of the Four as a great warrior and strategist he is also associated with the defense of cities against much larger invading forces.  Raelnagar is also invoked in the Book of the Four as the slayer of a great dragon and having not suffered from the burns of its great flames.  With the near extinction of dragons, the once powerful Order of the Dragon has been all but disbanded. However, the association with defense and protection from dragons and fire has given rise to many constabularies wearing the Raelian shield though this may not necessarily translate into actual worship.

Raelian Brotherhood of Knights are exactly what one thinks of when they think of a knight.  Shining armor atop a noble steed, sword and shield raised in service to the righteous might of their god and country.  Knights are often the first born of noble and military families.  They train day and night in weaponry and warfare.  But becoming a part of the Raelian Brotherhood means more than being born with the right blood.  The Brotherhood has a long, storied history of accepting members of all kinds who demonstrate significant acts of bravery in service of Caladonia.  They are the military arm of the Church of the Four, and are not officially a military force of the Kingdom, but rather the Church's cavalry who have sworn fealty to the Kingdom.

The Battle Priests are clerics of Raelnagar who have dedicated themselves to the study of warfare and who practice divine magicks centered on combat.  A Raelian Battle Priest is capable of imbuing himself and others with incredible combat attributes.  Not all clerics of Raelnagar are Battle Priests, but even they are better trained and equipped than most holy adventurers.  A Raelian Battle Priest is quite literally a holy terror on the battlefield, not only capable of command and strategy, but also able to bolster allies, and make himself a fighting machine.  Battle Priest is a rank attained within the Church of the Four, and anyone devoted to martial pursuits thinking they will cross blades with a holy man will find themselves sorely disappointed.

The Paladins of Raelnagar are known as Sentinels or the Order of the Stone.  This Order was established in Caladonia after the Battle of Bloodstone, and serves as the right hand of the King.  Their top ranks make up the royal guard, protecting the King and the royal family.  Their senior members serve the King as advisors to both war and religious matters.  The Raelian Sentinels have been specially selected, from birth in many cases, and born and bred to become Paladins of Raelnagar.  The Raelians have made this into a science, their ranks are legion, and they are highly ordered and organized.  It falls on them to train and lead the rank and file soldiers of the Royal and Caladonian armies, and at least one of their rank can be found in every platoon.


Hadogar:

Symbol - Several Pikes or Spearpoints
Colors - Red & Black
Devotees - Garian Mercenaries, Avengers, Garian Warmaster
Weapons - Any lethal, especially swords & spears
Domains - Destruction, Liberation, Strength, & War
Invocations - "Hadogar's arm" (strength & muscle),

Though Raelnagar and Hadogar are sibling gods, Garian has come to be associated solely with Hadogar's flock while Raelian is associated with their counterpart.  Despite these gods' overlapping domains there is surprisingly little conflict between them other than sibling rivalry.  Hadogar seems to have gotten the short end of the stick, however, culturally.  While Raelnagar is associated with righteous victory, bravery, glory, and defense, Hadogar has been accused of being responsible for conquest, enslavement, destruction, and tyranny.  In the eyes of the churches it is not a fair assessment, and it is one the Church of Talos and the Church of the Four fight to correct.  They have been mostly successful in this regard, portraying the two war gods as brothers and allies, both fighting against evil.

While some might invoke Hadogar to wish destruction on their enemies, few actually worship him outright.  The ones that do were barbarian tribesman that had migrated south from Herath long ago.  One such tribe, as they civilized, formed a mercenary band.  As time went on, they muscled out other mercenary bands and expanded until Garians became the sole source of hired soldiers in Veregar.  That is not to say they are a great power unto themselves as they have an informal code which says no two mercenary bands may work for the same patron at the same time.  There have been exceptions to this over the years but they mostly adhere to this rule.  Then there is their main tenet:  "Might makes right".  There have always been a set number of these mercenary bands spread throughout the land.  Right now there are thirteen.  There has also been one less allowed than currently exists.  This ensures that the Garians are constantly competing and jockeying for position sometimes even actively looking to wipe each other out.

Another group of Garians are known as Avengers.  They have a long history of being the best at what they do because they train from birth, but they do not do it for free.  Even poor villages must find a way to pay an Avenger.  If they do not the Avenger may invoke their right to an unborn, or orphaned, child or a maiden in the village (though only with her consent) to be taken to the Avenger stronghold secreted somewhere on the continent.  This is how they are thought to grow their ranks as they turn away people looking to "become" an Avenger.  If the village refuses these prices, the Avengers are known to invoke the Law of Recompense which means pillage, raze, and sow salt into the earth.  Avengers are sometimes seen as heartless mercenaries but some know them to be honorable folk.  The truth likely lies in between as no two Avengers are the same, there seem to be several different breeds of them but they all wear ruby rings.  There are two things for certain about them: they are second-to-none when it comes to slaying monsters and you do not want to cross them.

