Darokin
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesAsterius - Trade, wealth, guile, social climbing, travel, messengers, merchants, thieves, communication
Twelve Watchers - All the arts and the mysteries
Koryis - Peace and prosperity, diplomacy, mercy and comfort, tolerance
Father Time (Khoronus) - Knowledge, history, philosophy, good government, fairness, patience
Ixion - Sun, fire, order, knowledge, power, preserving the balance, banishing darkness
Valerias - Love, passion, desire, arts, beauty, charity, protection
Chardastes - Healing, purification, health, medicine, life cycle, eternal life
Odin - Good government & authority, living life to its fullest, guile, knowledge, wisdom, sky, storms, winds
Guidarezzo - Arts (especially music and song), order, harmony
Tiresias - Visions of the future, dreams, poetry and music, astrology, revealing prophecies, legends, magic
Petra - Patriotism, courage, resistance, virtue, loyalty, warrior cleric, besieged settlements
Zirchev - Hunting, survival, tolerance, magic, sylvan races, nature, animals, outcasts
Wayland - Metallurgy, crafts, smiths, armourers, engineers, constructors, magic constructs
Korotiku - Liberty, nonconformism, guile, cleverness, subterfuge, clear thinking, trickery
Protius - Oceans and marine creatures, water, unpredictability, travel
Thor - Combat, fury in battle, honour, bravery, virility
Karaash - Humanoids, battle, tactics, bravery, rule of the strongest
Wogar - Goblins, war and military tactics, conquest, despotism
Brindorhin - Halflings, patriotism, security, family, abundance, prosperity
Kagyar - Crafts, metallurgy, sculpture, construction, miners, dwarves
Ilsundal - Protection of elves and nature, wisdom, knowledge, magic, tradition, serenity, peace
Bartziluth - Bugbears, fury, war, combat
Kurtulmak - Kobolds, subterfuge, stealth, tactics, traps, guile, war
Al–Kalim - The Eternal Truth (obedience and respect of laws, honesty, justice, honour, charity, knowledge), tactics, war
Turmis - Bravery, arrogance, cleverness, epic deeds, adventurers and boastful thieves
Jammudaru - Ogres, giants, vengeance, violence
Madarua - Female warriors, courage
Maat - Justice, honour, virtue, integrity, honesty, order, loyalty, redemption, combat chaos and evil
Boss Big Rat (Mrikitat) - Wererats, subterfuge, thieves
Old Nick (Thanatos) - The end of all forms of life, death, oblivion, decadence
Noumena - Knowledge, mysteries, enigmas, guile, tactics, strategy, logic
Bagni Gullymaw - Trolls, violence, hunger, destruction
Notes:
1. The Republic of Darokin is also known as “Land of Rejects” due to the numerous migrations that have crossed through it and of the varied ethnic groups which have stopped to colonise the land. For this the Republic is today a most cosmopolitan nation, populated by humans and demihumans of many nationalities united under the Darokinian flag, who have also brought to the region cults characteristic of their homeland or race. Because here in Darokin, as in the Empire of Thyatis, there can be found temples dedicated to nearly all the existing Immortals in the Known World.
2. The most followed Immortal of this plutocracy is certainly Asterius, patron of wealth and trade on which is based the economic strength and politics of Darokin, and whose philosophy encourages individual initiative for obtaining great prosperity (self–made man) is followed by the majority of the population as the true rule of life. After him the cult of the Twelve Watchers (native of the Republic and patron of the mysteries) collect some consent for the way of making non oppressive proselytes of his clerics, as well as that of Koryis, Immortal patron of peace and diplomacy, therefore viewed by the majority of the Darokinian civilians and patron of the Diplomatic Corps of Darokin.
3. Ixion, Valerias, Khoronus, Protius, and Chardastes are instead part of the region’s most ancient cults, resulting from the period in which the Traldars and Nithians ruled the southern region (having founded the cities of Athenos, Daros, Akorros and Shalinikat), that have kept a strong base of faithful and have successively integrated into the new Darokinian reality, winning consent also among the new additional people to colonise the Streel plain after 800 BC. Similarly, the cult of the northmen(Odin, Thor, Ixion, Wayland) were introduced to Darokin in the pre-dynastic age by a group of Antalians that migrated to the south following a thrust by the humanoids and Nithians.
4. Guidarezzo and Tiresias represent the Immortals for all the artists of the republic, a nation in which the arts are extremely valued, and although there are very few clerics of these two Immortals, all those people that are passionate about art privately pay their homage. In particular, Tiresias also gets some followers among the more superstitious, being associated with prophetic gifts and omens, and her clerics have often told fortunes, predicted miracles and visions in exchange for money.
