The Pantheon of Saros

In Saros, the Gods and Goddesses may be perceived differently by different peoples and regions, much like the world in which we actually live. A paladin of the Eastern Empire traveling in the Southern States would find the worship of Karre distasteful. I present the Gods below as they are perceived in each region. When selecting a God, understand that your religion may get you in trouble in certain places in the world!! It is also perfectly acceptable to be an atheist but not necessarily safer.

Some background and relationships:

• Eldro is the cosmic brother of Andro. They were birthed on the same day in the fires of Saros. Eldro and Andro are veiled in flame and difficult to tell apart. Only the wisest, most devoted cleric or paladin knows the difference between the two.
• Maida was the first wife of Eldro. This was when Saros was young and the children of Saros were just beginning to come into being. Maida came from another world, Atryahs, and brought the Elves with her. During these early years man and elf and dwarf lived in peace. However, a distrust grew between Maida and Eldro. Eldro delighted in the inventions of man and the way man shaped Saros and attempted to create order. Maida felt Saros should remain unblemished and untouched. She left him and returned to Atryahs. The Elves that remained had a special connection to Maida and her clerics still received divine wisdom from her, although the method of communicating across this transdimensional gulf is shrouded in mystery… After Maida left, Eldro turned on the Elves, considering them to be evil creatures full of deceit. This is the origins of the distrust of magic and magical creatures in the Eastern Empire.
• Eldro took a second wife, Karre. Karre was originally human. Eldro lusted after her and went to great lengths and sacrifices to make her a goddess. Her wantonness could not be tamed, however and she took many gods and men as lovers. Eldro banished her from his realm in the East. This is the origins of the distrust of women in the Eastern Empire. Women are very subjugated in this region.
• Finley was a great Warrior King of the Eastern Empire 100 years ago. He was the greatest paladin of Eldro and was rewarded by being elevated to a Demigod. All dictates, laws, etc. are perceived as being handed down by Finley. It is thought that he still lives in eternal splender in the Palace of Eldrodain in the capital of the Eastern Empire, Eldrosune. He is adored by his people. Judgement comes from Eldro and Justice is executed by Finley.
• Andro is worshipped in more agrarian and wilderness regions. He is changeable like the weather, and less predictable than Eldros, preferring nature and earthly pleasure. Andro has a strong sense of injustice, like his brother, but prefers to let the living creatures of the world work out problems for themselves. Andros never took a wife, but did father a series of Elfish muses with the goddess Aude, the daughter of Maida and Eldro. Aude is the elfish Goddess of Art and Creation.
• Blacklock was one of the consequences of elevating Karre to a Goddess. He was a human lover of Karre. When Eldro deified Karre the cost was the creation of a powerful enemy. The Fires of Saros took Blacklock and deified him as well. Blacklock has no ethics or morals. His energies and actions, if you could call them that, are focused on creating ambiguity and chaos, and some would say despondency and reckless despair.
• Jatyx is an evil god that is primarily worshipped or feared by Elves. This god caught a ride with Maida when she came to Saros, unbeknownst to her. He stayed in Saros rather than returning with her to Atryahs. He is a deceiver and the Elves believe when they see disease and rot, it is the work of Jatyx. There are isolated pockets of Dark Elves that worship Jatyx and perform unspeakable sacrifices in his name.
• Feix is the primary god of dwarves. He was hatched from the Stone of Saros. He is quick to ire, and a great defender of good intention and hard honest work. He is a teller of tales (often tall ones) and in Saros dwarves are the greatest of all story tellers (though the stories are often not factual). There is a saying in Saros, “If you want to hear about how Ironfist Hammerhead slew 500 Goblins and a Balrog with a single axe swing, go to the mines. If you want to hear about how Ironfist Hammerhead led an army of 200 hundred dwarves to battle against 300 Goblins and a cave troll, go to the misty forest glens.” This isn’t to say that the Elves can’t tell an exciting and poetic tale, they’re just a lot more accurate.
• Dynne the wife of Feix. She is a traditional goddess of the hearth for the dwarves. Feix and Dynne have a stormy relationship and as a result most dwarf couples copy this behavior. Feix worships his wife and is very dedicated to her. She could take him or leave him! A very resourceful and strong-willed Goddess.
• Hro – A lover of Karre. Karre fled to him after she was banished from Eldro’s sight. Hro is a god of pleasure and hedonism. Hro will try to strong arm other gods, though he is often not successful. His greatest success is in the seduction of man.
• Erring was a tiny flame that sputtered to the ground immediately after Eldro and Andro emerged. He is the god of Halflings. His followers have a disciplined approach to life, neither looking back or forward but keeping focused on the present.
• Hai and Khai – This is the two-faced god of the centaurs. Hai is considered the human element of the centaur and Khai is considered the horse. Hai is the chaotic element of the centaur, the drinker, the outlaw, the trouble maker. Khai is the purposeful, driven and fierce side of the centaur.
• Pelora – Goddess of the Amazons. Pelora has two main attributes, she is a goddess of war and a goddess of mothering. She is very ancient, some say as old as Eldro and Andro. She is also worshipped secretly by women in agrarian areas all over Saros, mostly by wise women healers and midwives. In the Eastern Empire, worship of Pelora is considered witchcraft and these women are burned at the stake. She is a changeable deity (much like Andro) and very difficult to predict. She requires her clerics to have compassion at times and to be brutally destructive at others (think of the Hindi Goddess, Kali).
  
