The Book Of Fire/Gods

Here are some ready-made gods to populate Yu-Shan with. Most are employed in the various heavenly Bureaus, have an Essence of 5-7, many Divine Favors, and a Salary of 4-5.

Bashar, God of Scavengers

The Patron god of Scavenger Lords and soldiers of fortune, Bashar reflects the very stuff of Adventure itself. He normally sports a rakish, dashing appearance that is almost stereotypical, from the gilded eyepatch to his cloak-like buff jacket. He is constantly on the move, and is one of the few gods to split his work between Bureaus, being found doing equal service in the Division of Journeys and the Division of Secrets, where he coordinates the movements of the many Relic Hunters throughout Creation and ensures that lost cities and Artifacts either remain hidden or are discovered on schedule. Bashar personally gets on well with most gods, although he has a friendly rivalry going on with Madame Marthasine. When invoked, Bashar often aids Lore and Athletics rolls.

Dota, Herald to the Incarna

Starting life as a mortal before the fall of the Primordials, Dota barely remembers anything from before being taken into the graces of the Celestial Incarna, not even why they chose her for godhood. In those days, she acted as the go between of the gods, helping to secretly coordinate their actions before the rebellion in a way that even the Primordials could not sense. Afterwards, she served as the face and voice of the Incarna to Creation, regularly appearing with some new decree to the Solar Deliberative or to answer to a lone Circle's prayers. She beheld the awful silence of the Unconquered Sun when she informed him that his Chosen children were being butchered by the Terrestrials, the stoic pride of Luna as her Chosen adapted to the Wyld, and the shock of the Maidens as the Contagion and the Fair Folk poured forth across Creation. After the Scarlet Empress took over the Realm, Dota had words with her, but only those two know what was said between them. Now, her masters are more engrossed in their Games than ever, and the messages she is called to deliver are fewer and farther between. She is worried, and is beginning to think that she will have to take drastic measures...Dota appears as an exceptionally lovely Western woman, with a large pair of dove's wings emerging from her back. She is rarely invoked by anyone, but still enjoys a large portion of Quintessence by virtue of being a favorite of the Incarna, even though she has no official position in the Celestial Bureacracy.

Ixlos, God of Invention

The Patron god of inventors occupies a relatively low position in the Bureau of Humanity due to the decline of technology in the current Age. Before the overthrow of the Primordials, Ixlos was the research assistant and lab rat of Autochthon himself,learning all he knew at the hand of the ultimate Craftsman. Though little more than an often-ignored secretary, he was the heir of much of the Machine God's knowledge and know-how, and so found himself in much demand after Autochthon left Creation, even feted by the Celestial Incarna themselves to craft and maintain their wonders. In the First Age, he was often invoked by the Twilight Caste to bless their works, which made him one of the most powerful gods in Yu-Shan. His puissance persisted into the Second Age until the collapse of the Shogunate, after which the scarcity of working 1st Age machinery led to an inevitable drop-off in his personal prestige and eventual demotion. Ixlos still scapes by, and indeed is better off than many, but he still dreams of regaining his former glory. Since the Dragon-Blooded have proven their inability to upkeep the level of prosperous invention that would do so, he openly supports the return of the Solar Exalted, and is a great ally of Bashar, whose people often help restore the machinery that makes up Ixlos' job. Ixlos feels great resentment towards Autochthon (who may not even remember him), and would react badly if the Locust Crusade were to result in the Machine God's return. Because of this resentment, he particularly despises the Mountain Folk, whose abandonement reminds him of his own. Ixlos normally appears as a deformed dwarf with mechanical limbs whose Sanctum takes the form of the largest, most advanced Factory-Cathedral imaginable; he favors those who few who still pray to him with bonuses to Craft and Lore rolls.

Meldre, God of Communication

Like Ixlos, the Patroness of scribes and messengers lost a great deal of heavenly influence in the Division of Journeys due to the collapse of the magical networks threaded throughout Creation that allowed for nearly instantaneous communication. Also like him, she will do nearly anything to restore Creation (and her career) to its former glory, but unlike him, she vividly recalls the chaos the Solar Exalted wreaked on her delicate systems and dreads them coming to power again. Thus, Meldre reluctantly backs the Bronze Faction of Sidereals and hopes to reacquaint the Terrestrials with more reliable and common methods of communication that they can then spread throughout the Realm and the Threshold. Meldre manifests as a giant six-legged raven whose quills make perfect writing tools (and, incidentally, weapons) and who is always surrounded by a buzzing horde of hummingbird-like spirits, which are constantly coming and going with missives. Appealing to her properly may aid in Linguistics rolls.

