Thunder-Father

A god first mentioned in the Lilliend Gazetteer in Quoth the Raven Issue 25. Thunder-Father is primarily a god of the sky, weather and fertility, but is also termed a god of men and protection. There exists some archaeological evidence that he is not only one of the oldest gods of Lilliend, but that he was once king of its pantheon.

Dogma

Thunder-Father exhorts his followers to love their families, be hospitable to strangers and protect those under their care. However, he also calls on them to stand strong and govern their charges not as an equal, but as a superior. In Lilliend, it is forbidden by law for his Clerics to be female. (This has not prevented an apocalyptic, all-woman cult from being founded in his name.)

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Cleric Alignments

Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral

Portfolio

The sky, the weather, fertility, men, protection, kings

Symbol

An old man in archaic, bronze armour with a long beard, holding a handful of lightning-bolts, standing in a blue sphere.

Spell Domains

Air, Chaos, Charm, Destruction, Protection, Weather

Spell Subdomains

Catastrophe, Cloud, Defense, Love, Lust, Seasons, Storms, Wards, Wind

Favoured Weapon

Shortspear

Mythos

In Lilliend, it is believed that Thunder-Father created the blue orb of sky, a place where the infinite Mists could not penetrate. Haurau, goddess of the earth, agreed to live there with him so she could bring forth life, while her sister Brightwell opted to remain in the Mists and dream away eternity. Thunder-Father impregnated Haurau time and again, carelessly killing the life that had been born from his wife and dwelled upon her surface, and wounded her.

As Haurau had grown old and wrinkled, Thunder-Father lusted after Brightwell's unblemished body and cracked the blue orb of sky so he could assault her in her sleep. This act of rape caused Brightwell to give birth to the dread god il Demonio, who assaulted her in turn, causing the birth of Ashar.

Overcome by guilt and horror at the battle that erupted between his son and granddaughter, Thunder-Father fled back to the blue orb of sky but - at il Demonio's advice - allowed the crack to persist so he would have a way to flee if Brightwell came to seek revenge, thus forsaking his self-appointed duty as a protector and allowing the evils in the Mists - Brightwell's dreams and nightmares - to enter the world. Again due to il Demonio's whispers, Thunder-Father seized Haurau so she could not be taken from him, and unintentionally shattered her, giving rise to many younger goddesses who all fled his grasp. In the current day and age, the people of Lilliend believe Thunder-Father dwells in L'Haut, and his sorrow gives rise to the rainstorms and heavy snowfall the domain is known for. It is believed he still lusts for Brightwell, but is too afraid to approach her.

In Lilliend, he is largely considered to be a spent force, lost in his own grief and loneliness.

Other

It is likely that Thunder-Father was the patron of the old Kings of Lilliend during its False History. When Lilliend waged war on its neighbours, this was stated to be because they were not nations that worshipped Thunder-Father (though the real reason was to fill the nation's coffers with war-loot). As such, it may be assumed that Thunder-Father's church supported the war effort.