Gods and Such: a collection of deities

When I've written up a village or adventure space, I'll often add a local deity for color and to add to the  depth of the setting. The deity that the community worships lends an indication to their values and the atmosphere of the place (and how friendly they may be to a bunch of unwashed adventurers). The gods include Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic representatives, to round out the alignments and followers.

For inspiration, I cribbed illustrations from a number of classic pulp and art deco illustrators, including Harry Clarke, Sidney Sime, and Hannes Bok. I've accumulated a long list of artists and art resources for writing inspiration and illustration over the last few years, and it's always fun to find a piece that fits my need from some unexpected source. 

A few of the gods, including Khador, Medeg, Garond, and Combris have shown up in my campaign, with their followers making their own stories and impact. Others have been mentioned or wait in the wings.

Behold, Twelve! gods of various stripes to use in your campaign, or for your own inspiration. Enjoy.

Edit: Added one more, because every pantheon needs a God of Death.

Campaign Journal: Ha'Tak Attack!

We find our 'heroes' standing on the top platform of the step pyramid of Ha'Tak, surveying the scene, a dead wyvern sprawled on a lower step.

• Fulvus - halfling
• Rondel - elf
• Frederick - thief
• Slick - thief
• Jax - barbarian
• Orzu - gnome

As they contemplated recent events, a falcon gyred down, landing in front of Frederick. A messenger from Thefri, down south.  Thefri reported that he and his colleagues, Divos and Albus, had occupied Kabrel's Tower, previously cleared by the party. Thefri had also secured new companions to replace the doomed Brutus the Bear (Shade and Onyxia). And in the face of the Chaos mutant incursions, he, too had called in more "kin." The party responded that they had secured a couple more nodes, including the northernmost location, and expected to head south, eventually seeking out the dwarves of the Smoking Isles. They fed the falcon some jerky and sent it on its way.

With that, it was time to continue the search for that damned grenade-throwing dude.

Fulvus and his two henches volunteered to pull sniper duty, watching the various stair accesses from the ground level. The remainder of the party descended to clear the southeast quadrant of the pyramid, where they had spiked the doors closed, hoping to constrain CORMAC! from his mischief. Jax removed the spikes, and Orzu opened the door (BOOM!) - of course it had been trapped. He dodged the bulk of the shrapnel. 

Nothing of note was seen in the next chamber, and the party debated which of the four doors to access. North. Ok. Jax kicked it in, sword in hand. And came face to face with another undead knight:

Hi, again

D66 Items at the Goblin Market

A few minutes of freewriting to loosen up the mind and foist something random upon you: 

"Goblin Market" by Arthur Rackham

D66 Items at the Goblin Market - OR - Worst Scavenger Hunt Ever

11: Leather pouch with a small jade idol
12: Ring of rusty keys
13: Giant's pinkie ring
14: Small purse made of snow-snake hide
15: Crock of dung beetle dung (not the ball, actual dung beetle dung)
16: Dog collar ("Fluffy")
21: Several snakes cut from a medusa's head
22: Moose antlers (moose still attached)
23: A king's chariot
24: 1d3 obsidian-tipped arrows
25: Chain made of coins
26: Tundra-folk sledge
31: Basilisk eye in a jar of oil
32: Mammoth ivory ceremonial knife
33: Dried goblin hand
34: Spider-silk net
35: Vial of bat spit
36: Ghost ephemera in magic jar
41: A meteorite
42: Teeth from a hung man
43: Mug stolen from a castle guard-house
44: A hermit's cape
45: Displacer beast toenails
46: Distilled gelatinous cube
51: Hill giant's breechclout 
52: Gladiator's blood-soaked manica
53: Crystal ball, slightly smoky
54: Coin from a dead usurper's eye
55: Drow sunscreen
56: Wizard's house slippers
61: Astrolabe for an alien sky
62: Cask of gnomish whiskey
63: Pegasus feathers, bunch
64: Small carnivorous plant in pot helm
65: Holy symbol of a dead god
66: A 5-sided die

PDF of List

"Goblin Market" by Omar Rayyan

Late Delivery: Secret Santicorn 2023

 Christmas gifts that keep on giving? 

For the OSR secret santicorn, you've been paired with wyattwashere, who wants “A list of modern/urban creatures for use in horror-investigation games like Call of Cthulhu or Delta Green. The weirder and more niche the better!”

Been on this one for a bit. 

I read through my Delta Green quickstart, and thumbed through my CoC. Through it all, the Hounds of Tindalos kept popping up in my imagination.

Good puppy (source)

So why not start from there?

<writing ensues>  

For inspiration, downloaded a glut of images from artist 0nedes, who heavily inspired a prior writing exercise, also with a dark horror/post-apocalypse vibe. 

I mean look at this cutie: 

Who could deny a darling creature like that? "Honey, it wants in!"

Additional inspiration via Dan Davis History, with a bit of Crecganford and Esoterica. Soundtrack by Cryo Chamber and other Dark Ambient channels.

So I'm not sure that I met the criteria for modern/urban, just for the fact that I created a mini-Mythos dating back to Neanderthal times and heavily influenced by Stone to early Bronze Age Indo-European cultures and myths. I mean, why use the published material when you can start from scratch? That said, I rounded up several modern references and occurrences that dovetail in with a potential 'reawakening' of beings/creatures, as well as some descriptions of the misguided or corrupted souls who may want to interact with it.

They Called Them Wolves (link permissions fixed)

Thanks also to Archon's Court for shepherding the project through this year.

Campaign Journal: The Ha'Tak Pyramid Welcoming Committee

When last we left our heroes, at least a couple were picking shrapnel out of their various bits.

Who made it?

• Fulvus, halfling
• Frederick, thief
• Jax, barbarian
• Rondel, elf
• Slick, thief
• Orzu, gnome (who had apparently been outside the pyramid taking a leak during the prior shenanigans)

Catching their breath, it was decided to pursue Grenade Throwing Dude (GTD). Checking the northeast door from whence he had appeared, no sound was heard. Cracking the door, they found an empty chamber with three exits and a painting of Khador (in her "wild party years" guise). Painting immediately filched. 

Something like this (original by Harry Clarke)

No sounds were heard from the three exit doors (although Goober was suspicious about the north and west doors), and Fulvus and hench Wena kicked the western exit open:

'Sup, yo (source)

After a brief beatdown by the undead knight, Fulvus and Wena bravely retreated, assisted by Rondel and a web spell. 

In the meantime, Slick and Flick cracked the north door, encountering a couple of burly skeletons in an old barracks. Henry Cee repelled them, and the two thieves pursued, eventually taking them down. The barracks and adjacent storeroom were pretty much devoid of valuables. Although Slick did find a jar of pennies (thanks to a crap roll on a Donjon treasure table).

Frederick was wisely watching the third door. And of course GTD cracks that door open, zaps him with a Chromatic Orb, and bolts. A side effect of the Orb was a nausea-inducing cloud, which half the party failed. 

Like this guy, but with grenades.

Most of the party retreated to the central room. The undead knight was slain from a safe distance, and decent treasure recovered.