Lore Update: Gods of The Sea

Hi everyone. Obviously the last couple months have been a slow crawl towards what is a very serious global issue. I'm sure you get enough reminders about washing your hands and keeping your distance from people, so far be it for me to reiterate the same information, but there you have it. I, like everyone in the podcast, are doing our bit to keep the curve down. And that means long periods of not doing altogether too much- which is perfect for editing the podcast and releasing long awaited lore updates. So, for our first lore update, I would like to introduce to the wild gods of the sea and spray; the duality that is The Twins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE TWINS When sailors of a particularly superstitious bent gather in murky pubs, they often speak in hushed tones of great storms they weathered, strange beasts glimpsed beneath the waves and while away the night with tales of heroism and loss. They then utter a small thanks to The Twins for their protection. Arus and Skainfaxi, the two moons of the Urient, are also known to be the physical manifestation of The Twins. Of all the gods, they are thought to have the most physical presence and the most tangible impact on the world. Often depicted as either siblings, lovers, or two parts of a whole- what form they take is entirely dependent on the local myths of their worshipers. One fact is always undisputed however; they of all the gods are the most visible- for they dance across the sky almost every night. The ocean is their domain and thus their path across the sky can herald the movement of the tides to the knowledgeable navigator who understands their mysteries. Their faith is most prevalent in northern villages, with a particularly strong following with the Illic diaspora and the Unholy Empire. But, even some southerner communities pay tribute to The Twins for safe passage. Fishing villages will gather at the zenith of The Twin's celestial passage, the full moons, and offer sacrifice to the waves as part of festivities that draw the community together. Most often these sacrifices take the form of herd animals and treasure (or plunder), but some benighted and desperate villages have rumored to on occasion offer their own to sate the gods. Any village that has done this has never openly spoken of it however, for obvious reasons. The faith itself has no formal place of worship, and other than these festivals, often held on rocky outcroppings, cliffs or secluded beaches. Their following is almost exclusively the domain of those who travel to sea and the families that support them. The festivals held by those who remain on shore are joyous galas, a riot of dancing and song- and not just for festivities sake. Some communities believe that the great storms and waves that crash to the shore are the ripples of the footsteps of the gods themselves as they dance across the sky. It is for this reason that the gods are often associated with dancing and music, with ritual community dances featuring heavily in any celebration. For all its clangor, the ritual is also a very careful affair, often presided over by a Keeper or other devoted follower who understands the mysteries. These revered folk often hold positions of import, though often not leadership, in communities. Many lighthouse keepers and master shipbuilders are found to be Keepers, and can be found to worry at their token of devotion to The Twins at high tide- two linked rings of whittled wooden flotsam. Their role, other than as a spiritual advisor to the community, is to ensure that equal portions of any sacrifice are given to both gods to ensure favour. The community depends on the judicious measure of offerings to please the gods as The Twins are as fickle as the winds they hold dominion of and anything that somehow upsets this balance will no doubt bring ruin. ​To believe that The Twins are purely a simple force of nature belies their true nature however. They hold dominion over the salt and spray, true, and their quarrels bring great storms, certainly- but at their core they are expressions of adventure at sea- the calm and the storm. Many hold that they protect those that wish for easy passage, provided that sufficient worship be given. But for those who take to a life of adventure at sea, they often test their adventurous spirit, sending great storms to test their mettle. Those that survive are often marked by the experience and will give their thanks upon safe return to land. Some never take to sea again for fear of what awaits them in the deep with dark promise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Information: Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Portfolio: The Moons, The Ocean, Dancing, Adventure and Storms Domains: Tempest, Protection Classes: Druids, Bards, Clerics Holy Sigil: Two flotsam rings entwined ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As always, and especially during this time of great isolation and boredom, please like, subscribe, share, repost and yell out the window about our podcast to your friends and family and startled passers by! We've just set up a page on Facebook for the podcast here too. If you're feeling generous, please drop us a like and a follow to show your support and keep up to date. More lore and episodes to come! See you next time. -Matthew