The Gods

Any of the following gods could also make warlock patrons or sorcerer ancestors for suitable subclasses. For example, Tresyn for Hivemind or Tontu for Archfey.

Foreigners to the Northlands have this crazy notion that gods can't die. Clearly this is nonsense, otherwise what is the point of fighting. Northern gods can and have died, granted very rarely, and only by other gods so far.

Stories

Birth of the World

This world is not the first one, nor may it even be the second. Gamverd is one of potentially countless worlds that came before this one. Only two things are known about Gamverd, it no longer exists and it was the home of Orkaos.

Orkaos mourned the world they had lost and began to weep. The tears fell to their feet and became the ocean. Still stricken by grief, Orkaos lay down in the ocean of tears and became the the very ground upon which all mortals tred. Sources differ on whether Orkaos is dead or simply laying down.

Tears were not the only thing Orkaos created however. Through means unknown to mortals, and perhaps even to Orkaos themself, several spirits and creatures emerged, of which two were immediately dominant. One spirit was stubborn and creative, the other was bold and strong. They took an instant disliking to each other and as such formed corporeal bodies that defied each others.

Furvag took a large and brutish form. Granting himself the strength to wrestle the mightiest beast into submission. His strength and boldness attracted other spirits that took on similar forms, though none could match him. Furvag proclaimed that he deserved to rule the world because he possessed the strength to do so. This is the principle of Voima, or the right-of-might. Others admired and respected Furvag and his might. None more so than Esota, who would be known as a great warrior and general, as well as Furvag's bride. Together they led their warriors across the peaks of Orkaos, crushing and challengers and pretenders they came across. For their size and fury, these warriors became known as he Storgundr.

Meanwhile, Morvain took a small and resilient form. While still physically strong, Morvain's true strength came from her ingenuity and mastery of stone and metal. With weapons, tools and armour, she not only survived nature, she bent it to her will. Where once forests blocked her path, axes cleared the way. Where mountains hindered her, picks carved through them. And where the ground did not yield fruit, hoes and sickles made it. She was not alone in this, others began to follow her and learn from her. Gorm especially saw the potential in her ways. With his guidance, entire tribes and societies formed, all working together towards the common betterment of their people. Morvain and Gorm called these people the Litinvr. With each new member came advancements in technology from stone masonry and metal working to music and brewing.

The First War of the Gods

For a time, the Litinvr and the Storgundr managed to avoid each other, keeping to the deep mines and cold peaks respectively....

...WIP

A truce was called. Both sides made a deal that they hoped would keep the peace. All that was needed was a child, one that both sides would need to protect, a half-breed. No one quite agrees which side made the decision to approach the other with this request. The bards fight over it almost as much as the gods themselves did at the time. Though another, perhaps more enticing, story is that it was neither side but a little silver bird that whispered into each ruler's ear.

Regardless the offer went ahead, once the anger and laughter had subsided, both Furvag and Morvain had to admit the wisdom of the plan. And, as the bards say, it was not as if they didn't admire the other's various strengths. A child was sired and Halvangr was born. Despite everything the child did actually bring joy to both houses and a tense peace persisted. At least, for a time.

Halvangr

Halvangr was always an odd child. He was not as large as a Storgundr child nor as small as a Litinvr one. He was not as strong as his father's people nor as resilient as his mother's, both facts they learned the hard way. Though he wasn't just physically odd, he learned to talk far faster than any child his parents had seen before, yet would rarely speak to others. He would spend entire days sat by a stream, appearing to talk to the water.

One day as, Halvangr was sitting by the stream as usual, Morvain and Furvag were nearby. Eventually the couple noticed that Halvangr had vanished. They searched the highest hills, the deepest oceans and the darkest caves but found no trace of him. Naturally they blamed each other. This resentment escalated into another war.

The Second War of the Gods

WIP

The Half-Breed Sovereign

WIP

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Halvangr named himself king of all the gods. Reluctantly, the Storgundr, Litivr and Imiskr all agreed and swore fealty to him. They also agreed to swear off active conflict between the families. A rule that is often stretched to near breaking.

