Deity

Aquaron

CanonOfficial lore from the booksSSGp. 2, 7, 17, 25, 29, 44

Aquaron is the god of sea and rivers, known as the Lord of Sea, the First Shipmaker and the Blue God. His domains are balance, sea, storms and nature, and his symbol is the trident and tides.¹

The Lord of Sea

Aquaron is the god of sailors before anyone else. Through the servant gods under his command, every river, lake and underground water source also falls within his realm. All the creatures of the sea are bound to him, and in his eyes every living thing in the sea is equal; he takes no side in the struggle between people and the sea. He is also the god of horses, of the strong winds that blow from the west, and of rain.²

Scholars hold that the sea god cares little for rites of worship. Respect for the seas is enough for him, and without it his wrath can be devastating.²

Water is life and tides are ever-changing. May your graves be wet and peaceful.²

The great vortex that turns and boils between the continents is called the Eye of Aquaron. Religious doctrine held that this barrier, placed by the gods to protect humanity, marked the edge of the known Great Western Sea, and that piercing it would have devastating consequences.³

Aquaron and the elves

When the Elves fled from The Desolation, Aquaron protected them, granting them sturdy ships and a calm sea, and for this the elves hold a special affection for the sea god.²

It is believed that Aquaron taught the elves seafaring ages ago. Why he gave this gift to land-dwellers, letting them into his domain, remains a mystery, for he is not known for his mercy.⁴

Every decade the elves build a ship of perfect beauty. They place offerings of personal meaning inside it and load it with scrolls of poems praising the beauty of the sea. Once the whole crew has gone ashore, the master shipbuilder drills holes in the deck and the ship is left with open sails to the guidance of the sea, until it fills with water and sinks, resting forever with all its offerings in the embrace of the Blue God. The Farians keep similar customs, probably learned from the elves.⁴

Worship

Aquaron holds a special place in port cities, where he matters more to daily life than any other power. To worship him, one is washed in seawater, and those who are washed this way are believed to be cleansed of their sins and flaws.²

By common belief one must pray to him before setting out on any sea voyage, and in bad weather above all it is essential to sacrifice something valuable to the deeps to avoid misfortune. A wise captain carries enough provisions for a long voyage; a wiser one throws a small part of them to the fish so that Aquaron may bless the journey.²

The free church

The Church of Aquaron in the Free Ports is an autonomous body, at odds with the other priests of Aquaron within the High Church. The Free Folk keep this church independent of the High Church, and it stands in the city of Neptune, just ten steps from the salt water of the sea.⁵

Notes

↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, pp. 25, 29
↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, p. 29
↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, pp. 2, 17
↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, p. 7
↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, pp. 29, 44

Sources

This article draws on:

SSGLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide(Bad Badger Games, 2024), pp. 2, 7, 17, 25, 29, 44

Images in this article

Lands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide (Bad Badger Games, 2024), p. 29. Art by the Bad Badger Games team.

ConceptCerulian DayAn elven observance tied to Aquaron, who is believed to have taught the elves seafaring. Every decade the elves build a beautiful ship, load it with offerings and poems, and let the sea take it down.OrganisationHigh ChurchThe religious power that stands above the temples of the Empire and binds them together, seated at the First Cathedral in Sanctuary and led by the Supreme Patriarch; its influence on people, wealth and politics is unmatched.OrganisationChurch of AquaronThe church of the sea god Aquaron in the Free Ports, an autonomous body independent of the High Church whose church in Neptune stands only ten steps from the sea.ConceptExiled PantheonThe gods worshipped across the Lands of Exile, held in the mythology of Teneris to be the children of the Dark One, and honoured in temples, churches and the holy city of Sanctuary.

EventThe DesolationThe cataclysm that ended the First Age, when the Dark One attacked Teneris. Gods and whole civilisations died, the two continents were parted and more than half of Caligran became desert.

DeityAlarathThe god of war and justice, patriarch of the Exiled Pantheon and protector of the Empire, who prizes courage above mercy and whose paladins are said to serve him even beyond death.

DeityAmarathThe god of home and compassion, twin of Alarath, known as the Protector of the Weak, Mender of Wounds and Lord of Mercy, the god of all people to whom healers, families and villagers turn.

DeityApatheThe goddess of broken fate and sole deity of the drow, the Mother of Spiders, the Seer and the Breaker of Promises, who foresaw the Desolation and led her elven followers underground.

DeityKorhakThe god of strength and violence, prized by mountain tribes, marauder clans, orc warbands and mercenaries, whose creed holds that the strong should rule and that only a worthy fight earns his blessing.

DeityMalacharThe god of luck and outcasts, the Lord of the Spinning Coin, the Smiling Fate and the Darkwing, who once spied on the Dark One for the gods and now shelters those whom society casts out.