Gryphos
Auror
So I've been fleshing out the beliefs of the occultists in my world and I've come up with 'Occult Lords', beings of magic that entered the world through a door to a dark dimension. The occultists basically worship them as gods, but they aren't really. They can be killed like anything else, but they are immensely powerful. There are many of these Lords, but I've so far come up with six.
The King of Tails
A legendary creature said to reside in an immense underground complex of unknown location. It's a colossal rat-like creature with yellow eyes (like all Occult Lords) and rats crawling all over it. Primarily it's the king of rats, but it's also the king of cats, both rats and cats being heavily connected to the Occult. The King can possess any rat or cat at will and when possessed the animal's eyes will glow yellow. This has led to superstitions of yellow-eyed rats or cats bringing bad luck, while the occultists know that it means the King of Tails is watching.
The Bozu
A mysterious being that lives in the oceans off the country of Umiken. It's a huge black giant with features obscured by shadow other than it's glowing, circular yellow eyes. It sometimes emerges to block a seaship's path. When it encounters a ship sometimes it will attack and capsize it, but most of the time it just stands there and stares at the crew. Sailors who have met it talk about how they heard its whispers in their heads as it stared at them and some returning sailors have even been driven mad by it. Over time it's turned into a mythical boogeyman-like figure. Children in coastal towns are told to behave or else the Bozu will appear and turn its gaze on them. But occultists in Umiken worship it as one of their Lords, often actively searching for it in the ocean.
Gillderaire
Gillderaire was a real person, a wealthy aristocrat known for his dim yellow eyes, pale skin and the way he would dye his hair blue (atleast people assumed he dyed it). He would also never go out in direct sunlight unless his skin was entirely covered or shaded, thus he was also known for wearing a wide-rimmed hat.
The story goes that when he arrived in a city from a foreign land, there was a series of murders. Mostly prostitutes and homeless women, they all had their blood drained and had two puncture wounds on their necks. The murders went on for a year until by chance Gillderaire was caught red-handed by a group of constables. They tried to arrest him but he retaliated with great strength, killing one constable before they tried lethal methods. But the constables' guns had no effect, neither did their swords when they slashed at him. Only when the commander, the last surviving constable, stabbed him through the chest did Gillderaire fall down dead. He was due to be cremated three days later but when they went to retrieve him from the morgue they found that he had vanished, never to be seen again outside of whispered barroom claims.
It was a commonly held belief that Gillderaire was a vampire, but because of his apparent surviving a pierced heart, which normally kills a vampire, many occultists believe that Gillderaire is the original vampire, only able to be killed by direct sunlight. They worship him as an Occult Lord and when making a vampire they always sacrifice their victim on an altar to Gillderaire.
Mavetta
A folkloric figure in many regions. She’s described as a woman with yellow eyes who sits astride people in their beds and torments them in the night. She is worshipped by occultists as a patron of nightmares and illusion, two of their most valuable tools.
The Swordsman of the Aerie
A warrior said to reside in an aerie of giant eagles, though no one knows exactly where the aerie is meant to be. He wields a longsword and supposedly wears armour forged from the strongest and lightest steel. His eyes glow yellow through slits in his helmet. He is also known for travelling around by hanging from one of his giant eagle's talons with his free hand as it flies him around.
Stories were always told about him but his greatest sighting was at the then named 'Battle of the Swordsman', an aerial battle. He appeared suddenly and attacked both fleets indiscriminately, unable to be harmed due to his great speed and the strength of his armour as his sword sliced through the strong metal hulls as if they were nothing. His invincibility and power lead to the occultists worshiping him as one of their Lords.
The Fellfeather Keeper
The Fellfeather Vaults is a location of fairytale, said to hold immense power in its depths. But the fairytales are not extensive. The occultists know that not only does it hold power but it is also a prison to the Fellfeather Keeper. The Fellfeather Keeper is a shapeshifter, able to take many forms both large and small. His vaults are perhaps the most sought after location of the occultists, who wish to free the Keeper, who will then reward them with the contents of his vaults, the door through which magic flows into the world.
