Apollo

Apollo, son of Zeus and Leta (one of Zeus' many mistresses) is a Lesser God in the Twelve: the pantheon of Gods in the 'official' religion of the Merebian Empire.

Often referred to as 'the Radiant, Apollo is the God of the Sun, Music, and Healing, as well as of Prophecy and Archery prowess (an area he shares with many other deities, such as his sister, Artemis).

Although Apollo is typically worshipped by those who aspire to become Bards, he does have his own Clerics. The priesthood of Apollo consists primarily of people who try to be free of rash impulses such as hatred, anger, lust or greed and instead focus on improving the cultural base of the Empire through the arts and medicine. As such, they are generally thought to be gentle souls who seek out the beauty in all things, but it is worth remembering that nothing in the teachings of Apollo stipulates pacifistic behaviour: Clerics of Apollo are just as capable in a fight as those of any of the other members of the Twelve (with the possible exception of Athena and Ares).

Clerics of Apollo are always tastefully, but not ostentatiously dressed. If expecting any conflict they will prefer armour emblazoned with a representation of the Sun. The preferred weapon of Apollo's Clerics is the bow (long or short), although shortswords are also common.

Due to Apollo's focus of guidance, healing and the arts, many people believe that there are parallels to be made between Apollo and the Elven deity, Corellon. Certainly there are similarities in their depiction - a radiant, blonde haired individual in gleaming armour, carrying a bow and with a blue cloak. However this is based on a surface knowledge of the two deities and seeing some overlap in spheres of influence. In reality Corellon is more fixated on imparting a rigid sense of selfless duty upon his Elven worshippers, whereas Apollo aims to bring culture (specifically Imperial culture) and enlightenment to where these are lacking.