Campaign Guide they tend to be devoted in their worship of the goddess Those who feel they have been wronged frequently offer up prayers asking the goddess to enact retribution, often violent in nature Most sailors offer up prayers to the goddess with the hopes that she will ignore their passage across her seas and oceans Those who have recently suffered a catastrophic loss often offer up prayers thanking the goddess for the lesson she has taught them Gods of the Ostmen Isles There are over a dozen gods and goddesses that make up the Laeradrn Pantheon that is worshiped by the residents of the Ostmen Islands As life in this region of the world is considered harsh by most who were not born to it, the Laeradrn divinity are said to be the reason for not only the Ostmen’s survival, but their flourishing Most Ostmen respect the gods and guide their daily life by the actions and desires of these divine beings The stories of their gods exploits teach lessons about when it is the right time to fish, when planting and harvests should occur, and what an honorable action is in a given situation This manifests in many ways even outside of worship For instance, a common phrase used to refer to a funerary procession is a “marching stag” in reference to the great elk stag Doutharorth, who is said to have brought death to the realm of mortals Another example is when a structure is built from stone instead of wood; the builder is said to have “raised a mountain for Volsung.” One practice held in common by all priests of the Laeradrn Pantheon is the act of blackening the areas around their eyes with a powder made either of coal or charcoal Both substances are considered to have been gifts from the gods and are thought to be fire in its solid form The act of covering their eyes with this dust is believed to bring light to their mortal eyes so that they can better see the actions of the divine around them, actions often obscured by the darkness of the mortal world Below is an example of two gods from the Laeradrn Pantheon, or rather two aspects of one god Balar Titles: Seawalker, the Rage Within, the Eye of Fury, King of the Fomoire Portfolio: ocean deapths, the fomoire, destruction of land Typical Worshipers: fomoire; sailors; those seeking destruction 38 Typical Worshiper Alignment: CN Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Madness, Strength, Water Subdomains: Rage, Ferocity, Flotsam, Insanity, Oceans, Protean Favored Weapon: Battle axe Minor Ritual: Eating a whole live squid Sample Blessing: “The blood in your veins is as the sea, may its flow wash away all that stands in your way.” Symbol of Balar The ocean is a torrent of violence and chaos Its waters bring death to those land dwellers who consume it and they forever wash away lands edge with their ebb and flow As it is with the oceans of Aeliode, so it is with the god Balar Balar is a god in the throes of madness, and this madnesstogether and form communities to celebrate their divine deformities As a group they are known as fomoire Not all who utter prayers to Balar are consumed with his brutal madness however Many an Ostmen warrior will be heard whispering a prayer to Balar on the eve of great battles, just as sailors invoke his name during terrible storms at sea Though they not devote themselves to the god, they respect his power and his domain They understand the daring and glory that can be theirs by bringing out small portions of the god that beats in their own hearts Care is taken to not draw his attention too fully lest his madness take root in the soul