• Urgoth - A mythical god of the Half-Orcs. Many doubt this god to exist, but some half-orcs are staunch devotees. Urgoth was once a mortal half-orc 500 years ago. He wandered alone and isolated for many years looking for a place to fit in. He won a great battle in the service of the humans and brokered a peace between man and Orc. The peace was however, short lived and Urgoth was betrayed by his human allies and murdered. Urgoth was martyred and Half-Orc clerics pray to him for guidance. Orcs curse his name.
  

The God Alignments and attributes according to regions and peoples. Keep in mind these are the perceptions of the people in that region:

Eastern Empire Human

• Eldro - Lawful Neutral - Characteristics: Fathering, structure, authority, regulation, judgement
• Andro - Chaotic neutral - spontaneity, faith in man, folly
• Finley - Lawful Good – Justice, responsibility, decision, cause and effect
• Karre - Chaotic Evil – domination of female sexuality, deception, greed, lust, joy in destructive behavior
• Blacklock (Nih)– Chaotic Evil – Apathy, inaction, stagnation, dissipation of energy

Elven

• Andro - Neutral good – fertility, spontaneity, faith, gaiety, male aspect of nature
• Aude - Chaotic good – release of inner evil, illusion, imagination, also known as “She Who Causes Bewilderment.”
• Maida – Lawful Good – Mothering, abundance, senses, nature
• Jatyx – Chaotic evil – death, destruction, disease

Dwarven

• Feix - Neutral Good – Enterprising, Adept, Steady, Reliable, supporting.
• Dynne - Neutral Good – Practicality, prosperity, action, trust

Gods of the Southern states

• Hro – Chaotic Neutral – Sensuality, free will, wealth, euphoria
• Blacklock – Chaotic Neutral – faithlessness, emptiness, nihilism
• Karre - True Neutral – Relationships, sexuality, personal beliefs, values
• Eldro – Lawful Evil – Abuse of power, tyranny, greed
• Andro – True neutral – Letting go, suspension of action, putting aside self-interest.

Centaurs

• Hai and Khai – Chaotic good – superficial/charming, cocky/self-confident, foolhardy/daring, restless/adventurous, hot-tempered/passionate

Halflings

• Erring – True Neutral – purposeful, focused, passive

Half-Orcs

• Urgoth - Chaotic neutral - Hunting, isolation, "The Hermit Warrior," war
  

Amazons -

• Pelora - Neutral (sometimes Chaotic) good – honest, strong, forthright, witty, experienced, loving, tenderheart, intuitive, psychic, matriarchy, hunting, destruction.