So the Silt Verses is a rad show for a lot of reasons, but I think the thing that gives me the most ideas to work with is their concept of saints and angels. For reference, the Silt Verses is folk horror weird fiction, predicated on the idea that the gods are real, and they all want you to sacrifice to them. One of the supernatural elements are their servants. Angels are any non-human creatures or things that serve a god, some have naturally occurring animals, like crustaceans, others have walking, animated power lines. Saints, on the other hand, are things that were made into servants for their gods. They used to be human until rituals were performed on them, usually against their will, stripping them of their humanity and making them into some sort of fucked up meat monster that's part human part train, or whatever's thematically appropriate given the god's purview.
Obviously the horrific angle that the show takes isn't perfect for our DND purposes but I do like it because it gives each god a bit more characteristics. In (a lot of) dnd settings, servants of gods are boiled down to very boring templates. Angels themselves aren't the specific problem, they're a symptom of not thinking out your fantasy religions. All gods have pretty winged people as their angels, who all do pretty much the same thing, and are summoned by casters who all dress like palette swapped catholic priests. All gods have inquisitors, and turn undead, and churches, and the same sins and general morality. It's lame.
I do my best to make my pantheons and individual gods different from one another where I can, and as said previously, I think that this can help a bit. So, here are some human/non-human servants of gods.
The Old Faith
The "original" religion in the east of Esemeir were the Athe ke Yorre, colloquially known as the Old Faith. The faith took a pretty heavy hit a few centuries ago when the empire of Cartha began to rise, razing holy sites, building new temples over old ones, and the like. With the empire's collapse, there's a bit more religious freedom, but in many nations their worship is still outlawed in one way or another. Regardless, they still have their followers.
Their highest mortal servants are the speakers, people who serve as a voice for their absent gods. They're effectively max level clerics +, they have a direct hotline to their god. They tend to be pretty strange people. All speakers wear heavily ornamented clay masks, depicting a stylized likeness of their deity. Most wear it all the time, in antiquity, it wasn't uncommon for the mask to be effectively grafted or otherwise permanently affixed to one's face, thereafter they would be sustained directly by their link to the divine. The masks are vital as they symbolically transform the wearer into a vessel for their deity, one which can be directly controlled and inhabited. Often gods will whisper directly to their speakers, subtly informing them of their will. Possession comes in degrees, gods will occasionally focus more of themselves into their speakers for more direct messages or displays of force. A minor missive might have the god 15% possessing the person, a direct insult might warrant 40%, etc. When a god fully inserts themselves into their speaker, they become an avatar for their deity. Several key battles towards the Carthan empire's collapse were lost simply because a speaker arrived fully mantled.
Amora
Amora is the goddess of the sun, fire, creation, the earth, and art, as well as war. If the Old Faith can be said to have a chief deity, its her. She is said to have created humanity, sculpting them from clay and baking them in her radiance.
Her priests are often master craftsmen or artists (the stereotypical mediums are clay and glass). The most devout are able to create constructs from clay, bestowing life as their goddess did to them. These constructs typically take on a humanoid appearance, and are extensively decorated, being great works of art.
All birds swear fealty to either Amora, or her spouse (see below) as she created flight (bugs were a joint effort between Amora and the god of the wilds, while bats are jealous copycats and take care to only fly at night to escape her notice). Among them, her chief servants are the Ketherine, giant, multiheaded birds with feathers made from gold and crystal. The number of heads on a bird ranges from 3 to 9, and are constantly singing. Each head sings a different song of creation, remnants of the first language which shaped existence. In battle, each head has a different magical effect it can produce (like a beholder but celestial).
Odd-headed Ketherine are soldiers, who may be summoned to do battle alongside Amora's faithful, while even-headed Ketherine are messengers and guardians, invoked to protect and ward locations from harm (in Southern numerology, odd numbers are said to be "active", indicative of a spearhead and constant motion, while even numbers are passive, representing preservation and cyclical existence).
Ketherine have been known to bestow their songs on artisans and artists, granting them a supernatural understanding of their craft. It is said that all the greatest performers and craftsmen achieved the height of their craft when they were gifted this primordial song.
Ketherines' songs grant more than just mastery over an individual's craft. Some who have been blessed are capable of cultivating the song, increasing their proficiency with it, and wielding it in much the same way the Ketherine do themselves. Such an individual is typically known as Rinehast, and they are capable of wielding their song more directly, melting the armor off the bodies of their foes, reworking the earth into shapes more advantageous to themselves, calling upon great gouts of flame to scorch their foes, they alter the battlefield and those on it like a potter working at clay on the wheel.
Rinehasts typically develop fingers that have turned to scintillating, multi-hued crystals. In fact it's not uncommon for parts of their internal body to crystalize as well. Hearts are almost always made of solid crystal by the time the individual dies. Additionally, precious stones commonly appear in the gut, the lungs, and the throat.
Natos
Natos is the god (or often goddess) of death, justice, transformation, the wind and the sea, and in-between things. She is the steward of travelers, and the husband of Amora. Natos is by their nature transitory, they exist as both man and woman, and as neither.
Natos is beloved by seabirds, as well as ravens, foxes, and the few wolves that still remain in Esemeir following Carthan purges in order to keep them away from livestock. Time was the whales were part of his sacred flock, though since the coastal settlements began to worship Natos less and less, and drove the whales away, they now worship their own dark, predatory god of the ocean depths.
