Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Vali

Vali (Macha)

The Raven of Battle; The Savage Huntress; The Tracker in the Wilds; Celestial Mistress of War and the Moon

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
Domains: Hunter, Lycanthropy, Moon, Repose, Survival, War, Wild.
Prestige Domains: Beastmaster.

Summon Monster: Vali's clerics and favored souls can summon anarchic creatures using summon monster spells. Vali's clerics may also use the summon nature's ally lists when summoning creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: Nine black ravens on a white field trimmed in red.
Favored Weapon: "The raven's spike" (leaf spear or belly spear).
Related Prestige Classes: Moondancer of Vali, Ranger.

Over his head is shrieking
A lean hag, gently hopping
Over the points of the weapons and the shields;
She is the raven-haired Vali.
     - from the Tain Liath Vali.

Vali is the fierce and violent mistress of war, battle, destruction, and death. She represents the naked violence of warfare, the vicious predatory instinct, and raw animal savagery, and is the embodiment of the raw, destructive power of unrestrained warfare, as well as the moon and shape changers. Vali is said to be the sister of Syfa and half-sister to Füllar, although some of the myths hold that her kinship with Eiur may be tenuous at best. She is said to be as beautiful as she is dangerous, although the stories have little else to say about her appearance other than to say she is a slender pale woman with black hair and blue traced body paint who can be beautiful or terrible depending upon her mood. Myths tell of her fearsome presence, the fury and panic of battle surrounding her as a mantle of fear, driving the faint of heart to flee her presence.

As the mistress of battle, Vali is also closely associated with death, and it is her and her entourage of daughters who serve as her battle-maidens that select those warriors who have proved themselves in arms sufficiently enough to be added to the armies of Heaven. Many warriors pray to her that they be worthy of being so chosen should they die in battle. When she fights, she and her daughters carry vicious barbed spears in battle, Vali names hers Tocyn Coch, and the favored weapons of her devotees are the leaf spear and the belly spear. Although Vali has no consort, she has nine daughters who follow her onto the battlefield. Each daughter is associated with a particular aspect of Vali. They are: Agrona, mistress of slaughter; Ancasta, mistress of fear; Caireen, mistress of strife; Cauþ Bodva, mistress of fury; Cabh Deað, mistress of bloodshed; Ernmas, mistress of killing; Fæ, mistress of hate; Nemain, mistress of venom; and Uaþach, mistress of anger.

Vali gives little heed to the past or the future, and is of little use as counselor or advisor. When she appears in legend she typically takes the role of an active participant giving aid on behalf of a hero or cause. The faithful pray to Vali for success in the hunt and in war. Those who devote themselves to her adorn themselves with silver jewelry, usually in the shape of the moon or weapons of battle. Vali is said to take powerful mortal warriors as lovers from time to time, and when she communicates with her devoted followers, she often speaks by taking the form of one of these heroes who has died in battle, although she sometimes appears as a raven. Divine casters devoted to Vali refuse to use her gifts to heal wounds not inflicted in battle, considering only injuries inflicted in combat to be worthy of her blessings. In addition, wounds healed by her power always leave a visible scar: A display of the bravery and honor of the bearer. Stories tell of a magical golden boar owned by Vali that can be hunted and eaten every night, but is healed anew before the next moonrise. Because of this, Vali is associated with the boar, and her worshipers frequently honor her by conducting ritual boar hunts.

Vali is also the mistress of the moon, complementing Brid’s mastery over the stars and Yng's suzerainty over the sun. She is closely associated with the powers of shape changing, as many of the most famous and noteworthy warriors in myth and legend have been powerful shape shifters. Vali is said to be tireless and fast enough to run down any four-legged creature, and can take the form of any beast or bird. Her priests teach that she and her daughters fly as a flock of ten shrieking ravens or carrion crows, calling up a host of slain warriors over any field where a battle is fought. For this reason, a raven is seen as an omen of impending combat and death. She is closely associated with the powers of shape changing, as many of the most famous and noteworthy warriors in myth and legend have been powerful shape shifters. While she favors shape changers devoted to her, lycanthropy obtained and exercised without her blessing is regarded as a blasphemy against Vali’s power. It is her power that reveals lycanthropes in their true form under the full moon, either to reveal their blasphemy against her, or to demonstrate their devotion to her power. Vali is, understandably, quite popular among khülen communities, and among the khülen she is widely regarded as the creator and patron of the race.

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Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Tiwas

Tiwas (Toutatis)

The Binder of Oaths; The Golden Arm of Justice; Celestial Lord of Law and Judges

Alignment: Lawful Neutral.
Domains: Balance, (Crusade), Judgment, Justice, Law, Nobility, Sword.