That's what I've come up with so far for the pantheon. I wanted to go for more unusual concepts than the usual 'god of water', 'god of fire' etc. I could use some more ideas for Occult Lords if any are had.
The King of Tails
A legendary creature said to reside in an immense underground complex of unknown location. It's a colossal rat-like creature with yellow eyes (like all Occult Lords) and rats crawling all over it. Primarily it's the king of rats, but it's also the king of cats, both rats and cats being heavily connected to the Occult. The King can possess any rat or cat at will and when possessed the animal's eyes will glow yellow. This has led to superstitions of yellow-eyed rats or cats bringing bad luck, while the occultists know that it means the King of Tails is watching.
The Bozu
A mysterious being that lives in the oceans off the country of Umiken. It's a huge black giant with features obscured by shadow other than it's glowing, circular yellow eyes. It sometimes emerges to block a seaship's path. When it encounters a ship sometimes it will attack and capsize it, but most of the time it just stands there and stares at the crew. Sailors who have met it talk about how they heard its whispers in their heads as it stared at them and some returning sailors have even been driven mad by it. Over time it's turned into a mythical boogeyman-like figure. Children in coastal towns are told to behave or else the Bozu will appear and turn its gaze on them. But occultists in Umiken worship it as one of their Lords, often actively searching for it in the ocean.
Gillderaire
Gillderaire was a real person, a wealthy aristocrat known for his dim yellow eyes, pale skin and the way he would dye his hair blue (atleast people assumed he dyed it). He would also never go out in direct sunlight unless his skin was entirely covered or shaded, thus he was also known for wearing a wide-rimmed hat.
The story goes that when he arrived in a city from a foreign land, there was a series of murders. Mostly prostitutes and homeless women, they all had their blood drained and had two puncture wounds on their necks. The murders went on for a year until by chance Gillderaire was caught red-handed by a group of constables. They tried to arrest him but he retaliated with great strength, killing one constable before they tried lethal methods. But the constables' guns had no effect, neither did their swords when they slashed at him. Only when the commander, the last surviving constable, stabbed him through the chest did Gillderaire fall down dead. He was due to be cremated three days later but when they went to retrieve him from the morgue they found that he had vanished, never to be seen again outside of whispered barroom claims.
It was a commonly held belief that Gillderaire was a vampire, but because of his apparent surviving a pierced heart, which normally kills a vampire, many occultists believe that Gillderaire is the original vampire, only able to be killed by direct sunlight. They worship him as an Occult Lord and when making a vampire they always sacrifice their victim on an altar to Gillderaire.
Mavetta
A folkloric figure in many regions. She’s described as a woman with yellow eyes who sits astride people in their beds and torments them in the night. She is worshipped by occultists as a patron of nightmares and illusion, two of their most valuable tools.
The Swordsman of the Aerie
A warrior said to reside in an aerie of giant eagles, though no one knows exactly where the aerie is meant to be. He wields a longsword and supposedly wears armour forged from the strongest and lightest steel. His eyes glow yellow through slits in his helmet. He is also known for travelling around by hanging from one of his giant eagle's talons with his free hand as it flies him around.
Stories were always told about him but his greatest sighting was at the then named 'Battle of the Swordsman', an aerial battle. He appeared suddenly and attacked both fleets indiscriminately, unable to be harmed due to his great speed and the strength of his armour as his sword sliced through the strong metal hulls as if they were nothing. His invincibility and power lead to the occultists worshiping him as one of their Lords.
The Fellfeather Keeper
The Fellfeather Vaults is a location of fairytale, said to hold immense power in its depths. But the fairytales are not extensive. The occultists know that not only does it hold power but it is also a prison to the Fellfeather Keeper. The Fellfeather Keeper is a shapeshifter, able to take many forms both large and small. His vaults are perhaps the most sought after location of the occultists, who wish to free the Keeper, who will then reward them with the contents of his vaults, the door through which magic flows into the world.
That's what I've come up with so far for the pantheon. I wanted to go for more unusual concepts than the usual 'god of water', 'god of fire' etc. I could use some more ideas for Occult Lords if any are had.