The Garian Warmaster is a cleric of Hadogar that has forged himself into a living weapon.  Much like the Raelian Battle Priest A mix of divine and arcane magic...


Miralayne:

Symbol - Sun & Moon
Colors - Green & Gold, Red & Silver
Devotees - Miralyte Consort, Freemen, Miralyte Orcales
Weapons - Any nonlethal, often lasso, nets, and whips
Domains - Charm, Liberation, Luck, & Repose
Invocations - "Mira's beauty"

Miralayne is the goddess of love and beauty.

Consorts - So much more than whores, they are artists of the highest caliber, able to evoke profound emotion through music and dance. They also offer companionship, instruction, and wisdom in terms of sexual exploits.  They are the favorites of nobles and other powerful figures and have come to be able to gather a great deal of information and courtly influence.

The Freemen - Paladins of Love, the Law of the Open Road, vehement abolitionists.  Do not stand in the way of a Freeman intent on liberating a captive.

Miralyte Oracles and the Sybil


Nimmur:

Symbol - Cresting Wave, Cresting Wave w/ Lightning
Colors - Blue, Green, & Purple
Devotees - Nimmurian Stormlords, Nimmurian Stormblades, Imperial Army
Weapons - Any spear, often harpoons, tridents, or other barbed/hooked spears
Domains - Air, Travel, Water, & Weather
Invocations -

The increasing power of the Imperial Church of Nimmur, the ties to Emperor Nimmur and the subversive influence of the Rexzarians on the Imperial and religious structure of the Empire.

Stormlords - Clerics of Nimmur capable of summoning incredibly destructive acts of nature

Stormblades - Paladins of Nimmur who have mastered lightning

Imperial Marines & Stormbows - Devotees of Nimmur throughout the Imperial military including elite teams like the Stormbows and Imperial Marines.  They are not necessarily possessing of divine power, but worship of Nimmur is ingrained and important.


Herath:

Symbol - Oak Tree & Raven
Colors - Green & Brown
Devotees - Herathian Alchemist, Herathian Beastmaster, Wardens
Weapons - Any wooden weapon, often bows and clubs
Domains - Plant, Sun, Water, & Weather
Invocations -

The varied role of Herath and the unique role of Druids within the scope of his worship.

Herathian Alchemist - Druids who have perfected the art and science of herbalism

Herathian Beastmaster - Callers and Controllers of extraordinary and magical creatures

Wardens - Beastmen and Dedicated Rangers


Halicarnassus:

Symbol - Hammer & Anvil or Hammer & Fire
Colors - Black & Orange
Devotees - Nassian Artificer, Nassian Juggernaut, Nassian Guardsman
Weapons - Any hammer or axe, weapons that double as a tool
Domains - Craft, Commerce, Fire, & Metal
Invocations -

The god of craft and commerce.  HUman ingenuity and drive, wealth and metal.

Nassian Artificer - Unparalleled creators of magical wonders and enchanted artifacts.

Further south at the so-called Hole in the World the Nassian Juggernauts protect the Kingdoms from Giants.  The Hole in the World in a great canyon through which lies the only known pass to the little known southern part of the continent.  Though not an official military force of the Kingdoms, the Nassian Juggernauts stand sentinel here; building a wall of rock to stop the advance of the Giants.  They are rebellious when it comes to nobles making claims on their lands.  Their isolationism fuels this sentiment as Hole in the World is not an easy land to traverse.  The rocky terrain and constant threat of Giants dissuade visitors to be sure.  The Giants have been advancing north for years and many were frightened of their adavance into Caladonia and the Empire.  But they have been mostly bottle-necked at the Hole in the World.  The Juggernauts are known to use a unique form of magic that increases their size and strength exponentially to aid in their endless fight, though it is said to come at a price.

Nassian Guardsman - Formerly Merchant Caravan Guards who, over time, began to develop trade organizations


Ozymandius:

Symbol - Two, Three, or Four-Headed Oroboros
Colors - Sky Blue, White, & Gold
Devotees - Ozymandian Medician, Ozymandian Seeker, Ozymandian Sage
Weapons - All manner of daggers/knives, staves, and saps
Domains - Healing, Intelligence, Magic, Time
Invocations -

Ozymandius is the god of time, healing, and the mind.

Ozymandian Medician - Chronomancers who specialize in healing magic, but have gathered a significant amount of medical knowledge in an attempt to mitigate the aging complication that is caused by healing magicks.

Ozymandian Seeker - Paladins who have taken on the role of traveling investigator

Ozymandian Sage - Makers of the Mage's Spire, mages and clerics sharing magical secrets, insular and isolationist in terms of politics, but freely sharing of knowledge