The Gods
Ishandeshee shrineKiresh Ziggurat

THE GODS AND HEROES OF H'KARTHA




INDEX




GODS OF THE ISHANDESHEE


Sea-elf Gods


Soren

SOREN:


The Lord of the Atolls, Patron of Sorenso, leader of the Ishandeshee pantheon. He is known as the Volcano God and the Lord of Oracles, as his priestesses are all oracles with chapels near smoky and mystical volcanic events. He carries the Bow of Fate from which he fires the Arrows of Fortune. He is a Luck god. To the sea-elves the symbol of Soren, the volcano is also the symbol of destiny.



Trython

TRYTHON:


Trython is the God of Sorensoraitu, the shallow sea around Sorenso that is distinct from the rest of the Endless Sea because of the blessings of Trython. Rich in fishing, lovely coral reefs, and safer for ships than the wilds of the Endless Sea that are the domain of Var-Baal-Kul, a rival sea-god.the Kingdom of Trython is one of the blessings of the God. His consort is Ishandra, the Goddess of the Moon and magic.





Askene

ASKENE:


Askene is the Goddess of healing, childbirth, family, the home, love and redemption. She is closely identified with the Prometheans (see Heroes). Askene is often known as the intercessor, as she will represent Ishandeshee who have run afoul of some deity or spirit and wish to make atonement for their violation and peace with the being. Askene is also the Peacemaker, the Patroness of Treaties, ambassadors, prisoners and persons of goodwill, as well as a goddess of peace, harmony and the arts of civilization. She is the lover of Ghalanu. She is said to summon the Prometheans. Once known to and worshipped by the Kiresh as Kithiatha, she was formerly the consort of Marduk, before Nike took her place.




Ghalanu

GHALANU THE OATHMASTER:


Originally a Kiresh god, Ghalanu has been adopted by the Ishandeshee as well as Moors, Zarzhanja, Haz, Kyprosi and even the Uruk. He is the God of Parley, Pledges, Oaths Moneylenders, Debts, Heralds and Ransoms. He is the Upholder of Treaties, and is those who break oaths sworn to Ghalanu or treaties sworn to him or Askene must make amends to the gods or risk suffering his wrath. Ghalanu was an obscure god until Gonwana unified the continent that now bears his name. The great empire which he founded established the habit of the peoples of most of H'kartha in using Ghalanu to bind their agreements. He like the common tongue of Gondwanapal are a key aspect in creating ties between the disparate peoples of the world.




AresAres Assaults Askene

ARES THE BATTLE LORD:


Ares is the god of warriors, fighting, piracy, raids, bravery, bold action, sport and competition. The tribes of the Ishandeshee have an Olympics-style gaming event dedicated to Ares. He is a rival of Ghalanu both for influence and for the affections of Askene. The Ishandeshee refer to war as the"rape of Askene" for they imagine that when the tribes go to war, Ares parallels this with an assault on that goddess. His consorts are the nymphs: Tyresta (Discord), Myletheke (Envy), the angry godling, Rejas (Rage) and the more level headed Talur (Intrigue). The last two are males, as the god Ares knows no boundaries to his passions. Warriors in battle are said to be caught in the embrace of Ares,and thus metaphorically his lovers. Ares has had many dalliances with various minor gods and goddesses, some of which have produced offspring (See Heroes). Ares replaced Pallas as the war god of the Ishandeshee when she became the patron of Flage, she still has some devotees among the Sea-Elves (See Kiresh Gods, Pallas)




HEROES OF THE ISHANDESHEE

TAKLIN and MURORANE


Taklin and Murorane unified Sorenso for the 376 years of their reign. The only time that Sorenso was truly unified before the Ishandeshee Confederation 2900 years ago. Their exploits against the Khuderkhun, the Daighar u and the Sahuagin are still sung by the Elvish bards. However the rise of the Black host unfortunatley led to their capture and execution by the Despot Taklimenish IV, one of the leaders of the Black Host. The Trajedy of the Blue Gem is the poignant bardic story of their defeat and tragic end. It will bring even the fiercest Ishandeshee warrior to tears when sung.


