The Ghedan Pantheon

Created by Telgar. PDF by brothersale

Dating back over a hundred thousand years, the Ghedan are a Pantheon so old that they predate civilization in any recognized form. Their worshippers were not even human. The people who called themselves Speakers worshipped these primitive deities. Modern science calls the Speakers by another name: Neanderthal. The Speakers perished when the world warmed and the last vestiges of the Ice Age disappeared, leaving humans in command of Earth. With the passing of their worshippers, the entire species that they had watched over, the Ghedan began to fade away. They sealed themselves away in their Overworld and waited for the world to end. They slept through the Titanomachy and the age of the Gods, through all of recorded human history and uncounted tens of thousands of years before. It was only when the Titans escaped their Underworld prison that the Ghedan were awakened. They found themselves too proud and stubborn, even in their weakness, to simply allow the Titans to destroy the world and themselves. These ancient, primordial Gods are confused by the world, by humanity and everything that exists today. Nothing they remember survives. They are weak, terrified and alone. The forms they take when they are able to manifest Avatars at all are still those of their ancient followers, the Speakers. Such unhuman shapes make it difficult, though not impossible, for the Ghedan to engender their own Scions. They rely primarily on adoption to bolster their ranks. Each Scion they claim gives them one more chance to reawaken their worship among mortals and restore some vestige of their lost world. They have seen everything they created or watched over die as the world passed them by and all of them wonder if any effort they make is not simply setting them up for another agony of disappointment and failure. Fatalistic, weary and weak, the Ghedan still persevere, hoping to leave something of themselves behind. The Ghedan Overworld is called The Great Valley and their Underworld is The Darkness. While the Pantheon still theoretically has an Underworld associated with them, the truth is that in the tens of thousands of years since the last Speaker died, the Darkness has become empty. No ghosts move across its moon-lit grass or huddle in the silent caves. Even the Great Valley is still and quiet, as if even their home is simply waiting to be devoured by time. Virtues: Courage, Harmony, Endurance, Piety A note on Rivals: the Ghedan Gods have no listed Rivals because it is redundant to list every single God of every single Pantheon multiple times. No Pantheon of human origin trusts these alien beings, nor lends them support. The Ghedan stand alone against the Titans and the other Pantheons, simply hoping to make a mark on the world before they fade away forever. Skan, the God of the Hunt Skan and his brother Hrask are the twin rulers of the Ghedan, representing the two key concepts of Neanderthal existence. Skan is an energetic, passionate God who never

tires of the eternal struggle between himself and his brother. The Hunter is fierce, brave and willing to do whatever he must to ensure the continued health and survival of his Pantheon. Associated Powers: Epic Strength, Epic Perception, Epic Wits, Frost, Psychopomp, Prophecy, Totemism Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Melee, Command, Survival Hrask, the God of Beasts Twin brother of Skan, the God of Beasts has no set form. He takes on the aspects of several beasts, most of which are extinct in the modern era: the European lion, Sabretoothed Tiger, Woolly Mammoth and other examples of Pleistocene fauna. Depending on his mood, Hrask is either predator or prey. His connections to modern animals are weak, rendering many of his powers worthless in the modern era. Skan and Hrask fight eternally, each day one of them kills the other and devours him. The loser returns the next day to continue the fight. Though he is called the God of Beasts, Hrask was once venerated as the ruler of the natural world itself, in combination with his wife Vul. Since awakening in the modern world, Hrask finds himself even more miserable and alienated than the other Ghedan. The beasts that Hrask represents are mostly extinct and those few fauna that survive from his era have changed drastically. The few times he has appeared in a modern guise, Hrask takes the form of a hermit, an environmental activist, or as an animal that survives from the time of the Neanderthals. Hrask's children, and those he adopts from others, are deeply concerned with preserving the environment and animal species. He has selected or, more rarely, fathered, geneticists working on recovering DNA from prehistoric creatures for restorative cloning, animal rights extremists, lobbyists and ranchers. Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Epic Dexterity, Animal (Many), Earth, Frost, Fire, Water, Sky, Totemism Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Fortitude, Presence, Stealth, Survival Deh, the God of ight The Neanderthals respected Deh and his power, but they feared him. He walks alone, shunned even by the other Ghedan. He appears as a living shadow, or a faint silvery outline. Deh was the God of the Moon as well as night and he despises Irsh, the Goddess of Safety and the Sun. He is a terrible and fierce being, representing all that there is to fear in the night. Quiet is his natural element; Deh rarely speaks and prefers those near him to remain quiet as well, if they aren't screaming. Deh travels across the world as the Moon travels through the sky, invisible except at night. In the modern world, Deh is the most well-adjusted of the Ghedan. The fear of darkness has not waned and the night has never changed. He hates the modern invention of electricity and the spread of light across the world, and he finds the moon

