Gods of the Norsemen

Odin
Alignment: Lawful
God of: Wisdom, Victory, Prophecy, Magic, The Hunt
1st-level spells: Detect Magic, Second Sight, Protection from Evil, Blessing
Unholy creatures: undead, demons, chaotic spirits and beings, mundane animals
Weapons: Spear, Sword, Staff, Sling
Servants: Huginn and Muninn, ever-watchful ravens; Geri and Freki, ravenous wolves; Sleipnir, eight-legged horse.

Thor
Alignment: Lawful
God of: Thunder, Strength, Healing
1st-level spells: Word of Command, Protection from Evil, Resist Cold or Heat, Blessing
Unholy creatures: undead, demons, elves, dwarves
Weapons: Hammer, Staff, Mace
Servants: Thjalfi, the world's fastest runner, and his wife Roskva; Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr, mighty goats.

Njord
Alignment: Neutral
God of: Sea, Wind, Wealth
1st-level spells: Resist Cold or Heat, Holy Sanctuary, Food of the Gods, Blessing
Unholy creatures: undead, demons, mundane animals, creatures of earth including dwarves
Weapons: Axe, Bow, Spear
Servants: Radveig and Kreppvor, his daughters.

Freyja
Alignment: Neutral
Goddess of: Love, Fertility, Gold
1st-level spells: Food of the Gods, Protection from Evil, Word of Command, Detect Evil
Unholy creatures: undead, demons, non-living creatures, dwarves
Weapons: Bow, Spear, Staff
Servants: Hildisvini, a mighty boar; two cats, names unknown.

Loki
Alignment: Chaotic
God of: Trickery, Fire, Dishonour
1st-level spells: Darkness, Paralysis, Detect Magic, Word of Command
Unholy creatures: undead, valkyries, einherjar, light elves
Weapons: Sword, Dagger, Throwing Knife, Flail
Servants: Sigyn, his faithful wife; Narfi, his son who became a wolf.

Hel
Alignment: Chaotic
Goddess of: Death, the Underworld
1st-level spells: Darkness, Second Sight, Resist Cold or Heat, Word of Command
Unholy creatures: undead, valkyries, einherjar, mundane animals
Weapons: Axe, Scythe, Javelin.
Servants: Dead souls of thieves, murderers and those without honour.

Jesus Christ
Alignment: Lawful
God of: Peace, Love, Charity
1st-level spells: Holy Sanctuary, Blessing, Protection from Evil, Detect Evil
Unholy creatures: undead, demons, elves, dwarves, pagan spirits
Weapons: Club, Mace, Hammer, Sling
Servants: Cherubim and saints.

The Treachery of Gods

 

The gods of Uruk, the strong-walled,
Assume the shape of flies and buzz about the streets.
The protecting deities of Uruk, the strong-walled,
take on the shape of mice and hurry into their holes.
Three years the enemy besieged the city of Uruk;
the city's gates were barred, the bolts were shot. 

- Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet I

 

Even the mightiest can be humbled. Even a god can know fear.

When a city is doomed to destruction, the gods of the city are rarely willing to share its fate. Instead, they depart from their temples, shrines and idols to hide themselves in forgotten places. They take the forms of vermin and scuttle in the sewers, or seal themselves in sugar-pots, or bury themselves in the sand by the riverbank.

When the city falls, the conquering army rides through to claim its spoils. The people of the city are put to the sword or made slaves. Yet when the invaders return to their homelands, it is not only gold and slaves they bring back with them. In saddlebags and boot-heels and underneath fingernails, the fickle gods ride, their carriers unsuspecting. In the land of the conquerors, new shrines begin to appear, in darkened alleyways or on secluded hillsides, where the gods who already own this land will not notice.

Not all cities are destroyed by war, however. Sometimes, an entire population may be wiped out by flood or plague or earthquake, leaving their city silent and untouched. Eons later, you may arrive there to turn over flagstones and search for lost treasure. But be wary, for what you find may be no treasure at all, but something else - a tiny god in hibernation.