FAERAI (THE PROMETHEANS)


They are also called "The Siderthe" but to do so is seen as disrespectful. They taught the Sea-Elves the arts of civilization, and the magics of speaking with fishes, and shapechanging into dolphins and seas-lions. They are said to have taught many arcane secrets to the Ishandeshee forefathers. They brought them from Kailandu (now called Dhaigur) to Sorenso. They first appearded in the distant past in the Age of Turmoil many thousands of years ago. They are reputed by the Ishandeshee to be semi-divine in nature. The last Sidethe is said to have vanished from H'kartha about 1000 years ago according to legend, but by then they were almost legendary, seen by few elves and even those encounters disputed. They seem to appear in times of great need. There are supposedly twelve of these beings, according to Ishandeshee legend The most famous are Dandanar and Ziphanex who led the Ishadeshee to victory in the Wars of the Black Host, liberating the Sorenso from the rule by the the Khunderkhun and Dhaigharu.


CHARAKENE THE BARD


CharakeneCharakene the Bard's voyage through the Caverns of Dark Oblivion and his encounter with the Draco-lich Zasphrx-kexktloli'nk are part of a long epic. The Song of Charakene is a very melancholy piece. It is the tale of a despair, and mourning. Charkene goes on a voyage of discovery of H'kartha, after may adventures he suffers a tragic loss, his love Yųsholėmiki. From that point on in the tale Charakene is seeking the spirit of his beloved who was abducted by the Abominations of Ghurl. He is finally reunited with her in the The Caves of Dark Oblivion, the pit of the Netherworld. He charms death and the Demonking of the Ghurl with hissongs and obtains the release of his beloved, but he spies the shade of another elf and falls in love. His fickle heart wavers and he must chose between his old beloved and his new. He picks the new, and discovers he has liberated a demon from hell. He realizes his folly and dies of a broken heart.

GODS OF THE KYPROSI


Shalukah

SHALUKAH THE JESTER GOD


The Juggler, Lord of Roads, Destiny, Merchants,and Luck, Patron of the Kyprosi, gamblers, adventurers, and enemy of the meek, the conservative, and keepers of routines. He is identified with the Chaluk-Baal-Jalaam, the Jester God of the Moors and Yedijiuh of the Dust Dwarves. He is said to have created the race of the Kyprosi and organized their first troupe. He is said to reveal glimpses of the future to Kyprosi fortune tellers, and all Kyprosi carry silver coins with the image of the Jester god cast on the front, and Lymona cast on the back, which they toss at crossroads or in times of great decisions.

Lymona

LYMONA:


Goddess of luck and fortune and the patron of adventurers in general. She is a chaotic good deity symbolized by a pair of dice. Orgininally a purely Kyprosi god, she has won Kiresh converts. She has shrines in every gambling hall in the Delta.



GHALANU THE OATHMASTER:


Originally a Kiresh god, Ghalanu has been adopted by the Kyprosi He is the God of Parley, Pledges, Oaths Moneylenders, Debts, Heralds and Ransoms. (See Kiresh Gods)

Eiyele and the Jester GodEIYELE


Eiyele is the muse of music and dance. She is the protector of Kyprosi troupes and is believed to be the mother by several Kyprosi mortals of most of the Kyprosi heroes. She is said to be the consort of the Jester God.

AmbrosisAMBROSIS:


God of joy and pleasure, his cult consists of interminable drunken orgies, heavy on pleasures of the flesh and light on the teachings of the spirit. Ambrosis is chaotic neutral in alignment.


HEROES OF THE KYPROSI


Falstaff

FALSTAFF


Falstaff is sort of a Merlin like figure to the Kyprosi, although he is more of a trickster. He changed the Gharlin troupe of Kyprosi into a race of monkey-like creatures called the Lemurlai because one of their number cut off his beard when he was sleeping. Run afoul of a powerful Time Elemental, he now lives his life backwards. He lives with the Lemurlai on floating islands to the East of Gondwana, but sometimes visits the latter landmass from time to time.

