Ilhm, of Phoenicia
Path Skills: Culture, Persuasion
Pantheon Motif
Through food, song, and community, the Gods may be invited to work miracles.
Signature Ilhm Purview: Marzeh
The Ilhm are ancient; their memory is long, and their tables are burdened with offerings for their lineage. Through the marzeh — ritual feasts — the Ilhm and their worshippers preserved and celebrated the memory of their countless generations. By these rites, they build and strengthened a sense of community and continuity which continues into the modern day. Their Scions can draw strength from similar rituals through the Marzeh Purview, which allows them to both sense the ties of legacy and sanctify them with communal feasts.
Marzeh Innate Power
Innate Power: Once per scene, when you share food, drink, or some other moment of quiet or respite with a character, you may ask one of the following:
• What can I do to understand you better?
• What here do you care about, and why?
• How are you connected to [a particular community], and what does it mean to you?
This connection adds two dice to a Bond pool with that character. If no Bond currently exists, they instead gain one for the remainder of the session — usually camaraderie or friendship, but the characters’ players have final say. This Power can be used on other player characters only with that player’s consent.
VIRTUES
Kinship vs. Inclusiveness
While it might seem at first like Kinship and Inclusiveness simply restate the same idea, these twin pillars of Phoenician society form quite different ideas which complement each other. The Ilhm rise from the Levant, where many other cultures began; one can see mythological similarities, and linguistic overlaps between the Ilhm and other religions born in the ancient land of Canaan, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In some cases, the Ilhm show up in the mythology of other cultures, as when Asherah assisted Isis after the death of Osiris. Kinship recognizes these ur-mythological roots, and more broadly, the similarities shared by all humanity since the first cave drawings and bodies buried with care and flowers. Sometimes that falls into believing that all cultures are the same, rather than acknowledging each society’s distinctiveness. By contrast, Inclusiveness recognizes the humanity in others from the ways in which they differ from the Phoenicians and understands that one does not need to understand another person to respect their culture and identity, at least insomuch as their identity does not derive from causing harm, deprivation or isolation to others.
‘ILA
GOD OF HEAVEN AND WISDOM
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Aliases: Creator of Creatures; Creator of Heaven and Earth; Eternal Sage; Eternal Father; Father of Man; Wise Father; Your Patriarch
Callings: Liminal, Judge, Sage
Purviews: Beasts (Bulls), Epic Stamina, Fertility, Fire,
Journeys, Prosperity, Sky, Wild (Desert)
ASHERAH
GODDESS OF CREATION AND CHANGE
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Aliases: Aserdu; Ašratu; Ašratum; Dione; Divine Mother of Transition and Transformation; ‘Ilat; Our Lady of Change and Growth; Most Exalted Goddess of the Day; She Who Treads on the Sea Dragon; She Who Walks On Waves
Callings: Guardian, Healer, Lover
Purviews: Artistry (Dance), Beauty, Fire, Health, Passion (Love), Prosperity, Sun
RA MAYYU
GODDESS OF CREATION AND STABILITY
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Aliases: ʾAṯiratu of the Sea; Divine Mother of Byblos; Most Exalted Goddess of the Night; Our Lady of Creation and Home; Rahmay; Rahmaya; She Who Stands on Earth; Womb of all Wombs
Callings: Creator, Lover, Sage
Purviews: Artistry (Pottery, Weaving), Beauty, Death, Earth, Epic Stamina, Fertility, Health, Moon
2nd Tier
ANAT
GODDESS OF WAR AND FERTILITY
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Aliases: Anat Athena, Anat-Yahu, Antu, ‘Atah, Our Lady of the Heavens, She Who Walked to Zephon
Callings: Guardian, Lover, Warrior
Purviews: Beauty, Death, Epic Stamina, Passion (Love), War
BA’AL
HE OF A HUNDRED FACES
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Aliases: Adad; Ba’al Aliyan; Ba’al Haddu/Hadad; Ba’al Ba’al Karnaim; Bloody-Handed King; Eternal Judge of Flame; Lord of the Two Horns
Callings: Leader, Lover, Judge
Purviews: Artistry (Sports), Beasts (Bulls), Beauty, Epic Stamina, Epic Strength, Sky
DAGON
GOD OF THE OCEAN AND AGRICULTURE
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Aliases: Dagan; He Beneath the Waves; Oannes; Zeus Arotrios
Callings: Creator, Guardian, Healer
Purviews: Artistry (Sports), Beasts (Ocean Life, Farm Animals Except Bulls), Epic Stamina, Fertility, Health,
Prosperity, Water, Wild
GAD
DEITY OF FORTUNE AND MISFORTUNE
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Aliases: They Who Cut and Divide; King of the Right and Left Hands; Queen of Yes, No, and Maybe
Callings: Guardian, Liminal, Trickster
Purviews: Artistry (Poetry), Chaos, Deception, Epic Dexterity, Fortune
MOT
GOD OF DEATH
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Aliases: The Once-Favorite; Who Devours the Lamb; Who Walks Between Life and Death Callings: Liminal, Judge, Sage
Purviews: Death, Epic Stamina, Order, Passion (Lust)
Primordials
ERETZ
THE EARTH, THE MANY-BREASTED ONE
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YAM
THE RIVER-SEA
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THE SEA, HE OF TEHOM
Calling: Creator, Destroyer, Primeval
Purviews: Sky, Water
Titans
ATTAR
THE MORNING STAR
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Calling: Adversary, Leader, Tyrant
Purviews: Passion (Justice), Stars
LOTAN
THE COILED ONE
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Calling: Monster, Warrior, Tyrant
Purviews: Beasts (Sea Creatures), Water
MOLECH
THE ANGRY FLAME
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Calling: Destroyer, Primeval, Tyrant
Purviews: Death, Fire
ARSAY
THE UNSPOKEN WIFE OF DEATH
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Aliases: Allatum, ‘Aretsaya bat Ya’abdar, Aretsaya, Arsai, Arsy, Daughter of Ample Flows, Daughter of the Wide Lands, The Renowned Bride, She of the Earth
Callings: Adversary, Primeval, Sage
Purviews: Deception, Darkness, Death, Earth, Fortune, Magic, Passion (Devotion, Love)
BA’AL HAMMON
THE CHILD-KILLER
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Aliases: Ba’al the Hungry; Bloody-Handed King; Eternal Judge of Flame; Most Ruthless Father
Callings: Primeval, Monster, Warrior
Purviews: Beasts (Bulls), Darkness, Deception, Death, Earth, Fire, War