Gods, Heroes and Saints
In Orden the gods are objectively real and powerful, however they have been forbidden from acting directly upon or within the world. And thus, people of Orden do not believe the gods control everything that happens in the world, that is why there are saints and heroes. Beings of demigod-like status, once mortals, who now serve their patron god in eternity. [1]
Each god has many saints, some well known others obscure. Churches and temples in Orden are consecrated to them. The most popular saints and heroes can have several churches - meaning distinct organizations devoted to them, but there are also smaller ones with only a few temples or others even with little more than handed-down tradition. Different churches of the same saint usually recognize each other as expressing different, but equally valid, teachings. However, occasionally churches compete to see which among them is the "true" church. [1]
Dwarves mostly venerate dwarf heroes, humans mostly worship human saints, etc ... But this is just a side effect of the fact that members of the same species share the same culture and language and self-assemble along those lines. Any sufficiently large city has churches to gods of many species, because cities attract many different people. [1]
Val and elven heroes
Val, the Noble Lord, First Among Equals was the patron of the elves, responsible for creating the Celestials, the True Elves. He had left Orden and taken residence in his private manifold, Arcadia, where all elves hoped to someday join their patron. [2]
| Hero | Aliases | Deeds |
|---|---|---|
| A Sea of Suns [2] | The Composer | - Invented Harmony
- Her harmonics created new beings like faeries, dryads and the elgenwights - Defended the walls of Kalas Valiar for forty days |
| The Taste of Morning [2] | The Librarian | - Built the first library
- Canonized the idea that knowledge, truth, was a kind of beauty |
| Ripples of Honey on a Shore of Gold [2] | Warkiller, the Diplomat | - Broke peace between humans and dragons for ages
- Attempted to create the Codex Pax Universalis, a work capable of erasing the concept of war. However, in order to finish it a step was demanded from her, which she wasn't willing to take |
| Hero | Aliases | Deeds |
|---|---|---|
| Yllin Dyrvis [2] | Beast Heart, Wodespeaker, Warden | - Cared for the speaking creatures created by A Sea of Suns
- Learned their speech and taught them who they were |
| Thyll Hylacae [2] | Forestal, Apothachron, the Sacrifice | - Learned the language of trees
- As the farm folk came, she sacrificed herself to uplift a small population of trees into the Derwic |
| Illwyv Li Orchiax [2] | Moonknight, Marhsall of Gloaming, Manslayer | - The first to realize the nature of humans (constantly seeking expansion and ... war)
- Made war on the humans who would kill the wode |
Ord and dwarven heroes
Ord, the Maker, the Engineer is the patron of the dwarves, one of the four gods who created Orden. Ord values integrity, honor, faithfulness to an ideal. Courage in battle and fair play. [3]
| Hero | Aliases | Teachings |
|---|---|---|
| Zarok [3] | The Law-giver, the first hero of the dwarves | - All people are equal under the law |
| Valak-koth [3] | The Seeker, the Delver, the Unquenchable Fire, Koth Who Brought Light to Darkness | - Bravery in the face of the unknown
- Virtue of curiosity - Not to fear the darkness |
| Stakros [3] | The Engineer, the Machine, the Operator, founder of the Order of Fabrication | - Value of knowledge for knowledge's sake
- Power of the mind |
Kul and orc heroes
Kul, Father of Flames, Lord of the Forge, the Cleansing Fire who put fire and magma within the world at its creation. Kul teaches that action is the defining characteristic of being. Kul's heroes are no philosophers or poets, but warriors and hunters. [4]
| Hero | Aliases | Teachings |
|---|---|---|
| Korvath [4] | Korvath who slew a thousand, the Slayer, the Scourge | - The best action is swift and immediate
- Do not turn a blind eye to injustice (or soon it will be to late to act) - Peace is earned |
| Grole [4] | The one-handed, Grole who Slew the Saint of Skulls | - Even alone, even against impossible odds, extraordinary victories are possible
- To cast fear out of ones mind - A fearless regular person is capable of extraordinary deeds |
| Khravila [4] | Khravila who ran forty leagues, the Eternal Runner, the Unstoppable | - Virtue of persistence, endurance and wits |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules, December 2024 Patreon Packet (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 300-302. Retrieved on 2024-12-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules, December 2024 Patreon Packet (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 302-303. Retrieved on 2024-12-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules, December 2024 Patreon Packet (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 303-304. Retrieved on 2024-12-21.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules, December 2024 Patreon Packet (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 304-305. Retrieved on 2024-12-21.