“Lesser Gods” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.
While the Nine receive the majority of worshipers, the people of the Shadowdark Worlds appeal to lesser gods for their day-to-day needs.
Lesser Gods for Daily Life
Madeera the Covenant, Gede, or Ord handle huge sweeping concepts like law, nature, or secrets, but most people need a god to help them through the day. A fisherman or sea-traveling merchant needs a god of the see to hear his prayers for safety. A god of oaths and contracts must bear witness to a proud man’s boast. A god of the hearth or motherhood must see a busy stay-at-home wife through her many, many chores. To sooth their minds and salve their consciences, and maybe for a bit of luck this day, a commoner may stop into the shrine of a lesser god and donate some silver or sacrifice a small bird.
From a game perspective a Lesser God needs only a Name, an Alignment, and a Portfolio.
Name
Names may be hard for some people. Mythopedia has a number of random name generators, notably a god name generator.
Alignment
Lesser gods trend Neutral, as personifications of natural forces or human activities. A god of contracts and oaths or of kingship might be Lawful, while a god of violence, war, strife, and other bad things might be Chaotic.
Portfolio
Lesser gods are usually gods of something: a natural phenomenon, a human activity, an animal or plant, a particular group of people, or an abstract force. Most gods cover more than one of these at once. Look to real-world mythology for inspiration. Poseidon was god of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and horses.
Lest one get too random, though, remember these gods serve a purpose for someone. A lesser god without donations and sacrifices is just a legend, maybe less.
Description
Finally, describe the lesser god in a few short sentences. Each of the Nine gets only about 25 words apiece. A small indication of who patronizes their shrines would be helpful.
Erysus, God of Fortune and Wealth
Erysus, god of wealth, fortune, and tortoises, promotes the rumor that donating to him returns the money tenfold. (Returns not guaranteed.) Anyone who deals with money sacrifices to Erysus.
Erysus and Silver
In terms of regular customers, Erysus is one of the smaller Lesser Gods. His customers, however, are frequently rich and aim to be richer.
More than other gods, temples of Erysus offer unique wealth-management services. One can deposit a sum of money with the [money changers][] of Erysus, and expect to get it all back. They also accept gold and give credit for silver at reduced rates, and exchange foreign copper for a small fee. They even offer loans to regular customers with accounts and good credit ratings. Missing a payment, however, sends the Debt Collection Squad after you.
Because of their large and efficient organization, the Temple of Erysus is the second most popular place to bank your silver after the Order of Saint Terragnis. Be careful, however, of Erysus’s many service fees.
Erysus and Tortoises
No true follower of Erysus may harm a tortoise, or through inaction cause a tortoise to come to harm. That said, if it’s the mortise or you, Erysus will understand.