Natos's most famous otherworldly servants are the Black Stewards, who guide souls to the afterlife, though they are seldom seen by the living, and thus there is little known about them save for the mythology surrounding their creation. They are said to be the disciples of Natos who in life gained the greatest understanding of the cycle of death and rebirth, and were thus hand-picked to guide spirits through it.
Vulpine Knights are a common sight on battlefields where pagans are involved. This order refers to both a martial branch of the priesthood of Natos, and an order of his angels. The human Vulpine Knights often dress in black garb and wide brimmed hats, their silver armor emblazoned with depictions of foxes. Their weapon of choice is often a scythe of sorts, because I've never had an original thought. Outside of times of war, they tend to be executioners and peacekeepers. The angels of the Vulpine knights are strange, fox-headed warriors that silently pick over battlefields, capturing and guiding fleeing spirits towards their next life. They are rarely seen save by those who are near death, and their sight is generally considered to be an ill omen.
In recent years priests of Natos have been more able to call upon the collected spirits of dead wolves, often taking the form of massive wolves. These are amalgamated spirits of one or more packs fused together into one entity in death. These packs are often used as guardians at important graves, temples, and other holy sites. Spirit packs tend towards the monstrous in form, too many limbs, or too few, multiple heads, eyes everywhere. The pack is one being, but they are best thought of as a colony organism. In combat, spirits may fall off or intentionally dislodge themselves, fighting individually before returning to the mass.
Also of note are the Questing Dead. While the body is generally interred after death, some devout followers of Natos may donate their bodies to temples as a vessel. The body is either mummified or cleaned of flesh, and kept in a specialized coffin until its use is required. The corpse now belongs to Natos, and is used on rare occasions to house spirits sent by the god or called by her priests. These are the Questing Dead, spirits of heroes who have performed great duties in the name of Natos, free from the cycle of death and rebirth, returned to the mortal realm once more to complete a sacred mission. The body is anointed, dressed in fine silken veils, and a great celebration is held at the temple in honor of the returned. The Dead will then be on their way, working tirelessly to accomplish their task. In the old days it was customary to give offerings to the Dead if you encountered one upon their journey, but now they are seldom seen, and often disguise their undead nature on the road, a symptom of growing disdain for necromancy in the current age.
Sathi
Sathi is the goddess of bloodshed, war, and slaughter. She is typically not very well liked, but while they may spit a bit when they say her name in the streets, when a soldier is facing down death, her name is never far from their lips. Sathi is the only of the Athe who does not have a speaker, rather, she is the only one who does not currently have a speaker. For someone to be aligned enough with her will, they must be utterly bloodthirsty and entirely without sympathy or any other thought, and few are truly so depraved. Most often they emerge during desperate struggles and brutal wars, and they invariably meet exceedingly violent ends, just as often at the hands of their own forces who find that their general has become too bloodthirst to appropriately lead them.
Sathi's worshippers are typically soldiers who have survived multiple brutal engagements, barely emerging with their lives. While some continue to view this relationship as one of convenience, others may develop an earnest love for their god. Again and again, throwing themselves into battle as an exultation to their god of slaughter. These are the Stained Hand, the members of Sathi's clergy. In battle they often wield twin blades, using them both for parrying and defensive maneuvers and attacking. They are well known for their wealth of holy texts and manuals imparting their knowledge of battle tactics and martial arts concerning both armed and unarmed engagements. They are also well known for self flagellating, though the frequency of this practice is often overexaggerated.
Sathi’s most beloved followers are occasionally bestowed the gift of vampirism. To reach this point, it is necessary for a warrior to kill hundreds, if not thousands. The killing need not be direct, of course, many a suicidal charge that left an army’s ranks decimated has resulted in the commanding officer’s rise to undeath. This is the ultimate reward under Sathi's banner, to become a predator of no equal.
The act of becoming a vampire forsakes Amora in favor of her rival, which she punished heavily. It is for this reason that the sun is fatal to vampires. Not many exist, and the personalities of those who Sathi favors tend to be too volatile to reliably hide in polite society. Many converts flee to the far south, living in the Caitan wastes. They make their homes from the surrounding environment, carving them out of the permafrost, great mansions of blackened ice. The downside to this of course is that food is scarce so far South, leading most to enter deep periods of hibernation for years on end, heading north to hunt in the winter when the days are the shortest. Some vampires have their own cults, sects of the Stained Hand who are dedicated to caring for them in their slumber. These may be soldiers, or pilgrims, who have traveled south in search of revelations. In years when food is plentiful, vampires may wage war with one another as sport, battling with armies of bound spirits and werewolves. Speaking of...
Werewolves are another of Sathi's creations. The knowledge of how to create them is closely guarded, and only given to the highest ranking members of the Stained Hand, and seems to be instinctual knowledge to vampires. The process of transformation is usually willing. Werewolves can turn into their beast forms whenever the sun is not out, and have the ability to bestow cursed wounds that never heal upon their victims. They are immune to all mortal weapons, save for those which have been constructed from silver, or blessed by a priest of Natos. The form of the wolf is that of a predator, but wolves owe their allegiance to Death, as such, they can also be pacified while in the presence of a holy symbol of Natos.
What should I do with this?
Whatever the hell you want, I'm not your dad. A lot of the angels or otherwise I'm describing could make for some interesting encounters or summons for your party to fight alongside, and the saints and holy people while less developed are great for characters with a religious aspect to their background. I'd love to see someone play one of the Questing Dead, brought back to guard a fellow PC or whatever. Anyways, I was going to do more but this post is too goddamn long, so I'll talk more about some other gods' servants soon.
