The Twelve

As well as being aligned in military and economic terms, all the nations that make up the Merebian Empire also share a common religion: The Church of the Twelve.

As the name suggests, this is a pantheon of a dozen deities, split into three equal sized groups, called “Planes”.

The deities in the “First Plane” represent the aspects of life that all mortals should hold to be essential. The four deities in this plane are as follows:

• Zeus: The All-father – Ruler of the pantheon, God of the Air and Storms, God of Leadership
• Apollo: The Radiant – God of the Sun, God of Healing, God of Music
• Athena: The Just – Goddess of Law, Goddess of Wisdom, Goddess of (righteous) Battle
• Demeter: The Bringer – Goddess of Summer, Goddess of Harvests, Goddess of Nature

The deities in the “Second Plane” represent those aspects of life that are important but not vital to everyday life.

• Hephaestus: The Engineer - God of Invention, God of Engineering/ Science, God of Fire
• Hera: The Mother – Goddess of Marriage, Goddess of Family bonds, Goddess of (child)Birth
• Poseidon: The Tempest – God of the Sea, God of Horses, God of Sacrifice
• Hades: The Watcher – God of the Underworld, God of Death, God of Winter

It should be noted that, contrary to portrayal by some sources, neither Hera nor Hades should be considered “evil”.

Lastly there is the “Third Plane”. Deities in this group represent those aspects of daily life that should be discouraged. Worshippers of these deities rarely spend their afterlife in the Elysium Fields.

• Ares: The Punisher – God of Chaos, God of Murder, God of Revenge, God of (needless) Battle
• Dionysus: The Reveller – God of Wine, God of Hedonism, God of release from society
• Hermes: The Swift – God of Messengers/Travellers, God of Trickery and Lies, God of Domestic animals
• Pan: The Wild – God of Nature, God of Lust, God of Wild animals

Again, it should be noted that none of these deities are necessarily “evil”, merely that they are responsible for certain aspects of mortal life that may be considered undesirable.

Typically “Ordinary” people follow the ENTIRE Pantheon, not any individual Deity, although Clerics usually profess to following one deity in preference. It is impossible, for example, to worship Athena without acknowledging the existence of Ares.