RIMCHUKIN


Rimchunkin§ Like most Kyprosi heroes, his escapades usually revolve around pulling tricks on the tall ones, stealing fabulous treasures, exploring strange realms and consorting with beautiful females of various races. Rimchukin is said to have stolen the hearts of Gondeana, the magical stoens that power the Collossi.



JANSEEF THE ACROBAT


Kyprosi hero of whom many exploits are sung. His most famous exploit is that he stole the jewel of Hathuk, the means by which Dark Jouwabie can leave doomed Jakar.



GODS OF THE HAZ and AKATI

DYAUS


Dyaus is the god of the bright sky and conversely the Haz rain god, for under the burning sun, a cloud sent from Dyaus can be a blessing even to the Haz.

SHAMASH

Shamash The Haz god of the sun. The great god of justice, a god of divination. The enemy of darkness and all the evil darkness brings. Every morning, scorpion-men throw open the gates of his great palace, and Shamash mounts a great radiant golden dragon. He then crosses the sky from one horizon to the other, casting his rays upon the earth like a net, seeing all the evils and wrongs of the world. Entering the earth on the eastern horizon, Shamash travels through the underworld back to his palace. Shamash requires blood sacrifice.

Ilvaarak

ILVAARAK

Ilvaraak is another personification of the sun. His name means the "Inspirer," and is derived from the root varaa, to drive or stimulate. As the Dawn-god he is spoken of as a red-eyed, golden-tongued, and ruddy-golden scaled Haz, or as a red dragon. Rubies and Golden objects are sacred to him. Ilvaraak cut off his hand as a sacrifice, the member turning into a giant sandworm that killed the enemies of the Haz. Sand Worms are sacred to Ilvaraak. Haz priests gave him a golden one instead in gratitude.

Soma

SOMA

Soma is the name of a god, and an intoxicating juice from a cactus Yuhedrith, which is sacred to the god and used in shamanic experiences and dreamquests. Soma is a god of divination, prohesy, as well as a war god who gives strength and stamina to the Haz. He is a protector god, who helps the Haz against the vicissitudes of Sethu and Vritra, the snake of darkness.

MOKOSH


The goddess who both gives and takes life, the spinner of the thread of life, the giver of the water of life. Mokosh is also a goddess of water, fertility, sorcery and herbal lore. health with marriage.


SOBEK or SSSHOBEK

Ssshobek Crocodillian god of the Akati, Crodillians, and several other sentient creatures of Lagoons, Swamps and Marshes. He is known as the "Stern Judge" and the "Eater of Souls".





OTHER GODS

BALOR:


Also called the Red-Eyed God, or the Shapeshifter he is revered by dark cults throughout H'kartha. Depending on his whim, he may be a Giant, a Bat, a shark, coyote, an old man or even a great Sand worm, but he is always evil. He created the dopplegangers who serve his will.

Gruumsh:


Gruumsh the All-Seeing is the demon-god/leader of the Fel Marshes and of the orcs. His citadel is Fel Gador. He is described as a large battle-scarred orc or hobgoblin with a single, central eye. He is lawful evil in alignment. He is also called Urukhasta (God of the Uruk River). 		Gruumsh
The Great Game

JIL-AL AND YAAL-JHAK


These mysterious figures are known as the FATES. They are involved in what they call the Great Game of Destinies. These deities are somehow connected to the Helix Spiders, that spin the threads of the Fabric of Reality and the Webs of Fortune.

GODS OF THE VASHALEYNESHEE (SAND ELVES):


The Vashaleyeneshee are largely totemic although there is a cult of the triple goddess whom they refer to as Isis, and they honor Ghalanu, the Oathmaster.


GODS OF THE DARAKHGHAR (DUST DWARVES):


The Darakghghar worship the triple goddess as Taghriz, they also honor the Jester Gods as Yedijiuh, and Ghalanu the oathmaster. They also engage in ancestor worship.

TAWARET

TAWARET PATRON GOD OF THE PSTHAAGA:


The Psthaaga worship the warrior god Tawaret, Lord of the Elemental Hosts, Master of the Marshes, a powerful elemental being from the plane of Water.

1