Looking for deities for my party’s cleric that would MOST fit in with the themes and plots of this AP, while still being a believable choice given the starting circumstances of the party.
Erastil, Gozreh, and Cayden Cailen have been suggested to me, and a certain archfey, but if y’all were running (with the understanding that no matter what your PCs chose you’d find some way to make their faith relevant), which deity selection would make your life easiest? Which would make you rub your hands together with delight at how perfectly it fits?
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There really aren’t any perfectly fitting deities. Whether intentional or not, there isn’t a focus on deities, at least not early in the series (I haven’t gotten past book 3 yet). I think the closest you can come to a prominent deity is to look at the shrine in Phaendar. After that, everything is pretty chaotic so you can make an argument for most deities being a good fit. I think it depends more on the motivations of the individual character than any influence of the narrative.
Let the player decide provided they have enough information about Nirmathas. Evil deities would be discouraged (as per Kining hiding the shield with Droskar on it), and there would be a leaning towards those that are chaotic. Major religions in Nirmathas according to the Player Companion Inner Sea Primer are Erastil, Gorum, and Iomedae. Followers of Abadar might be viewed with some suspicion due to the prominence of Abadar in Molthune and Cheliax (and being LN).
While religion is a minor plot thread (Knowledge-Religion does feature numerous times at least in the first 3 books) there is nothing that I can see to favour any particular deity over others. Nature features strongly to start with, elemental earth later on, but I wouldn't let that dictate the cleric's choice.
Our party cleric chose Calistria - with vengeance being the main thrust (pun intended).
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Main ones seem to be Erastil first and foremost. Followed by Gorum, Iomedae for their proximity to Belkzen and Lastwall respectively. Torag for dwarven PCs makes a lot of sense with Glimmerhold and Kraggodan nearby. My game has a Pharasman summoner, which while not having an explicit connection, doesn't feel out of place either. Any druid/chaotic nature lover (not being uncommon in Nirmathas) will find kindred spirits with worshippers of Gozreh. Finally, Calistria and Desna seem to get some decent play in the region. A number of other minor deities would work great too.
As for ones that feel a bit out of place (besides the obvious evil deities): Sheyln, Sarenrae, and Abadar come to mind first. Each seem a bit stuffy/esoteric/ethereal for the salt of the earth Nirmathi. Any super Lawful religious order is going to have a lot of trouble gaining support in Nirmathas, though a lone paladin could certainly make a name for themselves.