Halvangr's Fate and the Final War

Halvangr was a wise sovereign, so he saw the value in the counsel of others, especially those who were also wise. He knew that, among the wisest of beings, was Tresyn, the three eyed serpent that could see and understand everything. This knowledge supposedly included the entire potential of time, effectively meaning she could predict the future. Halvangr sought Tresyn's counsel on preventing a third war, she replied simply. Not only could he not prevent the war, but he would start it.

Tresyn saw that Halvangr was two beings in one, a giant and a dwarf. They were in a constant conflict. Whenever the Storgundr, and their followers, became stronger, so too did the giant within Halvangr. Just as the dwarf within him grew stronger as the Litinvr, and their followers, did. Eventually one would triumph over the other and seize full control of Halvangr and leading the victor to the total destruction of the loser and all their followers in the biggest war yet. In the fallout of this war, the mortal world will be destroyed.

Halvangr was horrified, but saw no wisdom in denying the prophecy. He focused his efforts on maintaining balance between the two families of gods. In the process, he was also maintaining balance within himself. He cannot hold off forever though, eventually the stalemate will end.

The Silver One

No one quite agrees on where Hoffnar originated, not even themself. Are they from Gamverd, or an even older world? Are they part of the original offspring of Orkaos? Do they even have parents?

Hoffnar's true motivations are also a mystery, but they seem to thrive on chaos and mischief. Hoffnar's hand, or more accurately tongue, has played a part in many of the gods' stories, particularly those which involve tragedy or humiliation. Despite the nuisance, Hoffnar is one of the most valued among the gods due to their cunning and ability to manipulate things in someone's favour. They are never the centre of attention, always in the background executing some mischievous influence on others, often without them even knowing. Every time you hear a mischievous nagging voice in the back of your head whispering to do something naughty, it could be the silver tongue of Hoffnar on your shoulder.

The Split Hammer

Morvain and Gorm learned a prophecy that said that their next child would be a great craftsman. They were overjoyed and decided to forge a great hammer to gift their new child. Included in the crafting was an enchantment that would greatly improve their skill, but could only be used by the intended wielder, anyone else would be severely wounded. This gift backfired however when Morvain gave birth to quadruplets. No one knew which of the boys was the prophesised craftsman or who the hammer should belong to. Giving it to the wrong infant could kill them.

Over several years, Morvain, Gorm and other Litinvr tried to devise several plans to learn which of the children should have the hammer. Morvain tried placing materials and tools in front of the quadruplets to see which ones had a natural attraction to and affinity with the tools. They all did, even outperforming veteran artisans. Gorm created a game for the children wherein they competed against each other in producing various items. The sons had different strengths certainly, but no boy greatly exceeded the others overall.

Eventually Hoffnar learned about the issue while visiting the Litinvr. They very quickly devised a solution and asked to see the hammer. After learning the enchantment he tossed the hammer to the boys. The Litinvr were horrified and rushed to grab the hammer before any of the boys were killed trying to use it. However Hoffnar convinced them to hold off and watched the sons. Initially Jernsmed picked up the hammer and playfully smacked it against a pauldron lying on the table. After a moment of hesitation, cheers erupted as Morvain proudly exclaimed that the hammer's bearer had been found. But Jernsmed got distracted by the noise and dropped the hammer. Steinsmed picked it up before anyone could stop him. He was not harmed however, and began pounding it against a stone statue. Everyone was confused, except Hoffnar, who just began to chuckle. Similarly, Tresmed and Klutsmed also picked the hammer and used it on the wooden table and a piece of leather. Silence filled the hall except for the various hammer strikes. Questions began about who should get the hammer. The boys slowly began to realise the hammer was significant and started to fight over it. This culminated into the four of them each pulling on the hammer until it exploded. Each of the boys was now holding a quarter of the hammer. It had perfectly split lengthways.

Hoffnar couldn't help but be smug. They had realised that both the prophecy and the enchantment referred to all four of the children as one person. The quadruplets grew up to become the four gods of craftwork, each with their own chosen mediums and quarter hammers.