Fortas, God of Humor

Fortas is the God of Humor and Drama, and is responsible for the creation of the Halflings of Somara. He is the seventh child of Syvl and Kevolah, and the twin brother of Roggirth.

Origins and Creations
Fortas was born to Syvl and Kevolah during the First Era, and during this time, he created a race of people that would come to be known as the halflings.

Fortas is credited with the creation of theatre in Somara, and will frequently attend performances in disguise.

In a similar vein, most scholars believe that Fortas is responsible for teaching the bardic arts to mortalkind.

Appearance
Most religious scholars believe that Fortas walks on Somara frequently in the guise of many different forms, so that he may enjoy many of life's pleasures without being recognized as a deity.

However, when he wants to be known reveal himself, he generally takes on the form of an slightly rotund halfling male of average height, with short, curly brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and brown eyes that contain a mischievous glint. He often wears a tweed suit and is usually barefoot. His hands are kept constantly busy, usually fidgeting with some trinket or one of his daggers.

Despite his appearance, Fortas is incredibly dexterous, able to move much faster than one would think. He carries three daggers, which he can throw with pinpoint accuracy, and is often depicted wielding a slingshot.

Personality
Fortas is mischievous and has a very short attention span, except when it comes to watching plays or laying out elaborate pranks or jokes. He typically enjoys laughter at another's expense, but never angers if a joke is played on him instead. For this reason, he's one of the better-natured gods to deal with, as he lacks the vanity and sense of self-importance that many other gods feel.

However, he does have a short attention span. Things that bore him (more likely the more serious a matter is) he quickly forgets or ignores, and it's hard for him to keep a discussion on track.

Fortas considers himself a patron of the arts, and will go out of his way to support those that develop them. For this reason, he has a close relationship with Paela, Goddess of the Arts. Fortas is especially interested in drama and theatre, which he considers himself to be an expert in. Many popular plays in Somara are thought to have been ghost-written (or at least, inspired by) Fortas.

Because of his tendency to poke fun and pull pranks, many other deities regard him as a minor annoyance. Despite this, however, he appears not to harbor ill will for any other deities, and encourages his people to pay respect to other deities and religions whenever they come across them.

Worship
The majority of Fortas's clerics are halflings. They tend to fall under either the Trickery or Luck Domains. As he is considered the father of the bardic arts, many bards will pay respect to him, especially those from the College of Satire.

Small shrines or sometimes temples to Fortas are found in areas with high halfling populations, but he does not demand much worship from his people, and therefore does not have a large religious presence among them.