landing personally offensive. Deh has appeared has an assassin, a thief and a serial killer bringing terror and fear in the darkness. He has also been a tow truck driver seeing those lost in the night back to safety. Deh's Scions are usually as fierce and terrible as their father, but some take comfort in the night and use their powers to see travellers safely to the next day. Associated Powers: Epic Dexterity, Epic Appearance, Epic Manipulation, Darkness, Moon, Psychopomp, Sky, Frost, Totemism Abilities: Craft, Fortitude, Integrity, Politics, Presence, Stealth Irsh, the Goddess of Safety Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Wits, Epic Charisma, Fire, Guardian, Health, Justice, Sun, Totemism Abilities: Craft, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine, Science, Survival Vul, the Goddess of Fertility Associated Powers: Epic Stamina, Epic Appearance, Epic Intelligence, Earth, Fertility, Health, Totemism, Water Abilities: Art, Athletics, Craft, Empathy, Medicine, Politics Ard, the Goddess of Death Associated Powers: Epic Manipulation, Epic Perception, Death, Frost, Guardian, Health, Psychopomp, Totemism Abilities: Art, Larceny, Occult, Stealth Pantheon-Specific Purview: Totemism Purview Totemism is the Purview of the Ghedan, the ancient Gods of the Neanderthals. Through the art of Totemism, temporary Relics called Totems are created which can invoke a dizzying variety of effects. The power of the natural world flows into those who master the Boons of Totemism, allowing them to draw on the strength of wild beasts, the endurance of stone or the speed of the rushing wind. By means of sympathetic magic, Totems open a channel between the Scion who crafts them and the greater force, substance or spirit they represent. Once a Totem has been crafted, its owner can call upon the power that the Totem represents in his moment of need. Building Totems Constructing a Totem can be done in minutes or seconds if time is of the essence, or it can be a grueling process of months to craft the perfect vessel for the power desired. The roll for successfully creating a Totem is Dexterity + Art (Totems). Totems are built from components which have a sympathetic connection to the thing the Scion is attempting to draw power from. In the ancient past, Totems were crafted from bone,

stone and natural substances. In the modern world, the Ghedan have adopted Scions who are much more progressive in their outlook. At least on Scion wields the strength of a Grizzly Bear through a Totem that began its existence as a stuffed teddy bear. Legend points are not require to construct a Totem, but do come into play when the Totem is actually used. The number of successes gained on the Totem construction roll determines the length of the Totem's effect. Depending on the specific Totemism power involved, the construction successes may also limit the effect of the Totem. The construction roll takes the place of an activation roll for most of Totemism's Boons. If no activation roll is listed, the construction roll serves that purpose. The cost associated with activating a specific Boon, however, is always paid at the time the effect is activated instead of when the Totem itself is created. Using Totems Once a Totem has been constructed, it can be used at any time. The task of channeling energy through their material form burns most Totems to dust after a single use; only the most powerful Totems can be used multiple times. Scions using Totemism often construct multiple versions of their favored Totems to ensure they are not caught without access to their powers. In combat, activating a Totem is a reflexive, Speed 3 action. The ability or bonus conferred by the Totem appears on the Scion's next action. Imitation Totem (Totemism ) Cost: 1 Legend The easiest Totems to create are those that draw on the power of the natural world to increase the Scion's own abilities. The creature or substance propitiated with an Imitation Totem grants the Scion a single automatic success on a roll closely associated with its metaphorical or physical qualities. For example, an Imitation Totem could be crafted to appeal to Bears and grant a Strength success, or one that appeals to Earth might grant a Stamina success. The effect of an Imitation Totem lasts for one roll per success on the construction roll. Transforming Totem (Totemism ) Cost: 1 Legend per turn Appealing to the world through a Transforming Totem allows the Scion to literally become, at least in part, the thing his Totem calls upon. When a Transforming Totem is used, part of the Scion's body alters itself into an expression of the Totem's target. Using a Transforming Totem can allow the Scion to change his arm into solid stone, turn his legs into a dolphin's tail or trade his binocular human eyes for the compound organs of a honeybee. The effect of a Transforming Totem lasts for 1 turn per Legend spent at the time of activation. No more Legend points can be spent than successes were gained on the construction roll of the Totem being used. The precise effects of various Transforming Totems are left up to the Storyteller and the Player, but they should not be too wild. Some examples are provided below.

Dolphin Tail Transformation: Doubles the Scion's swimming speed. Cat Eyes Transformation: Removes visual penalties associated with darkness or low light. Chitinous Armor Transformation: Allows the Scion to parry Lethal attacks unarmed and adds 1 to his PDV. Tiger Claws Transformation: Makes the Scion's unarmed attacks deal Lethal damage. Hawk Wings Transformation: Halves any damage from falls and increases Jump distance by Totemism yards. Protective Totem (Totemism ) Cost: 2 Legend per action. One of the primary functions of a totem in shamanistic or animistic religions is to provide protection from the thing it is dedicated to. Protective Totems serve this function perfectly, for a short time. For one action per 2 points of Legend spent, the Scion gains his Totemism rating in Armor to protect against damage from sources related to the Protective Totem's subject. Armor rating provided by a Protective Totem provides both Bashing and Lethal soak. The effect cannot last for more turns than the Scion gained on his original construction roll. Examples of acceptable subjects for Protective Totems would be specific animals, humanity, Titanspawn races, any of the elements. Eternal Totem (Totemism ) Cost: 10 Legend and 1 Lethal Health Level This power must be invoked during the creation of a Totem, after the construction roll is made but before the Totem is activated. By forcing some of his own life force and Legend into the Totem, the Scion grants it the power to function beyond its normal limits. Totems imbued in this way bypass the usual limits on how many times they can be used; they never wear out, though they can still be physically destroyed. To imbue a Totem in this way, the Scion cuts himself and paints a Lethal Health Level worth of blood onto the Totem, then spends the appropriate amount of Legend to seal the blood and magic into the Totem's physical form. Eternal Totems can not be given as Totemic Gifts. Totemic Gift (Totemism ) Cost: 3 Legend Without using this Boon, a Totem can only be used by the Scion who crafted it. To make a gift of the Totem's power to another, both the crafting Scion and the intended recipient of the Totem must paint a Lethal Health Level's worth of blood onto the Totem while the Scion spends the appropriate amount of Legend. Both characters must also expend a temporary Willpower to make the transfer. This Boon can be used on any normal Totem the Scion can build, except for Totems which have received the benefit of Eternal Totem. Further, Totemic Gifts must have their activation costs paid by the recipient, the crafting Scion has no further link to his gifts once they leave his

hands.