5. The cult of Zirchev derives from nearby Karameikos and is spread especially in the wild areas or among the inhabitants of forests, as is that of Petra (seen as patroness of martyrs and defenders of the land) is popular with the Darokinians of Karameikan ethnicity and among some legionary companies.
6. The cults of the demihumans (Brindorhin, Kagyar and Ilsundal) have instead been imported by the hin, dwarven and elven additions from the nearby countries (Alfheim, the Five Shires and Rockhome), that have permanently settled in the Republic in the course of the last 15 centuries. These cults are extremely private and usually only the members of the same race are tolerated in the few consecrated places to this Immortal (forests for Ilsundal, forges for Kagyar and taverns for Brindorhin), without counting that the religious ceremonies were held in secret, even if the Darokinians have nothing against these practises, knowing the honest nature of the demihumans and the peaceful impressions of the cults.
7. Korotiku has gained a discrete following among the Darokinians in the last three centuries thanks to the entry into the nation of Thyatian and Nuari followers of the Immortal. Due to his extremely playful and tricky nature, he is associated in particular to the typical abilities of the Darokinians of succeeding to convince anyone of their own ideas, as well as to the cleverness characteristic both of merchants and thieves (two professions very frequently pursued by the Darokinians and by the enemies of the Darokinians). For the same reason, the cult of Turmis (native Immortal of Thyatis) has also been successful in imposing him on with the copper class (poorest) by the Darokinians as patron of enterprise, as well as those people that try to achieve impossible deeds and the more audacious thieves.
8. The humanoid Immortals (Karaash, Wogar, Bartziluth, Kurtulmak, Jammudaru and Bagni) are worshipped only and exclusively by the humanoid tribes that live either in the Orcland (mostly orcs, ogres, bugbears and, more than normally, intelligent trolls, followers of Karaash, Jammudaru, Bartziluth and Bagni) or in the Cruth or Black Peak Mountains of the southern part of Darokin (that also houses goblin followers of Wogar and kobold supporters of Kurtulmak).
9. Al–Kalim has numerous Ylari supporters of the Eternal Truth that live in the city of Selenica, at the border with the Emirates, in which is a very large Ylari quarter.
10. Madarua, Maat and Noumena are present in the Republic with cults arising from secret sects, dedicated to the preservation and custody of ancient Nithian secrets and to combat the rise of entropic cults. In particular, Maat is worshipped by the Keepers of the Feather, a select group of paladins and clerics of proven loyalty to the cause of Good; Noumena is the patron of the enigmatic sages gathered under the name of Illuminati, that scrutinise the events of the world and act when required to resolve mysteries and recover ancient artefacts; Madarua instead patroness the sect of Warrior Maidens, an order of warriors prohibited to males within of which are handed down ancient secrets and that collaborates with the lawful church for maintaining order and punish the wicked, especially the slavers.
11. Boss Big Rat (Mrikitat) has hidden disciples with in Darokinian society and in the various guilds of thieves, therefore as Old Nick (Darokinian alter ego of Thanatos) seeks to destabilise the government of the Republic corrupting the souls of the politicians and rich businessmen with promises of great riches and eternal life. These individuals are corrupted to create secret cults dedicated to Old Nick, to which introduced with caution other powers in search of further influence on the world or simply of new pleasures and unexpected thrills. Frequently these sects conduct human sacrifice, orgiastic rites that flow inevitably in blood, and evocation of spirits with the only aim of eliminating their adversaries or gain invaluable information for their own affairs. Any church dedicated to Thanatos even acting openly, presents itself as a cult of veneration of the dead and of the preparation of the passing (in this case always revering an entity by the vague nickname and evoked as the Eternal or the Keeper of the Souls, for not revealing the true name of their Immortal). While they keep their crimes secrets, they are free to act, but if they are discovered usually the legionaries or the lawful members intervene to destroy the sect and unmask the members.
12. The lizardmen of the Malpheggi Swamp worship two opposing Immortals: Father Ka and the Lizard King (Demogorgon). Naturally the more aggressive are the followers of the Lizard King, and the tribes fight among themselves more for their religious differences than for the control of the territory.
13. The lord of the ice Stodos has a small cult made up of humanoids and lizardkin in the Cruth Mountains on the border with the Five Shires (see adventure M1Solo).
14. For a small time in the Republic have also operated the first clerics of Benekander, who showed himself to them with the name of Gareth, The one who returned from the Vortex. Due to their meagre number and the fact that the cult has for now a mysterious character (Benekander indeed asks his clerics to keep a low profile but keep their eyes open to spy on the movements of mortals and Immortals), his presence is spent unseen even to the other Immortals.