Summon Monster: Tiwas' clerics ad favored souls can summon axiomatic and celestial creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: A balanced golden scale with a silver longsword as the fulcrum.
Favored Weapon: "Righteous justice" (longsword).
Related Prestige Classes: Paladin.

Tiwas is the lord of law and judgment, and every properly conducted trial takes place under his protection. In the War in Heaven, Tiwas combined with Forseti to turn back Belial and his demon host. Tiwas lost his right hand when the Lords of Heaven sought to imprison the demon hound Garm. The demonic beast refused to allow itself to be imprisoned unless one of the Lords of Heaven agreed to place it in the beast’s mouth as a hostage. Tiwas took up the task, and did not shirk even when Garm ripped off Tiwas' arm. As they had done for Heim, Wünd and Hœnir worked together and crafted Tiwas a new arm, but this limb was not made from silver, but is instead gold. In legend, Tiwas lives in a great fortress named Himinbjorg from which he presides over the court of the Heavens. He is said to wear a silver arm ring that is supposed to be enchanted such that any oath sworn upon it may never be broken, even by one of the Celestial or Demonic Lords. His temples hold similar rings upon which oaths are sworn, mounted as the central altar of shrines devoted to him, although they are not usually enchanted.

Tiwas emphasizes strategy and tactics in combat, and many of his followers have earned renown as skilled and brilliant war leaders. As is to be expected of one devoted to the law, he expects his followers to be valorous, organized and orderly in wartime, and demands that they remain true to all promises and oaths they have given. He is a popular celestial among the Warknights of the Council, supporting both their steadfast courage and inspirational leadership of troops in battle. Judges look to Tiwas for guidance when making their decisions, and no court in the Freeholds is conducted without calling upon his blessing. Tiwas is the third of the brother gods descended from Eiur. Although his church is more prominent than that of Forseti or Heim, his priesthood is also subordinate to Eiur’s.

Clerics of Tiwas frequently favor the longsword as a weapon of war. Clerics and paladins of Tiwas may treat the skills Knowledge: Law and Sense Motive as class skills for free but may never tell a lie or hedge the truth. Paladins who follow Tiwas are usually members of the religious order known as the Order of the Scales.

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Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Þunor

Þunor (Taranis)

The Thunderer; The Fury of the Storm; Celestial Lord of Thunder, Storms, and Strength

Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Domains: Air, Feast, Lightning, Storm, Strength, Thunder, Wrath.

Summon Monster: Þunor's clerics and favored souls can summon anarchic and auran creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: An eagle bearing a lightning bolt in its talons.
Favored Weapon: "Wind splitter" (greataxe).
Related Prestige Classes: Mighty Contender of Þunor

Þunor is said to live in a land atop a great thunderhead named Þruþheim where he maintains a mighty hall named Bilskinir. Þunor represents the wild rage of a seething thunderstorm, and his followers are expected to emulate this characteristic. In all stories in which he appears, he is depicted as incredibly strong, totally fearless, straightforward, bluff, hearty, and violent. His eyes are a deep blue, like the sky, and when he is angered, they flash lightning. Though he is the thunderous frenzy of the storm, he can be calmed by his spouse Syfa, and in stormy weather many in the Three Worlds pray to her to intercede and stay his wild rage.

Þunor has little care for the past or the future, and is of little aid as a counselor or adviser, but is a hardy albeit inconsistent ally in time of trouble. He normally appears as a huge, muscular warrior with wild red hair, a bristling red beard, ruddy flesh and an enchanted greataxe that can split the wind with a thunderclap, a weapon many of his devoted followers carry in his honor. In the War in Heaven, Þunor was at the forefront of battle, confronting Halpas and Bål, his wild rage driving them both back into Hell.

Þunor is associated with the eagle, and he wears a helm decorated with two wings made from eagle feathers. Among men, Þunor is often referred to as the Wind Lord or the Storm Lord, and his wrath is said to be the mighty thunderstorm that can rock the earth and break even the highest mountains. To many uncivilized warriors he is the ideal, possessing strength, courage and resoluteness in abundance, delighting in wrestling and contests of strength. Many barbarians hold Þunor as their patron and clerics devoted to Þunor may treat the barbarian class as an additional favored class.

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Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Syfa

Syfa (Andate)

The Lady of Swiftness; The Autumn Queen; Celestial Mistress of Nature, Forests, and Beasts

Alignment: Neutral Good.
Domains: Animal, Celerity, Nature, Plant, Swiftness, Weather, Wood.

