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I said I would do this once I had access to the Lost Omens – Gods & Magic book, so now that I have the PDF, here is what I’ve come up with for a Circus Pantheon (with thanks to Luis Loza for god suggestions and the name of the pantheon):
Areas of Concern circus and carnival performers, mutual protection, travelling shows
Alignment CG (NG, N, CG, CN)
Divine Font heal
Divine Ability Dexterity or Charisma
Divine Skill Performance
Domains ambition, protection, travel, trickery
Alternate Domains dreams, change, family
Cleric Spells 1st: illusory object, 4th: rope trick, 6th: mislead
Edicts entertain people to bring joy to their lives, live free and be true to yourself, master your art whatever it may be, protect your adopted family
Anathema settle in one location for longer than a month, refuse a genuine invitation to perform, prevent someone from joining your company if they have done no intentional harm
Favored Weapon Juggling Club
Traveling circuses and carnivals attract not only locals ready to be entertained but those seeking to leave behind a life of monotony and see the world. As such, these bands of performers attract many that some intolerant societies would deem unworthy, eccentric, undesirable, or just odd. With such an eclectic group, one would be hard pressed to find a deity that isn’t worshiped by a circus performer somewhere.
There are a group of gods, however, that are commonly venerated by most circus folk. Referred to as “The Big Top” by carnies the world over, they consist of Desna (for travelling and beautiful dreams), Gozreh (for animal acts and good performing conditions), Kurgess (athletic and acrobatic prowess), Shelyn (artistry and the creation of beauty), and Sivanah (illusions and sleight of hand).
Interestingly, there has been a recent addition to The Big Top: Nocticula, the Redeemer Queen. Her dedication to outcasts and artists, living free and being true to themselves, speaks to the very heart of circus folk. Her addition was welcome and swift: circus people generally don’t judge a person on their past, but rather on who they are at the present.
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Nice!
(^_^)=b
Carry on,
--C.
Very nice
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Screw it, I'm making my Planescape website live before it is ready just so I can show you that I'm including this pantheon in my games from now on. This is fantastic!
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I wonder how Evil carnival troops manage. Are there really no Evil deities that would fit the theme?
Norgorber, Zon-Kuthon, the Sakhil deities, that halfling that hangs out with Norgorber.
What Rysky said. Most circuses and carnivals won't be malicious so the Big Top wouldn't work for such troupes, as you say. Since evil carnivals are all about bilking rubes (and perhaps killing them occasionally), any of the evil gods will do, depending on the nature of the crimes committed.
Probably not Asmodeus though. I expect the loose and chaotic nature of a carnival would be highly distasteful for the Prince of Darkness.
Since such carnivals would be a minority, a pantheon doesn't seem necessary in my opinion. If you want to create an evil carnival pantheon, go for it! Perhaps it could be called "The Mud Show". :)
EDIT: The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the Mud Show: evil carnies would refer to them as "The Patrons", with the Mud Show being the name given them by most circus people. Let me see what i can come up with. :)
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the Mud show would not only "bilk rubes". Animal shows would probably be pretty cruel as well. They might disfigure people to have 'attractions', like Urgathoa might also be a patron deity.
the Mud show would not only "bilk rubes". Animal shows would probably be pretty cruel as well. They might disfigure people to have 'attractions', like Urgathoa might also be a patron deity.
Agreed. Dishonest carnies could still work with the Big Top (Neutral alignments are fine); evil circuses should be really evil, as in horror movie circus evil.
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Urgathoa would probably also have some skin (or at least bones) in Evil Big Top. Think of those eating contests . . . and unintelligent Undead don't require paychecks . . . .
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OK, here is a little used pantheon that is subscribed by carnivals that aren’t just unsavory, but outright evil. This is the group of gods worshipped by a travelling circus you would encounter in a horror film:
Areas of Concern violent criminals using entertainment as a cover, extravagant cruelty, living to excess
Alignment CE (LE, NE, CE)
Divine Font harm
Divine Ability Dexterity or Charisma
Divine Skill Performance
Domains darkness, secrecy, trickery, wealth
Alternate Domains indulgence, nightmares, pain
Cleric Spells 1st: item facade, 4th: veil, 7th: mask of terror
Edicts indulge your desires with extravagance regardless of the consequences or harm done, use any method to advance your wealth and comfort, eliminate your enemies in fantastic and imaginative ways
Anathema allow the secret of your true nature to become widely known, let a moment to please yourself pass unused, act on your desires without flamboyance and spectacle where possible
Favored Weapon throwing knife
Most evil carnivals and circus troupes are dedicated to one evil act (like slavery or assassination) and therefore usually invoke one god to aid them. Because of the eclectic collection of people carnivals draw to their membership, there are rare circuses that dabble in many different violent crimes and passions behind the scenes. These circuses worship a loose collection of gods they refer to as the Patrons, but which most circus folk darkly refer to as the Mud Show.
Norgorber is the most prominent, being called on to aid in the keeping their cover intact as they rob, kidnap, and blackmail their way through the world. The others are Dachzerul (the Darkness Behind You, a sakhil tormentor), whose charming visage hides a dark and murderous heart; Lamashtu, for the maintenance and acquiring of subjects and abnormal animals for so-called ”freak shows”; Urgathoa, for giving in to one’s desires, particularly grotesque performances and acts, and maintaining "roustabouts"; and finally Zon-Kuthon, for live acts of pain, torment, and terror that the audience are led to believe are “just for show”.
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Here are the 2e game stats for Dachzerul, subject to change when an official write-up comes out. Note the Book of Darkness says that the sakhil tormentors are all chaotic evil even though sakhils are neutral evil. I took this to be a typo and have shifted them back to neutral evil.
Deity Dachzerul
Areas of Concern deadly pranks, stalkers, sudden death
Alignment NE (LE, NE, CE)
Title The Darkness Behind You
Domains confidence, darkness, luck, trickery
Cleric Spells 1st: charm, 4th: phantasmal killer, 6th: mislead
Favored Weapon rapier
Divine Ability Dexterity or Charisma
Divine Skill Deception
Divine Font harm
Key Edicts kill enemies through trickery and pranks, abuse the trust of others, obsess on revenge against those who wrong you
Key Anathema let a slight go without bloody vengeance, plan a kill in an expected or unsurprising manner
Dachzerul is among the most rambunctious and outwardly pleasant of the sakhil tormentors, but he can turn murderous and obsessive in a flash.
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Thanks a lot for that. Great work on all items :-D
I think the "protect your adopted family" edict might have been kept, even if said family is utterly depraved and malicious. But maybe it does not fit the deities.
I actually considered leaving it in as Lamashtu is concerned with families, especially grotesque distortions of families. So it could fit, but some of these troupes I imagine would be less loyal to each other than others. I decided to let that be a decision each troupe makes rather than an edict or concern to give GMs who use this more freedom.