Chapter Two: The Gods of Aeliode little influence over the world, but he is still aware of the destruction the Watchful Storm brings about He watches as the armies of Ohnr clash, leaving trails of death behind them He watches as Syn twists Aeliode into a pathetic parody of itself He watches and plans The foundations of the Hall of Sorrows has cracks; weaknesses that would cause wall to crumble if precisely struck Subdomains: Ancestors, Construct, Restoration, Resurrection, Souls Favored Weapon: Warhammer Minor Ritual: Crafting a crude idol of a living creature and offering it to Esus Sample Blessing: “The body that houses your soul is a miracle, Esus protects his creation.” Priests: Ever since the worship of Paladrus was made heretical on the Issian Peninsula, the number of priests worship the god has fallen to almost nonexistent This is not because of peoples’ lack of faith, as being discovered worshiping the god carries with it a punishment of death, most priests have be captured and killed long ago Some priests still travel the land in secret and fighting the evil gods as they can They are aware of their few numbers and so carefully Some priests have formed small enclaves where they are able to worship Paladrus and discuss plans to fight back against those priests who seek to bring ruin to the people When they go into battle they paint the symbol of Paladrus over their right eye as a sign of their devotion to the god Worshipers: Worshipers of Paladrus are rare and secretive by nature To be discovered means death in most cases This has not stopped the belief in the Gods of Sorrow Those who offer prayers to Paladrus may so in secret, but they so with a passion not felt by many worshipers of other gods Secret networks of worshipers exist as a brotherhood known as “The Stained” They are so named because it is believed that the blood of Paladrus falls from his crucified form in the Hall of Sorrows, drips free from the prison, and blesses his followers as it lands upon them The Stained are almost fanatical in their devotion Gods of Final Veil Esus Titles: The Crafter of Form, Marker of Ages Portfolio: creation, crafting, life, death Typical Worshipers: those celebrating a new birth or mourning a death; artists; healers and those interested in the function of the body Typical Worshiper Alignment: N Domains: Artifice, Animal, Death, Healing, Plant, Repose Symbol of Esus Esus is the god of natural life and death and is often depicted with the Fires of Creation in his right hand and the Drum of Destruction in his left As a god who is the manifestation of the natural circles in life and death, Esus has been born, died, and was reborn at the changing of the ages More complex versions of his holy symbol represent this cycle by adding five points of flame laid equidistantly around Esus’ Circle Avatars of Esus have always appeared as hairless and androgynous whose skin tone varies from a sapphire blue to a light grey depending on Esus’ age in his current incarnation It is Esus who is the very manifestation of natural life Esus is the guardian of all bodies of creatures who live or have ever lived Indeed it is only these bodies, and not the souls that inhabit them, that are of concern to Esus It is the only god of the Issian Peninsula who has the power to create the bodies for the habitation of the souls that the other gods wish to place upon the world These other gods make the souls, and should they require that those souls exist in the physical plane of existence, they must go to Esus for bodies to house them 33