Summon Monster: Syfa's clerics and favored souls can summon celestial and fioð creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: A stag skull.
Favored Weapon: "Autumn's sting" (javelin or throwing spear).
Related Prestige Classes: Fleet Runner of Syfa, Ranger

Syfa is the fleet footed mistress of the hunt and guardian of the wild places of the world. The legends hold that she is sister to the four brothers Forseti, Heim, Rúadan, and Tiwas, and half-sister to Füllar. She is also possibly the half-sister of Vali but the exact nature of their kinship is unclear in the myths. She appears to mortals as an athletic woman with blond hair, although myths variously describe her as human, fæy, or half-fæy. She is always depicted wearing green and brown clothes, and carrying a sheaf of javelins to cast at those who would despoil the beautiful places of the wild. Syfa is said to be faster afoot than any beast or creature that runs on feet, and the myths hold that her endurance is such that she can run down any quarry. Syfa is a wild untamable spirit who delights in sport and running, but is regarded as a faithful consort to Þunor, unlike her promiscuous half-sister Vali.

Syfa is said to live on a diet of deer milk and wild berries and refuses to consume any meat. Syfa the mistress of plants and growing things, and has a great love for the forests and trees of the world as well as the beasts of the wild. In the War in Heaven, In legend, Syfa mastered the demon hound Garm, but could not slay the animal because it was protected by a death gesa that said it could not be destroyed without causing the end of the world. Instead, she confined the hound until Wünd could forge a cage strong enough to imprison the beast, and even then the Lords of Heaven had to place an entire mountain on top of Garm's prison to keep it from escaping.

Syfa is regarded as the mistress of all wild places, and is a popular celestial among shifters and rangers. Syfa is closely associated with the stag, and hunters must take care not to arouse her wrath by inflicting cruelty upon their prey and must sacrifice a portion of their kills to her in order to appease her. Syfa also has dominion over the weather, but is seen as the benevolent mistress of life-giving spring rains and warm summer breezes, making her a counterpoint to the storms and fury of her spouse Þunor. Farmers often look to her blessing for their crops, hoping for gentle summer rains to water their fields and provide for a bountiful autumn harvest. Clerics and druids devoted to Syfa may treat the scout class as an additional favored class and may become members of the fleet runner of Syfa prestige class. Druids devoted to Syfa may use the javelin without penalty.

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Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Hler

Hler (Llyr)

Lord of the Waves; The Unrelenting Lord; Celestial Lord of the Seas and Waters

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
Domains: Fish, Ocean, River, (Seafolk), Undersea, Water, Windstorm.

Summon Monster: Hler's clerics and favored souls can summon anarchic and aquan creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: A necklace made from barracuda, shark, or whale teeth.
Favored Weapon: "Sea fang" (halfspear or shortspear).

The supreme ruler of the great oceans, Hler is said to make his home in an undersea fortress lit with luminous gold that legend holds may be traveled to by hidden passages under the isle of Hlesey where the spirits of the drowned are brought after death by his water-maidens. When he appears to men, he is said to take the form of a terrible mounting wave striding over the waters with a dark foam crested helm and clad in shimmering mail that fades from bright silver into deep shadows of green.

In the War for Heaven, Hler fought the giant ice demon Iku-Tyrma, whose perversions are a great affront to Hler’s power and dominion, and cast him down into Hell. Now both are said to hold a great enmity towards the other. Hler also holds a bitter hatred for the fire demon Surtan. Although he is wild and chaotic as the sea itself, Hler is said to hold a great affection for men and other mortals, and in many legends he dares the boundaries between the heavenly realms and the mundane worlds to assist heroes and kings against horrible enemies. He is a jovial lord, laughing even in the face of the mighty battles of the War in Heaven, but is also a powerful and implacable foe to his enemies.

Hler’s followers are forbidden from having any friendly contact with the servants of Surtan or Iku-Tyrma, the Demon Lords of the fire and frost giants. Priests who venerate Hler may treat Swim as a cleric class skill for free and many are skilled sailors.

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Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Heim

Heim (Nuada)

The Defending Lord; Guardian of the Gates; Celestial Lord of the Silver Hands and Eyes; The Stalwart Counselor; Celestial Lord of Guardians

Alignment: Lawful Good.
Domains: Celestial, (Crusade), Guardian, Heraldry, Protection, Purification, Valor.

Summon Monster: Heim's clerics and favored souls can summon axiomatic and celestial creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: A green shield with two silver eyes.
Favored Weapon: "The defender of the weak" (spiked shield).
Related Prestige Classes: Paladin.

Heim appears as a massive man, or sometimes a massive dwarf, with silver hands and eyes carrying a green shield. Legend holds that before the War in Heaven, Heim was given the post of sentry to watch for the invasion of the Infernal host. While at his post, he was ensnared by Ishi’s enchantments and fell asleep, allowing the dark forces to sweep forward and overrun the Gods and their followers. Before charging forward, Darmas stopped where Heim slept and severed both his hands. Not content with this mutilation, Ninkurra stopped and gouged out his eyes.

