d14 small gods of the animal-lings (GLoGtober #6)

Taking a prompt from the list on GLoGtober '22: Under New Managementfrom a promptlist by Archon's Court we take "Small Gods"

We have all our greater gods concerned with big thematic worries, what about the specific concerns of animal-lings?
- they have different senses - smell, whiskers, thermal pits, sharper hearing
- they have different body shapes - chitin, fur, feathers, claws, fangs
- they operate in different habitats - burrows, tree hollows, hives

All this suggest that even where humanoid gods are dominant, there will be things that slip beneath their gaze, and there the small gods of the animal-lings still find their place.

Small Gods of the Animal-lings

1. God of clear noses and sharp snuffling - most often invoked against colds, noted in the designs embroidered on traditional sharp-herb pouches and carved on snuff-boxes
2. The gentle wind that eases tracking - invoked with a handful of grass or dust tossed to find the wind direction
3. The shifting wind that eases hunting - invoked in a paused moment of twitching whiskers and ears to detect the wind direction before setting out on a task
4. The hardener of chitin - typically invoked in the production of home-cooked waxes and polishes, recipes said to be passed down from a long gone clergy. To diligently polish ones scales, shell or exoskeleton is to worship.
5. The sharpest fang - most often marked on the scratching-pillars of old animal-ling inns, where sharpening your claws before leaving is traditional. Invoked before strenuous physical activity of any sort, sometimes found in older blacksmiths or on the entrance to mines. Rarely the original panther-like icon is still visible if the pillar is tall enough.
6. The deepest burrow - god of comfortable lairs, easily found - invoked with thanks when bundled up cosily, whether under blankets or before a fire, that you might give such thanks again soon
7. He who shields from sight (camoflage) - invoked with optical illusion carvings, left in plain sight but rarely noticed. The inverse will have a ring of eight eyes on it
8. The judge of stillness (both predators and prey) - mostly likely to be observed in a tavern game where both parties hold a brimming short glass of strong spirits and the first to cause a ripple or their spirit to spill loses. Invoked with the holding of breath and the paying of absolute attention to ones surroundings. Often paid homage by duelling schools.
9. The great acorn - found bounty, foraging - one of the more commonly invoked minor gods - "By the great acorn what luck!" and "acorn blessed" are common phrases
10. The hum of harmony (hive-god) - smooths bonds between companions, typically invoked with a shared low hum. Strongly present in hinterland work-chants and a common thread through deep-woods folk song.
11. The slumberer - invoked to find food, for deep sleep and for survival in the cold. Often marked by apples, honey, nuts or other tree-found food left in a cave or nook.
12. The calling lord - long distance travel, seasonal migrations, finding yourself in the right place at the right time. Watches over the venturesome, invoked in that first leap from a height before your wings fill with air.
13. God of Strong Ivory - of pacts that bind, things that stand the test of time. Found as deeply worn ivory amulets, passed from generation to generation, helps those who help themselves.
14. The Giving Mud - most alive of these petty gods, The Queen of Swamps and Rivers is gifted offerings by fishers and river travellers, that she may take this and no more. Rarely invoked by searchers in the wilderness near rivers, lakes and wet terrain of all sorts.

Locals will often add major local nature spirits to their personal mix of respected supernatural entities, such as dryads of old woods, lake and waterfall spirits, mountain spirits and even including particularly old dragons.