Ringan, God of Guardians

A high-ranking officer in the Bureau of Heaven, Ringan is personally responsible for the safety and security of Yu-Shan. He had a hand in designing Heaven's security systems and maintains the elaborate system of early-warning wards throughout the Celestial City and all the Celestial Lions and Lion Dogs answer to him, even as he must answer to the Consors. Humorless, stern and cautious to the point of paranoia, he constantly finds himself butting heads with officials of the Division of Secrets. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he has an intense love for the Maiden of Secrets herself; since he has told no one of this, his greatest fear is that she already knows. Ringan appears as an unusually large Celestial Lion, formed of platinum, with seven eyes. Many guards and watchmen, from Whitewall to Sijan, revere him and pray for his aid with Endurance and Awareness feats.

Simsim, God of Trickery

Simsim was once a simple god in the Bureau of Nature, assigned with the welfare of a species of wild monkey. After that species was wiped out in the Fair Folk invasion, she found herself out of a job, like many other deities in Yu-Shan. Unlike them, she did not wallow in despair or apply herself to a new career, but instead found that she had a genuine talent for grifting. Conning several gods into owing her debts, she soon ruled over a larger section of the heavenly ghettos than her meager power would warrent. Still she was not satisfied, and wanted her revenge on the Celestial Bureaucracy that had callously tossed her and her charges aside. Framing an old rival of hers in the Bureau of Secrets, she arranged for his soulforging into Starmetal and managed to get to it before the Sidereals did; he now forms the basis of a Starmetal Seven-Section-Staff, her signature weapon. Simsim also wormed her way into his job under an alias, from which she now gathers information for her most daring heist yet: the theft of the Peaches of Immortality! Thanks to a few visits in Creation from time to time, she has a small cult following among the thieves and tricksters of the world who appeal to her for help in acts of Stealth and Larceny, as well as a growing following among the unemployed of the gods. Simsim appears to be an attractive young girl with very long fingers and somewhat simian features, including a fine layer of fur and a prehensile tail, wearing a wide-brimmed travelling hat.

Muza, God of Revolution

The divine terrorist Muza was not always such. Once a minor official in the Bureau of Heaven, he made some trivial mistake that angered someone more important than he would ever be. To make matters worse, his superior didn't take it out on him, but on the one he loved, his sister-goddess Maza. He was forced to watch helplessly as she was callously tried and convicted with unseemly speed, and transformed into a minor Starmetal artifact, that his superior then gave to him as a final insult to injury. Muza determined that such a heartless system could not stand. Ever since that day, he has set himself foursquare against the current heavenly establishment, and has not taken a single move whose ultimate end was not its downfall. His methods have been many and varied, and he has always been careful not to be connected with anything. Finally, his day arrived, when his contacts among the disenfranchised of Yushan and the Terrestrial Bureaucracy helped him to smuggle a First Age weapon into Yu-Shan, which he set off at a nexus of quicksilver canals, greatly disrupting the flow of work in the Celestial City. Well aware that he would soon be discovered as the head of the plot, Muza vanished into the heavenly ghettos, but not before severely boobytrapping his offices. The Celestial Lions are still on the prowl for this Divine Enemy Number One, tho no one knows if he is even still in Yu-Shan, and no one in the desolate neighborhoods is speaking up. Muza prefers to take a form much like a mortal man, very unassuming in appearance, but is skilled at taking on many others. He cultivates a contemplative, philosophical air, and his charisma only continues to grow as more of the disaffected join his cult of personality; indeed, while word of his heavenly crusade has not reached Creation, still there are many revolutionaries and freedom fighters who call upon his name, granting him some Ambrosia. No one is quite sure what his ultimate goals are, although distributing the Peaches of Immortality freely to mortals or a direct strike on the Jade Pleasure Dome are frequent guesses; Muza simply plays upon his Starmetal flute peacefully...

Zanish, God of Celebration

One of those gods who is never satisfied with just one form, Zanish has one of the most varied appearances in heaven, often appearing as a native from any of the five regions, and just as often as either sex (or even both); the only constant is that he/she is always the most beautiful one around (excepting when in the presence of his/her boss, Venus, of course) and has wine for bodily fluids. Zanish is rarely found at his/her office in the Division of Serenity or his/her many shrines in Great Forks, as he/she takes his/her work very seriously, despite appearances. After all, someone has to manage the constant parade of parties, holidays and, well, parades in Creation! Zanish is normally glad to help properly fawning mortals with Socializing and Endurance activities, but expects lavish sacrifice. He/she is always all smiles and laughter, until Calibration, when he/she assumes a darker aspect...