Despite his wounds, Heim was shamed by the failure of his watch and in atonement he swore an oath of eternal vigil bound by Tiwas’ great Oath Ring. Wünd and Hœnir forged him new hands and eyes of silver, so now Heim never needs to sleep or rest while he guards the ramparts of Heaven. With his all-seeing silver eyes and the hard lessons of adversity, Heim has gleaned great wisdom, and his counsel is regarded as among the most valuable in the Heavens. It has been foretold that he will kill Ninkurra and be killed by her in the final battle in the next War in Heaven. He carries the Güllhorn, the warning horn of heaven, to signal the start of the next invasion. Heim is one of Eiur’s sons, and like his brothers, his priesthood is subordinate to Eiur’s faith.

Heim's church is one of the subordinate faiths to Eiur, and many of her temples are guarded by vigilant paladin's devoted to him. Heim's priesthood has no single classed clerics among its ranks, all of his chosen are paladins or cleric/paladins. His paladins are typically members of a religious order named the Order of the Shield. Heim’s priesthood also has no female members and an unrelenting hostility to goblin kind, perhaps a sign of his hostility to the female Demon Lord Ninkurra. The Church of Heim counts many dwarves and halflings among its members, perhaps because of Heim's emphasis on defense and enmity towards goblins.

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Campaign Design - The Lords of Heaven: Füllar

Füllar (Llugus)

The Oracle of the Heavens; Celestial Lord of Fate, Gnomes, Prophecy, and the Wheel

Alignment: Neutral.
Domains: Destiny, Divination, Dream, Fate, (Gnome), Oracle, Prophecy.

Summon Monster: Füllar's clerics and favored souls can summon anarchic, axiomatic, celestial, and fiendish creatures using summon monster spells.

Symbol: A wheel
Favored Weapon: "A cast of the hand" (sling).

Legends say that Füllar is Woda’s son, but his birth was the result of Kivutar’s trickery. The demoness beguiled Woda with powerful illusions and enchantments and he fathered Füllar with her. After his birth, the brother knights Forseti, Heim, Rúadan and Tiwas and his half-sisters Syfa and Vali stole him from his mother to bring him to Heaven. As a child of the union between Woda and Kivutar, Füllar is half-brother to Forseti, Heim, Rúadan, Syfa, and Tiwas. He is also the half-brother of Vali as well, even though the details of her parentage are somewhat murky in the myths. Not fully celestial, but not quite demonic either, Füllar’s position is unique in the universe.

Füllar is usually depicted as a bald young man covered in golden runes with one shining star and one smoking ember for eyes. He is regarded as the Celestial Lord responsible for the placement of the stars in the sky, and his hand is said to be the agent that guides their motions. He is held in high regard by gnomes, who see his fellow markings as a prediction of their own race's creation. The fact that gnomes did not exist when Füllar was born is seen as being of no consequence - he is, after all, the lord of prophecy, so his devotees say that his own existence being a portent of the coming existence of gnomes is fitting. Some of Füllar's most fervent gnomish followers state that just as their patron is unique in the universe, and is the wheel about whom the world revolves, so are the gnomes. These zealots point to the gnomish prevalence in Enselm as further confirmation of this belief, and have established many sites of worship in the city.

Füllar is, in a sense, responsible for the War in Heaven, or at least his existence is. After his half-brothers and half-sisters stole him from Kivutar, she harangued the other Demon Lords into kidnapping Rúadan in retaliation, setting off the cycle of offense and retaliation that culminated with the great battle between the Divine and the Infernal.At the critical juncture of the conflict, Füllar definitively sided with the Celestial Lords, using his prophetic powers to reveal the means by which the various Lords of Hell could be defeated, cast down, and imprisoned. Most of the knowledge about the future second conflict between the forces of Heaven and the forces of Hell is derived from Füllar's prophetic visions, although the picture is maddeningly incomplete. Whether this is because Füllar is unable to see those parts of the future or because he is simply not willing to reveal what he knows is a mystery, as Füllar is something of an enigmatic figure in all of the myths that he is featured in. Some have speculated that Füllar hasn't revealed everything he knows because for unknown reasons he will side with the Infernal Lords in the future conflict, but no one knows if this is true or not.

Like his father, Füllar is closely associated with magic and learning, which is reflected in the predilections of his most prominent followers, who are often scholars, seers, or wizards. While Woda’s focus is on the mysteries and secrets of ancient lore and the past, Füllar is forward looking focusing his attention to the future and things to come, as he is the only being who can truly comprehend the full measure of the future. He is the patron of prophecy and divination, and it is believed that portents, visions and signs are granted through his power. Many temples devoted to him are famous as oracular sites that house individuals said to have been granted the power to see the future by this Celestial Lord. Those devoted to Füllar claim that he provides predictions in the movement of the stars that can be read and interpreted by those who study and understand the meaning of such celestial motion.

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