Most polytheistic pantheons have a "top god" who is in charge of things, and is usually somehow tied to the creation of the world as it is (Odin, Zeus/Jupiter, Brahmin, etc).
I'm trying to reinforce this idea in GH, but some pantheons don't really have an obvious choice. Others seem obvious, but I may be missing something.
I think it depends on where you are. In Veluna they'd say that Rao was the head god. In the Pale, they'd credit Pholtus as being the most powerful of the true and virtuous gods (with those who would not acknowledge the sovereignty of the Blinding Light little better than demons). In the United Kingdom of Ahlissa, Zilchus, god of wealth, prestige, and politics, makes for an admirable Overking of the deities. In the grim North Kingdom they know Hextor is more powerful; the Shieldlanders concur but maintain that his brother and eternal foe, Heironeous, is mightier still and will ultimately triumph. In Ekbir they believe Al'Asran, the Baklunish face of Pelor, is the greatest of all deities, while in grim Ket, pragmatic Tusmit, and distant Zeif they revere Istus as the queen of the heavens. In the Old Faith, Beory is the source and center of everything, but the proud folk of Tenh side with their less civilized cousins the Rovers of the Barrens in worshipping Pelor as the skyfather, patriarch of the gods. In the lands of the northern Suel barbarian folk, Vatun is held to be the greatest of deities, temporarily imprisoned due to an act of sneaking cowardliness because their god could never be bested in a fair fight. The Black Brotherhood holds that Tharizdun is the deposed king of all the multiverse, who will one day be king once more, ruling a kingdom of glorious infinite ruin and desolation. The cultists of Nerull know that death ultimately claims all; even Tharizdun will one day be freed only to fall before the scythe of the Reaper. In the Duchy of Urnst they teach that Lendor is the father and mother of all the gods, but that Lendor has grown old and distant and gods like Pelor and St. Cuthbert are more potent in the present era. The Scarlet Brotherhood agrees that Lendor's time has past, teaching that Wee Jas, Syrul, and Pyremius have grown mightier than their progenitor (Pyremius might even be slowly poisoning him while Syrul feeds him flattering distractions, and this is only the proper path for the ambitious in the face of unworthy superiors), but the Silent Ones in Keoland believe that despite his withdrawal Lendor has lost none of his ancient power and wisdom.
Thanks; that's a good synopsis of it. I guess I was going for more of a "disparate but internally consistent pantheons" approach. Which doesn't make sense, given the jumble of cultures that is Greyhawk.
Hm... You'd think that a direct line of communication to the deities would hinder a relativist view, but it's not like anyone's really in charge of it all.
"Yeah, this is Rao. Yeah, I'm the leader of the pantheon; got rid of all those demons, didn't I."
"Pelor here. Yup, it's like the sun still rises and sets because of me."
"Pholtus here. What? Lemme tell you something, those other guys can't hold a candle to me. My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades, baby."
"This is Lendor's answering machine. Leave a message and I may get back to you this millennium."
That said (leaving the direct topic), I'm encouraging characters and NPCs to acknowledge many deities. Clerics may choose one deity, or may choose to serve a pantheon or other cultural mix. (I'm running Savage Worlds - what's a Cleric Domain?)
How about this brief scenario:
In the beginning Tharizdun was a god of balanced creation and destruction and as such created the greyverse and perhaps all of existence. In doing so, however, all creation aspects of his nature were torn from him which unbalanced the very being of his nature. All that was left was a desire to destroy existence. Perhaps this is a reaction he cannot control, making him more of a force of nature, or it may be intentional as he now must destroy all in an attempt to regain that which he once was.
Note: He could very well be a she and it would actually be more consistent with many of our own mythologies as deities that have a dual creation and destruction aspect tend to be female.
Thanks for the feedback. I've run across the "Tharizdun as creation deity" meme before. I like it, but not for Greyhawk, at least not for my interpretation. (And that is frankly one of the coolest things about GH - it's what you make it.)
I like the idea of Tharizdun as the embodiment and source of all entropy. Everything, even the gods, must one day pass. And what fantasy setting (RPG or literary) doesn't have an Enemy? ;)
Changes
Suel - Lendor is top of Suel Deities
Baklunish - Istus controls Fate of Baklunish Pantheon
Beory - Flan Deities are her children
Oeridians - Unknown - Mentions no head of the pantheon
Rhenee - Homeworld Rhop not Oerth
It has been a while since I looked at tSB, but IIRC the Olman gods rotate in a cycle as to which is chief. I to not recall if K/Q is supposed to be on top now. I wrote an attepted humorous article Barbakoa, Alligator Accession, http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=764, setting up Huhueteotl as the top dog for the Olman revival. - We forward in this generation, triumphantly! _________________ Plar of Poofy Pants
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