The Halfling Gods
Major Deity:
Moira, The Mother (NG) -- Community, Healing, Nobility, Protection; Weapon: Scythe
Description: In the beginning, Moira created the Halfling race and was pleased with her finest achievement. Over time, she became lonely and felt that there may come a time where even her strength may not be enough. In a time long past when the race was in need of champions, a group of friends banded together and answered the call. Through multiple challenges, they managed to become heroes in their own right and their names became legend. Pleased with their accomplishments, she met with them and offered each of them a chance to share as divine protectors of the Halfling race. They gladly accepted. To each of the four adventurers, she granted some of her portfolios and ensured that each one was granted one of the four elements of the world. The fifth choice -- originally a familiar to their arcane caster in life -- was granted a small spark of godhood from Culkin himself. Although not as powerful as the others, both Nathair and Culkin share a close bond.
Other gods:
Bradan, "The Brave" or "The Tactician" (LG): Earth, Good, Liberation, War;
Weapon: Longsword
Description: He is considered the most serious of the gods – at least as Halflings go – but Bradan chooses to lead by example and inspire those who worship him. He embodies the Halfling spirit to endure when times are tough and defend their ideals no matter how daunting the task lay before them. With the exception of Nathair, he gets along well with the rest of the gods and considers all of them allies.
Diarmuid, The God of Athletic Spirit (CG): Fire, Glory, Luck, Strength; Weapon: Warhammer
Description: Where Bradan embodies the spirit to endure, Diarmuid basks in the glory and seeks out those to aspire to win in all aspect of their life. He inspires his followers to seek new challenges and always strive for the next adventure beyond the horizon. Former lovers in their old life, he still continues a good friendship with Ciara and maintains good relations with most of the gods. He avoids talking to Nathair at all costs.
Ciara, "The Swift Hand", "The Younger"[1] (CN): Chaos, Charm, Trickery, Water;
Weapon: War Razor[2]
Description: Ciara is the youngest of the gods but where Diamuid attempts to inspire, she considers herself more of the director. She is content to put plans in motions behind the scenes. In ancient texts, she is depicted as a lithe Halfling woman who dresses in dark colored clothing and covers her face with a black and white mask. The only color mentioned is her long red hair. Out of the gods, she maintains a very friendly relationship with Diarmuid. Like her brother, Culkin, she attempts to maintain speaking terms with Nathair but she does so cautiously.
Culkin, "The Librarian", "The Elder"(LN): Air, Knowledge, Law, Magic; Weapon: Sling Staff
Description: Culkin is the elder twin of Ciara in their former life (only by minutes) but playfully likes to point this fact out at every opportunity. He guards his portfolio with great care and keeps a close eye on his followers and those who would abuse magic for their own personal gain. In the ancient texts, he is depicted either as an older man with bright red hair or a younger man both dressed in scholarly clothes.
With the exception of his sister, he maintains a more serious relationship with the other gods. Even with their differences in philosophy, he and Nathair still maintain their bonds from their former life. They disagree on many subjects but when they argue, it is never heated.
Nathair, “The Serpent” (LE): Darkness, Death, Evil, Scalykind; Weapon: Scorpion Whip
Description: The Serpent is the only one that is somewhat of an outsider to the Halfling Pantheon. In the past, he was the familiar to Culkin but was granted divinity to serve the others. Upon ascension into godhood, he took on more of a personality of his own and chose to walk a darker path. The other gods took offense and even Moira had reservations about Nathair. However, Culkin spoke up upon his behalf and noted that although he does not approve of Nathair's choices, he reasoned that without him, other Halflings who choose not to follow their path and instead, may choose to select other evil gods as patrons. Those much fouler and darker in their agendas.
By allowing Nathair to stay, there is a chance that those Halflings who follow him may yet turn toward the other gods and sometimes, it is better to deal with the preverbal devil that you know then the one that you don't. It is unknown in the future whether this may come back to haunt Culkin and the other Halfling gods in the end.
[1] The Gods, Ciara and Culkin, are fraternal twins (female and male respectively).
[2] While speaking with Michael Bostwick, he mentioned about including the war razor as a weapon to represent the Halfling race. The favored weapon for Ciara pays homage to the discussion that both he and Sam spoke of during one of their conversations.